Myeloid-derived cells comprising the tumor stroma represent a heterogeneous population of cells critical to the structure, function and growth of established cancers. We have recently found that engineering tumor-specific CD8+ T cells to secrete IL-12 (IL-12TD) can lead to striking improvements in T-cell activity against established melanomas in murine models. Surprisingly, IL-12-dependent enhancement of CD8+ T-cell anti-tumor function did not occur through direct ligation of receptors on lymphocytes or NK cells. Instead, IL-12 sensitized host bone marrow-derived tumor-stromal cells, partly through interferon-gamma, to indirectly enhance the effects of adoptively-transferred T cells. Direct presentation of antigen by tumor was not necessary, but MHC class I expression on endogenous cells was essential for IL-12 mediated anti-tumor enhancements. Upon successful treatment with IL-12TD cells, we observed the selective elimination of tumor-infiltrating CD11b+ F4/80+ macrophages, CD11b+/ClassII+/CD11c+ dendritic cells and CD11b+/Ly6C+/Ly6G- but not CD11b+/Ly6C+/Ly6G+ myeloid-derived suppressor cells within regressing lesions. These results are consistent with a model whereby IL-12 triggers the maturation of myeloid-derived cells into competent antigen cross-presenting cells. Licensed recognition of these antigens by effector T cells may in turn trigger the collapse of the tumor stroma and aid in the regression of large vascularized lesions.
IL-12 triggers a programmatic change in dysfunctional myeloid-derived cells within mouse tumors.
Specimen part, Disease, Disease stage
View SamplesSerial comparison between Th1 and Th17 tumor-specific cells cultured in vitro and ex vivo after transferred into sublethaly irradiated B6.PL mice. Th17-derived cells acquire Th1-like properties in vivo but maintain a distinct molecular profile.
Th17 cells are long lived and retain a stem cell-like molecular signature.
Specimen part, Treatment
View SamplesA growing body of evidence suggests that inflammatory cytokines have a dualistic role in immunity. In this study, we sought to determine the direct effects IFN-gamma on the differentiation and maturation of human peripheral blood monocyte-derived dendritic cells (moDC). Here, we report that following differentiation of human peripheral-blood monocytes into moDCs with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and IL-4, interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) induces moDC maturation and up-regulates the co-stimulatory markers CD80, CD86, CD95, and MHC Class I, enabling moDCs to effectively generate antigen-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses for multiple viral and tumor antigens. Interestingly, early exposure of monocytes to high concentrations of IFN-gamma promotes monocyte differentiation into macrophages, despite the presence of GM-CSF and IL-4. However, under low concentrations of IFN-gamma, monocytes continue to differentiate into dendritic cells possessing a unique gene-expression profile, resulting in impairments in subsequent maturation by IFN-gamma and an inability to generate effective antigen-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses compared to standard moDCs. Monocytes differentiated in the presence of low levels of IFN-gamma downregulate IFN-gamma receptor expression, impairing their response to an inflammatory rechallenge. These findings demonstrate the ability of IFN-gamma to impart differential programs on human moDCs which shape the antigen-specific T cell responses they induce. Timing and intensity of exposure to IFN-gamma can thus determine whether moDCs are tolerogenic or immunostimulating.
Timing and intensity of exposure to interferon-γ critically determines the function of monocyte-derived dendritic cells.
Specimen part, Subject
View SamplesThe PUF family of RNA binding proteins has a conserved role in maintaining stem cell self-renewal. FBF is a C. elegans PUF that is required to maintain germline stem cells (GSCs). To understand how FBF controls GSCs, we sought to identify is target mRNAs. Briefly, we immunoprecipitated FBF-mRNA complexes from worm extracts and then used microarrays to identify the FBF-associated mRNAs. To focus on germline targets of FBF, we used a FBF-GFP transgene under the control of a germline promoter and we used an anti-GFP antibody to purify FBF-GFP from worm extracts. In parallel, we also processed a strain expressing TUBULIN-GFP in the germline to control for mRNAs that non-specifically co-purify with GFP. We found that FBF associates with >1,000 unique mRNAs and likely controls a broad network of key cellular and developmental regulators.
