Although cure rates for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) have increased, development of resistance to drugs and patient relapse are common. The environment in which the leukemia cells are present during the drug treatment is known to provide significant survival benefit. Here, we have modeled this process by culturing murine Bcr/Abl-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells in the presence of stroma while treating them with a moderate dose of two unrelated drugs, the farnesyltransferase inhibitor lonafarnib and the tyrosine kinase inhibitor nilotinib. This results in an initial large reduction in cell viability of the culture and inhibition of cell proliferation. However, after a number of days, cell death ceases and the culture becomes drug-tolerant, enabling cell division to resume. We used gene expression profiling to analyze changes in the transcriptome of these leukemia cells over a 3-4 week period, taking samples at the start, the point at which most of the leukemia cells had been eradicated while a small percentage survived, and at the end when the cells were proliferating again.
Environment-mediated drug resistance in Bcr/Abl-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Specimen part, Treatment, Time
View SamplesPrimary pre-B acute lymphoblastic (ALL) cells do not proliferate long-term ex vivo without the presence of stromal support. We developed and use an ex vivo co-culture model, consisting of mouse leukemic pre-B Bcr/Abl-expressing ALL cells grown with mitotically inactivated mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs). This system provides a generic type of environmentally-mediated protection to the ALL cells, because when the ALL cells are treated with a moderate dose of a therapeutic drug, drug-resistant ALL cells can be recovered after a 1-2 week period of culture. Some of the factors produced by stromal cells that provide protection to ALL cells have been identified. However, it is unclear if the presence of drug-treated ALL cells affects the stromal fibroblasts. The current study was initiated to examine this using expression profiling on the irradiated MEFs.
Expression of cassini, a murine gamma-satellite sequence conserved in evolution, is regulated in normal and malignant hematopoietic cells.
Specimen part
View SamplesThe Philadelphia chromosome (Ph) encoding the oncogenic BCR-ABL1 kinase defines a subset of ALL with a particularly unfavorable prognosis. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cells are derived from B cell precursors in most cases and typically carry rearranged immunglobulin heavy chain (IGH) variable (V) region genes devoid of somatic mutations. Somatic hypermutation is restricted to mature germinal center B cells and depends on activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID). Studying AID expression in 108 cases of ALL, we detected AID mRNA in 24 of 28 Ph-positive ALLs as compared to 6 of 80 Ph-negative ALLs. Forced expression of BCR-ABL1 in Ph-negative ALL cells and inhibition of the BCR-ABL1-kinase showed that aberrant expression of AID depends on BCR-ABL1 kinase activity. Consistent with aberrant AID expression in Ph-positive ALL, IGH V region genes and BCL6 were mutated in many Ph-positive but unmutated in most Ph-negative cases. In addition, AID introduced DNA-single-strand breaks within the tumor suppressor gene CDKN2B in Ph-positive ALL cells, which was sensitive to BCR-ABL1 kinase inhibition and silencing of AID expression by RNA interference. These findings identify AID as a BCR-ABL1-induced mutator in Ph-positive ALL cells, which may be relevant with respect to the particularly unfavorable prognosis of this leukemia subset.
Activation-induced cytidine deaminase acts as a mutator in BCR-ABL1-transformed acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesAffymetrix gene expression AID-GFP-positive vs AID-GFP-negative
The B cell mutator AID promotes B lymphoid blast crisis and drug resistance in chronic myeloid leukemia.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesZaire ebolavirus (ZEBOV) infections are associated with high lethality in primates. ZEBOV primarily targets mononuclear phagocytes, which are activated upon infection and secrete mediators believed to trigger initial stages of pathogenesis. The characterization of the responses of target cells to ZEBOV infection may therefore not only further understanding of pathogenesis but also suggest possible points of therapeutic intervention. Gene expression profiles of primary human macrophages exposed to ZEBOV were determined using DNA microarrays and quantitative PCR to gain insight into the cellular response immediately after cell entry. Significant changes in mRNA concentrations encoding for 88 cellular proteins were observed. Most of these proteins have not yet been implicated in ZEBOV infection. Some, however, are inflammatory mediators known to be elevated during the acute phase of disease in the blood of ZEBOV-infected humans. Interestingly, the cellular response occurred within the first hour of Ebola virion exposure, i.e. prior to virus gene expression. This observation supports the hypothesis that virion binding or entry mediated by the spike glycoprotein (GP1,2) is the primary stimulus for an initial response. Indeed, ZEBOV virions, LPS, and virus-like particles consisting of only the ZEBOV matrix protein VP40 and GP1,2 (VLPVP40-GP) triggered comparable responses in macrophages, including pro-inflammatory and pro-apoptotic signals. In contrast, VLPVP40 (particles lacking GP1,2) caused an aberrant response. Notably, some cellular interferon-inducible genes were upregulated six hours after exposure to virions and LPS, but not after exposure to VLPVP40-GP. This suggests that GP1,2 binding to macrophages plays an important role in the immediate cellular response.
