We used microarrays to study the changes in the transcriptional profile upon Snail knockdown in murine lung adenocarcinomas
Snail mediates repression of the Dlk1-Dio3 locus in lung tumor-infiltrating immune cells.
Age, Specimen part
View SamplesWe used microarrays to study the changes in the transcriptional profile upon Snail overexpression in murine lung adenocarcinomas
Snail mediates repression of the Dlk1-Dio3 locus in lung tumor-infiltrating immune cells.
Age, Specimen part
View SamplesCytokines of the IL-1 family are important modulators of obesity-induced inflammation and the development of systemic insulin resistance. Here, we report that IL-37, a newly-described antiinflammatory member of the IL-1 family, affects obesity-induced inflammation and insulin resistance. IL-37 transgenic mice (IL-37tg) did not develop an obese phenotype in response to a high-fat diet (HFD). Unlike WT mice, IL-37tg mice exhibited reduced numbers of adipose tissue macrophages and preserved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity after 16 weeks of HFD. A short-term HFD intervention revealed that the IL-37-mediated improvement in glucose tolerance is independent of bodyweight. IL-37tg mice manifested a beneficial metabolic profile with higher circulating levels of the anti-inflammatory adipokine adiponectin. In vitro treatment of differentiating adipocytes with recombinant IL-37 reduced adipogenesis. The beneficial effects of recombinant IL-37 involved activation of AMPK signaling. In humans, steady-state IL-37 adipose tissue mRNA levels were positively correlated with insulin sensitivity, lower adipose tissue levels of leptin and a lower inflammatory status of the adipose tissue. These findings reveal IL-37 as an important anti-inflammatory modulator during obesity-induced inflammation and insulin resistance in both mice and humans and suggest that IL-37 is a potential target for the treatment of obesity-induced insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
IL-37 protects against obesity-induced inflammation and insulin resistance.
Sex, Specimen part
View SamplesKupffer cells have been implicated in the pathogenesis of various liver diseases. However, their involvement in metabolic disorders of the liver, including fatty liver disease, remains unclear. The present study sought to determine the impact of Kupffer cells on hepatic triglyceride storage and to explore the possible mechanisms involved. To that end, C57Bl/6 mice rendered obese and steatotic by chronic high-fat feeding were treated for 1 week with clodronate liposomes, which cause depletion of Kupffer cells. Loss of expression of marker genes Cd68, F4/80, and Clec4f, and loss of Cd68 immunostaining verified almost complete removal of Kupffer cells from the liver. Also, expression of complement components C1, the chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 6 (Ccl6), and cytokines interleukin-15 (IL-15) and IL-1beta were markedly reduced. Importantly, Kupffer cell depletion significantly decreased liver triglyceride and glucosylceramide levels concurrent with increased expression of genes involved in fatty acid oxidation including peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha), carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1A (Cpt1alpha), and fatty acid transport protein 2 (Fatp2). Treatment of mice with IL-1beta decreased expression of PPARalpha and its target genes, which was confirmed in primary hepatocytes. Consistent with these data, IL-1beta suppressed human and mouse PPARalpha promoter activity. Suppression of PPARalpha promoter activity was recapitulated by overexpression of nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) subunit p50 and p65, and was abolished upon deletion of putative NF-kappaB binding sites. Finally, IL-1beta and NF-kappaB interfered with the ability of PPARalpha to activate gene transcription. CONCLUSION: Our data point toward important cross-talk between Kupffer cells and hepatocytes in the regulation of hepatic triglyceride storage. The effect of Kupffer cells on liver triglycerides are at least partially mediated by IL-1beta, which suppresses PPARalpha expression and activity.
Kupffer cells promote hepatic steatosis via interleukin-1beta-dependent suppression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha activity.
Sex
View SamplesBackground: NK cells during chronic viral infection have been well studied over the last decade. We performed an unbiased next-generation RNA-sequencing approach to identify commonalities or differences of the effect of HIV, HCV and HBV viremia on NK cell transcriptomes. Methods: Using cell sorting, we obtained CD3-CD56+ NK cells from blood of 6 HIV, 11 HCV, and 32 HBV infected and untreated patients. Library preparation and sequencing were done using Illumina mRNA-Seq Sample Prep Kit and the HiSeq 2000, HiSeq2500 or NextSeq 500, and further analysis by an in-house analytic pipeline. Results: In NK cells from HIV, HCV and HBV patients, transcriptome analysis identified 272, 53, and 56 differentially expressed genes, respectively (fold change >1.5, q-value 0.2). Interferon stimulated genes were induced in NK cells from HIV/HCV patients, but not during HBV infection. HIV viremia downregulated ribosome assembly genes in NK cells. In HBV, viral load and ALT variation had little effect on genes related to NK effector function. Conclusion: We compare, for the first time, NK cell transcripts of viremic HIV, HCV and HBV patients. We clearly demonstrate distinctive NK cell gene signatures in 3 different populations, suggestive for a different degree of functional alterations of the NK cell compartment as compared to healthy individuals. Overall design: We analyzed NK cell transcripts collected from the blood of well-characterized chronic HBV patients (n=32), chronic HCV patients (n=8), and HIV patients (n=6). Differential gene expression analysis, global module analysis, and unsupervised clustering analysis were performed by employing RNA-sequencing on blood NK cell transcriptomes.
Persistent Replication of HIV, Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), and HBV Results in Distinct Gene Expression Profiles by Human NK Cells.
