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Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), a specialized stromal cytotype have a great impact on the biological behaviors of liver diseases. Despite this fact, the underlying mechanism that regulates HSC still remains poorly understood. The aim of the present study was to understand the role of TRPC6 signaling in regulating the molecular mechanism of HSCs in response to hypoxia. In the present study we showed that under hypoxia condition, the upregulated Hypoxia Inducible Factor 1α (HIF1α) increases NICD activation, which in turn induces the expression of transient receptor potential channel 6 (TRPC6) in HSC line lx-2. TRPC6 causes a sustained elevation of intracellular calcium which is coupled with the activation of the calcineurin-nuclear factor of activated T-cell (NFAT) pathway which activates the synthesis of extracellular matrix proteins. TRPC6 also activates SMAD2/3 dependent TGF-β signaling in facilitating upregulated expression of αSMA and collagen. As activated HSCs may be a suitable target for HCC therapy and targeting these cells rather than the HCC cells may result in a greater response. Collectively, our studies indicate for the first time the detailed mechanism of activation of HSC through TRPC6 signaling and thus being a promising therapeutic target.

Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the most common malignancies worldwide and evidence suggests that Ras signaling regulates various hallmarks of cancer via regulating several effector pathways such as ERK and PI3K. The aim of the present study is to understand the efficacy of a flavonoid myricetin for the first time in inhibiting the downstream target p21 activated kinase 1 (PAK1) of Ras signaling pathway in hepatocellular carcinoma. The analysis of gene expression revealed that myricetin inhibits PAK1 by abrogating the Ras-mediated signaling by decelerating Wnt signaling, the downstream of Erk/Akt, thereby inducing intrinsic caspase-mediated mitochondrial apoptosis by downregulating the expression of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 and survivin and upregulating pro-apoptotic Bax. The results also provide striking evidence that the myricetin inhibits the development of HCC by inhibiting PAK1 via coordinate abrogation of MAPK/ERK and PI3K/AKT and their downstream signaling Wnt/β-catenin pathway, thus being a promising candidate for cancer prevention and therapy.

Mucosal epithelial cells in the intestine act as the first line of host defense against pathogens by increasing mucin production for clearance. Despite this fact, the underlying molecular mechanisms by which Shigella dysenteriae transduce mucin gene expression remain poorly defined. The goal of this study was to determine the role of Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) pathway in mucin gene expression during S. dysenteriae infection. In this study we demonstrate that S. dysenteriae activates BMP signaling to induce MUC2 and MUC5AC gene expression in rat ileal loop model and in vitro. We also observed that BMP pathway regulates CDX2 expression which plays a critical role in induction of MUC2 gene during S. dysenteriae infection. In SMAD4 silenced cells S. dysenteriae infection did not abrogate MUC2 and MUC5AC gene expression whereas in CDX2 silenced cells it induces differential expression of MUC5AC gene. These results suggest that SMAD4-CDX2 induces MUC2 gene expression whereas SMAD4 directly influences differential expression of MUC5AC gene. Altogether, our results show that during S. dysenteriae infection the BMP pathway modulates inflammatory transcription factors CDX2 and SMAD4 to induce MUC2 and MUC5AC gene expression which plays a key role in the regulation of host mucosal defense thereby paving a cue for therapeutic application.