Ebola virion attachment and entry into human macrophages profoundly effects early cellular gene expression.
Disease, Disease stage, Subject
View SamplesThe severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic was characterized by increased pathogenicity in the elderly due to an early exacerbated innate host response. SARS-CoV is a zoonotic pathogen that entered the human population through an intermediate host like the palm civet. To prevent future introductions of zoonotic SARS-CoV strains and subsequent transmission into the human population, heterologous disease models are needed to test the efficacy of vaccines and therapeutics against both late human and zoonotic isolates. Here we show that both human and zoonotic SARS-CoV strains can infect cynomolgus macaques and resulted in radiological as well as histopathological changes similar to those seen in mild human cases. Viral replication was higher in animals infected with a late human phase isolate compared to a zoonotic isolate. Host responses to the three SARS-CoV strains were similar and only apparent early during infection with the majority of genes associated with interferon signalling pathways.This study characterizes critical disease models in the evaluation and licensure of therapeutic strategies against SARS-CoV for human use
Comparative pathogenesis of three human and zoonotic SARS-CoV strains in cynomolgus macaques.
Specimen part, Time
View SamplesThe extraocular muscles (EOM) are anatomically and physiologically distinct from other skeletal muscles. EOM are preferentially affected in mitochondrial myopathies, but spared in Duchenne's muscular dystrophy. The anatomical and pathophysiological properties of EOM have been attributed to their unique molecular makeup: an allotype. We used expression profiling to define molecular features of the EOM allotype. We found 346 differentially expressed genes in rat EOM compared with tibialis anterior, based on a twofold difference cutoff. Genes required for efficient, fatigue-resistant, oxidative metabolism were increased in EOM, whereas genes for glycogen metabolism were decreased. EOM also showed increased expression of genes related to structural components of EOM such as vessels, nerves, mitochondria, and neuromuscular junctions. Additionally, genes related to specialized functional roles of EOM such as the embryonic and EOM-specific myosin heavy chains and genes for muscle growth, development, and/or regeneration were increased. The EOM expression profile was validated using biochemical, structural, and molecular methods. Characterization of the EOM expression profile begins to define gene transcription patterns associated with the unique anatomical, metabolic, and pathophysiological properties of EOM.
Expression profiling reveals metabolic and structural components of extraocular muscles.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesOcular growth is regulated locally by signals produced in the retina that ultimately act on the growth of the scleral tissue. Consequently, a number of studies have investigated changes in retinal gene expression during manipulation of ocular growth in an attempt to elucidate the biochemical pathways underlying eye growth. However, due to the highly heterogenous nature of the retina, important changes in gene expression can be masked. Therefore, this study has investigated changes in gene expression specifically within the retinal amacrine cell layer, the most likely generator of growth signals, during manipulations of ocular growth.
Gene expression within the amacrine cell layer of chicks after myopic and hyperopic defocus.
Specimen part
View SamplesTo inhibit INS expression, we used shRNA to target the INS promoter. We find that knocking down INS expression with such an shRNA targeting the INS promoter significantly affects expression of 259 genes. Overall design: mRNA profiles of EndoC ßH1 with or without shRNA targetting INS promoter were generated by deep sequencing, in triplicate, using Illumina Hiseq 2500.
<i>Insulin</i> promoter in human pancreatic β cells contacts diabetes susceptibility loci and regulates genes affecting insulin metabolism.
Specimen part, Cell line, Treatment, Subject
View SamplesThis SuperSeries is composed of the SubSeries listed below.
Stage-specific sensitivity to p53 restoration during lung cancer progression.
Sex, Specimen part, Cell line
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