Genome-wide analysis of mRNA targets for Caenorhabditis elegans FBF, a conserved stem cell regulator.
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View SamplesInflammasome activation in adipose tissue has been implicated in obesity-associated insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. However, when and how inflammasome is activated in adipose tissue remains speculative. Here we test the hypothesis that extracellular ATP, a potent stimulus of inflammasome in macrophages via purinergic receptor P2X, ligand-gated ion channel, 7 (P2X7), may play a role in inflammasome activation in adipose tissue in obesity. Our data show that inflammasome is activated in adipose tissue upon 8-week feeding of 60% HFD, coinciding with the onset of hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia as well as the induction of P2X7 in adipose tissue. Unexpectedly, P2X7-deficient animals on HFD exhibit no changes in metabolic phenotypes, nor in inflammatory responses or inflammasome activation when compared to the wildtype controls. Similar observations have been obtained in hematopoietic cell-specific P2X7-deficient animals generated by bone marrow transplantation. Thus, we conclude that inflammasome activation in adipose tissue in obesity coincides with the onset of hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia, but unexpectedly, is not mediated by the ATP-P2X7 signaling axis. The nature of the inflammasome-activating danger signal(s) in adipose tissue in obesity remains to be characterized.
The ATP-P2X7 signaling axis is dispensable for obesity-associated inflammasome activation in adipose tissue.
Sex, Age, Specimen part
View SamplesAdoptive cell immunotherapy (ACT) using autologous tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) can result in complete regression of advanced melanoma in some patients, but the efficacy of this potentially curative therapy is limited by poor persistence of TIL after adoptive-transfer. Pharmacologic inhibition of the serine/threonine kinase Akt has recently been shown to promote immunologic memory in viral-specific murine models, but whether this approach may enhance features of memory (e.g. long-term persistence) in TIL which are characteristically exhausted and senescent is not established. Here we show that pharmacologic inhibition of Akt enables expansion of TIL with the transcriptional, metabolic and functional properties characteristic of memory T cells. Consequently, Akt inhibition results in enhanced persistence of TIL after adoptive transfer into an immunodeficient animal model and augments antitumor immunity of CD8 T cells in a mouse model of cell-based immunotherapy for melanoma. Pharmacologic inhibition of Akt represents a novel immunometabolomic approach to enhance the persistence of anti-tumor T cells and improve the efficacy of cellbased immunotherapy for metastatic cancer.
Akt inhibition enhances expansion of potent tumor-specific lymphocytes with memory cell characteristics.
Specimen part, Disease, Disease stage, Subject
View SamplesThis SuperSeries is composed of the SubSeries listed below.
Detailed transcriptomics analysis of the effect of dietary fatty acids on gene expression in the heart.
Sex, Treatment
View SamplesFatty acids comprise the primary energy source for the heart and are mainly taken up via hydrolysis of circulating triglyceride-rich lipoproteins. While most of the fatty acids entering the cardiomyocyte are oxidized, a small portion is involved in altering gene transcription to modulate cardiometabolic functions. So far, no in vivo model has been developed enabling study of the transcriptional effects of specific fatty acids in the intact heart. In the present study, mice were given a single oral dose of synthetic triglycerides composed of one single fatty acid. Hearts were collected 6h thereafter and used for whole genome gene expression profiling. Experiments were conducted in wild-type and PPAR/ mice to allow exploration of the specific contribution of PPAR. It was found that: 1) linolenic acid (C18:3) had the most pronounced effect on cardiac gene expression. 2) The largest similarity in gene regulation was observed between linoleic acid (C18:2) and C18:3. Large similarity was also observed between the synthetic PPAR agonist Wy14643 and docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6). 3) Many genes were regulated by one particular treatment only. Genes regulated by one particular treatment showed large functional divergence. 4) The majority of genes responding to fatty acid treatment were regulated in a PPAR-dependent manner, emphasizing the importance of PPAR in mediating transcriptional regulation by fatty acids in the heart. 5) Several genes were robustly regulated by all or many of the fatty acids studied, mostly representing well-described targets of PPARs (e.g. Acot1, Angptl4, Ucp3). 6) Deletion and activation of PPAR had a major effect on expression of numerous genes involved in metabolism and immunity. Our analysis demonstrates the marked impact of dietary fatty acids on gene regulation in the heart via PPAR.
