We hypothesize that the observed differences in incidences of pleural and peritoneal malignant mesothelioma (MM) are the result of differences in the direct response of these cell types to asbestos rather than to differences mediated by the in vivo microenvironment. To test this hypothesis, we characterized cellular responses to asbestos in a controlled environment using high-throughput RNA sequence and other assays. Overall design: Examination of asbestos-treated versus untreated mesothelial cells from four cell lines representing two tissue types in culture.
Differential Susceptibility of Human Pleural and Peritoneal Mesothelial Cells to Asbestos Exposure.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesInterleukin (IL)-17 plays an important and protective role in host defence and has been demonstrated to orchestrate airway inflammation by cooperating with and inducing proinflammatory cytokines. Mircoarrays were used to identify immediate-early/ primary response IL-17A-dependent gene transcripts in primary human bronchial ASM cells from mild asthmatic and healthy individuals.
IL-17A mediates a selective gene expression profile in asthmatic human airway smooth muscle cells.
Sex, Age, Specimen part, Treatment, Subject, Time
View SamplesObjective: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS), characterized by a global increasing incidence driven by relapsing-remitting disease in females. p38 MAP kinase (MAPK) has been described as a key regulator of inflammatory responses in autoimmunity, but its role in the sexual dimorphism in MS or MS models remains unexplored. Methods: Toward this end, we used experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), the principal animal model of MS, combined with pharmacologic and genetic inhibition of p38 MAPK activity and transcriptomic analyses. Results: Pharmacologic inhibition of p38 MAPK selectively ameliorated EAE in female mice. Conditional deletion studies demonstrated that p38 signaling in macrophages/myeloid cells, but not T cells or dendritic cells, recapitulated this sexual dimorphism. Analysis of CNS inflammatory infiltrates showed that female, but not male mice lacking p38 in myeloid cells exhibited reduced immune cell activation compared with controls, while peripheral T cell priming was unaffected in both sexes. Transcriptomic analyses of myeloid cells revealed differences in p38-controlled transcripts comprising female- and male-specific gene modules, with greater p38 dependence of pro-inflammatory gene expression in females. Interpretation: Our findings demonstrate a key role for p38 in myeloid cells in CNS autoimmunity and uncover important molecular mechanisms underlying sex differences in disease pathogenesis. Taken together, our results suggest that the p38 MAPK signaling pathway represents a novel target for much needed disease modifying therapies for MS
Sex-specific control of central nervous system autoimmunity by p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling in myeloid cells.
Sex, Specimen part
View SamplesGene expression microarrays were used to compare gene alterations induced by exposure to equitoxic doses of crocidolite asbestos and cristobalite silica in an isolate of normal human bronchial epithelial cells.
Indications for distinct pathogenic mechanisms of asbestos and silica through gene expression profiling of the response of lung epithelial cells.
Specimen part
View SamplesThis SuperSeries is composed of the SubSeries listed below.
Copy number variation in Y chromosome multicopy genes is linked to a paternal parent-of-origin effect on CNS autoimmune disease in female offspring.
Sex, Age, Specimen part
View SamplesThe prevalence of some autoimmune diseases (AID) is greater in females compared with males, notwithstanding that disease severity is often greater in males. The reason for this sexual dimorphism (SD) is unknown, but may reflect negative selection of Y chromosome (ChrY) bearing sperm during spermatogenesis or male fetuses early in the course of conception/pregnancy. Previously, we showed that the SD in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is associated with copy number variation (CNV) in ChrY multicopy genes. Here, we test the hypothesis that CNV in ChrY multicopy genes influences the paternal parent-of-origin effect on EAE susceptibility in female mice. We show that C57BL/6J consomic strains of mice possessing an identical ChrX and CNV in ChrY multicopy genes exhibit a female biased sex-ratio and sperm head abnormalities, consistent with X-Y intragenomic conflict arising from an imbalance in CNV between homologous ChrX:ChrY multicopy genes. These males also display paternal transmission of EAE to female offspring and differential loading of miRNAs within the sperm nucleus. These findings provide evidence for a genetic mechanism at the level of the male gamete that contributes to the SD in EAE and paternal parent-of-origin effects in female mice, raising the possibility that a similar mechanism may contribute to the SD in MS.
Copy number variation in Y chromosome multicopy genes is linked to a paternal parent-of-origin effect on CNS autoimmune disease in female offspring.
Sex, Age, Specimen part
View SamplesThis SuperSeries is composed of the SubSeries listed below.
The Y chromosome as a regulatory element shaping immune cell transcriptomes and susceptibility to autoimmune disease.
Sex, Age, Specimen part
View SamplesUnderstanding the DNA elements that constitute and control the regulatory genome is critical for the appropriate therapeutic management of complex diseases. Here, using chromosome Y (ChrY) consomic mouse strains on the C57BL/6J background, we show that susceptibility to two diverse animal models of autoimmune disease, including experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) and experimental myocarditis, correlates with the natural variation in copy number of Sly and Rbmy multicopy ChrY genes. In the B6 background, ChrY possesses gene regulatory properties that impact both genome-wide gene expression and the presence of alternative splice variants in pathogenic CD4+ T cells. Using a ChrY consomic strain on the SJL background, we discovered a preference for ChrY-mediated gene regulation in macrophages, the immune cell subset underlying the EAE sexual dimorphism in SJL mice, rather than CD4+ T cells. Importantly, in both genetic backgrounds, an inverse correlation exists between the number of Sly and Rbmy ChrY gene copies and the number of significantly upregulated genes in immune cells, thereby supporting a link between copy number variation of Sly and Rbmy with the ChrY genetic element exerting regulatory properties. Moreover, in humans, an analysis of the CD4+ T cell transcriptome from male multiple sclerosis patients versus healthy controls provides further evidence for an evolutionarily conserved mechanism of gene regulation by ChrY. Thus, these data establish ChrY as a member of the regulatory genome in mammals due to its ability to regulate gene expression and alternative splicing in immune cells linked to disease.
The Y chromosome as a regulatory element shaping immune cell transcriptomes and susceptibility to autoimmune disease.
Sex, Age, Specimen part
View SamplesUnderstanding the DNA elements that constitute and control the regulatory genome is critical for the appropriate therapeutic management of complex diseases. Here, using chromosome Y (ChrY) consomic mouse strains on the C57BL/6J background, we show that susceptibility to two diverse animal models of autoimmune disease, including experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) and experimental myocarditis, correlates with the natural variation in copy number of Sly and Rbmy multicopy ChrY genes. In the B6 background, ChrY possesses gene regulatory properties that impact both genome-wide gene expression and the presence of alternative splice variants in pathogenic CD4+ T cells compared to CD4+ T cells. An inverse correlation exists between the number of Sly and Rbmy ChrY gene copies and the number of significantly upregulated genes in immune cells, thereby supporting a link between copy number variation of Sly and Rbmy and the ChrY genetic element exerting regulatory properties. Thus, these data establish ChrY as a member of the regulatory genome in mammals due to its ability to regulate gene expression and alternative splicing in immune cells linked to disease.
The Y chromosome as a regulatory element shaping immune cell transcriptomes and susceptibility to autoimmune disease.
Sex, Age, Specimen part
View SamplesKLF7 null mice show profound axonal growth defects in the olfactory epithelium. The goal of this study was the identification of potential KLF7 target genes in olfactory sensory neurons.
Identification of genes regulated by transcription factor KLF7 in differentiating olfactory sensory neurons.
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