BRAF inhibitors are highly effective therapies for patients with BRAF V600 mutated metastatic melanoma. Patients who receive BRAF inhibitors develop a variety of hyper-proliferative skin conditions, whose pathogenic basis is the paradoxical activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway in BRAF wild-type cells. Most of these hyper-proliferative skin changes improve when a MEK inhibitor is co-administered, as a MEK inhibitor blocks paradoxical MAPK activation. We tested whether we could take advantage of the mechanistic understanding of the skin hyper-proliferative side effects of BRAF inhibitors to accelerate skin wound healing by inducing paradoxical MAPK activation. Here we show that the BRAF inhibitor vemurafenib accelerates human keratinocyte proliferation and migration by increasing ERK phosphorylation and cell cycle progression. Topical treatment with vemurafenib in two wound-healing models in mice accelerated cutaneous wound healing and improved the tensile strength of healing wounds through paradoxical MAPK activation; addition of a MEK inhibitor reversed the benefit of vemurafenib-accelerated wound healing. The same dosing regimen of topical BRAF inhibitor did not increase the incidence of cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas in mice even after the application of a carcinogen. Therefore, topical BRAF inhibitors may have clinical applications in accelerating the healing of skin wounds. Overall design: Full depth incisional wound mice tissues with/without Vemurafenib treatment were sent for RNAseq analysis on day 2, 6 and 14
Cutaneous wound healing through paradoxical MAPK activation by BRAF inhibitors.
Specimen part, Subject
View SamplesSymptomatic glycerol kinase deficiency (GKD) is associated with episodic metabolic and central nervous system deterioration. We report here the first application of Weighted Gene Co-Expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) to investigate a knockout (KO) murine model of a human genetic disease. WGCNA identified networks and key hub transcripts from liver mRNA of glycerol kinase (Gyk) KO and wild type (WT) mice. Day of life 1 (dol1) samples from KO mice contained a network module enriched for organic acid metabolism before Gyk KO mice develop organic acidemia and die on dol3-4 and the module containing Gyk was enriched with apoptotic genes. Roles for the highly connected Acot, Psat and Plk3 transcripts were confirmed in cell cultures and subsequently validated by causality testing. We provide evidence that GK may have an apoptotic moonlighting role that is lost in GKD. This systems biology strategy has improved our understanding of GKD pathogenesis and suggests possible treatments.
Weighted gene co-expression network analysis identifies biomarkers in glycerol kinase deficient mice.
Sex, Specimen part
View SamplesStatus epilepticus (SE) is a life-threatening condition that can give rise to a number of neurological disorders, including learning deficits, depression, and epilepsy. Many of the effects of SE appear to be mediated by alterations in gene expression. To gain deeper insight into how SE affects the transcriptome, we employed the pilocarpine SE model in mice and Illumina-based high-throughput sequencing to characterize alterations in gene expression from the induction of SE, to the development of spontaneous seizure activity. While some genes were upregulated over the entire course of the pathological progression, each of the three sequenced time points (12-hour, 10-days and 6-weeks post-SE) had a largely unique transcriptional profile. Hence, genes that regulate synaptic physiology and transcription were most prominently altered at 12-hours post-SE; at 10-days post-SE, marked changes in metabolic and homeostatic gene expression were detected; at 6-weeks, substantial changes in the expression of cell excitability and morphogenesis genes were detected. At the level of cell signaling, KEGG analysis revealed dynamic changes within the MAPK pathways, as well as in CREB-associated gene expression. Notably, the inducible expression of several noncoding transcripts was also detected. These findings offer potential new insights into the cellular events that shape SE-evoked pathology. Overall design: cDNA from two animals was pooled into two independent biological replicates for each timepoint (ie. two sets of two animals per experimental group: control, 12 hours, 10 days, 6 weeks). Samples were sequenced using a Genome Analyzer II (GAII) at a concentration of 10pM in each lane. Base-calling was conducted with the standard Illumina Analysis Pipeline 1.0 (Firescrest-Bustard). Eight FASTQ sequence files (sequencing reads plus quality information) were generated and mapped to the mouse genome (UCSC mm9) using the Bowtie algorithm with default settings. A C++ program was used to count the number of uniquely mapped reads within exons of Ref-Seq genes (UCSC Genome Browser mm9 annotation).
Status epilepticus stimulates NDEL1 expression via the CREB/CRE pathway in the adult mouse brain.
