Chronic non-healing venous leg ulcers (VLUs) are a widespread debilitating disease with high morbidity and associated costs, as approximately $15 billion annually are spent on the care of VLUs. Despite their socioeconomic burden, there is a paucity of novel treatments targeted towards healing VLUs, which can be attributed to both lack of pathophysiologic insight into VLU development as well as lack of knowledge regarding biologic actions of VLU-targeted therapies. Currently, the bioengineered bilayered living cellular construct (BLCC) skin substitute is the only FDA-approved biologic treatment for healing VLUs. To elucidate the mechanisms through which the BLCC promotes healing of chronic VLUs, we conducted a clinical trial (NCT01327937) in which patients with non-healing VLUs were treated with either standard care (compression therapy) or with BLCC together with standard care. Tissue was collected from the VLU edge before and 1 week after treatment, and samples underwent comprehensive microarray, mRNA and protein analyses. Ulcers treated with BLCC skin substitute displayed three distinct patterns suggesting the mechanisms by which BLCC shifted a non-healing into a healing tissue response: it modulated inflammatory and growth factor signaling; it activated keratinocytes; and it attenuated Wnt/-catenin signaling. In these ways, BLCC application orchestrated a shift of the chronic non-healing ulcer microenvironment into a distinctive healing milieu resembling that of an acute, healing wound. Our findings also provide first patient-derived in vivo evidence of specific biologic processes that can be targeted in the design of therapies to promote healing of chronic VLUs.
A bioengineered living cell construct activates an acute wound healing response in venous leg ulcers.
Specimen part, Disease stage, Time
View SamplesDiabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are the leading cause of lower leg amputations in diabetic population. To better understand molecular pathophysiology of DFUs we used patients specimens and genomic profiling. We identified 3900 genes specifically regulated in DFUs. Moreover, we compared DFU to human skin acute wound (AW) profiles and found DNA repair mechanisms and regulation of gene expression among the processes specifically suppressed in DFUs, whereas essential wound healing-related processes, inflammatory/immune response or cell migration, were not activated properly. To identify potential regulators of DFU-specific genes, we used upstream target analysis. We found miR-15/16 family enriched in DFUs, but not in AW, which was confirmed by qPCR. We found that infection with the most common DFU colonizer, Staphylococcus aureus, triggers induction of miR-15-5p, which in turn, targets multiple DFU-specific genes, including genes involved in DNA repair (WEE1, MSH2 and RAD50) and the regulator of inflammatory pathway, IKBKB. Induction of miR-15b-5p, either by miR-mimic transfection in vitro or by S. aureus infection of acute wounds ex vivo, suppressed both WEE1 and IKBKB. Consequently, we detected an increase in DNA double strand breaks in DFUs. In summary, our data indicate that S. aureus infection, via induction of miR-15b-5p, may lead to suppression of DNA repair mechanisms and a sub-optimal inflammatory response, contributing to pathophysiology of DFU patients
Staphylococcus aureus Triggers Induction of miR-15B-5P to Diminish DNA Repair and Deregulate Inflammatory Response in Diabetic Foot Ulcers.
Specimen part, Disease, Disease stage
View SamplesThis SuperSeries is composed of the SubSeries listed below.
5-hydroxymethylcytosine marks promoters in colon that resist DNA hypermethylation in cancer.
Sex, Specimen part, Cell line, Treatment, Subject
View SamplesThe discovery of cytosine hydroxymethylation (5-hmC) as a mechanism that potentially controls DNA methylation changes typical of neoplasia prompted us to investigate its behavior in colon cancer. 5-hmC is globally reduced in proliferating cells such as colon tumors and the gut crypt progenitors, from which tumors can arise. Here, we show that colorectal tumors and cancer cells express Ten-Eleven Translocation (TET) transcripts at levels similar to normal tissues. Genome-wide analyses show that promoters marked by 5-hmC in normal tissue, and those identified as TET2 targets in colorectal cancer cells, are resistant to methylation gain in cancer. In vitro studies of TET2 in cancer cells confirm that these promoters are resistant to methylation gain independently of sustained TET2 expression. We also find that a considerable number of the methylation gain-resistant promoters marked by 5-hmC in normal colon overlap with those that are marked with poised bivalent histone modifications in embryonic stem cells. Together our results indicate that promoters that acquire 5-hmC upon normal colon differentiation are innately resistant to neoplastic hypermethylation by mechanisms that do not require high levels of 5-hmC in tumors. Our study highlights the potential of cytosine modifications as biomarkers of cancerous cell proliferation.
5-hydroxymethylcytosine marks promoters in colon that resist DNA hypermethylation in cancer.
