Test systems to identify developmental toxicants are urgently needed. A combination of human stem cell technology and transcriptome analysis was used here to provide proof-of-concept that toxicants with a related mode of action can be identified, and grouped for read-across. We chose a test system of developmental toxicity, related to the generation of neuroectoderm from pluripotent stem cells (UKN1), and exposed cells for six days to benchmark concentration (BMC) of histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) valproic acid, trichostatin-A, vorinostat, belinostat, panobinostat and entinostat. To provide insight into their toxic action, we identified HDACi consensus genes, assigned them to superordinate biological processes, and mapped them to a human transcription factor network constructed from hundreds of transcriptome data sets. We also tested a heterogeneous group of mercurials (methylmercury, thimerosal, mercury(II)chloride, mercury(II)bromide, 4-chloromercuribenzoic acid, phenylmercuric acid) (BMCs). Microarray data were compared at the highest non-cytotoxic concentration for all 12 toxicants. A support vector machine (SVM)-based classifier predicted all HDACi correctly. For validation, the classifier was applied to legacy data sets of HDACi, and for each exposure situation, the SVM predictions correlated with the developmental toxicity. Finally, optimization of the classifier based on 100 probe sets showed that eight genes (F2RL2, TFAP2B, EDNRA, FOXD3, SIX3, MT1E, ETS1, LHX2) are sufficient to separate HDACi from mercurials. Our data demonstrate, how human stem cells and transcriptome analysis can be combined for mechanistic grouping and prediction of toxicants. Extension of this concept to mechanisms beyond HDACi would allow prediction of human developmental toxicity hazard of unknown compounds with the UKN1 test system.
A transcriptome-based classifier to identify developmental toxicants by stem cell testing: design, validation and optimization for histone deacetylase inhibitors.
Sex, Specimen part
View SamplesUnderstanding the transcriptional regulation of pluripotent cells is of fundamental interest and will greatly inform efforts aimed at directing differentiation of embryonic stem (ES) cells or reprogramming somatic cells. We first analyzed the transcriptional profiles of mouse ES cells and primordial germ cell (PGCs) and identified genes up-regulated in pluripotent cells both in vitro and in vivo. These genes are enriched for roles in transcription, chromatin remodeling, cell cycle and DNA repair. We developed a novel computational algorithm, CompMoby, which combines analyses of sequences both aligned and non-aligned between different genomes with a probabilistic segmentation model to systematically predict short DNA motifs that regulate gene expression. CompMoby was used to identify conserved over-represented motifs in genes up-regulated in pluripotent cells. We show that the motifs are preferentially active in undifferentiated mouse ES and Embryonic Germ cells in a sequence-specific manner, and that they can act as enhancers in the context of an endogenous promoter. Importantly, the activity of the motifs is conserved in human ES cells. We further show that the transcription factor NF-Y specifically binds to one of the motifs, is differentially expressed during ES cell differentiation and is required for ES cell proliferation. This study provides novel insights into the transcriptional regulatory networks of pluripotent cells. Our results suggest that this systematic approach can be broadly applied to understanding transcriptional networks in mammalian species.
Systematic identification of cis-regulatory sequences active in mouse and human embryonic stem cells.
