Imbalances in glucose and energy homeostasis are at the core of the worldwide epidemic of obesity and diabetes. Here, we illustrate an important role of the TGF-beta/Smad3 signaling pathway in regulating glucose and energy homeostasis. Smad3 deficient mice are protected from diet-induced obesity and diabetes. Interestingly, the metabolic protection is accompanied by Smad3-/- white adipose tissue acquiring the bioenergetic and gene expression profile of brown fat/skeletal muscle. Smad3-/- adipocytes demonstrate a marked increase in mitochondrial biogenesis, with a corresponding increase in basal respiration, and Smad3 acts as a repressor of PGC-alpha1 expression. We observe significant correlation between TGF-beta1 levels and adiposity in rodents and humans. Further, systemic blockade of TGF-beta1 signaling protects mice from obesity, diabetes and hepatic steatosis. Together, these results demonstrate that TGF-beta signaling regulates glucose tolerance and energy homeostasis and suggest that modulation of TGF-beta1 activity might be an effective treatment strategy for obesity and diabetes.
Protection from obesity and diabetes by blockade of TGF-β/Smad3 signaling.
Treatment
View SamplesIsolated methylmalonic acidemia (MMA) is a pleiotropic enzymatic defect of branched-chain amino acid oxidation most commonly caused by deficiency of methylmalonyl-CoA mutase (MUT). End stage renal disease (ESRD) is emerging as an inevitable disease-related complication, recalcitrant to conventional therapies and liver transplantation. To establish a viable model of MMA-associated renal disease, methylmalonyl-CoA mutase (Mut) was expressed in the liver of Mut -/- mice as a stable transgene under the control of an albumin (INS-Alb-Mut) promoter. Mut -/- ;TgINS-Alb-Mut mice were rescued from the neonatal lethality displayed by Mut -/- mice and manifested a decreased glomerular filtration rate (GFR), chronic tubulointerstital nephritis (CTIN) and prominent ultrastructural changes in the proximal tubular mitochondria, replicating precisely the renal manifestations seen in a large MMA patient cohort.
Targeting proximal tubule mitochondrial dysfunction attenuates the renal disease of methylmalonic acidemia.
Sex, Specimen part
View SamplesTgif1 is a transcriptional corepressor that limits TGF responsive gene expression. TGF signaling has antiproliferative effects in several cell types, generally resulting in a G1 arrest. Mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEFs) are primary cells with limited life-span, that senesce after several passages in culture.
Premature senescence and increased TGFβ signaling in the absence of Tgif1.
Specimen part
View SamplesES cells are able to self-renew and remain pluripotent. These characteristics are maintained by both genetic and epigenetic regulators. Protein arginine methyltransferase (PRMT) 4 and 5 are shown to be important in early embryonic development and in ES cells. PRMT6-mediated di-methylation of histone H3 at arginine 2 (H3R2me2) can antagonize the tri-methylation of histone H3 at lysine 4, which marks active genes. However, it is unclear whether PRMT6 and PRMT6-mediated H3R2me2 play crucial roles in early embryonic development and ES cell identity. In this study, we investigate their functions using mouse ES cells as the model.
Protein arginine methyltransferase 6 regulates embryonic stem cell identity.
Cell line
View SamplesWhile early stages of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) are curable, survival outcome for metastatic ccRCC remains poor. The purpose of the current study was to apply a new individualized bioinformatics analysis (IBA) strategy to these transcriptome data in conjunction with Gene Set Enrichment Analysis of the Connectivity Map (C-MAP) database to identify and reposition FDA-approved drugs for anti-cancer therapy. We demonstrated that one of the drugs predicted to revert the RCC gene signature towards normal kidney, pentamidine, is effective against RCC cells in culture and in a RCC xenograft model. Most importantly, pentamidine slows tumor growth in the 786-O human ccRCC xenograft mouse model. To determine which genes are regulated by pentamidine in a human RCC cell line, 786-O, we treated these cells with pentamidine and performed transcriptional profiling analysis.
Computational repositioning and preclinical validation of pentamidine for renal cell cancer.
Cell line, Treatment
View SamplesThe goal of the experiments was to profile and analyze gene activity during murine pre-implantation development. Samples were collected at twelve time points from the germinal vesicle (GV) stage oocyte to the late (expanded) blastocyst.
A genome-wide study of gene activity reveals developmental signaling pathways in the preimplantation mouse embryo.