Cell line, Subject, Time
View SamplesAnalysis of alterations in the hippocampus transcriptome caused by deletion of Mitogen Stress activated Kinase 1 (MSK1).
Mitogen- and Stress-Activated Protein Kinase 1 Regulates Status Epilepticus-Evoked Cell Death in the Hippocampus.
Specimen part
View SamplesmiR-132 and miR-212 are structurally-related microRNAs that have been found to exert powerful modulatory effects within the central nervous system (CNS). Notably, these microRNAs are tandomly processed from the same non-coding transcript, and share a common seed sequence: thus it has been difficult to assess the distinct contribution of each microRNA to gene expression within the CNS. Here, we employed a combination of conditional knockout and transgenic mouse models to examine the contribution of the miR-132/212 gene locus to learning and memory, and then to assess the distinct effects that each microRNA has on hippocampal gene expression. Using a conditional deletion approach, we show that miR-132/212 double knockout mice exhibit significant cognitive deficits in spatial memory, recognition memory, and in tests of novel object recognition. Next, we utilized transgenic miR-132 and miR-212 overexpression mouse lines and the miR-132/212 double knockout line explore the distinct effects of these two miRNAs on the transcriptional profile of the hippocampus. Illumina sequencing revealed that miR-132/212 deletion increased the expression of 1,138 genes; Venn analysis showed that 96 of these genes were also downregulated in mice overexpressing miR-132. Of the 58 genes that were decreased in animals overexpressing miR-212, only four of them were also increased in the knockout line. Functional gene ontology analysis of downregulated genes revealed significant enrichment of genes related to synaptic transmission, neuronal proliferation, and morphogenesis, processes known for their roles in learning, and memory formation. These data, coupled with previous studies, firmly establish a role for the miR-132/212 gene locus as a key regulator of cognitive capacity. Further, although miR-132 and miR-212 share a seed sequence, these data indicate that these miRNAs do not exhibit strongly overlapping mRNA targeting profiles, thus indicating that, these two genes may function in a complex, non-redundant manner to shape the transcriptional profile of the CNS. The dysregulation of miR-132/212 expression could contribute to signaling mechanisms that are involved in an array of cognitive disorders Overall design: Hippocampal mRNA was isolated from CaMKII-Cre::miR-132/212f/f, tTA::miR132, and tTA::miR212 animals, as well as their respective nontransgenic controls. cDNA from six animals was pooled into three independent biological replicates for each. Libraries were prepared according to the Illumina TruSeqTM Sample Preparation Guide and sequenced using an Illumina Genome Analyzer II. Sequences were aligned to the UCSC mm9 reference genome using Bowtie v0.12.7 and custom R scripts. The sequence data have been submitted to the NCBI Short Read Archive with accession number in progress. Relative abundance was measured in Fragments Per Kilobase of exon per Million fragments mapped using Cufflinks v1.2.
Targeted deletion of miR-132/-212 impairs memory and alters the hippocampal transcriptome.
Cell line, Subject
View SamplesLassa fever (LF) is a rodent-borne viral disease that can be fatal for human beings. In this study, an attenuated Lassa vaccine candidate, ML29, was tested in SIV-infected rhesus macaques for its ability to elicit immune responses without instigating signs of virulent disease. ML29 is a reassortant between Lassa and Mopeia viruses that causes a transient infection in non-human primates and confers sterilizing protection from lethal Lassa viral challenge. However, since the LF endemic area of West Africa also has high HIV seroprevalence, it is important to determine whether vaccination could be safe in the context of AIDS. SIV-infected and uninfected rhesus macaques were vaccinated with the ML29 virus and monitored for classical and non-classical signs of arenavirus disease. Classical disease signs included viremia, rash, weight loss, high liver enzyme levels, and virus invasion of the central nervous system. Non-classical signs derived from profiling the blood transcriptome of virulent and non-virulent arenavirus infections included increased expression of interferon response genes and decreased expression of COX2, IL-1?, coagulation intermediates and nuclear receptors needed for stress signaling. Here it is demonstrated that SIV-infected and uninfected rhesus macaques responded similarly to ML29 vaccination, and that none developed signs of arenavirus disease or persistence. Furthermore, 5 of 5 animals given a heterologous challenge with a lethal dose of LCMV-WE survived without developing disease signs.
An attenuated Lassa vaccine in SIV-infected rhesus macaques does not persist or cause arenavirus disease but does elicit Lassa virus-specific immunity.
Specimen part
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