Elucidating the Relationship Between Diabetes Mellitus and Parkinson's Disease Using 18F-FP-(+)-DTBZ, a Positron-Emission Tomography Probe for Vesicular Monoamine Transporter 2

Diabetes mellitus (DM) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) have been and will continue to be two common chronic diseases globally that are difficult to diagnose during the prodromal phase. Current molecular genetics, cell biological, and epidemiological evidences have shown the correlation between PD and DM. PD shares the same pathogenesis pathways and pathological factors with DM. In addition, β-cell reduction, which can cause hyperglycemia, is a striking feature of DM. Recent studies indicated that hyperglycemia is highly relevant to the pathologic changes in PD. However, further correlation between DM and PD remains to be investigated. Intriguingly, polycystic monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2), which is co-expressed in dopaminergic neurons and β cells, is responsible for taking up dopamine into the presynaptic vesicles and can specifically bind to the β cells. Furthermore, we have summarized the specific molecular and diagnostic functions of VMAT2 for the two diseases reported in this review. Therefore, VMAT2 can be applied as a target probe for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging to detect β-cell and dopamine level changes, which can contribute to the diagnosis of DM and PD during the prodromal phase. Targeting VMAT2 with the molecular probe ¹⁸F-FP-(+)-DTBZ can be an entry point for the β cell mass (BCM) changes in DM at the molecular level, to clarify the potential relationship between DM and PD. VMAT2 has promising clinical significance in investigating the pathogenesis, early diagnosis, and treatment evaluation of the two diseases.

Circular RNA_LARP4 inhibits the progression of non-small-cell lung cancer by regulating the expression of SMAD7

OBJECTIVE

Researchers have uncovered the importance of circular RNAs (circ) in malignant tumors. Circ LARP4 has been found to serve as a tumor suppressor gene in gastric cancer. However, the exact function of circ LARP4 in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has not been fully elucidated. The aim of this study was to uncover the role of circ LARP4 in the tumorigenesis of NSCLC.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Expression level of circ LARP4 in NSCLC tissues was detected through Real Time-quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR). Subsequently, the association between expression and patients' prognosis was analyzed. Circ LARP4 lentivirus was constructed and transfected into NSCLC cells. The effect of circ LARP4 on NSCLC cell migration and invasion was detected by function assays. Furthermore, Western blot was performed to analyze the expression of predicted protein of circ LARP4.

RESULTS

Compared with adjacent tissues, circ LARP4 was lowly expressed in NSCLC tissues. Meanwhile, expression of circ LARP4 was associated with the prognosis of NSCLC patients. Downregulated circ LARP4 was found in NSCLC cell lines as well. The migration and invasion abilities of NSCLC cells were significantly inhibited via overexpression of circ LARP4. SMAD7, the predicted protein of circ LARP4, increased remarkably via overexpression of circ LARP4.

CONCLUSIONS

Circ LARP4 could suppress the metastasis of NSCLC by up-regulating SMAD7.

Dcf1 Affects Memory and Anxiety by Regulating NMDA and AMPA Receptors

The hippocampus is critical for memory and emotion and both N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl- 4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptors are known to contribute for those processes. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. We have previously found that mice undergo memory decline upon dcf1 deletion through ES gene knockout. In the present study, a nervous system-specific dcf1 knockout (NKO) mouse was constructed, which was found to present severely damaged neuronal morphology. The damaged neurons caused structural abnormalities in dendritic spines and decreased synaptic density. Decreases in hippocampal NMDA and AMPA receptors of NKO mice lead to abnormal long term potentiation (LTP) at DG, with significantly decreased performance in the water maze, elevated- plus maze, open field and light and dark test. Investigation into the underlying molecular mechanisms revealed that dendritic cell factor 1 (Dcf1) contributes for memory and emotion by regulating NMDA and AMPA receptors. Our results broaden the understanding of synaptic plasticity's role in cognitive function, thereby expanding its known list of functions.