Age, Specimen part, Time
View SamplesRNA sequencing of HeLa cells treated with siRNA against the RNA exosome components hRRP40, hRRP6, hDIS3, and hRRP6/hDIS3 or the splicing inhibitors Isoginkgetin and spliceostatin A, respectively. Overall design: Stranded, ribo-depleted RNA seq profiles of HeLa cells treated with exosome targeting siRNAs or splicing inhibitors using Illumina HiSeq. All experiments were carried out in triplicate starting with independent cell cultures
Human Telomerase RNA Processing and Quality Control.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesThe Melanoma-associated Antigen gene family (MAGE) generally encodes for tumour antigens. We recently have identified one of the MAGE gene members, Mageb16 to be highly expressed in undifferentiated murine embryonic stem cells (mESCs). The role of Mageb16 for the differentiation of the pluripotent stem cells is completely unknown. Here we demonstrate that Mageb16 (41 kDa) is distributed in cytosol and/or in surface membrane in undifferentiated mESCs. A transcriptome study was performed with differentiated short hairpin RNA (shRNA)-mediated Mageb16 knockdown (KD ESCs) and scrambled control (SCR) ESCs until a period of 22 days. Mageb16 KD ESCs mainly differentiated towards mesodermal derivatives such as cardiovascular lineages. Mesoderm-oriented differentiation initiated biological processes such as adipogenesis, osteogenesis, limb morphogenesis and spermatogenesis were significantly enriched in the differentiated Mageb16 KD ESCs. Cardiomyogenesis in differentiated KD mESCs was stronger when compared to differentiated SCR and wild mESCs. The expression of non-coding RNA (ncRNA) Lin28a and other epigenetic regulatory genes, nucleocytoplasmic trafficking and genes participating in spermatogenesis have also declined faster in the differentiating Mageb16 KD ESCs. We conclude that Mageb16 plays a crucial role for differentiation of ESCs, specifically to the mesodermal lineages. Regulative epigenetic networks and nucleocytoplasmic modifications induced by Mageb16 may play a role for the critical role of Mageb16 for the ESCs differentiation.
Depletion of Mageb16 induces differentiation of pluripotent stem cells predominantly into mesodermal derivatives.
Sex, Specimen part
View SamplesColorectal cancer (CRC) remains the leading cause of cancer-related death in the world. Aspirin (ASA) and curcumin (CUR) are widely investigated chemopreventive candidates for CRC. However, the precise mechanisms of their action and their combinatorial effects have not been evaluated. The purpose of the present study was to determine the effect of ASA, CUR, and their combination in azoxymethane/dextran sulfate sodium (AOM/DSS)-induced colitis-accelerated colorectal cancer (CAC). We also aimed to characterize the differential gene expression profiles in AOM/DSS-induced tumors as well as in tumors modulated by ASA and CUR using RNA-seq. Diets supplemented with 0.02% ASA, 2% CUR or 0.01% ASA + 1% CUR were given to mice from 1 week prior to the AOM injection until the experiment was terminated 22 weeks after AOM initiation. Our results showed that CUR had a superior inhibitory effect in colon tumorigenesis compared to that of ASA. The combination of ASA and CUR at a lower dose exhibited similar efficacy to that of a higher dose of CUR at 2%. RNA isolated from colonic tissue from the control group and from tumor samples from the experimental groups was subjected to RNA-seq. Transcriptomic analysis suggested that the low-dose combination of ASA and CUR modulated larger gene sets than the single treatment. These differentially expressed genes were situated in several canonical pathways important in the inflammatory network and liver metastasis in CAC. We identified a small subset of genes as potential molecular targets involved in the preventive action of the combination of ASA and CUR. Taken together, the current results provide the first evidence in support of the chemopreventive effect of a low-dose combination of ASA and CUR in CAC. Moreover, the transcriptional profile obtained in our study may provide a framework for identifying the mechanisms underlying the carcinogenesis process from normal colonic tissue to tumor development as well as the cancer inhibitory effects and potential molecular targets of ASA and CUR. Overall design: 10 RNA samples (5 experimental groups with duplicates) were sequenced using Illumina NextSeq 500 instrument.
Mechanisms of colitis-accelerated colon carcinogenesis and its prevention with the combination of aspirin and curcumin: Transcriptomic analysis using RNA-seq.
