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Background: EpCAM is highly expressed in ESCs. However, the role of EpCAM complex proteins in pluripotency reprogramming is still unknown. Results: Overexpression of EpCAM complex proteins significantly repressed the expression of p53 and enhanced reprogramming efficiency in MEFs. Conclusion: EpCAM signaling enhance reprogramming through suppression of the p53-p21 pathway. Significance: EpCAM signaling enhance reprogramming through suppression of the p53-p21 pathway.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is one of the common long-term degenerative disorders that primarily affect motor systems. Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are common in individuals with PD and often present before motor symptoms. It has been found that gut dysbiosis to PD pathology is related to the severity of motor and non-motor symptoms in PD. Probiotics have been reported to have the ability to improve the symptoms related to constipation in PD patients. However, the evidence from preclinical or clinical research to verify the beneficial effects of probiotics for the motor functions in PD is still limited. An experimental PD animal model could be helpful in exploring the potential therapeutic strategy using probiotics. In the current study, we examined whether daily and long-term administration of probiotics has neuroprotective effects on nigrostriatal dopamine neurons and whether it can further alleviate the motor dysfunctions in PD mice. Transgenic MitoPark PD mice were chosen for this study and the effects of daily probiotic treatment on gait, beam balance, motor coordination, and the degeneration levels of dopaminergic neurons were identified. From the results, compared with the sham treatment group, we found that the daily administration of probiotics significantly reduced the motor impairments in gait pattern, balance function, and motor coordination. Immunohistochemically, a tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive cell in the substantia nigra was significantly preserved in the probiotic-treated PD mice. These results showed that long-term administration of probiotics has neuroprotective effects on dopamine neurons and further attenuates the deterioration of motor dysfunctions in MitoPark PD mice. Our data further highlighted the promising possibility of the potential use of probiotics, which could be the relevant approach for further application on human PD subjects.

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Acquisition of temozolomide (TMZ) resistance is a major factor leading to the failure of glioblastoma (GBM) treatment. The exact mechanism by which GBM evades TMZ toxicity is not always related to the expression of the DNA repair enzyme O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT), and so remains unclear. In this study, TMZ-resistant variants derived from MGMT-negative GBM clinical samples and cell lines were studied, revealing there to be increased specificity protein 1 (Sp1) expression associated with reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation following TMZ treatment. Analysis of gene expression databases along with cell studies identified the ROS scavenger superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2) as being disease-related. SOD2 expression was also increased, and it was found to be co-expressed with Sp1 in TMZ-resistant cells. Investigation of the SOD2 promoter revealed Sp1 as a critical transcriptional activator that enhances SOD2 gene expression. Co-treatment with an Sp1 inhibitor restored the inhibitory effects of TMZ, and decreased SOD2 levels in TMZ-resistant cells. This treatment strategy restored susceptibility to TMZ in xenograft animals, leading to prolonged survival in an orthotopic model. Thus, our results suggest that Sp1 modulates ROS scavengers as a novel mechanism to increase cancer malignancy and resistance to chemotherapy. Inhibition of this pathway may represent a potential therapeutic target for restoring treatment susceptibility in GBM.