ATP11B deficiency leads to impairment of hippocampal synaptic plasticity

Synaptic plasticity is known to regulate and support signal transduction between neurons, while synaptic dysfunction contributes to multiple neurological and other brain disorders; however, the specific mechanism underlying this process remains unclear. In the present study, abnormal neural and dendritic morphology was observed in the hippocampus following knockout of Atp11b both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, ATP11B modified synaptic ultrastructure and promoted spine remodeling via the asymmetrical distribution of phosphatidylserine and enhancement of glutamate release, glutamate receptor expression, and intracellular Ca2+ concentration. Furthermore, experimental results also indicate that ATP11B regulated synaptic plasticity in hippocampal neurons through the MAPK14 signaling pathway. In conclusion, our data shed light on the possible mechanisms underlying the regulation of synaptic plasticity and lay the foundation for the exploration of proteins involved in signal transduction during this process.

Zebrafish olfactory receptors ORAs differentially detect bile acids and bile salts

The fish olfactory receptor ORA family is orthologous to the mammalian vomeronasal receptors type 1. It consists of six highly conserved chemosensory receptors expected to be essential for survival and communication. We deorphanized the zebrafish ORA family in a heterologous cell system. The six receptors responded specifically to lithocholic acid (LCA) and closely related C₂₄ 5β-bile acids/salts. LCA attracted zebrafish as strongly as food in behavioral tests, whereas the less potent cholanic acid elicited weaker attraction, consistent with the in vitro results. The ORA-ligand recognition patterns were probed with site-directed mutagenesis guided by in silico modeling. We revealed the receptors' structure-function relationship underlying their specificity and selectivity for these compounds. Bile acids/salts are putative fish semiochemicals or pheromones sensed by the olfactory system with high specificity. This work identified their receptors and provided the basis for probing the roles of ORAs and bile acids/salts in fish chemosensation.

Dendritic cell factor 1 inhibits proliferation and migration and induces apoptosis of neuroblastoma cells by inhibiting the ERK signaling pathway

Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common extracranial solid tumor that affects mainly children and has extremely high mortality and recurrence rates. A previous study revealed that dendritic cell factor 1 (DCF1), also called transmembrane protein 59, could activate apoptosis in glioma cells. In the present study, we applied immunofluorescence, western blot analysis, flow cytometry and cell tumorigenicity to investigate the DCF1 mechanisms involved in NB apoptosis. DCF1 was overexpressed in Neuro-2a and SK-N-SH cells through instantaneous transfection. The data revealed that overexpression of DCF1 could inhibit cell proliferation, migration, invasion and promote cell apoptosis in vitro, and suppress NB growth in vivo. The ERK1/2 signaling pathway, which promotes cell survival, was the target of DCF1 in neuroblastoma cells. All the results indicated that DCF1 could be a potential therapeutic target for the understanding and treatment of NB.

The antitumor effect of TAT-DCF1 peptide in glioma cells

BACKGROUND

Glioblastoma is one of the most malignant brain cancer, thus, establishing an effective therapy is paramount. Our previous results indicate that dendritic cell-derived factor (DCF1) is an attractive candidate for therapy against Glioblastoma, since its overexpression in Glioblastoma U251 cells leads to apoptosis. However, the delivery approach limits its clinical application, in this paper, we expressed TAT-DCF1 fusion protein in E.coli in order to surmount its current delivery problems.

METHODS

The coding sequences of the different domains of DCF1 (full length, cytoplasmic, extracellular, 19-amino acid), together with the N-terminal transactivator of transcription (TAT) sequence, were amplified and subcloned into the bacterial expression vector pET30a(+) in order to produce (His)₆-tagged fusion proteins. Coomassie blue-stained SDS-PAGE and Western blotting identification showed that purity of the fusion proteins.

RESULTS

Immunofluorescence and flow cytometry show that U251 cells were efficiently transduced with the fusion proteins. Cell viability, proliferation, and migration assays suggest that the complete TAT-DCF1 fusion protein significantly decreased U251 proliferation and migration. Flow cytometry further reveals that TAT-DCF1 triggered cellular apoptosis.

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, these findings suggest that the TAT-DCF1 fusion protein was efficiently transduced into Glioblastoma U251 cells and induced the antitumor effect and support further investigation into specific targeting and side effects of TAT-DCF1 during drug delivery.

