Tunable valley polarization and high Curie temperature in two-dimensional GdF2/WSe2 van der Waals heterojunctionsZhang, Zhang, Zhu
et alPhys Chem Chem Phys (2024) 26 (44), 27922-27932
Abstract: Two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) heterojunctions have potential applications in spintronic devices owing to their unique electronic structure and properties. The 2D ferromagnetic material GdF2, formed by the rare earth element (Gd) with 4f electrons and fluorine, exhibits spontaneous valley polarization, perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and other excellent properties. Monolayer WSe2 has a similar structure to monolayer GdF2 and can be used to construct a vdW heterojunction. The heterojunction not only retains the original excellent properties but also generates new physical properties due to interfacial charge transfer and coupling. Therefore, this work investigates the electronic structure, magnetic anisotropy energy and Curie temperature (Tc) of the GdF2/WSe2 heterojunction. The GdF2/WSe2 heterojunction exhibits spontaneous valley polarization and can be modulated by biaxial strain. Additionally, valley polarization can be regulated by applying an external electric field and changing interface spacing. These results indicate that the GdF2/WSe2 heterojunction can be used as a promising platform for the study of spintronic and valleytronic devices and provide ideas for the development of new electronic devices.
Bone morphogenetic protein-9 downregulates StAR expression by inducing snail expression via SMAD1/5/8 signaling in human granulosa-lutein cellsLiu, Fu, Zhou
et alMol Cell Endocrinol (2024) 582, 112126
Abstract: Ovarian steroidogenesis mediated by granulosa cells is pivotal in maintaining normal female reproductive function. The steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) regulates the rate-limiting step in steroidogenesis. Bone morphogenetic protein-9 (BMP-9), also known as growth differentiation factor-2 (GDF-2), is a member of the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) superfamily. BMP-9 induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) that contributes to cancer progression. However, the function of BMP-9 in the female reproductive system remains largely unknown. It has been recently shown that BMP-9 is expressed in human follicular fluid and can downregulate StAR expression in human ovarian granulosa cells. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms warrant investigation. Our results show that treatment of primary granulosa-lutein (hGL) cells with BMP-9 downregulates StAR expression. In addition, two EMT-related transcription factors, Snail and Slug, are upregulated by the treatment of BMP-9. Using pharmacological inhibitors and a siRNA-mediated knockdown approach, we show that BMP-9 upregulates Snail and Slug expression by activating SMAD1/5/8 signaling. We also examine the effects of BMP-9 on SMAD-independent signaling pathways, including ERK1/2, p38, JNK, AKT, and CREB. However, none of them is affected by the BMP-9. Moreover, we use gain- and loss-of-function approaches to reveal that only Snail, not Slug, is required for the BMP-9-induced downregulation of StAR expression in hGL cells. This study increases the understanding of the physiology function of BMP-9 in hGL cells and provides important insights into the regulation of StAR expression.Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Pediatric pulmonary arterial hypertension due to a novel homozygous GDF2 missense variant affecting BMP9 processing and activityChomette, Hupkens, Romitti
et alAm J Med Genet A (2023) 191 (8), 2064-2073
Abstract: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare and severe disorder characterized by progressive pulmonary vasculopathy. Growth differentiation factor (GDF)2 encodes the pro-protein bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) 9, activated after cleavage by endoproteases into an active mature form. BMP9, together with BMP10, are high-affinity ligands of activin receptor-like kinase 1 (ALK1) and BMP receptor type II (BMPR2). GDF2 mutations have been reported in idiopathic PAH with most patients being heterozygous carriers although rare homozygous cases have been described. The link between PAH occurrence and BMP9 or 10 expression level is still unclear. In this study, we describe a pediatric case of PAH also presenting with telangiectasias and epistaxis. The patient carries the novel homozygous GDF2 c.946A > G mutation, replacing the first arginine of BMP9's cleavage site (R316) by a glycine. We show that this mutation leads to an absence of circulating mature BMP9 and mature BMP9-10 heterodimers in the patient's plasma although pro-BMP9 is still detected at a similar level as controls. In vitro functional studies further demonstrated that the mutation R316G hampers the correct processing of BMP9, leading to the secretion of inactive pro-BMP9. The heterozygous carriers of the variant were asymptomatic, similarly to previous reports, reinforcing the hypothesis of modifiers preventing/driving PAH development in heterozygous carriers.© 2023 Wiley Periodicals LLC.
TAZ promotes osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells line C3H10T1/2, murine multi-lineage cells lines C2C12, and MEFs induced by BMP9Huang, Lu, Ye
et alCell Death Discov (2022) 8 (1), 499
Abstract: Bone morphogenetic protein 9 (BMP9), also named as growth differentiation factor 2 (GDF-2), is the strongest cytokine that promotes osteogenic differentiation in the BMP family, and has broad clinical application value. Nevertheless, the mechanism of BMP9 promotes osteogenic differentiation remain unclear. TAZ, a transcriptional co-activator, has great effects on cell proliferation, differentiation, and stem cell self-renewal. In this research, we investigated the effects of TAZ in BMP9-induced osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cell line C3H10T1/2 (MSCs) and murine multi-lineage cell lines C2C12 and MEFs (MMCs) and explored its possible mechanisms. This study has found that BMP9 induces the expression of TAZ and promotes its nuclear translocation. Meanwhile, our study found that Ad-TAZ and TM-25659, a TAZ agonist, can enhance the osteogenic differentiation of MSCs and MMCs induced by BMP9. Conversely, Ad-si-TAZ and verteporfin, an inhibitor of TAZ, have the contradictory effect. Likewise, the promotion of TAZ to the BMP9-induced ectopic bone formation in vivo was confirmed by the subcutaneous transplantation of MSCs in nude mice. Furthermore, we have detected that TAZ might increase the levels of the phosphorylation of Smad1/5/8, p38, ERK1/2, and JNK induced by BMP9. Additionally, we also found that TAZ increased the total protein level of β-catenin induced by BMP9. In summary, our results strongly indicated that TAZ will promote the osteogenic differentiation in MSCs and MMCs induced by BMP9 through multiple signal pathways.© 2022. The Author(s).
膜杰作
Star Staining