Specimen part, Treatment, Subject
View SamplesNeuropathic pain is a complex chronic condition, characterized by a wide range of sensory, cognitive, and affective symptoms. Indeed, a large percentage of neuropathic pain patients are also afflicted with depression and anxiety disorders -- a pattern that is reliably replicated in animal models. Mounting evidence from clinical and preclinical studies indicates that chronic pain corresponds with adaptations in several brain networks involved in mood, motivation, and reward. Chronic stress is also a major determinant for depression. However, whether chronic pain and chronic stress affect similar mechanisms, and whether chronic pain can affect gene expression patterns known to be involved in depression, remains poorly understood. We employed the spared nerve injury model (SNI) of neuropathic pain in adult C57BL\6 mice and performed next-generation RNA-sequencing in order to monitor changes in gene expression in three brain regions known to be implicated in the pathophysiology of depression and in the modulation of pain: the nucleus accumbens (NAc), the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), and the periaqueductal grey (PAG). We observed mostly unique transcriptome profiles across the three brain regions but found common intracellular signal transduction pathways and biological functions were affected. A large amount of genes showing SNI-induced altered expression have been implicated in depression, anxiety, or chronic pain. In addition, we identified genes that are similarly regulated in a murine model of depression: chronic unpredictable stress. Our study provides the first unbiased characterization of neuropathic pain-induced long-term gene expression changes in three distinct brain regions, and presents evidence that neuropathic pain affects the expression of several genes that are also regulated by chronic stress. Overall design: RNA-seq samples were generated from 3 brain regions (nucleus accumbens, medial prefrontal cortex, and periaqueductal grey) of adult male mice, 2.5 months after sham or spared nerve injury to the sciatic nerve.
Neuropathic pain promotes adaptive changes in gene expression in brain networks involved in stress and depression.
Sex, Specimen part, Treatment, Subject
View SamplesThis SuperSeries is composed of the SubSeries listed below.
Gene Array Analyzer: alternative usage of gene arrays to study alternative splicing events.
Age, Specimen part
View SamplesThe latest version of microarrays released by Affymetrix, the GeneChip Gene 1.0 ST Arrays (gene arrays), are designed in a similar fashion as exon arrays, which enables to identify differentially expressed exons, rather than only the expression level of whole transcripts. Here, we propose an extension, Gene Array Analyzer (GAA), to our previously published Exon Array Analyzer (EAA). GAA enables to analyse gene arrays on exon level and therefore supports to identify alternative splicing with gene arrays. To show the applicability of GAA, we used gene arrays to profile alternative splice events during the development of the heart. Further re-analysis of published gene arrays could show, that some of these splice events reoccur under pathological conditions. The web interface of GAA is user friendly, functional without set up and freely available at http://GAA.mpi-bn.mpg.de.
Gene Array Analyzer: alternative usage of gene arrays to study alternative splicing events.
Age, Specimen part
View SamplesThis SuperSeries is composed of the SubSeries listed below.
Cancer stemness in Wnt-driven mammary tumorigenesis.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesRegulator of G protein signaling z1 (RGSz1), a member of the RGS family of proteins, is present in several networks expressing mu opioid receptors (MOPR). By using genetic mouse models for global or brain region-targeted manipulations of RGSz1 expression, we demonstrate that the suppression of RGSz1 function increases the analgesic efficacy of MOPR agonists in male and female mice and delays the development of morphine tolerance while decreasing the sensitivity to rewarding and locomotor activating effects. Using biochemical assays and next-generation RNA sequencing, we identified a key role of RGSz1 in the periaqueductal gray (PAG) in morphine tolerance. Chronic morphine administration promotes RGSz1 activity in the PAG, which in turn modulates transcription mediated by the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway to promote analgesic tolerance to morphine. Conversely, the suppression of RGSz1 function stabilizes Axin2-Gaz complexes near the membrane and promotes ß-catenin activation, thereby delaying the development of analgesic tolerance. These data show that the regulation of RGS complexes, particularly those involving RGSz1-Gaz, represents a promising target for optimizing the analgesic actions of opioids without increasing the risk of dependence or addiction. Overall design: Understanding the impact of morphine tolerance and the influence of RGSz1 on gene expression in the PAG
Suppression of RGSz1 function optimizes the actions of opioid analgesics by mechanisms that involve the Wnt/β-catenin pathway.
Sex, Specimen part, Treatment, Subject
View Samples