The prognostic significance of serum HBeAg on the recurrence and long-term survival after hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma: A propensity score matching analysis

The effects of serum hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) on the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients after hepatectomy remain controversial. Our aim was to explore the prognostic significance of serum HBeAg on the prognosis of patients with HCC using a propensity matching model. Between January 2009 and March 2015, 953 patients with HCC who underwent hepatectomy in West China Hospital were analysed. Propensity matching analysis was applied, and survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Risk factors were identified by the Cox proportional hazards model. All patients with HCC were classified into an HBeAg(-) group (n = 775, 81.3%) or an HBeAg(+) group (n = 178, 18.7%). Patients with positive serum HBeAg had poorer recurrence-free survival and overall survival before and after propensity matching. Similar results were found in patients within the Milan criteria. For patients beyond the Milan criteria, the HBeAg(+) group had poor overall survival before and after propensity matching. In term of recurrence-free survival, there was no statistically significant impact after propensity matching (P = .055), although there was a trend for HBeAg(+) patient to have reduced recurrence-free survival. Positive serum HBeAg, positive HBV-DNA load, largest tumour size, multiple tumours, microvascular invasion and a high serum level of preoperative alpha-fetoprotein were risk factors for recurrence. Our propensity model confirmed that positive serum HBeAg had a negative impact on the recurrence and long-term survival irrespective of tumour stages. HBeAg seroconversion might be beneficial for reducing the rate of recurrence.

Esophageal IgG4 levels correlate with histopathologic and transcriptomic features in eosinophilic esophagitis

BACKGROUND

Recent data associate eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) with IgG4 rather than IgE, but its significance and function have not been determined. Our aims were to measure esophageal IgG4 levels and to determine functional correlations as assessed by histologic and transcriptome analyses.

METHODS

This case-control study included pediatric subjects with EoE (≥15 eosinophils/HPF) and non-EoE controls. Protein lysates were analyzed for IgA, IgM, and IgG1-IgG4 using the Luminex 100 system; IgE was quantified by ELISA. Esophageal biopsies were scored using the EoE histology scoring system. Transcripts were probed by the EoE diagnostic panel, designed to examine the expression of 96 esophageal transcripts.

RESULTS

Esophageal IgG subclasses, IgA, and IgM, but not IgE, were increased in subjects with EoE relative to controls. The greatest change between groups was seen in IgG4 (4.2 mg/g protein [interquartile range: 1.0-13.1 mg/g protein] vs 0.2 mg/g protein [0.1-0.9]; P < .0001). Tissue IgG4 levels correlated with esophageal eosinophil counts (P = .0006); histologic grade (P = .0011) and stage (P = .0112) scores; and IL4, IL10, IL13, but not TGFB1, expression and had strong associations with a subset of the EoE transcriptome. Esophageal IgG4 transcript expression was increased and correlated with IgG4 protein levels and IL10 expression.

CONCLUSION

These findings extend prior studies on IgG4 in adult EoE to the pediatric population and provide deeper understanding of the potential significance and regulation of IgG4, demonstrating that IgG4 is a relevant feature of the disease; is closely related to esophageal eosinophil levels, type 2 immunity and T regulatory cytokines; and is likely produced locally.

Dcf1 Deficiency Attenuates the Role of Activated Microglia During Neuroinflammation

Microglia serve as the principal immune cells and play crucial roles in the central nervous system, responding to neuroinflammation via migration and the execution of phagocytosis. Dendritic cell-derived factor 1 (Dcf1) is known to play an important role in neural stem cell differentiation, glioma apoptosis, dendritic spine formation, and Alzheimer’s disease (AD), nevertheless, the involvement of the Dcf1 gene in the brain immune response has not yet been reported. In the present paper, the RNA-sequencing and function enrichment analysis suggested that the majority of the down-regulated genes in Dcf1^-/- (Dcf1-KO) mice are immune-related. In vivo experiments showed that Dcf1 deletion produced profound effects on microglial function, increased the expression of microglial activation markers, such as ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1 (Iba1), Cluster of Differentiation 68 (CD68) and translocator protein (TSPO), as well as certain proinflammatory cytokines (Cxcl1, Ccl7, and IL17D), but decreased the migratory and phagocytic abilities of microglial cells, and reduced the expression levels of some other proinflammatory cytokines (Cox-2, IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and Csf1) in the mouse hippocampus. Furthermore, in vitro experiments revealed that in the absence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), the majority of microglia were ramified and existed in a resting state, with only approximately 10% of cells exhibiting an amoeboid-like morphology, indicative of an activated state. LPS treatment dramatically increased the ratio of activated to resting cells, and Dcf1 downregulation further increased this ratio. These data indicated that Dcf1 deletion mediates neuroinflammation and induces dysfunction of activated microglia, preventing migration and the execution of phagocytosis. These findings support further investigation into the biological mechanisms underlying microglia-related neuroinflammatory diseases, and the role of Dcf1 in the immune response.

