Pressure overload activates cardiac fibroblasts leading to excessive production of extracellular matrix which may contribute to compromised heart function. The activated fibroblast acquires smooth muscle-like features such as expression of smooth muscle α-actin (SMA) and SM22 and is therefore referred to as myofibroblast. The molecular mechanisms underlying mechanical stress-induced myofibrobla...

The combinatorial action of separate cis-acting elements controls the cell-specific expression of type I collagen genes. In particular, we have shown that two short elements located between -3.2 and -2.3 kb and named TSE1 and TSE2 are needed for expression of the mouse COL1a1 gene in tendon fibroblasts. In this study, we analyzed the trans-acting factors binding to TSE1 and TSE2. Gel shift expe...

Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent calcineurin (CaN) plays an important role in various Ca(+2) signaling pathways, among which are those involved in cardiac diseases. It has also been shown that a heightened sympathetic tone accelerates the development of heart failure. The present study investigates whether the CaN-mediated nuclear factor of activated T-cells (NFAT) pathway is involved in cultured ne...

The aims of this study were to evaluate the osteoprotective effect of aqueous extract from Rhizoma Dioscoreae (RDE) on rats with ovariectomy- (OVX-) induced osteopenia. Our results show that RDE could inhibit bone loss of OVX rats after a 12-week treatment. The microarray analysis showed that 68 genes were upregulated and that 100 genes were downregulated in femurs of the RDE group rats compare...