Background Published multi-gene classifiers suggested outcome prediction for patients with stage UICC II colon cancer based on different gene expression signatures. However, there is currently no translation of these classifiers for application in routine diagnostic. Therefore, we aimed at validating own and published gene expression signatures employing methods which enable RNA and protein detection in routine diagnostic specimens. Results Immunohistochemistry was applied to 68 stage UICC II colon cancers to determine the protein expression of five selected previously published classifier genes (CDH17, LAT, CA2, EMR3, and TNFRSF11A). Correlation of protein expression data with clinical outcome within a 5-year post-surgery course failed to separate patients with a disease-free follow-up [Group DF] and relapse [Group R]). In addition, RNA from macrodissected tumor samples from 53 of these 68 patients was profiled on Affymetrix GeneChips (HG-U133 Plus 2.0). Prognostic signatures were generated by Nearest Shrunken Centroids with cross-validation. Although gene expression profiling allowed the identification of differentially expressed genes between the groups DF and R, a stable classification and prognosis signature was not discernable in our data. Furthermore, the application of previously published gene signatures consisting of 22 and 19 genes, respectively, to our gene expression data set using global tests and leave-one-out cross-validation was unable to predict clinical outcome (prediction rate 75.5% and 64.2%; n.s.). T-stage was the only independent prognostic factor for relapse in multivariate analysis with established clinical and pathological parameters including microsatellite status. Conclusions Our protein and gene expression analyses currently do not support application of molecular classifiers for prediction of clinical outcome in routine diagnostic as a basis for patient-orientated therapy in stage UICC II colon cancer. Further studies are needed to develop prognosis signatures applicable in patient care.
Molecular profiles and clinical outcome of stage UICC II colon cancer patients.
Sex
View SamplesCutaneous T-cell lymphomas form a heterogeneous group of non-Hodgkin lymphomas characterized by only poor prognosis in advanced stage. Despite significant progress made in the identification of novel genes and pathways involved in the pathogenesis of cutaneous lymphoma, the therapeutic value of these findings has still to be proven. Here, we demonstrate by gene expression arrays that aurora kinase A is one of highly overexpressed genes of the serine/threonine kinase in CTCL. The finding was confirmed by qualitative RT-PCR, Western blotting and immunohistochemistry in CTCL cell lines and primary patient samples. Moreover, treatment with a specific aurora kinase A inhibitor blocks cell proliferation by inducing cell cycle arrest in G2 phase as well as apoptosis in CTCL cell lines. These new data provide a promising rationale for using aurora kinase A inhibition as a therapeutic modality of CTCL.
Aurora Kinase A Is Upregulated in Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma and Represents a Potential Therapeutic Target.
Specimen part, Subject
View SamplesGenome-wide gene expression analysis of Reh cells following transfection with constitutively active IRF5-4D, constitutively active IKK(EE), or both in combination.
Mapping of transcription factor motifs in active chromatin identifies IRF5 as key regulator in classical Hodgkin lymphoma.
Cell line
View SamplesGenome-wide gene expression analysis of murine splenic B-cells following retroviral transduction with a constitutively active IRF5 (IRF5-4D)
Mapping of transcription factor motifs in active chromatin identifies IRF5 as key regulator in classical Hodgkin lymphoma.
Specimen part
View SamplesA unique feature of the tumour cells (Hodgkin/Reed-Sternberg (HRS)) of classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) is the loss of their B-cell phenotype despite their B-cell origin. Several lines of evidence suggest that epigenomic events, especially promoter DNA-methylation, are involved in this silencing of many B-cell associated genes. Here we show that DNA-demethylation alone or in conjunction with histone-acetylation is not able to reconstitute the B-cell gene expression program in cultured HRS cells. Instead, combined DNA-demethylation and histone-acetylation of B cells induce a nearly complete extinction of their B-cell expression program and a tremendous up-regulation of numerous cHL characteristic genes including key players such as Id2 known to be involved in the suppression of the B-cell phenotype. Since the up-regulation of cHL characteristic genes and the extinction of the B-cell expression program occurred simultaneously, epigenetic changes may also be responsible for the malignant transformation of cHL. The epigenetic up-regulation of cHL characteristic genes thus play - in addition to promoter DNA-hypermethylation of B-cell associated genes a pivotal role for the reprogramming of HRS cells and explain why DNA-demethylation alone is unable to reconstitute the B-cell expression program in HRS cells.
Histone acetylation and DNA demethylation of B cells result in a Hodgkin-like phenotype.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesThe molecular chaperone heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) is thought to buffer genetic variation uncoupling phenotypic outcome from individual genotypes. HSP90 thus acts as an evolutionary capacitor by facilitating an accumulation of natural genetic variation. The molecular mechanism underlying the buffering ability is unclear, and HSP90-contingent genetic variation maps both to coding and non-coding parts of the genome. Our genome-wide data indicate that a compromised chaperoning activity of HSP90 causes derepression of endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) in mouse somatic cells. This results in an upregulation of host genes located in the neighborhood of pre-existing ERVs insertion sites. We provide genetic and biochemical evidence that HSP90 cooperates with KAP1/ SETDB1 histone methyltranferase pathway to repress ERVs. Individual mouse strains have unique integration sites of ERVs in their genomes. Consequently distinct genes are responsive to HSP90 inhibitor in different mouse strains depending on the position of the genes vis-Ã -vis strain-specific ERV insertion sites. Since ERVs have been exapted to drive novel transcriptional networks during mammalian evolution, HSP90 may have acted as a capacitor by buffering variation caused by ERV in non-coding regions of the genome. Our studies provide the first molecular framework by which HSP90 can mitigate genetic variation in gene-regulatory regions affecting gene expression and phenotypes. Overall design: We have performed RNA-seq in mouse embryonic stem cells, neuronal progenitor cells and bone-marrow-derived macrophages treated with NVP-AUY922 in triplicates.
