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AKT2 deficiency induces retardation of myocyte development through EndoG-MEF2A signaling in mouse heart
Protein kinase B2 (AKT2) is implicated in diverse process of cardiomyocyte signaling including survival and metabolism. However, the role of AKT2 in myocardium development and the signaling pathway is rarely understood. Therefore, we sought to determine …
Publication
Photoacoustic Imaging: A Novel Tool for Detecting Carotid Artery Thrombosis in Mice
Thrombosis is a main cause of acute cardiovascular events, and detecting thrombi in small arteries via noninvasive im- aging remains challenging. In this study, we employed a novel imaging method, photoacoustic imaging (PAI), to study thrombosis in a …
Publication
Trimethylamine-N-oxide induces vascular inflammation by activating the NLRP3 inflammasome through the SIRT3-SOD2-mtROS signaling pathway
BACKGROUND Trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) has recently been identified as a novel and independent risk factor for promoting atherosclerosis through inducing vascular inflammation. However, the exact mechanism is currently unclear. Studies have established …
Publication
Local sympathetic denervation attenuates myocardial inflammation and improves cardiac function after myocardial infarction in mice
Aims Cardiac inflammation has been suggested to be regulated by the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). However, due to the lack of methodology to surgically eliminate the myocardial SNS in mice, neuronal control of cardiac inflammation remains ill-defined. …
Publication
A pathogenic S250F missense mutation results in a mouse model of mild aromatic L -amino acid decarboxylase ( AADC ) deficiency
Homozygous mutations in the aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC) gene result in a severe depletion of its namesake protein, triggering a debilitating and often fatal form of infantile Parkinsonism known as AADC deficiency. AADC deficient patients …
Publication
Fibroblast-specific TGF-β–Smad2/3 signaling underlies cardiac fibrosis
The master cytokine TGF-β mediates tissue fibrosis associated with inflammation and tissue injury. TGF-β induces fibroblast activation and differentiation into myofibroblasts that secrete extracellular matrix proteins. Canonical TGF-β signaling mobilizes …
Publication
FKBP8 protects the heart from hemodynamic stress by preventing the accumulation of misfolded proteins and endoplasmic reticulum-associated apoptosis in mice
Protein quality control in cardiomyocytes is crucial to maintain cellular homeostasis. The accumulation of damaged organelles, such as mitochondria and misfolded proteins in the heart is associated with heart failure. During the process to identify novel …
Publication
Acute and long-term cardioprotective effects of the Traditional Chinese Medicine MLC901 against myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury in mice
MLC901, a traditional Chinese medicine containing a cocktail of active molecules, both reduces cerebral infarction and improves recovery in patients with ischemic stroke. The aim of this study was to evaluate the acute and long-term benefits of MLC901 in …
Publication
Hongjingtian Injection Attenuates Myocardial Oxidative Damage via Promoting Autophagy and Inhibiting Apoptosis
Natural products with antioxidative activities are widely applied to prevent and treat various oxidative stress related diseases, including ischemic heart disease. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms of those therapies are still needed to be …
Publication
Phenotyping cardiac and structural birth defects in fetal and newborn mice
Mouse models are invaluable for investigating the developmental etiology and molecular pathogenesis of structural birth defects. While this has been deployed for studying a wide spectrum of birth defects, mice are particularly valuable for modeling …