The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a multistep dedifferentiation program important in tissue repair. Here, we examined the role of the transcriptional regulator NFkB in EMT of human primary small airway epithelial cells (hSAECs). Surprisingly, transforming growth factor ß (TGFß) activated NFkB/RELA proto-oncogene, NFkB subunit (RELA) translocation within 1 day of stimulation, yet induction of its downstream gene regulatory network occurred only after 3 days. A time course of TGFß-induced EMT transition was analyzed by RNA-Seq in the absence or presence of inducible shRNA-mediated silencing of RELA. In WT cells, TGFß stimulation significantly affected the expression of 2,441 genes. Gene set enrichment analysis identified Wnt, cadherin, and NFkB signaling as the most prominent TGFß-inducible pathways. By comparison, RELA controlled expression of 3,138 overlapping genes mapping to Wnt, cadherin, and chemokine signaling pathways. Conducting upstream regulator analysis, we found that RELA controls six clusters of upstream transcription factors, many of which overlapped with a transcription factor topology map of EMT developed earlier. RELA triggered expression of three key EMT pathways: (1) the Wnt/ß-catenin morphogen pathway, (2) the JUN transcription factor, and (3) the Snail family transcriptional repressor 1 (SNAI1). RELA binding to target genes was confirmed by ChIP. Experiments independently validating Wnt dependence on RELA were performed by silencing RELA via genome editing and indicated that TGFß-induced WNT5B expression and downstream activation of the Wnt target AXIN2 are RELA-dependent. We conclude that RELA is a master transcriptional regulator of EMT upstream of Wnt morphogen, JUN, SNAI1-ZEB1, and interleukin-6 autocrine loops. Overall design: RNA-seq transcriptome profiling of TGF-Beta stimulated RelA wildtype and knock-down cells
The NFκB subunit RELA is a master transcriptional regulator of the committed epithelial-mesenchymal transition in airway epithelial cells.
Specimen part, Subject
View SamplesThe airway epithelial cell plays a central role in coordinating pulmonary response to injury and inflammation. Here, transforming growth factor-b (TGFb) activates gene expression programs to induce stem cell-like properties, inhibit expression of differentiated epithelial adhesion proteins and express mesenchymal contractile proteins. This process is known as epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT); although much is known about the role of EMT in cellular metastasis in an oncogene-transformed cell, less is known about Type II EMT, that occurring in normal epithelial cells. In this study, we applied next generation sequencing (RNA-seq) in primary human airway epithelial cells to understand the gene program controlling Type II EMT and how cytokine-induced inflammation modifies it. Generalized linear modeling was performed on a two-factor RNA-seq experiment of 6 treatments of telomerase immortalized human small airway epithelial cells (3 replicates). Using a stringent cut-off, we identified 3,478 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in response to EMT. Unbiased transcription factor enrichment analysis identified three clusters of EMT regulators, one including SMADs/TP63 and another NF-kB/RelA. Surprisingly, we also observed 527 of the EMT DEGs were also regulated by the TNF-NF-kB/RelA pathway. This Type II EMT program was compared to Type III EMT in TGFb stimulated A549 alveolar lung cancer cells, revealing significant functional differences. Moreover, we observe that Type II EMT modifies the outcome of the TNF program, reducing IFN signaling and enhancing integrin signaling. We confirmed experimentally that TGFb-induced the NF-kB/RelA pathway by observing a 2-fold change in NF-kB/RelA nuclear translocation. A small molecule IKK inhibitor blocked TGFb-induced core transcription factor (SNAIL1, ZEB1 and Twist1) and mesenchymal gene (FN1 and VIM) expression. These data indicate that NF-kB/RelA controls a SMAD-independent gene network whose regulation is required for initiation of Type II EMT. Type II EMT dramatically affects the induction and kinetics of TNF-dependent gene networks. Overall design: A human small airway epithelial cell line was treated with TGF-Beta to induce the epithelial to mesenchymal transition. TGF-Beta treated and untreated cells were further treated with TNF-alpha for 1 and 12 hours. Three replicates for each treatment and untreated controls were performed for a total of 18 samples.
Analysis of the TGFβ-induced program in primary airway epithelial cells shows essential role of NF-κB/RelA signaling network in type II epithelial mesenchymal transition.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesWe sequenced mRNA from Left Ventricles of Streptozotocin induced Type I diabetic mouse hearts or mock treated controls at 4 weeks post-treatment in order to assess alternative splicing changes. Overall design: Heart mRNA profiles of Control and Diabetic (STZ:T1D) mice were generated by deep sequencing using Illumina HiSeq 1000.
Dysregulation of RBFOX2 Is an Early Event in Cardiac Pathogenesis of Diabetes.
Age, Specimen part, Cell line, Treatment, Subject
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PML is a ROS sensor activating p53 upon oxidative stress.
Sex, Age, Specimen part, Cell line, Race, Time
View SamplesThe Pml gene is essential to the formation of PML nuclear bodies, domains which have been associated with various functions such as apoptosis/senescence, DNA repair and cell proliferation( Lallemand-Breitenbach 2010). PML-NBs formation is regulated by cellular stress including oxidative stress(Jeanne 2010, de The 2012). To investigate the role of PML in ROS response in vivo, we analyse the expression difference to the acetaminophen toxicity, which is initiated by ROS, in Pml wt and Pml KO mice.
