Cardiac stem cells: translation to human studies

The discovery of multiple classes of cardiac progenitor cells in the adult mammalian heart has generated hope for their use as a therapeutic in heart failure. However, successful results from animal models have not always yielded similar findings in human studies. Recent Phase I/II trials of c-Kit (SCIPIO) and cardiosphere-based (CADUCEUS) cardiac progenitor cells have demonstrated safety and some therapeutic efficacy. Gaps remain in our understanding of the origins, function and relationships between the different progenitor cell families, many of which are heterogeneous populations with overlapping definitions. Another challenge lies in the limitations of small animal models in replicating the human heart. Cryopreserved human cardiac tissue provides a readily available source of cardiac progenitor cells and may help address these questions. We review important findings and relative unknowns of the main classes of cardiac progenitor cells, highlighting differences between animal and human studies     

Bacterial (Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. thuringiensis and B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki) Entomocidal Preparations Decrease Chlorophyll Accumulation in Larch Needles

Chlorophyll a plus b content and absorption spectra of the homogenates from the cotyledonary leaves of 30-day-old seedlings of two larch species, Larix gmelinii (Rupr.) Rupr. and L. sibirica Ldb. were studied. The seedlings were grown on Perlite containing aqueous solutions of entomocidal biopreparations isolated from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. thuringiensis (bitoxybacillin) and B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki (lepidocide) at various final concentrations (2, 6, and 12 g/l). Changes in the form of chlorophyll absorption spectra induced by biopreparations were established. A marked inhibition of pigment accumulation in the needles dependent on the biopreparation concentration was noted. At a low concentration (2 g/l), the biopreparations virtually did not affect the chlorophyll content; an increase in their concentrations resulted in a decrease in chlorophyll content in leaves by 20% (at 6 g/l) and 40% (at 12 g/l). It is concluded that bitoxybacillin and lepidocide inhibited the chlorophyll accumulation in larch needles to a similar extent.     

Down-regulation of SLC25A20 promotes hepatocellular carcinoma growth and metastasis through suppression of fatty-acid oxidation

Solute carrier family 25 member 20 (SLC25A20) is a mitochondrial-membrane–carrier protein involved in the transport of acylcarnitines into mitochondrial matrix for oxidation. A previous-integrated-proteogenomic study had identified SLC25A20 as one of the top-three prognostic biomarkers in HCC. However, the expression and the biological function of SLC25A20 have not yet been investigated in HCC. In the present study, we found that SLC25A20 expression is frequently down-regulated in HCC cells mainly due to the up-regulation of miR-132-3p. Down-regulation of SLC25A20 is associated with a poor prognosis in patients with HCC. SLC25A20 suppressed HCC growth and metastasis, both in vitro and in vivo, by suppression of G1–S cell transition, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and induction of cell apoptosis. Mechanistically, SLC25A20 down-regulation promoted HCC growth and metastasis through suppression of fatty-acid oxidation. Altogether, SLC25A20 plays a critical tumor-suppressive role in carcinogenesis of HCC; SLC25A20 may serve as a novel prognostic factor and therapeutic target for patients with HCC.Subject terms: Liver cancer, Liver cancer