Differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells toward definitive endoderm (DE) is the critical first step for generating cells comprising organs such as the gut, liver, pancreas and lung. This in-vitro differentiation process generates a heterogeneous population with a proportion of cells failing to differentiate properly and maintaining expression of pluripotency factors such as Oct4. RNA-sequencing of single cells collected at four time points during a 4-day DE differentiation identified high expression of metallothionein genes in the residual Oct4-positive cells that failed to differentiate to DE. Using X-ray fluorescence microscopy and multi-isotope mass spectrometry, we discovered that high intracellular zinc level corresponds with persistent Oct4 expression and failure to differentiate. We further show that differentiation-arrested phenotype is inversely correlated with zinc concentration in the differentiation media. This study improves our understanding of in-vitro DE differentiation and provides actionable options to improve DE differentiation efficiency. Overall design: RNA-sequencing of 329 single cells collected at four time points during a 4-day DE differentiation to identify mechanisms leading to cellular heterogeneity during differentiation
Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals metallothionein heterogeneity during hESC differentiation to definitive endoderm.
Specimen part, Subject, Time
View SamplesThe amino acid homocysteine increases in the serum when there is insufficient folic acid or vitamin B12, or with certain mutations in enzymes important in methionine metabolism. Elevated homocysteine is related to increased risk for cardiovascular and other diseases in adults and elevated maternal homocysteine increases the risk for certain congenital defects, especially those that result from abnormal development of the neural crest and neural tube. Experiments with the avian embryo model have shown that elevated homocysteine perturbs neural crest / neural tube migration in vitro and in vivo. While there have been numerous studies of homocysteine-induced changes in gene expression in adult cells, there is no previous report of a homocysteine-responsive transcriptome in the embryonic neural crest. We treated neural crest cells in vitro with exogenous homocysteine in a protocol that induces significant changes in neural crest cell migration. We used microarray analysis and expression profiling to identify 65 transcripts of genes of known function that were altered by homocysteine. The largest set of effected genes (19) included those with a role in cell migration and adhesion. Other major groups were genes involved in metabolism (13); DNA / RNA interaction (11); cell proliferation / apoptosis (10); and transporter / receptor (6). Although the genes identified in this experiment were consistent with prior observations of the effect of homocysteine upon neural crest cell function, none had been identified previously as response to homocysteine in adult cells.
Microarray analysis of homocysteine-responsive genes in cardiac neural crest cells in vitro.
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View SamplesRegulation of carotenoid composition and shoot branching in Arabidopsis by a chromatin modifying histone methyltransferase, SDG8<br></br>Comparison of transcript profiles between wild type Columbia and ccr1 (carotenoid and chloroplast regulatory) mutant, which contains a mutation in At1g77300 (SDG8)
Regulation of carotenoid composition and shoot branching in Arabidopsis by a chromatin modifying histone methyltransferase, SDG8.
Age
View SamplesDifferent allergens induce different immune responses
Molecular profiling of contact dermatitis skin identifies allergen-dependent differences in immune response.
Sex, Subject
View SamplesThe reduced folate carrier (RFC1) is an integral membrane protein and facilitative anion exchanger that mediates delivery of 5-methyltetrahydrofolate into mammalian cells. Adequate maternal-fetal transport of folate is necessary for normal embryogenesis. Targeted inactivation of the murine RFC1 gene results in post-implantation embryo lethality, but daily folic acid supplementation of pregnant dams prolongs survival of homozygous embryos until mid-gestation. At E10.5 RFC1-/- embryos are developmentally delayed relative to wildtype littermates, have multiple malformations, including neural tube defects, and die due to failure of chorioallantoic fusion. The mesoderm is sparse and disorganized, and there is a marked absence of erythrocytes in yolk sac blood islands. Affymetrix microarray analysis and quantitative RT-PCR validation of the relative gene expression profiles in E9.5 RFC1-/- vs. RFC1+/+ embryos indicates a dramatic downregulation of multiple genes involved in erythropoiesis, and upregulation of several genes that form the cubilin-megalin multiligand endocytic receptor complex. Megalin protein expression disappears from the visceral yolk sac of RFC1-/- embryos, and cubilin protein is widely misexpressed. Inactivation of RFC1 impacts the expression of several ligands and interacting proteins in the cubilin-amnionless-megalin complex that are involved in the maternal-fetal transport of folate, vitamin B12, and other nutrients, lipids and morphogens required for normal embryogenesis.