PML is a ROS sensor activating p53 upon oxidative stress.
Sex, Age, Specimen part
View SamplesThe Pml gene is essential to the formation of PML nuclear bodies, domains which have been associated with various functions such as apoptosis/senescence, DNA repair and cell proliferation( Lallemand-Breitenbach 2010). PML-NBs formation is regulated by cellular stress including oxidative stress(Jeanne 2010, de The 2012). To investigate the role of PML in ROS response in vivo, we analyse the expression difference betweem Pml wt and Pml KO under fasted condition, which easily up-regulate ROS in BALB/cByJ background
PML is a ROS sensor activating p53 upon oxidative stress.
Sex, Age, Specimen part
View SamplesPML nuclear bodies (NBs) recruit partner proteins -including p53 and its regulators- controlling their abundance or function. Investigating arsenic sensitivity of acute promyelocytic leukemia, we proposed that PML oxidation promotes NB-biogenesis. Yet, physiological links between PML and oxidative stress response in vivo remain unexplored. Here we identify PML as a reactive oxygen species (ROS) sensor. Pml-/- cells accumulate ROS, while PML expression decreases ROS levels. Unexpectedly, Pml-/- embryos survive acute glutathione depletion. Moreover, Pml-/- animals are resistant to acetaminophen hepatotoxicity or fasting-induced steatosis. Molecularly, Pml-/- animals fail to properly activate oxidative stress-responsive p53 targets, while NRF2 response is accelerated. Finally, in an oxidative stress-prone background, Pml-/- animals display a longevity phenotype, likely reflecting decreased basal p53 activation. Thus, similar to p53, PML exerts basal anti-oxidant properties, but also drives oxidative stress-induced changes in cell survival/proliferation or metabolism in vivo. Through NB-biogenesis, PML therefore couples ROS-sensing to p53 responses, shedding a new light on PML role in senescence or stem cell biology.
PML is a ROS sensor activating p53 upon oxidative stress.
Sex, Cell line, Race, Time
View SamplesDevelopment of systems allowing the maintenance of native properties of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) is a critical challenge for studying physiological functions of skeletal progenitors, as well as towards cellular therapy and regenerative medicine applications. Conventional stem cell culture in monolayer on plastic dishes (2D) is associated with progressive loss of functionality, likely due to the absence of a biomimetic microenvironment and the selection of adherent populations. Here we demonstrate that 2D MSC expansion can be entirely bypassed by culturing freshly isolated bone marrow cells within the pores of 3D scaffolds in a perfusion-based bioreactor system, followed by enzymatic digestion for cell retrieval. The 3D-perfusion system supported MSC growth while maintaining cells of the hematopoietic lineage, and thus generated a cellular environment mimicking some features of the bone marrow stroma. As compared to 2D-expansion, sorted CD45- cells derived from 3D-perfusion culture after the same time (3 weeks) or a similar extent of proliferation (7-8 doublings) maintained a 4.3-fold higher clonogenicity and exhibited a superior differentiation capacity towards all typical mesenchymal lineages, with similar immunomodulatory function in vitro. Transcriptomic analysis performed on MSC from 5 donors validated the robustness of the process and indicated a reduced inter-donor variability as well as a significant upregulation of multipotency-related gene clusters following 3D-perfusion as compared to 2D expansion. The described system offers a model to study how factors of a 3D engineered niche may regulate MSC function and, by streamlining conventional labor-intensive processes, is prone to automation and scalability within closed bioreactor systems.
Expansion of human mesenchymal stromal cells from fresh bone marrow in a 3D scaffold-based system under direct perfusion.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesThis SuperSeries is composed of the SubSeries listed below.
Effects of Electronic Cigarette Constituents on the Human Lung: A Pilot Clinical Trial.
Age, Specimen part
View SamplesE-cig use is continuing to increase, particularly among youth never-smokers, and is used by some smokers to quit. The acute and chronic toxicity of e-cig use is unclear generally in the context of increasing reports of inflammatory-type pneumonia in some e-cig users. To assess lung effects of e-cigs without nicotine or flavors, we conducted a pilot study with serial bronchoscopies over 4 weeks in 30 never-smokers, randomized either to a four-week intervention with the use of e-cigs containing only 50% propylene glycol (PG) and 50% vegetable glycerine (VG) or to a no-use control group. Compliance to the e-cig intervention was assessed by participants sending daily puff counts and by urinary propylene glycol (PG). Inflammatory cell counts and cytokines were determined in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluids. Genome-wide expression, microRNA, and mRNA were determined from bronchial epithelial cells. There were no significant differences in changes of BAL inflammatory cell counts or cytokines between baseline and follow-up, comparing the control and e-cig groups. However, in the intervention but not the control group, change in urinary PG as a marker of e-cig use and inhalation, was significantly correlated with change in cell counts (cell concentrations, macrophages, and lymphocytes) and cytokines (IL-8, IL-13, and TNF-α), although the absolute magnitude of changes was small. There were no significant changes in mRNA or microRNA gene expression. Although limited by study size and duration, this is the first experimental demonstration of an impact of e-cig use on inflammation in the human lung among never-smokers.
Effects of Electronic Cigarette Constituents on the Human Lung: A Pilot Clinical Trial.
Age, Specimen part
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