Osteoblast lineage-specific differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells is a well regulated but poorly understood process. Both bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) and Wnt signaling are implicated in regulating osteoblast differentiation and bone formation. Here we analyzed the expression profiles of mesenchymal stem cells stimulated with Wnt3A and osteogenic BMPs, and we identified connective tis...

This study investigated the effect of the Jianpi Bushen Prescription (JBP) on the expression of 3 major proteins in chemically damaged model mice. The 3 proteins were the Wnt3a, the SHP-1, and the transcription factors (NF-E2, c-jun, and c-fos) of the AP-1 protein family. Kunming mice were randomly divided into chemically damaged group (N=48), which received an abdominal injection of (100 mg/kg...

Wnt signaling plays a major role in bone homeostasis and mechanotransduction, but its role and regulatory mechanism in osteoclast development are not fully understood. Through genome-wide in silico analysis, we examined Wnt3a-driven regulation of osteoclast development. Mouse bone marrow-derived cells were incubated with RANKL in the presence and absence of Wnt3a. Using microarray mRNA expressi...

In response to mucosal injury, epithelial cells modify the patterns of expressed genes to repair damaged tissue rapidly. Our previous studies have demonstrated that the transcription factor c-Myc is necessary for stimulation of epithelial cell renewal during mucosal healing, but the up-stream signaling initiating c-Myc gene expression after injury remains unknown. Wnts are cysteine-rich glycopr...

Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) from the bone marrow represent a potential source of pluripotent cells for autologous bone tissue engineering. We previously discovered that over activation of the Wnt signal transduction pathway by either lithium or Wnt3A stimulates hMSC proliferation while retaining pluripotency. Release of Wnt3A or lithium from porous calcium phosphate scaffolds, which we...

Cardiac fibrosis is a pathological process associated with the development of heart failure. TGF-? and WNT signaling have been implicated in pathogenesis cardiac fibrosis, however, little known about molecular cross-talk between these two pathways. The aim this study was to examine effect exogenous canonical WNT3a non-canonical WNT5a TGF-?-activated human fibroblasts. We found that induced ?-ca...

Although extracellular control of canonical Wnt signaling is crucial for tissue homeostasis, the role of the extracellular microenvironment in modulating this signaling pathway is largely unknown. In the present study, we show that a member of the small leucine-rich proteoglycan family, biglycan, enhances canonical Wnt signaling by mediating Wnt function via its core protein. Immunoprecipitatio...