Sex, Specimen part, Disease, Subject
View SamplesWiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS) predisposes patients to leukemia and lymphoma. WAS is caused by mutations in the protein WASP which impair its interaction with the WIPF1 protein. Here, we aim to identify a module of WIPF1-coexpressed genes and to assess its use as a prognostic signature for colorectal cancer, glioma, and breast cancer patients. Two public colorectal cancer microarray data sets were used for discovery and validation of the WIPF1 co-expression module. Based on expression of the WIPF1 signature, we classified more than 400 additional tumors with microarray data from our own experiments or from publicly available data sets according to their WIPF1 signature expression. This allowed us to separate patient populations for colorectal cancers, breast cancers, and gliomas for which clinical characteristics like survival times and times to relapse were analyzed. Groups of colorectal cancer, breast cancer, and glioma patients with low expression of the WIPF1 co-expression module generally had a favorable prognosis. In addition, the majority of WIPF1 signature genes are individually correlated with disease outcome in different studies. Literature gene network analysis revealed that among WIPF1 co-expressed genes known direct transcriptional targets of c-myc, ESR1 and p53 are enriched. The mean expression profile of WIPF1 signature genes is correlated with the profile of a proliferation signature. The WIPF1 signature is the first microarray-based prognostic expression signature primarily developed for colorectal cancer that is instrumental in other tumor types: low expression of the WIPF1 module is associated with better prognosis.
An expression module of WIPF1-coexpressed genes identifies patients with favorable prognosis in three tumor types.
Sex, Age
View SamplesHuman aging is associated with loss of function and regenerative capacity. Human bone marrow derived mesenchymal stromal cells (hMSCs) are involved in tissue regeneration, evidenced by their capacity to differentiate into several lineages and therefore are considered the gold standard for cell-based regeneration therapy. Tissue maintenance and regeneration is dependent on stem cells and declines with age and aging is thought to influence therapeutic efficacy, therefore, more insight in the process of aging of hMSCs is of high interest. We, therefore, hypothesized that hMSCs might reflect signs of aging. In order to find markers for donor age, early passage hMSCs were isolated from bone marrow of 61 donors, with ages varying from 17-84, and clinical parameters, in vitro characteristics and microarray analysis were assessed. Although clinical parameters and in vitro performance did not yield reliable markers for aging since large donor variations were present, genome-wide microarray analysis resulted in a considerable list of genes correlating with human age. By comparing the transcriptional profile of aging in human with the one from rat, we discovered follistatin as a common marker for aging in both species. The gene signature presented here could be a useful tool for drug testing to rejuvenate hMSCs or for the selection of more potent, hMSCs for cell-based therapy.
A mesenchymal stromal cell gene signature for donor age.
Sex, Age
View SamplesMaternal diet is associated with the development of metabolism-related and other non-communicable diseases in offspring. Underlying mechanisms, functional profiles, and molecular markers are only starting to be revealed. Here, we explored the physiological and molecular impact of maternal Western-style diet on the liver of male and female offspring. C57BL/6 dams were exposed to either a low fat/low cholesterol diet (LFD) or a Western-style high fat/high cholesterol diet (WSD) for six weeks before mating, as well as during gestation and lactation. Dams and offspring were sacrificed at postnatal day 14, and body, liver, and blood parameters were assessed. The impact of maternal WSD on the pups' liver gene expression was characterised by whole-transcriptome microarray analysis. Exclusively male offspring had significantly higher body weight upon maternal WSD. In offspring of both sexes of WSD dams, liver and blood parameters, as well as hepatic gene expression profiles were changed. In total, 686 and 604 genes were differentially expressed in liver (p0.01) of males and females, respectively. Only 10% of these significantly changed genes overlapped in both sexes. In males, in particular alterations of gene expression with respect to developmental functions and processes were observed, such as Wnt/beta-catenin signalling. In females, mainly genes important for lipid metabolism, including cholesterol synthesis, were changed. We conclude that maternal WSD affects physiological parameters and induces substantial changes in the molecular profile of the liver in two-week-old pups. Remarkably, the observed biological responses of the offspring reveal pronounced sex-specificity.
Maternal Western-style high fat diet induces sex-specific physiological and molecular changes in two-week-old mouse offspring.
Sex, Age, Specimen part
View SamplesWe report a simultaneous comparison of striatal mRNA levels by RNA sequencing mice with graded levels of HD-like abnormalities Overall design: Examination of 4 different mouse lines
Allelic series of Huntington's disease knock-in mice reveals expression discorrelates.
Specimen part, Subject
View SamplesTo understand organ function it is important to have an inventory of the cell types present in the tissue and of the corresponding markers that identify them. This is a particularly challenging task for human tissues like the pancreas, since reliable markers are limited. Transcriptome-wide studies are typically done on pooled islets of Langerhans, which obscures contributions from rare cell types and/or potential subpopulations. To overcome this challenge, we developed an automated single-cell sequencing platform to sequence the transcriptome of thousands of single pancreatic cells from deceased organ donors, allowing in silico purification of all main pancreatic cell types. We identify cell type-specific transcription factors, a subpopulation of REG3A-positive acinar cells, and cell surface markers that allow sorting of live alpha and beta cells with high purity. This resource will be useful for developing a deeper understanding of pancreatic biology and pathophysiology of diabetes mellitus. Overall design: Islets of Langerhans were extracted from human cadaveric pancreata and kept in culture until single-cell dispersion and FACS sorting. Single-cell transcriptomics was performed on live cells from this mixture using an automated version of CEL-seq2 on live, FACS sorted cells. The StemID algorithm was used to identify clusters of cells corresponding to the major pancreatic cell types and to mine for novel cell type-specific genes as well as subpopulations within the known pancreatic cell types.
A Single-Cell Transcriptome Atlas of the Human Pancreas.
Specimen part, Subject
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