Proteomic Analysis and Functional Characterization of P4-ATPase Phospholipid Flippases from Murine Tissues

P4-ATPases are a subfamily of P-type ATPases that flip phospholipids across membranes to generate lipid asymmetry, a property vital to many cellular processes. Mutations in several P4-ATPases have been linked to severe neurodegenerative and metabolic disorders. Most P4-ATPases associate with one of three accessory subunit isoforms known as CDC50A (TMEM30A), CDC50B (TMEM30B), and CDC50C (TMEM30C). To identify P4-ATPases that associate with CDC50A, in vivo, and determine their tissue distribution, we isolated P4-ATPases-CDC50A complexes from retina, brain, liver, testes, and kidney on a CDC50A immunoaffinity column and identified and quantified P4-ATPases from their tryptic peptides by mass spectrometry. Of the 12 P4-ATPase that associate with CDC50 subunits, 10 P4-ATPases were detected. Four P4-ATPases (ATP8A1, ATP11A, ATP11B, ATP11C) were present in all five tissues. ATP10D was found in low amounts in liver, brain, testes, and kidney, and ATP8A2 was present in significant amounts in retina, brain, and testes. ATP8B1 was detected only in liver, ATP8B3 and ATP10A only in testes, and ATP8B2 primarily in brain. We also show that ATP11A, ATP11B and ATP11C, like ATP8A1 and ATP8A2, selectively flip phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylethanolamine across membranes. These studies provide new insight into the tissue distribution, relative abundance, subunit interactions and substrate specificity of P4-ATPase-CDC50A complexes.

Notch Signaling Regulates Lgr5+ Olfactory Epithelium Progenitor/Stem Cell Turnover and Mediates Recovery of Lesioned Olfactory Epithelium in Mouse Model

The Notch signaling pathway regulates stem cell proliferation and differentiation in multiple tissues and organs, and is required for tissue maintenance. However, the role of Notch in regulation of olfactory epithelium (OE) progenitor/stem cells to maintain tissue function is still not clear. A recent study reported that leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein-coupled receptor 5 (Lgr5) is expressed in globose basal cells (GBCs) localized in OE. Through lineage tracing in vivo, we found that Lgr5⁺ cells act as progenitor/stem cells in OE. The generation of daughter cells from Lgr5⁺ progenitor/stem cells is delicately regulated by the Notch signaling pathway, which not only controls the proliferation of Lgr5⁺ cells and their immediate progenies but also affects their subsequent terminal differentiation. In conditionally cultured OE organoids in vitro, inhibition of Notch signaling promotes neuronal differentiation. Besides, OE lesion through methimazole administration in mice induces generation of more Notch1⁺ cells in the horizontal basal cell (HBC) layer, and organoids derived from lesioned OE possesses more proliferative Notch1⁺ HBCs. In summary, we concluded that Notch signaling regulates Lgr5⁺ GBCs by controlling cellular proliferation and differentiation as well as maintaining epithelial cell homeostasis in normal OE. Meanwhile, Notch1 also marks HBCs in lesioned OE and Notch1⁺ HBCs are transiently present in OE after injury. This implies that Notch1⁺ cells in OE may have dual roles, functioning as GBCs in early development of OE and HBCs in restoring the lesioned OE. Stem Cells 2018;36:1259-1272.