Age
View SamplesThe histological grade of carcinomas describes the ability of tumor cells to organize differentiated epithelial structures and has prognostic impact. Molecular control of differentiation in normal and cancer cells relies on lineage-determining transcription factors (TFs) that activate the repertoire of cis-regulatory elements controlling cell type-specific transcriptional outputs. TF recruitment to cognate genomic DNA binding sites results in the deposition of histone marks characteristic of enhancers and other cis-regulatory elements. Here we integrated transcriptomics and genome-wide analysis of chromatin marks in human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cells of different grade to identify first, and then experimentally validate the sequence-specific TFs controlling grade-specific gene expression. We identified a core set of TFs with a pervasive binding to the enhancer repertoire characteristic of differentiated PDACs and controlling different modules of the epithelial gene expression program. Defining the regulatory networks that control the maintenance of epithelial differentiation of PDAC cells will help determine the molecular basis of PDAC heterogeneity and progression. Overall design: Poly(A) fraction of the total RNA from human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cell lines was extracted and subjected to by multiparallel sequencing. Experiments were carried out in unmodified cells in duplicate, genome edited clonal CFPAC1 cells (2 KLF5-deleted CRISPR-Cas9 clones, 3 ELF3-deleted CRISPR-Cas9 clones and 2 wt clones) and CFPAC1 cells ectopically expressing ZEB1 or empty vector control (in duplicate).
Dissection of transcriptional and cis-regulatory control of differentiation in human pancreatic cancer.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesBackground: Udder infections with environmental pathogens like Escherichia coli are a serious problem for the diary industry. Reduction of incidence and severity of mastitis is desirable and mild priming of the immune system either through vaccination or with low doses of an immune stimulant like lipopolysaccharide LPS was previously found to dampen detrimental effects of a subsequent infection. Monocytes / macrophages are known to develop tolerance to the endotoxin (ET) LPS as adaptation strategy to prevent exuberant inflammation. We have recently observed that application of 1 g of LPS/udder quarter effectively protects the cow for several days from an experimentally elicited mastitis. We have modelled this process in primary cultures of Mammary Epithelial Cells (MEC) from the cow. This is by far the most abundant cell type in the udder coming into contact with invading pathogens and little is known about the role of MEC in establishing ET in the udder.
Lipopolysaccharide priming enhances expression of effectors of immune defence while decreasing expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in mammary epithelia cells from cows.
Specimen part, Time
View SamplesWe performed a time-course microarray experiment to define the transcriptional response to carboplatin in vitro, and to correlate this with clinical outcome in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). RNA was isolated from carboplatin and control-treated 36M2 ovarian cancer cells at several time points, followed by oligonucleotide microarray hybridization. Carboplatin induced changes in gene expression were assessed at the single gene as well as at the pathway level. Clinical validation was performed in publicly available microarray datasets using disease free and overall survival endpoints.
Carboplatin-induced gene expression changes in vitro are prognostic of survival in epithelial ovarian cancer.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesThe rapid improvements in single cell sequencing technologies and analyses methods afford greater scope for dissecting organoid cultures composed of multiple cell types and create an opportunity to interrogate these models to understand tissue biology, cellular behaviour and interactions. To this end, retinal organoids generated from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) were analysed by single cell RNA-Sequencing at three time points of differentiation. Combinatorial data from all time points revealed the presence of nine clusters, five of which corresponded to key retinal cell types, namely retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), cone and rod photoreceptors and Müller glia cells. The remaining four clusters expressed genes typical of mitotic cells, extracellular matrix (ECM) components and those involved in retinal homeostasis. The cell clustering analysis revealed the decreasing presence of mitotic cells and RGCs, formation of a distinct RPE cluster, the emergence of cone and rod photoreceptors from photoreceptor precursors and an increasing number of Müller Glia cells over time. The pseudotime analysis resembled the order of cell birth during retinal development, with the mitotic cluster commencing the trajectory and the large majority of Müller glia being the latest. Together, these data demonstrate the feasibility and potential of single cell RNA-Seq to dissect the inherent complexity of the organoids and the orderly birth of key retinal cell types. Overall design: A hESC (H9) cell line harbouring a CRX-GFP reporter was differentiated to retinal organoids 25. Samples were collected at 60, 90 and 200 days, dissociated, partitioned into single cells using the Fluidigm C1 Single-Cell mRNA-Seq HT IFC and processed for scRNA-Seq.
Deconstructing Retinal Organoids: Single Cell RNA-Seq Reveals the Cellular Components of Human Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Retina.
Cell line, Subject, Time
View Samples