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Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), also known as fibro‐adipogenic progenitors, play a critical role in muscle maintenance and sarcopenia development. Although analogous MSCs are present in various tissues, recent single‐cell RNA‐seq studies have revealed the inter‐tissue heterogeneity of MSCs. However, the functional significance of MSC heterogeneity and its role in aging remain unclear. Here, we investigated the properties of MSCs and their age‐related changes in seven mouse tissues through histological, cell culture, and genetic examinations. The tissue of origin had a greater impact on the MSC transcriptome than aging. By first analyzing age‐related changes, we found that Kera is exclusively expressed in muscle MSCs and significantly down‐regulated by aging. Kera knockout mice recapitulated some sarcopenic phenotypes including reduced muscle mass and specific force, revealing the functional importance of Kera in the maintenance of muscle youth. These results suggest that MSCs have tissue‐specific supportive functions and that deterioration in these functions may trigger tissue aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The role of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in oncogenic contexts has been studied previously, but the expression patterns and functional role of keratocan, a classical small leucine-rich proteoglycan found in the ECM, in tumors remain poorly understood. As pancreatic cancer (PC) is characterized by desmoplasia in the ECM, this study sought to assess the significance of keratocan in PC. Objective: In this study, Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) was first used to analyze the expression pattern of keratocan in PC. Keratocan, P53, and P21 levels were evaluated in PDAC patient tissues and the role of keratocan was additionally directly assessed via transfecting PDAC cell lines with a pENTER-human keratocan construct. Results: Patients with PC showing high levels of keratocan had low survival rates. A significantly upregulated expression of keratocan was observed in the PC tumor tissues in comparison to healthy paracancerous tissues. Keratocan upregulation in BxPC-3 and PANC-1 cells markedly enhanced their proliferation and migration, but reduced cellular apoptosis. Furthermore, the P53 and P21 expression levels were significantly reduced in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cells overexpressing keratocan. P53 and P21 were downregulated in PC tumor tissues. Conclusions: All results showed that keratocan played important roles in the promoting of PC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cornea plana (CP) is a rare ocular condition existing in two distinct clinical and hereditary forms: a milder, autosomal dominant type I and a more severe, autosomal recessive type II. The condition is more commonly found in Finnish, Saudi, and Czech families. We report three brothers from a consanguineous marriage that presented with complaints of decreased vision of varying degrees. All three of them have blue, thick, and hazy corneas with shallow anterior chamber depths. The additional features of CP type II were seen in the older two brothers including arcus lipoids, ill-demarcated limbus, and an accommodative squint. They were managed by the correction of refractive errors through spectacles and detailed counseling with follow-up visits to look for progressive complications. The management is mainly centered around optically or surgically correcting the developmental anomalies. This is complimented with proper genetic counseling and regular follow-up visits to look for and manage complications. There are, however, novel therapies that can be considered in these patients including corneal transplants or corneal stromal stem cellular therapies.

Cornea plana (CP) is a rare ocular condition existing in two distinct clinical and hereditary forms: a milder, autosomal dominant type I and a more severe, autosomal recessive type II. The condition is more commonly found in Finnish, Saudi, and Czech families. We report three brothers from a consanguineous marriage that presented with complaints of decreased vision of varying degrees. All three of them have blue, thick, and hazy corneas with shallow anterior chamber depths. The additional features of CP type II were seen in the older two brothers including arcus lipoids, ill-demarcated limbus, and an accommodative squint. They were managed by the correction of refractive errors through spectacles and detailed counseling with follow-up visits to look for progressive complications. The management is mainly centered around optically or surgically correcting the developmental anomalies. This is complimented with proper genetic counseling and regular follow-up visits to look for and manage complications. There are, however, novel therapies that can be considered in these patients including corneal transplants or corneal stromal stem cellular therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]