Sex, Specimen part, Subject
View SamplesARC (NSC 188491, SMA-491), 4-amino-6-hydrazino-7-beta-d-ribofuranosyl-7H-pyrrolo-(2,3-d)-pyrimidine-5-carboxamide, is a nucleoside analog with profound in vitro anti-cancer activity. First identified in a high-throughput screen for inhibitors of p21 mRNA expression, subsequent experiments showed that ARC also repressed expression of hdm2 and survivin, leading to its classification as a global inhibitor of transcription 1. The following Hu U133 plus 2.0 arrays represent single time point (24 hour) gene expression analysis of transcripts altered by ARC treatment. Arrays for the other compounds (sangivamycin and doxorubicin) are included as comparators.
ARC (NSC 188491) has identical activity to Sangivamycin (NSC 65346) including inhibition of both P-TEFb and PKC.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesTargets of Retinoic Acid (RA) were identified in primary human epidermal keratinocytes grown in the presence or absence of all-trans retinoic acid for 1, 4, 24, 48 and 72 hours. Targets of Thyroid Hormone (T3) were identified in primary human epidermal keratinocytes grown in the presence or absence of the hormone; same controls as for RA.
Retinoid-responsive transcriptional changes in epidermal keratinocytes.
Specimen part
View SamplesMice that develop benign cartilage lesions due to overexpression of Gli2 in chondrocytes developed lesions similar to chondrosarcomas when also deficient in p53. Gli2 overexpression and p53 deficiency had opposing effects on chondrocyte differentiation, but had additive effects negatively regulating apoptosis. Regulation of Igfbp3 expression and IGF signaling by Gli and p53 integrated their effect on apoptosis. Treatment of human chondrosarcomas or fetal mouse limbs explants with IGFBP3 or by blocking IGF increased the apoptosis rate, and mice expressing Gli2 developed substantially fewer tumors when also deficient for Igf2. IGF signaling meditated apoptosis regulates the progression to malignant chondrosarcoma.
Gli2 and p53 cooperate to regulate IGFBP-3- mediated chondrocyte apoptosis in the progression from benign to malignant cartilage tumors.
Cell line
View SamplesGlucocorticoids (GCs) have a long history of use as therapeutic agents for numerous skin diseases. Surprisingly, their specific molecular effects are largely unknown. To characterize GC action in epidermis, we compared the transcriptional profiles of primary human keratinocytes untreated and treated with dexamethasone (DEX) for 1, 4, 24, 48 and 72 hours using large-scale microarray analyses. The majority of genes were found regulated only after 24 hours and remained regulated throughout the treatment. In addition to expected anti-inflammatory genes, we found that GCs regulate cell fate, tissue remodeling, cell motility, differentiation and metabolism. GCs not only effectively block signaling by TNF-alpha and IL-1 but also by IFN-gamma, which was not previously known. Specifically, GCs suppress the expression of essentially all IFN-gamma-regulated genes, including IFN-gamma receptor and STAT-1. GCs also block STAT-1 activation and nuclear translocation. Unexpectedly, GCs have anti-apoptotic effects in keratinocytes by inducing the expression of anti-apoptotic and repressing pro-apoptotic genes. Consequently, GCs treatment blocked UV-induced apoptosis of keratinocytes. GCs have a profound effect on wound healing by inhibiting cell motility and the expression of pro-angiogenic factor VEGF. They play an important role in tissue remodeling and scar formation by suppressing the expression of TGF-beta-1 and -2, MMP1, 2, 9 and 10 and inducing TIMP-2. Finally, GCs promote terminal stages of epidermal differentiation while simultaneously inhibiting the early stages. These results provide new insights into the beneficial and adverse effects of GCs in epidermis, defining the participating genes and mechanisms that coordinate the cellular responses important for GC-based therapies.
Novel genomic effects of glucocorticoids in epidermal keratinocytes: inhibition of apoptosis, interferon-gamma pathway, and wound healing along with promotion of terminal differentiation.
Specimen part, Treatment
View SamplesKlotho is critical for the survival of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells HCC1395, since its depletion leads to decreased cell viability, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis.
γKlotho is a novel marker and cell survival factor in a subset of triple negative breast cancers.
Specimen part, Cell line
View SamplesPrimary human hepatocytes (PHHs) are a liver-specific cell subtype, and we have shown that these cells respond in a unique manner to the introduction of hepatitis C viral RNA (HCV vRNA) derived from different genotypes of the virus.
Transmitted/founder hepatitis C viruses induce cell-type- and genotype-specific differences in innate signaling within the liver.
Specimen part
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