Worldwide, more than 1 billion people are affected by infestations with soil-transmitted helminths and also in veterinary medicine helminthiases are a severe thread to livestock due to emerging resistances against the common anthelmintics. Proanthocyanidins have been increasingly investigated for their anthelmintic properties, however, except for an interaction with certain proteins of the nematodes, not much is known about their mode of action. To investigate the anthelmintic activity on a molecular level, a transcriptome analysis was performed in Caenorhabditis elegans after treatment with purified and fully characterized oligomeric procyanidins (OPC). The OPCs had previously been obtained from a hydro-ethanolic (1:1) extract from the leaves of Combretum mucronatum, a plant which is traditionally used in West Africa for the treatment of helminthiasis, therefore, also the crude extract was included in the study. Significant changes in differential gene expression were observed mainly for proteins related to the intestine, many of which were located extracellularly or within cellular membranes. Among the up-regulated genes, several hitherto undescribed orthologues of structural proteins in humans were identified, but also genes that are potentially involved in the worms defense against tannins. For example, T22D1.2, an orthologue of human basic salivary proline-rich protein (PRB) 2, and numr-1 (nuclear localized metal responsive) were found to be strongly up-regulated. Down-regulated genes were mainly associated with lysosomal activity, glycoside hydrolysis or the worms innate immune response. No major differences were found between the groups treated with purified OPCs versus the crude extract. Investigations using GFP reporter gene constructs of T22D1.2 and numr-1 corroborated the intestine as the predominant site of the anthelmintic activity.
Transcriptome analysis reveals molecular anthelmintic effects of procyanidins in C. elegans.
Specimen part, Treatment
View SamplesMost commonly used models of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) are diets based on specific gene knockouts or represent extreme manipulations of diet. We have examined the effects of modest increased caloric intake and high dietary unsaturated fat content on the development of NASH in male rats using a model in which overfeeding is accomplished via intragastric infusion of liquid diets as a part of total enteral nutrition. Male Sprague dawley rats were fed diets 5% corn oil containing diets at 187 Kcal/kg3/4/d or fed 70% corn oil containing diets at 220 Kcal/kg3/4/d for a period of 3 weeks. Hepatic gene expression were assessed at the end of the study. Our results indicate that overfeeding of high unsaturated fat diets leads to pathological, endocrine and metabolic changes characteristic of NASH patients and is associated with increased oxidative stress and TNF-a.
A new model for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis in the rat utilizing total enteral nutrition to overfeed a high-polyunsaturated fat diet.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesSoy foods have been suggested to have both positive health benefits and potentially adverse effects largely as a result of their content of isoflavone phytoestrogens. Since soy protein isolate (SPI) contains isoflavones, in addition to purported health benefits, safety concerns have been raised regarding the use of SPI and soy formulas, because of potential estrogenic actions during the neonatal period, including the potential for reproductive toxicity, infertility, and the possibility of increased risk for development and recurrence of estrogen sensitive cancers such as breast cancer. In the current study, we used a rat model to compare the effects of SPI with those of 17b-estradiol (E2), on global gene expression profiles and morphology in the female rat mammary gland. Rats were either fed AIN-93G diets containing casein (CAS) or SPI beginning on postnatal day (PND) 30.
Mammary gland morphology and gene expression differ in female rats treated with 17β-estradiol or fed soy protein isolate.
Sex
View SamplesThe current study was designed to determine if dietary fatty acid concentration and composition affects the development and progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Male SD rats were overfed diets low (5%) or high (70%) fat diets via total enteral nutrition where the fat source was olive oil (monounsaturated), or corn oil (polyunsaturated). Overfeeding 5% corn oil produced little steatosis relative to feeding 5% olive oil. This was associated with lower fatty acid synthesis and reduced SREBP-c signaling in the 5% corn oil group. Overfeeding 70% fat diets increased steatosis and lead to increased liver necrosis in the 70% corn oil but not olive oil group. Increased injury after feeding polyunsaturated fat diets was linked to peroxidizability of hepatic free fatty acids and triglycerides and appearance of peroxidaized lipid products HETES and HODES previously linked to clinical nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.
Dietary fat source alters hepatic gene expression profile and determines the type of liver pathology in rats overfed via total enteral nutrition.
Sex
View SamplesIn order to properly understand whether xenoestrogens act as estrogens, it is essential to possess a solid portrait of the physiological effects of exogenous estradiol. Because the estrogen-dependent gene expression is one of the primary biomarkers of estrogenic action, we have assessed effects of three doses of exogenous estradiol (0.1, 1.0 and 10 g/kg of body weight/day) on the mammary gland morphology and gene expression profiles by microarray analysis of prepubertal male and female rats of both sexes compared to untreated controls. Estradiol was administered subcutaneously with minipumps from weaning at PND21 to the end of the experiment at PND33. The data suggest that the male mammary is a sensitive tissue for estrogenicity assessment.
