The bifunctional enzyme 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-biphosphatase-4 (PFKFB4) controls metabolic flux through allosteric regulation of glycolysis. Here we show that p53 regulates the expression of PFKFB4 and that p53-deficient cancer cells are highly dependent on the function of this enzyme. We found that p53 down-regulates PFKFB4 expression by binding to its promoter and mediating transcriptional repression via histone deacetylases. Depletion of PFKFB4 from p53 deficient cancer cells increased levels of the allosteric regulator fructose 2,6-bisphophate, leading to increased glycolytic activity but decreased routing of metabolites through the oxidative arm of the pentose phosphate pathway. PFKFB4 was also required to support the synthesis and regeneration of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) in p53 deficient cancer cells. Moreover, depletion of PFKFB4 attenuated cellular biosynthetic activity and resulted in the accumulation of reactive oxygen species and cell death in the absence of p53. Finally, silencing of PFKFB4 induced apoptosis in p53 deficient cancer cells in vivo and interfered with tumour growth. These results demonstrate that PFKFB4 is essential to support anabolic metabolism in p53-deficient cancer cells and suggest that inhibition of PFKFB4 could be an effective strategy for cancer treatment. Overall design: Gene expression changes in HCT116 p53+/+ and p53-/- xenograft tumours after PFKFB4 silencing
6-Phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-biphosphatase 4 is essential for p53-null cancer cells.
Specimen part, Cell line, Subject
View SamplesThis study compared the photosynthetic performance and the global gene expression of the winter hardy wheat Triticum aestivum cv Norstar grown under non-acclimated (NA) or cold-acclimated (CA) condition at either ambient CO2 or elevated CO2 (EC). CA Norstar maintained comparable light saturated and CO2 saturated rates of photosynthesis but lower quantum requirements for photosystem II and non photochemical quenching relative to NA plants even at EC. Neither NA nor CA plants were sensitive to feedback inhibition of photosynthesis at EC. Global gene expression using microarray combined with bioinformatics analysis revealed that genes affected by EC were 3 times higher in NA (1022 genes) compared to CA (372 genes) Norstar. The most striking effect was the down-regulation of genes involved in the plant defense responses in NA Norstar. In contrast, cold acclimation reversed this down regulation due to the cold induction of genes involved in plant pathogenesis resistance, and cellular and chloroplast protection. These results suggest that EC have less impact on plant performance and productivity in cold adapted winter hardy plants in the northern climates compared to warmer environments. Selection for cereal cultivars with constitutively higher expression of biotic stress defense genes may be necessary under EC during the warm growth period and in warmer climates.
Long-term growth under elevated CO2 suppresses biotic stress genes in non-acclimated, but not cold-acclimated winter wheat.
Specimen part
View SamplesYin Yang 1 (YY1) is a multifunctional zinc-finger-containing transcription factor that plays crucial roles in numerous biological processes by selectively activating or repressing transcription, depending upon promoter contextual differences and specific protein interactions. In mice, Yy1 null mutants die early in gestation while Yy1 hypomorphs die at birth from lung defects. We studied how the epithelial-specific inactivation of Yy1 impacts on lung development. The Yy1 mutation in lung epithelium resulted in neonatal death due to respiratory failure. It impaired tracheal cartilage formation, altered cell differentiation, abrogated lung branching, and caused airway dilation similar to those seen in human congenital cystic lung diseases. The cystic lung phenotype in Yy1 mutants can be explained by the reduced expression of Shh in lung endoderm, a transcriptional target of YY1, and the subsequent derepression of mesenchymal Fgf10 expression. Accordingly, SHH supplementation partially rescued the lung phenotype in vitro. Analysis of human lung tissues revealed decreased YY1 expression in children with pleuropulmonary blastoma (PPB), a rare pediatric lung tumor arising during fetal development and associated with DICER1 mutations. No evidence for a potential genetic interplay between murine Dicer and Yy1 genes during lung morphogenesis was observed. However, the cystic lung phenotype resulting from the epithelial inactivation of Dicer function mimics the Yy1 lung malformations with similar changes in Shh and Fgf10 expression. Together, our data demonstrate the critical requirement for YY1 in lung morphogenesis and identify Yy1 mutant mice as a potential model for studying the genetic basis of PPB.
Epithelial inactivation of Yy1 abrogates lung branching morphogenesis.
