Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and slit function of mesothelial cells are regulated by the crosstalk between mesothelial cells and endothelial cells.

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and slit function of mesothelial cells are regulated by the crosstalk between mesothelial cells and endothelial cells. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol. 2013 Nov 6; Authors: Aoki S, Takezawa T, Oshikata-Miyazaki A, Ikeda S, Kuroyama H, Chimuro T, Oguchi Y, Noguchi M, Narisawa Y, Toda S Abstract Peritoneal dysfunction is a major factor leading to treatment failure of peritoneal dialysis (PD). However, the precise mechanism of the peritoneal diffusion changes related to PD remains to be elucidated. To this end, we have established a novel peritoneal diffusion model in vitro, which consists of a three-dimensional culture system using a collagen vitrigel membrane chamber and a fluid-stream generation system. This artificial peritoneal model revealed that high-glucose culture medium and fluid flow stress promoted the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process of mesothelial cells, and that endothelial cells inhibited this mesothelial EMT process. Mesothelial cells in the EMT state showed high expression of connective tissue growth factor and low expression of bone morphogenic protein-7, while non-EMT mesothelial cells showed the opposite expression pattern of these two proteins. In addition, these protein expressions were dependent on the presence of endothelial cells in the model. Our model revealed that the endothelial slit function was predominantly dependent on the covering surface area, while the mesothelial...
Source: Am J Physiol Renal P... - Category: Urology & Nephrology Authors: Tags: Am J Physiol Renal Physiol Source Type: research