Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the second most common cause of cancer related death. NAFLD affects a large proportion of the US population. Its incidence and prevalence are increasing to epidemic proportions around the world and is known to increase the risk of HCC. We studied how intrahepatic lipids affect adaptive immunity and HCC development in different murine models of NASH and HCC. Linoleic acid, a fatty acid found in NAFLD caused a selective loss of hepatic CD4+ but not CD8+ T cells leading to accelerated hepatocarcinogenesis. CD4+ T cells were more dependent on oxidative phosphorylation for energy source than CD8+ T cells, and disruption of oxidative phosphorylation by linoleic acid caused more severe damage in CD4+ T cells leading to selective loss of these cells. In vivo blockade of ROS using n-acetylcysteine reversed the NASH-induced hepatic CD4+ T cell decrease and delayed NASH-promoted HCC. Our results provide a new link between lipid metabolism and impaired anti-tumor surveillance.
NAFLD causes selective CD4(+) T lymphocyte loss and promotes hepatocarcinogenesis.
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View SamplesIn this study, mRNA expression profiles of 113 primary untreated human neuroblastoma samples were compared with the aim to identify prognostic exon and gene sets as well as parameters associated with alternative exon use. The primary neuroblastoma specimens were from tumor banks in Cologne or Essen, Germany, Ghent, Belgium and Valencia, Spain. All patients were diagnosed between 1998 and 2007 and treated according to the German Neuroblastoma trials NB97, NB 2004 or the SIOPEN protocol.
Smac mimetic LBW242 sensitizes XIAP-overexpressing neuroblastoma cells for TNF-α-independent apoptosis.
Specimen part, Treatment
View SamplesLineage specific transcription factors (TF) define and reinforce tissue specific cell types. For instance, stable endoderm progenitors were established from human ESC by constitutive expression of SOX7 or SOX17. We hypothesized that combinatorial expression of OCT4, SOX2 and KLF4together with the neural-lineage TF, Zic3, could directly convert fibroblasts into stable neuronal progenitor cells (NPC). Ensuing colonies predominantly expressed genes present in human NPC, as demonstrated by genome wide transcriptional analysis, and this phenotype could be maintained through many passages. When injected in immunodeficient mice, Zic3-induced (Zi)NPC form neuroendocrine tumors without evidence of mesoderm or endoderm. In vitro, ZiNPC spontaneously differentiated to neural cells only, and could be differentiated into astrocytes, oligodendrocytes and motor neuron lineages. In conclusion, addition of Zic3 during induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) generation, allows for the derivation of stable neural lineage progenitor cells.
Zic3 induces conversion of human fibroblasts to stable neural progenitor-like cells.
Sex, Specimen part, Disease, Cell line, Treatment
View SamplesThe number of long-term survivors of high-risk neuroblastoma remains discouraging, with 10-year survival as low as 20%, despite decades of considerable international efforts to improve outcome. Major obstacles remain and include managing resistance to induction therapy, which causes tumor progression and early death in high-risk patients, and managing chemotherapy-resistant relapses, which can occur years after the initial diagnosis. Identifying and validating novel therapeutic targets is essential to improve treatment. Delineating and deciphering specific functions of single histone deacetylases in neuroblastoma may support development of targeted acetylome-modifying therapeutics for patients with molecularly defined high-risk neuroblastoma profiles. We show here that HDAC11 depletion in MYCN-driven neuroblastoma cell lines strongly induces cell death, mostly mediated by apoptotic programs. Genes necessary for mitotic cell cycle progression and cell division were most prominently enriched in at least two of three time points in whole-genome expression data combined from two cell systems, and all nine genes in these functional categories were strongly repressed, including CENPA, KIF14, KIF23 and RACGAP1. Enforced expression of one selected candidate, RACGAP1, partially rescued the induction of apoptosis caused by HDAC11 depletion. High-level expression of all nine genes in primary neuroblastomas signicantly correlated with unfavorable overall and event-free survival in patients, suggesting a role in mediating the more aggressive biological and clinical phenotype of these tumors. Our study identied a group of cell cycle-promoting genes regulated by HDAC11, being both predictors of unfavorable patient outcome and essential for tumor cell viability. The data indicates a signicant role of HDAC11 for mitotic cell cycle progression and survival of MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma cells, and suggests that HDAC11 could be a valuable drug target.
Neuroblastoma cells depend on HDAC11 for mitotic cell cycle progression and survival.