Biosystems Study of the Molecular Networks Underlying Hippocampal Aging Progression and Anti-aging Treatment in Mice

Aging progression is a process that an individual encounters as they become older, and usually results from a series of normal physiological changes over time. The hippocampus, which contributes to the loss of spatial and episodic memory and learning in older people, is closely related to the detrimental effects of aging at the morphological and molecular levels. However, age-related genetic changes in hippocampal molecular mechanisms are not yet well-established. To provide additional insight into the aging process, differentially-expressed genes of 3- versus 24- and 29-month old mice were re-analyzed. The results revealed that a large number of immune and inflammatory response-related genes were up-regulated in the aged hippocampus, and membrane receptor-associated genes were down-regulated. The down-regulation of transmembrane receptors may indicate the weaker perception of environmental exposure in older people, since many transmembrane proteins participate in signal transduction. In addition, molecular interaction analysis of the up-regulated immune genes indicated that the hub gene, Ywhae, may play essential roles in immune and inflammatory responses during aging progression, as well as during hippocampal development. Our biological experiments confirmed the conserved roles of Ywhae and its partners between human and mouse. Furthermore, comparison of microarray data between advanced-age mice treated with human umbilical cord blood plasma protein and the phosphate-buffered saline control showed that the genes that contribute to the revitalization of advanced-age mice are different from the genes induced by aging. These results implied that the revitalization of advanced-age mice is not a simple reverse process of normal aging progression. Our data assigned novel roles of genes during aging progression and provided further theoretic evidence for future studies exploring the underlying mechanisms of aging and anti-aging-related disease therapy.

Correction: Folic acid-functionalized up-conversion nanoparticles: toxicity studies in vivo and in vitro and targeted imaging applications

Correction for 'Folic acid-functionalized up-conversion nanoparticles: toxicity studies in vivo and in vitro and targeted imaging applications' by Lining Sun et al., Nanoscale, 2014, 6, 8878-8883.

Morphology, Molecular Characteristics, and Demonstration of a Definitive Host for Sarcocystis rommeli from Cattle (Bos taurus) in China

Sarcocysts of Sarcocystis rommeli were found for the first time in 6 of 34 (17.6%) cattle (Bos taurus) in China. With light microscopy, sarcocysts of S. rommeli were up to 1,130 μm long, with a striated, 4-8-μm-thick cyst wall. Using transmission electron microscopy, the villar protrusions (vp) were 4.7-5.2 × 0.2-0.3 μm, and 0.3-0.5 μm apart from each other. The vp contained microtubules extending from the top of the vp to the middle of the ground substance layer (gsl). A BLAST search of the near full-length 18S rRNA and partial mitochondrial cox1 sequences of S. rommeli revealed 98.7% identity and 99.2% identity with sequences of Sarcocystis bovini in GenBank, respectively. Two domestic cats (Felis catus) fed sarcocysts of S. rommeli shed oocysts/sporocysts in their feces with a prepatent period of 14 to 15 days; the partial mitochondrial cox1 sequences of these oocysts/sporocysts shared the high identities, that is, 99.4% and 99.5%, with cox1 sequences of S. rommeli sarcocysts and S. bovini sarcocysts, respectively. This is the first demonstration of a definitive host for S. rommeli.

A biosystems approach to identify the molecular signaling mechanisms of TMEM30A during tumor migration

Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying cell migration, which plays an important role in tumor growth and progression, is critical for the development of novel tumor therapeutics. Overexpression of transmembrane protein 30A (TMEM30A) has been shown to initiate tumor cell migration, however, the molecular mechanisms through which this takes place have not yet been reported. Thus, we propose the integration of computational and experimental approaches by first predicting potential signaling networks regulated by TMEM30A using a) computational biology methods, b) our previous mass spectrometry results of the TMEM30A complex in mouse tissue, and c) a number of migration-related genes manually collected from the literature, and subsequently performing molecular biology experiments including the in vitro scratch assay and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to validate the reliability of the predicted network. The results verify that the genes identified in the computational signaling network are indeed regulated by TMEM30A during cell migration, indicating the effectiveness of our proposed method and shedding light on the regulatory mechanisms underlying tumor migration, which facilitates the understanding of the molecular basis of tumor invasion.

