To study differentially expressed genes in neuro-ectodermal cell lines
Downregulation of Axl in non-MYCN amplified neuroblastoma cell lines reduces migration.
Sex, Specimen part
View SamplesHigh anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) protein levels may be correlated with an unfavorable prognosis in neuroblastoma (NBL) patients, regardless of ALK mutation status. We therefore examined the correlation between levels of ALK, phosphorylated ALK (pALK) and downstream signaling proteins and response to ALK inhibition in a large panel of both ALK mutated (MUT) and wild type (WT) NBL cell lines. Six of the nineteen NBL cell lines had a point mutation and four an amplification of the ALK gene. ALK amplified cell lines showed similar ALK levels and ALK inhibitor sensitivity as WT cell lines and were therefore co-analyzed. The ALK mRNA (p=0.043), ALK 220 kDa (p=0.009) and ALK 140 kDa (p=0.025) protein levels were higher in ALK mutant (n=6) than WT cell lines (n=13). ALK mRNA and protein levels significantly correlated with ERK1 and ERK2 protein levels, and also with PHOX2B mRNA levels, a neural differentiation marker which is mutated in NBL. Response to ALK inhibitor TAE684 was also significantly correlated with ALK levels. ALK mutant cell lines (n=4) demonstrated a higher sensitivity towards ALK inhibitor TAE684 (14.9 fold more sensitive, p=0.004) than eight WT cell lines. These results underline the importance of ALK mutations but also ALK levels for response to ALK inhibitors in NBL cell lines. Furthermore, the strong correlation of PHOX2B and ALK suggests that neural differentiation stage may be correlated with ALK levels in neuroblastoma. These data will enhance understanding of ALK inhibitor response in future patient trials.
Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitor response in neuroblastoma is highly correlated with ALK mutation status, ALK mRNA and protein levels.
Sex, Specimen part
View SamplesConjugates of fatty acids and amines, including endocannabinoids, are known to play important roles as endogenous signalling molecules. Among these, the ethanolamine conjugate of the n-3 poly unsaturated long chain fatty acid (PUFA) docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3) (DHA) was shown to possess strong anti-inflammatory properties.
Docosahexaenoyl serotonin, an endogenously formed n-3 fatty acid-serotonin conjugate has anti-inflammatory properties by attenuating IL-23-IL-17 signaling in macrophages.
Treatment
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Epigenetic drug combination induces genome-wide demethylation and altered gene expression in neuro-ectodermal tumor-derived cell lines.
Sex, Specimen part, Disease, Cell line, Treatment
View SamplesAbstract: Epigenetic alterations are a fundamental aspect of cancer cells, and epigenetic drugs are currently used in clinical practice for hematological malignancies. Pediatric neuro-ectodermal tumors originate from neural crest cells and show epigenetic defects of apoptotic pathways, which makes the introduction of epigenetic drugs in this patient category logical. However, the young age of these patients is accompanied by ongoing developmental processes which are regulated epigenetic mechanisms, and prompted us to study molecular effects of nanomolar dosage epigenetic drugs in neuro-ectodermal tumor cell lines. Combination treatment of 5-aza-2`-deoxicytidine (DAC) and Trichostatin A (TSA) at nanomolar dosages resulted in wide-spread demethylating effects in 17 NBL and 5 PNET cell lines in vitro. This widespread demethylation had large effects on gene-expression profiles. In NBL cell lines, almost every cellular pathway (193/200) investigated demonstrated altered expression upon treatment, and resulted in upregulation of known epigenetically regulated genes such as X-chromosomal, tissue-specific, and a few imprinted genes. Integration analysis of CpG island methylation array data and whole genome gene expression data identified 30 genes potentially upregulated by gene promoter demethylation. Homeobox genes frequently showed demethylation in both short term (72 hours) and long term cultures (3 months) of NBL lines. Continuous treatment with epigenetic drugs resulted in low rates of proliferation. The low rate of proliferation that might explain limited consecutive demethylation upon prolonged exposure. In conclusion, genome-wide methylation and gene expression changes are induced DAC and TSA treatment at nanomolar dosages. These effects affected more than 97% of cellular pathways investigated. Further studies towards the effects of epigenetic drug combinations are advised before being applied in clinical trials for pediatric patients.
Epigenetic drug combination induces genome-wide demethylation and altered gene expression in neuro-ectodermal tumor-derived cell lines.
Sex, Specimen part, Cell line
View SamplesHuman T-cell development is less well studied than its murine counterpart due to the lack of genetic tools and the difficulty of obtaining cells and tissues. However, recent technological advances allow identification of the transcriptional landscape of differentiating human thymocytes. Here we report the gene expression profiles of 11 immature, consecutive T-cell developmental stages. The changes in gene expression of cultured stem cells on OP9-DL1 match those of ex vivo isolated human thymocytes. These analyses led us to define evolutionary conserved gene signatures that represent pre- and post- T-cell commitment stages. We found that loss of CD44 marks T-cell commitment in early CD7+CD5+CD45dim cells, before the acquisition of CD1a surface expression. The CD44-CD1a- post-committed thymocytes have initiated in frame TCR rearrangements and have completely lost the capacity to develop into myeloid, B- and NK-cells, unlike uncommitted CD44+CD1a- thymocytes. Therefore, loss of CD44 represents a previously unrecognized stage that defines the earliest committed T-cell population in the human thymus.
