Background: African Americans (AA) have increased burdens of cardiovascular disease and cancer compared to Caucasian Americans (CA). This study addresses the possibility that genetic differences affecting the biology of the vascular endothelium could be a factor contributing to this health disparity.
Differential endothelial cell gene expression by African Americans versus Caucasian Americans: a possible contribution to health disparity in vascular disease and cancer.
Sex, Age, Specimen part, Race
View SamplesGenetic differences in endothelial biology could underlie development of phenotypic heterogeneity amongst individuals afflicted with vascular diseases. We obtained BOEC (blood outgrowth endothelial cells) from 20 subjects with sickle cell anemia (age 4-19) shown to be either at-risk (n=11) or not-at-risk (n=9) for ischemic stroke due to, respectively, having or not having occlusive disease at the Circle of Willis (CoW).
Genetic endothelial systems biology of sickle stroke risk.
Sex, Age, Specimen part, Race
View SamplesThe molecular basis of breast cancer invasion and metastasis is not well understood. Our objective was to analyze transcriptome differences between stromal and epithelial cells in normal breast tissue and invasive breast cancer to define the role stroma plays in invasion. Total RNA was isolated from epithelial and stromal cells that were laser captured from normal breast tissue (n=5) and invasive breast cancer (n=28). Gene expression was measured using Affymetrix U133A 2.0 GeneChips. Differential gene expression was evaluated and compared within a model that accounted for cell type (epithelial [E] versus stromal [S]), diagnosis (cancer [C] versus normal [N]) as well as cell type-diagnosis interactions. Compared to NE, the CE transcriptome was highly enriched with genes in proliferative, motility and ECM ontologies. Differences in CS and NS transcriptomes suggested that the ECM was being remodeled in invasive breast cancer, as genes were over-represented in ECM and proteolysis ontologies. Genes more highly expressed in CS compared to CE were primarily ECM components or were involved in the remodeling of ECM, suggesting that ECM biosynthesis and remodeling were initiated in the tumor stromal compartment.
Molecular signatures suggest a major role for stromal cells in development of invasive breast cancer.
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View SamplesBrown fat generates heat via the mitochondrial uncoupling protein UCP1, defending against hypothermia and obesity. Recent data suggest that there are two distinct types of brown fat: classical brown fat derived from a myf-5 cellular lineage and UCP1-positive cells that emerge in white fat from a non-myf-5 lineage. Here, we report the isolation of beige cells from murine white fat depots.
Beige adipocytes are a distinct type of thermogenic fat cell in mouse and human.
Cell line
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