Detailed transcriptomics analysis of the effect of dietary fatty acids on gene expression in the heart.
Sex, Treatment
View SamplesStudies in mice have shown that PPAR is an important regulator of hepatic lipid metabolism and the acute phase response. However, little information is available on the role of PPAR in human liver. Here we set out to compare the function of PPAR in mouse and human hepatocytes via analysis of target gene regulation. Primary hepatocytes from 6 human and 6 mouse donors were treated with PPAR agonist Wy14643 and gene expression profiling was performed using Affymetrix GeneChips followed by a systems biology analysis. Baseline PPAR expression was similar in human and mouse hepatocytes. Depending on species and time of exposure, Wy14643 significantly induced the expression of 362-672 genes. Surprisingly minor overlap was observed between the Wy14643-regulated genes from mouse and human, although more substantial overlap was observed at the pathway level. Xenobiotics metabolism and apolipoprotein synthesis were specifically regulated by PPAR in human hepatocytes, whereas glycolysis-gluconeogenesis was regulated specifically in mouse hepatocytes. Most of the genes commonly regulated in mouse and human were involved in lipid metabolism and many represented known PPAR targets, including CPT1A, HMGCS2, FABP, ACSL, and ADFP. Several genes were identified that were specifically induced by PPAR in human (MBL2, ALAS1, CYP1A1, TSKU) or mouse (Fbp2, lgals4, Cd36, Ucp2, Pxmp4). Furthermore, several putative novel PPAR targets were identified that were commonly regulated in both species, including CREB3L3, KLF10, KLF11 and MAP3K8. Our results suggest that PPAR activation has a major impact on gene regulation in human hepatocytes. Importantly, the role of PPAR as master regulator of hepatic lipid metabolism is generally well-conserved between mouse and human. Overall, however, PPAR regulates a mostly divergent set of genes in mouse and human hepatocytes.
Comparative analysis of gene regulation by the transcription factor PPARalpha between mouse and human.
Sex, Age, Specimen part, Subject, Time
View SamplesElevated circulating triglycerides, which are considered a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, can be targeted by treatment with fenofibrate or fish oil. To gain insight into underlying mechanisms, we carried out a comparative transcriptomics and metabolomics analysis of the effect of 2 week treatment withfenofibrate and fish oil in mice. Plasma triglycerides were significantly decreased byfenofibrate (-49.1%) and fish oil (-21.8%), whereas plasma cholesterol was increased by fenofibrate (+29.9%) and decreased by fish oil (-32.8%). Levels of various phospholipid species were specifically decreased by fish oil, while levels of Krebs cycle intermediates were increased specifically by fenofibrate. Plasma levels of many amino acids were altered by fenofibrate and to a lesser extent by fish oil. Both fenofibrate and fish oil upregulated genes involved in fatty acid metabolism, and downregulated genes involved in blood coagulation and fibrinolysis. Significant overlap in gene regulation by fenofibrate and fish oil was observed, reflecting their property as high or low affinity agonist for PPAR, respectively. Fenofibrate specifically downregulated genes involved in complement cascade and inflammatory response. Fish oil specifically downregulated genes involved in cholesterol and fatty acid biosynthesis, and upregulated genes involved in amino acid and arachidonic acid metabolism. Taken together, the data indicate that despite being similarly potent towards modulating plasma free fatty acids, cholesterol and triglyceride levels, fish oil causes modest changes in gene expression likely via activation of multiple mechanistic pathways, whereas fenofibrate causes pronounced gene expression changes via a single pathway, reflecting the key difference between nutritional and pharmacological intervention.
Comparative transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis of fenofibrate and fish oil treatments in mice.
Sex, Age, Specimen part
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