Cell line, Time
View SamplesTo identify a panel of Seninel Lymph Node (SLN) genes to aid in risk stratification of patients with tumor-positive SLN, total SLN RNA from 97 SLN-positive melanoma patients were chosen from the Sunbelt Melanoma Trial. Microarray experiments were performed to screen SLN genes in recurrence (=39) versus non-recurrence (=58) group. We identified 20 differentially expressed SLN genes in the recurrence vs. the non-recurrence group.
Sentinel Lymph Node Genes to Predict Prognosis in Node-Positive Melanoma Patients.
Specimen part
View SamplesMalignant melanoma is a complex genetic disease and the most aggressive form of skin cancer. Melanoma progression and metastatic dissemination fundamentally relies on the process of angiogenesis. Melanomas produce an array of angiogenic modulators that mediate pathological angiogenesis. Such tumor-associated modulators arbitrate the enhanced proliferative, survival and migratory responses exhibited by endothelial cells, in the hypoxic tumor environment. The current study focuses on melanoma-induced survival of endothelial cells under hypoxic conditions. Melanoma conditioned media were capable of enabling prolonged endothelial cell survival under hypoxia, in contrast with the conditioned media derived from melanocytes, breast and pancreatic tumors. To identify the global changes in gene expression and further characterize the pro-survival pathway induced in endothelial cells, we performed microarray analysis on endothelial cells treated with melanoma conditioned medium under normoxic and hypoxic conditions.
Melanomas prevent endothelial cell death under restrictive culture conditions by signaling through AKT and p38 MAPK/ ERK-1/2 cascades.
Specimen part
View SamplesComparison of normal neuroblasts with malignant neuroblastomas (low- and high-stage)
Human fetal neuroblast and neuroblastoma transcriptome analysis confirms neuroblast origin and highlights neuroblastoma candidate genes.
Sex, Specimen part, Disease, Disease stage, Subject
View SamplesKDM5A/LSD1 is an important epigenetic regulator in medulloblastoma, the most frequent brain tumor of childhood. Here, the response of ONS76 medulloblastoma cells upon siRNA-mediated knockdown of KDM5A is analysed.
The KDM1A histone demethylase is a promising new target for the epigenetic therapy of medulloblastoma.
Specimen part, Cell line, Treatment
View SamplesMedulloblastoma (MB) is the most common malignant brain tumor in children, among whom overexpression or amplification of MYC oncogenes has been associated with poor clinical outcome. Although the MYC functions during normal development and oncogenesis in various systems have been extensively investigated, the transcriptional targets mediating MYC effects in MB are still elusive. Their identification and roles during MB onset and progression are important and will ultimately suggest novel potential therapeutic targets. cDNA microarray analysis was used to compare the effects of overexpressing and silencing MYC on the transcriptome of a MB-derived cell line. We identified 209 genes with potential relevance to MYC-dependent cellular responses in MB. Among the MYC-responsive genes, we found members of the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling pathway, which plays a crucial role during the development of the cerebellum. In particular, the cytokine gene BMP7 was identified as a direct target of MYC in MB cells. Similar to the effect induced by BMP7 silencing by siRNA, the use of a small-molecule inhibitor of the BMP/SMAD signaling pathway reduced cell viability in a panel of MB cells. Altogether, our findings indicate that high MYC levels drive BMP7 expression in MB to induce pro-survival and pro-proliferative cellular pathways. This observation suggests that targeting the BMP/SMAD pathway may be a new therapeutic concept for the treatment of childhood MB.
Bone morphogenetic protein-7 is a MYC target with prosurvival functions in childhood medulloblastoma.
Specimen part, Cell line
View SamplesTo analyze the functional relevance of LSD1 in neuroblastic tumors, SH-SY5Y cells were transiently transfected with siRNA directed against LSD1 or with a scrambled control siRNA. Microarray analysis revealed changes in expression that were consistent with these observations 72 hours after LSD1 knock-down. At this time, 28 genes were significantly induced at least 1.5-fold and 29 genes were significantly repressed at least 1.5-fold. Among the 28 induced genes, 4 are markers of cytoskeletal remodelling (TNS1, TPM1, DNM2, DNAL4), indicating differentiation, and 3 (TPM1, DNM2 and SHANK2) are functionally linked to neurite dynamics and synaptic trafficking. TaqMan quantitative RT-PCR confirmed the expression changes detected via microarray analysis for LSD1, DNAL4, DNM2, TNS1 and TPM1
Lysine-specific demethylase 1 is strongly expressed in poorly differentiated neuroblastoma: implications for therapy.
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