Pediatric adrenocortical tumors (ACT) are rare and often fatal malignancies; little is known regarding their etiology and biology. To provide additional insight into the nature of ACT, we determined the gene expression profiles of 24 pediatric tumors (five adenomas, 18 carcinomas, and one undetermined) and seven normal adrenal glands. Distinct patterns of gene expression, validated by quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot analysis, were identified that distinguish normal adrenal cortex from tumor. Differences in gene expression were also identified between adrenocortical adenomas and carcinomas. In addition, pediatric adrenocortical carcinomas were found to share similar patterns of gene expression when compared with those published for adult ACT. This study represents the first microarray analysis of childhood ACT. Our findings lay the groundwork for establishing gene expression profiles that may aid in the diagnosis and prognosis of pediatric ACT, and in the identification of signaling pathways that contribute to this disease.
Gene expression profiling of childhood adrenocortical tumors.
Sex
View SamplesCaenorhabditis elegans is one of the most prominent model systems to study embryogenesis. However, it has been impractical to collect large amounts of precisely staged embryos. Thus, early C. elegans embryogenesis has not been amenable to most modern high-throughput genomics or biochemistry assays. To overcome this problem, we devised a method to collect large amounts of cleanly staged C. elegans embryos by Fluorescent Activated Cell Sorting (termed eFACS). eFACS can in principle be applied to all embryonic developmental stages up to hatching. As a proof of principle we show that a single eFACS run routinely yields tens of thousands of almost perfectly staged one-cell embryos. Since in animals the earliest embryonic events are driven by post-transcriptional regulation, we combined eFACS with next-generation sequencing technology to systematically profile the embryonic expression of small, non-coding RNAs. We discovered a wealth of complex and orchestrated changes in the expression between and within almost all classes of small RNAs, including miRNAs, during embryogenesis. Our data indicate that half of all known miRNAs are already expressed in the one-cell stage embryo and we also shed light on the expression and genomic organization of the previously under-appreciated 26G-RNAs. Together, our eFACS data suggest that the complexity of small RNA expression dynamics in animals is comparable to the expression dynamics of protein encoding genes. Overall design: Various C. elegans embryo samples were generated: mixed embryos by traditional bleaching (Brenner, 1974), early embryos by eFACS (Stoeckius et al., in press). RNA was extracted and length fractionated. Small RNA was subjected to a 5''-dependent ligation protocol to add sequencing adapters. The small RNA samples were sequenced using the Illumina GA I & II.
Large-scale sorting of C. elegans embryos reveals the dynamics of small RNA expression.
Cell line, Subject
View SamplesCutaneous sarcoidosis skin provides relatively non invasive access to granulomatous sarcoidosis tissue.
Molecular profiling and gene expression analysis in cutaneous sarcoidosis: the role of interleukin-12, interleukin-23, and the T-helper 17 pathway.
Subject
View SamplesCilia are ubiquitous cell surface projections that modulate various sensory- and motility based processes and are implicated in a growing number of multi-organ genetic disorders termed ciliopathies. As new components required for cilium biogenesis and function remain unidentified, we sought to further define and validate the transcriptional targets of the ciliogenic C. elegans RFX transcription factor DAF-19. To this end, transcriptional profiling of daf-19 mutants (which do not form cilia) and wild-type animals was performed using selectively staged embryos where ciliogenesis occurs in most ciliated sensory neurons
Transcriptional profiling of C. elegans DAF-19 uncovers a ciliary base-associated protein and a CDK/CCRK/LF2p-related kinase required for intraflagellar transport.
Specimen part
View SamplesDeregulated accumulation of myofibroblasts (MF) is central to liver fibrosis pathogenesis, but the mechanisms controlling myofibroblast fate remain poorly understood. Here we investigated whether Hedgehog (Hh) signaling regulates MF fate by modulating MF metabolism.
Hedgehog controls hepatic stellate cell fate by regulating metabolism.
Specimen part
View SamplesIn order to investigate the mechanism for the progressive lens degeneration caused by targeted deletion of Dicer, we compared expression profiles of protein-coding genes in wild type and DicerCN lenses at E13.5, at a time before gross morphological changes had occurred. We identified distinct classes of differentially expressed genes in the conditional knockout lenses.
Targeted deletion of Dicer disrupts lens morphogenesis, corneal epithelium stratification, and whole eye development.
Specimen part
View SamplesGenome-wide gene expression analysis on tibialis anterior muscle from 2-month-old nebulin SH3 domain deleted (NebSH3) mice compared to wildtype.
The nebulin SH3 domain is dispensable for normal skeletal muscle structure but is required for effective active load bearing in mouse.
Sex, Age, Specimen part
View SamplesDifferential mRNA expression patterns were seen in GSC272-vector compared to GSC272-POSTN shRNA tumors.
Periostin (POSTN) Regulates Tumor Resistance to Antiangiogenic Therapy in Glioma Models.
Specimen part, Treatment
View SamplesAbstract: Cellular senescence, an integral component of aging and cancer, arises in response to diverse triggers, including telomere attrition, macromolecular damage, and signaling from activated oncogenes. At present, senescent cells are identified by the combined presence of multiple traits, such as senescence-associated protein expression and secretion, DNA damage, and ß-galactosidase activity; unfortunately, these traits are neither exclusively nor universally present in senescent cells. To identify robust shared markers of senescence, we have performed RNA-sequencing analysis across 8 diverse models of senescence triggered in human diploid fibroblasts (WI-38, IMR-90) and endothelial cells (HUVEC, HAEC) by replicative exhaustion, exposure to ionizing radiation or doxorubicin, and expression of the oncogene HRASG12V. The intersection of the altered transcriptomes revealed 47 RNAs consistently elevated and 26 RNAs consistently reduced across all senescence models, including many protein-coding mRNAs and some long noncoding RNAs. We propose that these shared transcriptome profiles will enable the identification of senescent cells in vivo, the investigation of their roles in aging and malignancy, and the development of strategies to target senescent cells therapeutically. Overall design: Transcriptomic analysis of various cell line models of senescence and their respective controls
Transcriptome signature of cellular senescence.
Specimen part, Cell line, Treatment, Subject
View SamplesBevacizumab induces glioblastoma resistance in two in vivo xenograft models. Two cell lines were developed with acquired resistance to bevacizumab. Gene expression difference were analyzed between treated and untreated tumors.
Acquired resistance to anti-VEGF therapy in glioblastoma is associated with a mesenchymal transition.
Specimen part, Treatment
View Samples