During embryogenesis, nociceptive sensory neurons of the dorsal root ganglia depend intimately on Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) for neuronal survival, maturation and target innervation. NGF is a secreted molecular signal synthesized by neuronal target tissues. In developing nociceptors, NGF engages the receptor tyrosine kinase TrkA to activate a gene transcriptional program involving the regulation of hundreds of transcripts. To identify NGF-dependent genes in developing mouse nociceptors, we have designed and performed two separate microarray screens to compare gene expression profiles of DRG neurons either with or lacking NGF signaling.
No associated publication
Sex, Specimen part, Treatment
View SamplesSympathetic neurons of SCG (Superior Cervical Ganglia) send axonal projections either along the external carotid arteries to innervate the salivary glands, or along the internal carotid arteries to the lacrimal and pineal glands, the eye, blood vessels and skin of the head, and the mucosa of the oral and nasal cavities. Previous studies using Wnt1Cre and R26R have defined the neural crest and mesodermal origins of vascular smooth muscle in the heart outflow tract and great vessels, although not specifically of the segments that are relevant for the projections of the SCG neurons. The third pharyngeal arch arteries are lined by neural crest-derived smooth muscle, and consequently, their derivatives, including the entirety of the external carotid arteries and only the base of the internal carotid arteries, also have a neural crest origin. In contrast, the dorsal aortae are lined by smooth muscle that is mesodermal in origin, and as a result, the internal carotid arteries from just above their origination from the common carotid arteries have a mesoderm-derived smooth muscle layer. To address the possibility that guidance cues for SCG neurons are selectively expressed by the external carotid vs. the internal carotid arteries, we isolated these segments of the vasculature from mouse embryos at E13.5 and extracted RNA to screen microarrays for differentially expressed genes.
Endothelins are vascular-derived axonal guidance cues for developing sympathetic neurons.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesCell migration contributes to normal development and homeostasis as well as to pathological processes such as inflammation and tumor metastasis. Previous genetic screens have revealed a few major signaling pathways that govern follicle cell migrations in the Drosophila ovary, several of which elicit transcriptional responses. However few downstream targets of the critical transcriptional regulators, such as the C/EBP homolog SLBO, have been identified. To characterize the gene expression profile of two migratory cell populations and identify SLBO targets, we employed a magnetic bead based cell separation approach to purify border cells and centripetal cells expressing the mouse CD8 antigen, and carried out whole genome microarray analysis.
Analysis of cell migration using whole-genome expression profiling of migratory cells in the Drosophila ovary.
Sex, Specimen part
View SamplesGene expression profiles were performed to compare the difference in sigmoid colon biopsies between from healthy control and patients with ulcerative colitis.
MicroRNAs are differentially expressed in ulcerative colitis and alter expression of macrophage inflammatory peptide-2 alpha.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesConstitutive MET signaling promotes invasiveness in primary and recurrent GBM; however, current MET-targeting strategies lack of effective biomarkers for selecting suitable patients for treatment. Here, we identified a predictive signature potentially valuable for indicating vulnerability to MET-targeted therapy in GBM. The use of both human and mouse gene expression microarrays showed that MET inhibitors regulate tumor (human) and host (mouse) cells within the tumor via distinct molecular processes, but overall they impede tumor growth by inhibiting cell cycle progression. Notably, GBM tumors with EGFRamp that showed resistance to erlotinib treatment also showed activation of the MET pathway, suggesting that a combination of EGFR and MET inhibitors may overcome or prevent such resistance in patients with EGFRamp GBM.
No associated publication
Specimen part, Disease, Disease stage, Cell line
View SamplesThis SuperSeries is composed of the SubSeries listed below.
Large-scale hypomethylated blocks associated with Epstein-Barr virus-induced B-cell immortalization.
Specimen part, Time
View SamplesHuman mucosal surfaces contain a wide range of microorganisms. The biological effects of these organisms are largely unknown. Large-scale metagenomic sequencing is emerging as a method to identify novel microbes. Unexpectedly, we identified DNA sequences homologous to virus ATCV-1, an algal virus not previously known to infect humans, in oropharyngeal samples obtained from healthy adults. The presence of ATCV-1 was associated with a modest but measurable decrease in cognitive functioning. A relationship between ATCV-1 and cognitive functioning was confirmed in a mouse model, which also indicated that exposure to ATCV-1 resulted in changes in gene expression within the brain. Our study indicates that viruses in the environment not thought to infect humans can have biological effects.