The evolutionary capacitor HSP90 buffers the regulatory effects of mammalian endogenous retroviruses.
Specimen part, Subject
View SamplesGeminin is a small nucleoprotein that neuralizes ectoderm in the Xenopus embryo. Geminin promotes neural fate acquisition of mouse embryonic stem cells: Geminin knockdown during neural fate acquisition decreased expression of neural precursor cell markers (Pax6, Sox1), while increasing expression of Pitx2, Lefty1 and Cited2, genes involved in formation of the mouse node. Here we differentiated mouse embryonic stem cells into embryoid bodies to study Geminin's ability to repress primitive streak mesendoderm fate acquisition. We used microarrays to define the sets of genes that are regulated by Geminin during cell fate acquisition in embryoid bodies, using Dox-inducible Geminin knockdown or overexpression mouse embryonic stem cell lines.
Geminin restrains mesendodermal fate acquisition of embryonic stem cells and is associated with antagonism of Wnt signaling and enhanced polycomb-mediated repression.
Specimen part
View SamplesGeminin cooperates with Polycomb to restrain multi-lineage commitment in the early embryo: Transient maintenance of a pluripotent embryonic cell population followed by the onset of multi-lineage commitment is a fundamental aspect of development. However, molecular regulation of this transition is not well characterized in vivo. Here we demonstrate that the nuclear protein Geminin is required to restrain commitment and spatially restrict mesoderm, endoderm, and non-neural ectoderm to their proper locations in the Xenopus embryo. We used microarray analyses to demonstrate that Geminin overexpression represses many genes associated with cell commitment and differentiation, while elevating expression levels of genes that maintain pluripotent early and immature neurectodermal cell states. We characterized Geminins relationship to cell signaling and found that Geminin broadly represses Activin-, FGF-, and BMP-mediated cell commitment. Conversely, Geminin knockdown enhances commitment responses to growth factor signaling and causes ectopic mesodermal, endodermal, and epidermal fate commitment in the embryo. We also characterized Geminins functional relationship with transcription factors that had similar activities and found that Geminin represses commitment independent of Oct4 ortholog (Oct25/60) activities, but depends upon intact Polycomb repressor function. Consistent with this, chromatin immunoprecipitation assays directed at mesodermal genes demonstrate that Geminin promotes Polycomb binding and Polycomb-mediated repressive histone modifications, while inhibiting modifications associated with gene activation. This work defines Geminin as an essential regulator of the embryonic transition from pluripotency through early multi-lineage commitment, and demonstrates that functional cooperativity between Geminin and Polycomb contributes to this process.
Geminin cooperates with Polycomb to restrain multi-lineage commitment in the early embryo.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesWe previously identified toll-like receptor 4 (Tlr4) as a candidate gene responsible for ozone (O3)-induced pulmonary hyperpermeability and inflammation. The objective of this study was to determine the mechanism through which TLR4 modulates O3-induced pulmonary responses and to utilize transcriptomics to determine TLR4 effector molecules. C3H/HeJ (HeJ; Tlr4 mutant) and C3H/HeOuJ (OuJ; Tlr4 normal), mice were exposed continuously to 0.3 ppm O3 or filtered air for 6, 24, 48 or 72 hr. Affymetrix Mouse430A_MOE gene arrays were used to analyze lung homogenates from HeJ and OuJ mice followed using a bioinformatic analysis. Inflammation was assessed by bronchoalveolar lavage and molecular analysis by ELISA, immunoblotting, and transcription factor activity. TLR4 signals through both the MYD88-dependent and independent pathways in OuJ mice, which involves MAP kinase activation, NF-kappaB, AP-1, and KC. Microarray analyses identifiedTLR4 responsive genes for strain and time in OuJ versus HeJ mice (p<0.05). One significantly upregulated cluster of genes in OuJ were the heat shock proteins (Hspa1b; Hsp70), Hsp90ab1). Furthermore, O3-induced expression of HSP70 protein was increased in OuJ compared to HeJ mice following 24-48 h O3. Moreover, BAL polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) and total protein were significantly reduced in response to O3 in Hspa1a/Hspa1btm1Dix (Hsp70-/-) compared to Hsp70+/+ mice (p<0.05). TLR4 signaling (MYD88-dependent), ERK1/2, AP-1 activity, and KC protein content were also significantly reduced after O3 exposure in Hsp70-/- compared to Hsp70+/+ mice (p<0.05). These studies suggest that HSP70 is involved in the regulation of O3-induced lung inflammation through the TLR4 pathway and provide evidence that HSP70 is an endogenous in vivo TLR4 ligand.
Identification of candidate genes downstream of TLR4 signaling after ozone exposure in mice: a role for heat-shock protein 70.
Sex, Specimen part, Treatment
View SamplesThe experiment describes the dynamic transcriptional alterations in brains of ME7- infected, and age-matched, mock-inoculated mice immediatly before inoculation, at two important preclinical time points and at terminal stages.
Transcriptome analysis reveals altered cholesterol metabolism during the neurodegeneration in mouse scrapie model.
Sex, Age, Specimen part, Subject, Time
View Samples