Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a life-shortening disease caused by mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene. Although bacterial lung infection and the resulting inflammation cause most of the morbidity and mortality, how loss of CFTR first disrupts airway host defense has remained uncertain. We asked what abnormality impairs elimination when a bacterium lands on the pristine surface of a newborn CF airway? To investigate this defect, we interrogated the viability of individual bacteria immobilized on solid grids and placed on the airway surface. As a model we studied CF pigs, which spontaneously develop hallmark features of CF lung disease. At birth, their lungs lack infection and inflammation, but have a reduced ability to eradicate bacteria. Here we show that in newborn wild-type pigs, the thin layer of airway surface liquid (ASL) rapidly killed bacteria in vivo, when removed from the lung, and in primary epithelial cultures. Lack of CFTR reduced bacterial killing. We found that ASL pH was more acidic in CF, and reducing pH inhibited the antimicrobial activity of ASL. Reducing ASL pH diminished bacterial killing in wild-type pigs, and increasing ASL pH rescued killing in CF pigs. These results directly link the initial host defense defect to loss of CFTR, an anion channel that facilitates HCO3- transport. Without CFTR, airway epithelial HCO3- secretion is defective, ASL pH falls and inhibits antimicrobial function, and thereby impairs killing of bacteria that enter the newborn lung. These findings suggest that increasing ASL pH might prevent the initial infection in patients with CF and that assaying ASL pH or bacterial killing could report on the benefit of therapeutic interventions.
Reduced airway surface pH impairs bacterial killing in the porcine cystic fibrosis lung.
Specimen part
View SamplesBackground: In the last decade, much attention has been drawn to probiotic bacteria in the context of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), since the potential of certain strains to attenuate inflammation was demonstrated in several animal experiments and clinical studies. Data in humans elucidating the molecular mechanism of probiotic action are still scarce. To this end, we used an organ culture system of human colon mucosa and investigated the gene expression profiles after treatment with different probiotic bacteria in phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)/ionomycin (IO)) stimulated samples using whole genome microarrays. Moreover, we analyzed changes occurring in the intestinal explants cultured for 8 hours when compared to fresh, directly frozen mucosa, in order to infer the suitability of the system to study an inflammatory stimulus and likely antiinflammatory responses. Results: Culturing intestinal colon fragments during 8 hours elicited differential gene expression in 283 genes, 229 upregulated and 54 downregulated. Upregulated genes were predominantly related to apoptosis, whereas downregulated genes encoded mitochondrial proteins. No specific enrichment of genes related to inflammation or immune response could be detected, confirming the suitability of the system to further study the inmunomodulatory/anti-inflammatory properties of Lactobacillus casei BL23 (BL23), L.plantarum 299v (LP299v) and L.plantarum 299v (A-) (LP299v (A-)), a mutant strain with reduced adhesive properties to enterocytes. Intestinal explants were stimulated with PMA/IO for 3 hours and subsequently incubated with probiotic bacteria for 4 h. ANOVA analysis (p 0,01) revealed 205 differentially expressed genes between Control, PMA/IO (Inflamed), and the 3 bacterial treatments. Most importantly, a number of PMA/IO induced genes related to immune response and immune system process such as IL-2, IFN-, IL17A and pro-inflammatory cytokines CXCL9 and CXCL11 were downregulated by BL23, LP299v and LP299v (A-). The behaviour of the three Lactobacillus strains was quite similar, although their presence induced differential expression of a small number of genes in a strain dependent manner. Conclusion: The human colon organ culture was found to be a suitable model for the study of inflammatory/anti-inflammatory stimuli, and therefore it constitutes a valuable tool to determine the inmunomodulatory effect of probiotic bacteria. The global transcriptional profile evoked by strains BL23, LP299v and LP299v (A-) in artificially inflamed tissue indicated a clear homeostasis restoring effect, including a decrease of the signals produced by activated T cells.
