DNA Methylation Dynamics During Esophageal Epithelial Regeneration Following Repair with Acellular Silk Fibroin Grafts in Rats

January 2023 in “ Advanced Biology ”

Lauren A. Urban, Jiachun Li, Gökhan Gündoğdu, Annie Trinh, Hanjuan Shao, Travis Nguyen, Joshua R. Mauney, Timothy L. Downing

Studysummary This study observed that DNA methylation dynamics, including global hypermethylation and site-specific changes, influenced gene expression associated with immune activation and PI3K-Akt signaling during esophageal tissue regeneration with acellular grafts.

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The study investigated DNA methylation dynamics during esophageal epithelial regeneration in rats using acellular silk fibroin grafts. It was found that global hypermethylation occurred at post-reconstruction timepoints, with an inverse correlation between promoter DNA methylation and the expression of differentially expressed proteins during regeneration. Site-specific hypomethylation targeted genes related to immune activation, while hypermethylation was observed within gene bodies encoding PI3K-Akt signaling components during tissue remodeling. These findings provided insights into the epigenetic mechanisms involved in esophageal regeneration following surgical repair with acellular grafts.

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research PI3K/Akt Signaling Pathway Is Essential for De Novo Hair Follicle Regeneration

30 citations , April 2020 in “Stem Cell Research & Therapy”

This study found that the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway is essential for regenerating new hair follicles when epidermal stem cells and skin-derived precursors are combined, suggesting potential therapeutic applications for hair regeneration.