Loss of CD44<sup>dim</sup> Expression from Early Progenitor Cells Marks T-Cell Lineage Commitment in the Human Thymus.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesThis SuperSeries is composed of the SubSeries listed below.
Genomic profiling of CHEK2*1100delC-mutated breast carcinomas.
Specimen part
View SamplesThe HMG-box factor Tcf1 is required during T-cell development in the thymus and mediates the nuclear response to Wnt signals. Tcf1/ mice have previously been characterized and show developmental blocks at the CD4CD8 double negative (DN) to CD4+CD8+ double positive transition. Due to the blocks in T-cell development, Tcf1/ mice normally have a very small thymus. Unexpectedly, a large proportion of Tcf1/ mice spontaneously develop thymic lymphomas with 50% of mice developing a thymic lymphoma/leukemia at the age of 16 wk. These lymphomas are clonal, highly metastatic, and paradoxically show high Wnt signaling when crossed with Wnt reporter mice and have high expression of Wnt target genes Lef1 and Axin2. In wild-type thymocytes, Tcf1 is higher expressed than Lef1, with a predominance of Wnt inhibitory isoforms. Loss of Tcf1 as repressor of Lef1 leads to high Wnt activity and is the initiating event in lymphoma development, which is exacerbated by activating Notch1 mutations. Thus, Notch1 and loss of Tcf1 functionally act as collaborating oncogenic events. Tcf1 deficiency predisposes to the development of thymic lymphomas by ectopic up-regulation of Lef1 due to lack of Tcf1 repressive isoforms and frequently by cooperating activating mutations in Notch1. Tcf1 therefore functions as a T-cellspecific tumor suppressor gene, besides its established role as a Wnt responsive transcription factor. Thus, Tcf1 acts as a molecular switch between proliferative and repressive signals during T-lymphocyte development in the thymus.
The nuclear effector of Wnt-signaling, Tcf1, functions as a T-cell-specific tumor suppressor for development of lymphomas.
Specimen part
View SamplesLMO2 overexpressing transgenic mouse models suggest an accumulation of immature T-cell progenitors in the thymus as main pre-leukemic event. The effects of LMO2 overexpression on human T-cell development in vivo, however, are unknown. Here we report studies of a humanized mouse model transplanted with LMO2 transduced human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. The effects of LMO2 overexpression were confined to the T-cell lineage although initially multipotent cells were transduced. Three effects of LMO2 on human T-cell development were observed: 1) a block at the DN/ISP stage, 2) an accumulation of CD4+CD8+ double positive CD3- cells and 3) an altered CD8/CD4 ratio with enhanced peripheral T lymphocytes
Overexpression of LMO2 causes aberrant human T-Cell development in vivo by three potentially distinct cellular mechanisms.
Specimen part
View SamplesScavenger receptors on the cell surface of macrophages play an important role in host defence through their ability to bind microbial ligands and induce phagocytosis. Concurrently, signal transduction pathways are initiated that aid in defence mechanisms against the invading microbe. Here we report on the function of scavenger receptor Marco (macrophage receptor with collagenous structure) during infection of zebrafish embryos with Mycobacterium marinum, a close relative of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Morpholino knockdown demonstrates that Marco is required for the rapid phagocytosis of M. marinum following intravenous infection. Furthermore, gene expression analysis shows that Marco controls the initial transient pro-inflammatory response to M. marinum and remains a determining factor for the immune response signature at later stages of infection. Increased bacterial burden following marco knockdown indicates that this scavenger receptor is important for control of M. marinum growth, likely due to delayed phagocytosis and reduced pro-inflammatory signalling observed under conditions of Marco deficiency Overall design: Embryos were injected at the one cell stage with a morpholino targeting marco, or with the standard control morpholino from GeneTools for comparison. Subsequently, at 24 hours post fertilization (hpf) the morphants and their controls were manually dechorionated at 24 hpf and at 28 hpf they were infected by injecting 200 colony forming units of M. marinum Mma20 into the caudal vein, or mock-injected with PBS/2%PVP. After injections embryos were transferred into fresh egg water containing 0.003% 1-phenyl-2-thiourea (Sigma-Aldrich) to prevent melanization and incubated for 4 days at 28°C. After the incubation period, infected and uninfected morphants, mutants and their controls were imaged and groups of 30 embryos were snap-frozen in liquid nitrogen and RNA was isolated for Illumina RNAseq analysis.
Phagocytosis of mycobacteria by zebrafish macrophages is dependent on the scavenger receptor Marco, a key control factor of pro-inflammatory signalling.
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