The Drosophila gene dLmo encodes a transcriptional regulator involved in wing development and behavioral responses to cocaine and ethanol.
An evolutionary conserved role for anaplastic lymphoma kinase in behavioral responses to ethanol.
Sex, Specimen part
View SamplesIncreased ploidy is common in tumors but treatments for tumors with excess chromosome sets are not available. Here, we characterize high-ploidy breast cancers and identify potential anticancer compounds selective for the high-ploidy state. Among 354 human breast cancers, 10% have mean chromosome copy number exceeding 3, and this is most common in triple negative and HER2-positive types. Women with high-ploidy breast cancers have higher risk of recurrence and death in two patient cohorts, demonstrating that it represents an important group for improved treatment. Because high-ploidy cancers are aneuploid, rather than triploid or tetraploid, we devised a two-step screen to identify selective compounds. The screen was designed to assure both external validity on diverse karyotypic backgrounds and specificity for high-ploidy cell types. This screen identified novel therapies specific to high-ploidy cells. First, we discovered 8-azaguanine, an antimetabolite that is activated by hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT), suggesting an elevated gene-dosage of HPRT in high-ploidy tumors can control sensitivity to this drug. Second, we discovered a novel compound, 2,3-Diphenylbenzo[g]quinoxaline-5,10-dione (DPBQ). DPBQ activates p53 and triggers apoptosis in a polyploid-specific manner, but does not inhibit topoisomerase or bind DNA. Mechanistic analysis demonstrates that DPBQ elicits a hypoxia gene signature and its effect is replicated, in part, by enhancing oxidative stress. Structure-function analysis defines the core benzo[g]quinoxaline-5,10 dione as being necessary for the polyploid-specific effects of DPBQ. We conclude that polyploid breast cancers represent a high-risk subgroup and that DPBQ provides a functional core to develop polyploid-selective therapy.
Identification of Selective Lead Compounds for Treatment of High-Ploidy Breast Cancer.
Cell line
View SamplesNitrogen mustard (NM) is a vesicant known to target the lung, causing acute injury which progresses to fibrosis. Evidence suggests that activated macrophages contribute to the pathologic response to NM. In these studies, we analyzed the role of lung lipids generated following NM exposure on macrophage activation and phenotype. Treatment of rats with NM (0.125 mg/kg, i.t.) resulted in a time-related increase in enlarged vacuolated macrophages in the lung. At 28 d post exposure, macrophages stained positively for Oil Red O, a marker of neutral lipids. This was correlated with an accumulation of oxidized phospholipids in lung macrophages and epithelial cells, and an increase in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL) phospholipids. RNA-sequencing analysis revealed that lipid handling pathways under control of the transcription factors LXR, FXR and PPAR-? were significantly altered following NM exposure. Whereas at 1-3 d post NM, FXR and the downstream oxidized low density lipoprotein receptor, Cd36, were increased, Lxr and the lipid extrusion pump targets, Abca1 and Abcg1 were reduced. Treatment of naïve lung macrophages with lipid enriched fractions of BAL collected 3 d after NM resulted in upregulation of Nos2, Apoe and Ptgs2, markers of pro-inflammatory activation, while lipid-enriched BAL collected 28 d post NM upregulated expression of the anti-inflammatory markers, Il10, Cd163, and Cx3cr1, and induced the formation of lipid-laden foamy macrophages. These data suggest that NM-induced alterations in lipid handling and metabolism drive macrophage foam cell formation, potentially contributing to the development of pulmonary fibrosis. Overall design: Alveolar macrophages were collected by gentile message from male wistar rats 1 d or 28 d after intratracheal exposure to NM and from rats intratracheally exposed to PBS. There were three biological replicates per exposure group.
Regulation of Macrophage Foam Cell Formation During Nitrogen Mustard (NM)-Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis by Lung Lipids.
Sex, Specimen part, Cell line, Subject
View SamplesRNA prepared from specialized replum cells within siliques provided targets for profiling the Arabidopsis genome during replum cell development.
Laser capture microdissection of plant cells from tape-transferred paraffin sections promotes recovery of structurally intact RNA for global gene profiling.