Lactobacillus paracasei and Lactobacillus plantarum strains downregulate proinflammatory genes in an ex vivo system of cultured human colonic mucosa.
Specimen part
View SamplesAnalysis of wig-1 pathways via suppression of Wig-1 by antisense oligonucleotides
Genomic analysis of wig-1 pathways.
Specimen part, Treatment
View SamplesOriginal patient tumor is directly implanted in mice xenografts. Tumor is propagated to multiple mice for conduct of 6 arm treatment trials and control. Therapies are selected based on T0 and F0 genomic profiles.
Using a rhabdomyosarcoma patient-derived xenograft to examine precision medicine approaches and model acquired resistance.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesUterine double conditional inactivation of Smad2 and Smad3 in mice results in endometrial dysregulation, infertility, and uterine cancer. Smad2/3 cKO mice demonstrate abnormal expression of genes involved in inflammation, cell-cycle checkpoint, migration, steroid biosynthesis, and SMAD1/5-driven genes. We performed RNA-sequencing to identify the gene expression differences between the uterine epithelium of control and Smad2/3 cKO. To control for estrous cycle variations, the uterine epithelium was collected from mice at 0.5 dpc. Global gene expression profiles of Smad2/3 cKO versus control mice was analyzed. Our RNA sequencing analysis was performed at 6 weeks of life and already showed significant differences in migratory (Agr2,Slit2) and inflammatory (Ccl20, Crispld2) markers between Smad2/3 cKO and control mice. Overall design: Two group comparison: uterine epithelium of control and Smad2/3 cKO mice. We generated a conditional knockout of Smad2/3 in the uterus and demonstrated that Smad2/3 plays a critical role in the endometrium, with disruption resulting in pubertal-onset uterine hyperplasia and ultimately fatal uterine cancer.
Uterine double-conditional inactivation of <i>Smad2</i> and <i>Smad3</i> in mice causes endometrial dysregulation, infertility, and uterine cancer.
Specimen part, Subject
View SamplesBy utilizing mast cells lacking Dnmt3a, we found that this enzyme is involved in restraining mast cell responses to stimuli, both in vitro and in vivo.
<i>Dnmt3a</i> restrains mast cell inflammatory responses.
Sex, Specimen part, Treatment
View SamplesIn order to establish a list of candidate direct COUP-TFI gene targets in the inner ear, we analyzed the differential gene expression profiles of the wild-type and the COUP-TFI/ P0 inner ears.
Genome-wide analysis of binding sites and direct target genes of the orphan nuclear receptor NR2F1/COUP-TFI.
Specimen part
View SamplesWe analyzed gene expression in CD4+ cells sorted from naïve or D30 Mycobacterium tuberculosis-infected mice and incubated in vitro in the presence or absence of Schistosoma egg antigen. We found genes associated with Th1 function, T cell signaling, T cell costimulation and T cell activation were downregulated in SEA-treated cells, while expression of Th2 cytokines was below the threshold for detection. Overall design: RNAseq results for 3 replicates for naïve or CD4+ T cells from M.tuberculosis-infected mice treated with or without Schistosoma egg antigen in vitro.
Helminth-induced arginase-1 exacerbates lung inflammation and disease severity in tuberculosis.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesThe objective of the overall study was to determine the effects of oral vitamin D supplementation on alveolar macrophages from human subjects. In this substudy, subjects treated with vitamin D (intervention group) in paired analysis had small, but significant effects on immune-related differential gene expression pre versus post supplementation.
Effects of vitamin D supplementation on alveolar macrophage gene expression: preliminary results of a randomized, controlled trial.
Specimen part, Treatment, Subject
View SamplesTreatment-related DNA hypermethylation may play a role in creating drug resistant phenotypes by inactivating genes that are required for cytotoxicity, but there have been no genome-wide studies to systematically investigate methylation of individual genes following exposure to chemotherapy.
Identification of hypermethylated genes associated with cisplatin resistance in human cancers.
Specimen part, Cell line
View Samples