Microarray analysis of E9.5 reduced folate carrier (RFC1; Slc19a1) knockout embryos reveals altered expression of genes in the cubilin-megalin multiligand endocytic receptor complex.
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View SamplesAfter 2 and 12 weeks of treatment, we observed significant reductions of 51% and 72%, respectively, in SCORAD scores. Clinical improvements were associated with significant gene expression changes in lesional but also nonlesional skin, particularly reductions in levels of TH2-, TH22-, and some TH17-related molecules (ie, IL-13, IL-22, CCL17, S100As, and elafin/peptidase inhibitor 3), and modulation of epidermal hyperplasia and differentiation measures.
Cyclosporine in patients with atopic dermatitis modulates activated inflammatory pathways and reverses epidermal pathology.
Sex, Age, Time
View SamplesThis was a phase II, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded single center study (clinicaltrials.gov: NCT01806662) to investigate safety and efficacy of ustekinumab treatment in moderate-to-severe AD patients. Patients underwent 1:1 randomization using a computer generated subject randomization table by an unblinded pharmacist. to Subjects received subcutaneous ustekinumab or placebo at weeks 0, 4, and 16 with a crossover to the other agent (either ustekinumab or placebo) at weeks 16, 20, and 32 (Figure 1A) to ensure patient retention.
Efficacy and safety of ustekinumab treatment in adults with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis.
Specimen part, Disease, Treatment, Subject, Time
View SamplesBALB/c mice are susceptible to proteoglycan (PG) aggrecan-induced arthritis (PGIA), a murine model of rheumatoid arthritis (Glant,T.T. and Mikecz,K., Proteoglycan aggrecan-induced arthritis. A murine autoimmune model of rheumatoid arthritis. Methods Mol.Med. 2004. 102: 313-338.). However, there are marked differences among BALB/c colonies (maintained by different vendors at different locations) in PGIA onset and severity, which could be the result of subtle variations in their genetic background.
BALB/c mice genetically susceptible to proteoglycan-induced arthritis and spondylitis show colony-dependent differences in disease penetrance.
Sex
View SamplesCancer cells interact with surrounding stromal fibroblasts during tumorigenesis, but the complex molecular rules that govern these interactions remain poorly understood, thus hindering the development of therapeutic strategies to target cancer stroma. We have taken a mathematical approach to begin defining these rules by performing large-scale quantitative analysis of fibroblast effects on cancer cell proliferation across more than four hundred heterotypic cell line pairings. Systems-level modeling of this complex dataset using singular value decomposition revealed that normal tissue fibroblasts variably express at least two functionally distinct activities, one which reflects transcriptional programs associated with activated mesenchyme, that act either coordinately or at cross-purposes to modulate cancer cell proliferation. To gain insight into the molecular identity of these fibroblast activities, we isolated RNA from 36 human skin and lung fibroblast cell line monocultures from Coriell Repositories or ATCC and performed microarray-based gene expression profiling using Affymetrix gene chips.
Systems-level modeling of cancer-fibroblast interaction.
Sex, Age, Race
View SamplesExperimental asthma was induced in BALB/c mice by sensitization and challenge with the allergen ovalbumin. Control groups received PBS. To investigate the innate immune component of experimental asthma, we also analyzed recombinase activating gene (RAG) deficient mice following exposure to ovalbumin and control PBS
Hubs in biological interaction networks exhibit low changes in expression in experimental asthma.
No sample metadata fields
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