Specimen part
View SamplesRett syndrome (RTT) is an X-linked dominant neurodevelopmental disorder caused by mutations in MECP2, encoding methyl-CpG binding protein 2. MeCP2 is a transcriptional repressor elevated in mature neurons and is predicted to be required for neuronal maturation by regulating multiple target genes. Identifying primary gene targets in either Mecp2-deficient mice or human RTT brain has proven to be difficult, perhaps because of the transient requirement for MeCP2 during neuronal maturation. In order to experimentally control the timing of MeCP2 expression and deficiency during neuronal maturation, human SH-SY5Y cells undergoing mature neuronal differentiation were transfected with methylated MeCP2 oligonucleotide decoy to disrupt the binding of MeCP2 to endogenous targets. Genome-wide expression microarray analysis identified all four known members of the inhibitors of differentiation or inhibitors of DNA binding (ID1, ID2, ID3 and ID4) subfamily of helix-loop-helix (HLH) genes as novel neuronal targets of MeCP2. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis confirmed binding of MeCP2 near or within the promoters of ID1, ID2 and ID3, and quantitative RT-PCR confirmed increased expression of all four Id genes in Mecp2-deficient mouse brain. All four ID proteins were significantly increased in Mecp2-deficient mouse and human RTT brain using immunofluorescence and laser scanning cytometric analyses. Because of their involvement in cell differentiation and neural development, ID genes are ideal primary targets for MeCP2 regulation of neuronal maturation that may explain the molecular pathogenesis of RTT.
Inhibitors of differentiation (ID1, ID2, ID3 and ID4) genes are neuronal targets of MeCP2 that are elevated in Rett syndrome.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesWe have applied a new software to analyse a human naive single-chain antibody (scFv) library, comprehensively revealing the diversity of antibody variable complementarity-determining regions (CDRs) and their families.
A novel DNAseq program for enhanced analysis of Illumina GAII data: a case study on antibody complementarity-determining regions.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesThe zinc finger transcription factor growth-factor-independent-1 (Gfi1) has been involved in various cellular differentiation processes. Gfi1 acts as a transcriptional repressor and splicing control factor upon binding to cognate binding sites in regulatory elements of its target genes. Here, we report that Gfi1-deficient mice develop autoimmunity. Gfi1-deficient peripheral B-cells show a hyperproliferative phenotype, leading to expansion of plasma cells, increased levels of nuclear autoantibodies, and immunoglobulin deposition in brain and kidneys. Dysregulation of multiple transcription factors and cell-cycle control elements may contribute to B-cell dependent autoimmunity. Gfi1 thus emerges as a novel master-regulator restricting autoimmunity.
Transcription factor Gfi1 restricts B cell-mediated autoimmunity.
Specimen part
View SamplesBackground: We hypothesize that important genomic differences between breast cancer subtypes occur early in carcinogenesis. Therefore, gene expression might distinguish histologically normal breast epithelium (NlEpi) from breasts containing estrogen receptor positive (ER+) compared with estrogen receptor negative (ER-) cancers.
Gene expression profiles of estrogen receptor-positive and estrogen receptor-negative breast cancers are detectable in histologically normal breast epithelium.
Specimen part, Disease, Disease stage
View SamplesThe liver is one of most important organs in our bodies. It performs many essential functions including metabolism, synthesis, secretion, detoxification, and storage. Hepatocytes are the principal cell type in the liver and are involved in multiple liver-specific functions. There have been several efforts to develop in vitro culture systems capable of maintaining hepatocyte-specific phenotype over long time periods. In hepatic tissue engineering, two commonly used culture systems are the collagen sandwich and monolayers of cells. In this study, genome-wide gene expression profiles of primary hepatocytes were measured over an 8-day period for each cell culture system using Affymetrix GeneChips and analyzed via Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA), which is a powerful method to elicit biologically meaningful information from microarray data at the level of gene sets. Results indicate that the gene expression in hepatocytes in collagen sandwich cultures gradually diverges from that in monolayer cultures. Gene sets up-regulated in collagen sandwich cultures include those associated with liver metabolic and synthetic functions. These functions are associated with lipid, amino acid, carbohydrate, and alcohol metabolism and bile acid synthesis. Nuclear receptors are up-regulated in collagen sandwiches 24 hours after seeding. Signals transmitted from these receptors may cause the up-regulation of other processes in subsequent days. Cytochrome-P450 monooxygenase expression was initially down-regulated but exhibited up-regulation after 72 hours. Our results provide a baseline for further explorations into the systems biology of engineered liver mimics as well as 2D and 3D co-cultures of primary hepatocytes and non-parenchymal cells.
A comparative study of genome-wide transcriptional profiles of primary hepatocytes in collagen sandwich and monolayer cultures.
Specimen part
View SamplesThis SuperSeries is composed of the SubSeries listed below.
Expression of microRNA and their gene targets are dysregulated in preinvasive breast cancer.
Sex, Age, Specimen part, Disease
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