Dcf1 Improves Behavior Deficit in Drosophila and Mice Caused by Optogenetic Suppression

Optogenetics play a significant role in neuroscientific research by providing a tool for understanding neural circuits and brain functions. Natronomonas pharaonis halorhodopsin (NpHR) actively pumps chloride ions into the cells and hyperpolarizes neuronal membranes in response to yellow light. In this study, we generated transgenic Drosophila expressing NpHR under the control of the Gal4/UAS system and virus-infected mice expressing NpHR to explore the effect of dendritic cell factor 1 (Dcf1) on the behavior mediated by the mushroom body in Drosophila and the dentate gyrus (DG) in mice. Study of optogenetic behavior showed that NpHR suppressed the behavior in Drosophila larvae and mice, whereas Dcf1 rescued this suppression. These results suggest that Dcf1 plays an important role in behavior induced by the mushroom body and the hippocampus and provides novel insights into their functions. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 4210-4215, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Dcf1 regulates neuropeptide expression and maintains energy balance

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is an important neurotransmitter in the brain that plays a pivotal role in food intake and energy storage. Although many studies have focused on these functions, the regulation of NPY expression remains unclear. Here we showed that dendritic cell factor 1 (Dcf1) regulates NPY expression and maintains energy balance. We found that NPY expression is significantly reduced in the hypothalamus of Dcf1 knockout (Dcf1^-/-, KO) mice. In contrast, Dcf1 overexpression significantly increases NPY expression in the cell line. We also found that Dcf1 acts upstream of the NPY gene to regulate NPY expression and modulates the NPY-NPY receptor 1-GABA signal. Notably, we observed a significant increase in the ATP concentration in Dcf1^-/- mice, suggesting a greater demand for energy in the absence of Dcf1. We studied the relationship between Dcf1 and NPY and revealed that Dcf1 plays a critical role in energy balance.

Patients with HBV-related acute-on-chronic liver failure have increased concentrations of extracellular histones aggravating cellular damage and systemic inflammation

Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is the most common type of liver failure and associated with grave consequences. Systemic inflammation has been linked to its pathogenesis and outcome, but the identifiable triggers are absent. Recently, extracellular histones, especially H4, have been recognized as important mediators of cell damage in various inflammatory conditions. This study aimed to investigate whether extracellular histones have clinical implications in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related ACLF. One hundred and twelve patients with HBV-related ACLF, 90 patients with chronic hepatitis B, 88 patients with HBV-related liver cirrhosis and 40 healthy volunteers were entered into this study. Plasma histone H4 levels, cytokine profile and clinical data were obtained. Besides, patient's sera were incubated overnight with human L02 hepatocytes or monocytic U937 cells in the presence or absence of antihistone H4 antibody, and cellular damage and cytokine production were evaluated. We found that plasma histone H4 levels were greatly increased in patients with ACLF as compared with chronic hepatitis B, liver cirrhosis and healthy control subjects and were significantly associated with disease severity, systemic inflammation and outcome. Notably, ACLF patients' sera incubation decreased cultured L02 cell integrity and induced profound cytokine production in the supernatant of U937 cells. Antihistone H4 antibody treatment abrogated these adverse effects, thus confirming a cause-effect relationship between extracellular histones and organ injury/dysfunction. The data support the hypothesis that the increased extracellular histone levels in ACLF patients may aggravate disease severity by inducing cellular injury and systemic inflammation. Histone-targeted therapies may have potentially interventional value in clinical practice.

Three-Dimensional Stiff Graphene Scaffold on Neural Stem Cells Behavior

Physical cues of the scaffolds, elasticity, and stiffness significantly guide adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation of stem cells. In addressable microenvironments constructed by three-dimensional graphene foams (3D-GFs), neural stem cells (NSCs) interact with and respond to the structural geometry and mechanical properties of porous scaffolds. Our studies aim to investigate NSC behavior on the various stiffness of 3D-GFs. Two kinds of 3D-GFs scaffolds present soft and stiff properties with elasticity moduli of 30 and 64 kPa, respectively. Stiff scaffold enhanced NSC attachment and proliferation with vinculin and integrin gene expression were up-regulated by 2.3 and 1.5 folds, respectively, compared with the soft one. Meanwhile, up-regulated Ki67 expression and almost no variation of nestin expression in a group of the stiff scaffold were observed, implying that the stiff substrate fosters NSC growth and keeps the cells in an active stem state. Furthermore, NSCs grown on stiff scaffold exhibited enhanced differentiation to astrocytes. Interestingly, differentiated neurons on stiff scaffold are suppressed since growth associated protein-43 expression was significantly improved by 5.5 folds.