Mammary gland morphology and gene expression signature of weanling male and female rats following exposure to exogenous estradiol.
Sex
View SamplesEwing sarcomas (ES) are highly malignant, osteolytic bone or soft tissue tumors, which are characterized by early metastasis into lung and bone. Genetically, ES are defined by balanced chromosomal EWS/ETS translocations, which give rise to chimeric proteins (EWS-ETS) that generate an oncogenic transcriptional program associated with altered epigenetic marks throughout the genome. By use of an inhibitor (JQ1) blocking BET bromodomain binding proteins (BRDs) we strikingly observed a strong down-regulation of the predominant EWS-ETS protein EWS/FLI1 in a dose dependent manner. Microarray analysis further revealed JQ1 treatment to block a typical ES associated expression program. The effect on this expression program could be mimicked by RNA interference with BRD3 or BRD4 expression, indicating that the EWS/FLI1 mediated expression profile is at least in part mediated via such epigenetic readers. Consequently, contact dependent and independent proliferation of different ES lines was strongly inhibited. Mechanistically, treatment of ES resulted in a partial arrest of the cell cycle as well as induction of apoptosis. Tumor development was suppressed dose dependently in a xeno-transplant model in immune deficient mice, overall indicating that ES may be susceptible to treatment with epigenetic inhibitors blocking BET bromodomain activity and the associated pathognomonic EWS-ETS transcriptional program in ES.
Targeting the EWS-ETS transcriptional program by BET bromodomain inhibition in Ewing sarcoma.
Specimen part, Cell line
View SamplesIn order to study the transcriptional response of the fly brain to sugar and complete starvation, we first confirmed that 24 hours of sugar and complete starvation in flies is sufficient to elicit a homeostatic response. Subsequently, we used holidic medium to study effects of deficiency of a specfic macronutrient- cabohydrate in the food. To do so , we generated RNA- seq libraries from brains of 5 day old mated adult male flies maintained on different feeding regimes and used the sequencing data to identify diffrentially expressed genes in the brain under different feeding regimes. Overall design: For each condition, we used RNA prepared from 120-130 manually dissected adult fly brains maintained under complete starvation or sugar starvation regime for 24 hours.
Sugar Promotes Feeding in Flies via the Serine Protease Homolog scarface.
Sex, Specimen part, Cell line, Subject
View SamplesWhile the existence of intestinal epithelial stem cells (IESCs) has been well established, their study has been limited due to the inability to isolate them. Previous work has utilized side population (SP) sorting of the murine small intestinal mucosa to isolate a viable fraction of cells enriched for putative IESCs. We have used microarray analyses to characterize the molecular features of this potential stem cell population.
Molecular properties of side population-sorted cells from mouse small intestine.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesA growing body of evidence suggests that inflammatory cytokines have a dualistic role in immunity. In this study, we sought to determine the direct effects IFN-gamma on the differentiation and maturation of human peripheral blood monocyte-derived dendritic cells (moDC). Here, we report that following differentiation of human peripheral-blood monocytes into moDCs with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and IL-4, interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) induces moDC maturation and up-regulates the co-stimulatory markers CD80, CD86, CD95, and MHC Class I, enabling moDCs to effectively generate antigen-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses for multiple viral and tumor antigens. Interestingly, early exposure of monocytes to high concentrations of IFN-gamma promotes monocyte differentiation into macrophages, despite the presence of GM-CSF and IL-4. However, under low concentrations of IFN-gamma, monocytes continue to differentiate into dendritic cells possessing a unique gene-expression profile, resulting in impairments in subsequent maturation by IFN-gamma and an inability to generate effective antigen-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses compared to standard moDCs. Monocytes differentiated in the presence of low levels of IFN-gamma downregulate IFN-gamma receptor expression, impairing their response to an inflammatory rechallenge. These findings demonstrate the ability of IFN-gamma to impart differential programs on human moDCs which shape the antigen-specific T cell responses they induce. Timing and intensity of exposure to IFN-gamma can thus determine whether moDCs are tolerogenic or immunostimulating.
Timing and intensity of exposure to interferon-γ critically determines the function of monocyte-derived dendritic cells.
Specimen part, Subject
View SamplesThe wheat gene Lr34 (Yr18/Pm38/Sr57/Ltn1) encodes a putative ABCG-type of transporter and is a unique source of disease resistance providing durable and partial resistance against multiple fungal pathogens. Lr34 has been found to be functional as a transgene in barley.
The wheat resistance gene Lr34 results in the constitutive induction of multiple defense pathways in transgenic barley.
Specimen part
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