Chlorovirus ATCV-1 is part of the human oropharyngeal virome and is associated with changes in cognitive functions in humans and mice.
Treatment
View SamplesMania is a serious neuropsychiatric condition associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Previous studies have suggested that environmental exposures can contribute to mania pathogenesis. We measured dietary exposures in a cohort of individuals with mania and other psychiatric disorders as well as in control individual without a psychiatric disorder. We found that a history of eating nitrated dry cured meat, but not other meat or fish products, was strongly and independently associated with current mania (adjusted odds ratio 3.49, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.24-5.45, p<8.97x 10-8). Lower odds of association were found between eating nitrated dry cured meat and other psychiatric disorders. We further found that the feeding of meat preparations with added nitrate to rats resulted in alterations in behavior and changes in intestinal microbiota. Rats fed diets with added nitrate also showed alterations of brain pathways dysregulated in mania. These findings may lead to new methods for preventing mania and for developing novel therapeutic interventions
Nitrated meat products are associated with mania in humans and altered behavior and brain gene expression in rats.
Sex, Specimen part
View SamplesThe size of lentiviral DNA reservoirs reflects effectiveness of immune responses against lentiviruses. So far, abundant information has been gathered on the control of HIV-1 replication. Understanding of innate mechanisms contributing to containment of HIV-DNA reservoir, however, are only partly clarified and are relevant to guide interventions for reservoir containment or eradication. We studied the contribution of Natural Killer (NK) cell functional features in HIV patients either controlling replication either spontaneously (HIC) or after progression and antiretroviral treatment (PP). An inverse correlation between HIV-DNA copy numbers (either total or integrated) in circulating CD4+ cells and NK cell function were observed. Induced IFN-gamma production and NKp46/NKp30 activating receptor-induced expression correlated inversely with reservoir size. The correlation was present not only when considering a homogeneous cohort of HIC patients, but also when PP patients were included in the analysis. Adaptive (NKG2C + CD57 + ) NK cell features were not associated with reservoir size. However a distinct set of 370 differentially expressed transcripts was found to underlie functional differences in NK cells controlling HIV-DNA reservoir size. In proof-of-principle in vitro experiments of CD4+ cell infection with HIV-1, purified NK cells with the above functional/transcriptional features displayed a 10- and 30-fold higher ability to control HIV replication and DNA burden in vitro, respectively, compared to other NK cells. Thus, NK cells with a specific functional and transcriptional signature contribute to control of HIV reservoir in CD4+ cells. Their selection, expansion and/or adoptive transfer may support strategies to eradicate HIV-1 infection or to safely deescalate antiretroviral treatment.
No associated publication
Specimen part, Disease, Disease stage
View SamplesKabuki syndrome is a Mendelian intellectual disability syndrome caused by mutations in either of two genes (KMT2D and KDM6A) involved in chromatin accessibility. We previously showed that an agent that promotes chromatin opening, the histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi) AR-42, ameliorates the deficiency of adult neurogenesis in the granule cell layer of the dentate gyrus, and rescues hippocampal memory defects in a mouse model of Kabuki syndrome (Kmt2d+/Geo). Unlike a drug, a dietary intervention could be quickly transitioned to the clinic. Therefore, we have explored whether treatment with a ketogenic diet could lead to a similar rescue through increased amounts of beta-hydroxybutyrate, an endogenous HDACi. Here, we report that a ketogenic diet in Kmt2d+/Geo mice modulates H3ac and H3K4me3 in the granular cell layer, with concomitant rescue of both the neurogenesis defect and hippocampal memory abnormalities seen in Kmt2d+/Geo mice; similar effects on neurogenesis were observed upon exogenous administration of beta-hydroxybutyrate. These data suggests that dietary modulation of epigenetic modifications through elevation of beta-hydroxybutyrate may provide a feasible strategy to treat the intellectual disability seen in Kabuki syndrome and related disorders.
No associated publication
Sex, Specimen part
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