Specimen part
View SamplesAnticipating the risk for infectious disease during space exploration and habitation is a critical factor to ensure safety, health and performance of the crewmembers. As a ubiquitous environmental organism that is occasionally part of the human flora, Pseudomonas aeruginosa could pose a health hazard for the immuno-compromised astronauts. In order to gain insights in the behavior of P. aeruginosa in spaceflight conditions, two spaceflight-analogue culture systems, i.e. the rotating wall vessel (RWV) and the random position machine (RPM), were used. Microarray analysis of P. aeruginosa PAO1 grown in the low shear modeled microgravity (LSMMG) environment of the RWV compared to the normal gravity control (NG), revealed a regulatory role for AlgU (RpoE). Specifically, P. aeruginosa cultured in LSMMG exhibited increased alginate production and up-regulation of AlgU-controlled transcripts, including those encoding stress-related proteins. This study also shows the involvement of Hfq in the LSMMG response, consistent with its previously identified role in the Salmonella LSMMG- and spaceflight response. Furthermore, cultivation in LSMMG increased heat- and oxidative stress resistance and caused a decrease in the culture oxygen transfer rate. Interestingly, the global transcriptional response of P. aeruginosa grown in the RPM was similar to that in NG. The possible role of differences in fluid mixing between the RWV and RPM is discussed, with the overall collective data favoring the RWV as the optimal model to study the LSMMG-response of suspended cells. This study represents a first step towards the identification of specific virulence mechanisms of P. aeruginosa activated in response to spaceflight-analogue conditions, and could direct future research regarding the risk assessment and prevention of Pseudomonas infections for the crew in flight and the general public.
Response of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 to low shear modelled microgravity involves AlgU regulation.
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View SamplesA subset of GC B cells that have stopped cycling, upregulated CD38 and downregulated BCL-6 is functionally verified as GC-derived memory B cell precursors (GC-MPs). RNA-seq analyses of the transcriptome were used to probe the developmental trajectory of these cells and their responses to IL-9, a cytokine that is found to drive the memory development from the GC. Overall design: Differential gene expression analyses between GC-MP cells and regular GC B cells in G1 phase (GC-MPP cells); Gene expression profiling of different GC subsets in comparison to memory B cells and plasma cells; acute effects of in vivo IL-9 or anti-IL-9 treatment on GC-MP or GC-MPP cells.
Germinal-center development of memory B cells driven by IL-9 from follicular helper T cells.
Specimen part, Cell line, Treatment, Subject
View SamplesImmune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an autoimmune disease where platelets are destroyed prematurely. In the majority of children the disease resolves but in some it becomes chronic. To investigate whether the two forms of the disease are similar or separate entities we performed DNA microarray analysis of T-cells from newly diagnosed children and children with chronic ITP. We found complete separation of the expression files between the two forms of the disease. Furthermore, the gene expression of several cytokines differed between the two forms of the disease. This was also reflected in plasma with increased levels of IL-16 and TWEAK and lower levels of IL-4 in newly diagnosed compared with chronic ITP. Thus, our data indicate that the two forms of the disease may be separate entities.
Differences in gene expression and cytokine levels between newly diagnosed and chronic pediatric ITP.
Specimen part, Disease, Disease stage
View SamplesThis SuperSeries is composed of the SubSeries listed below.
Brain iron accumulation affects myelin-related molecular systems implicated in a rare neurogenetic disease family with neuropsychiatric features.
Sex, Age, Specimen part, Disease
View SamplesDifferential gene expression is assessed in substantia nigra and basal ganglia of neurodegenertion with brain iron accumulation cases (BIA) compared to matched normal controls (c).
Brain iron accumulation affects myelin-related molecular systems implicated in a rare neurogenetic disease family with neuropsychiatric features.
Sex, Age, Specimen part, Disease
View SamplesClear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), the major histotype of cancer derived from kidney, is lack of robust prognostic and/or predictive biomarker and powerful therapeutic target. We previously identified that follistatin-like protein 1 (FSTL1) was significantly down-regulated in ccRCC at the transcription level. In the present study, we characterized, for the first time, that FSTL1 immunostaining was selectively positive in the cytoplasm of distal convoluted tubules. The expression of FSTL1 was significantly lower in ccRCC tissues than in adjacent renal tissues (P<0.001), as measured using immunohistochemistry in 69 patients with paired specimens, and lower in most ccRCC cell lines than in human embryonic kidney cells, as measured by quantitative RT-PCR. Multivariate Cox regression analysis in 89 patients with follow-up data showed that FSTL1 expression in tumors conferred a favorable postoperative prognosis independently, with a hazard ratio of 0.325 (95% confidence interval: 0.118-0.894). FSTL1 knockdown promoted anchorage independent growth, mobility, and invasion of ccRCC cell lines and promoted cell cycle from G0/G1 phases into S phase; while over-expression of FSTL1 significantly attenuated cell migration ability in ACHN cells. FSTL1 knockdown resulted in decreased expression of E-cadherin and increased expression of N-cadherin in ccRCC cell lines significantly, indicating that FSTL1 may attenuate epithelial to mesenchymal transition in ccRCC. Microarray assay indicated that NF-B and HIF-2 pathways were activated following FSTL1 knockdown in ccRCC cells. Our study indicates that FSTL1 serves as a tumor suppressor in ccRCC, up-regulation of FSTL1 in cancer cells may be a candidate target therapy for advanced ccRCC.
Follistatin-like protein 1 plays a tumor suppressor role in clear-cell renal cell carcinoma.
Specimen part, Cell line
View SamplesRNA localization is a fundamental mechanism for controlling the spatial regulation of protein synthesis within cells, as well as differential cell fates during early development. Localized RNAs are known to control critical aspects of early Xenopus development, but few have been studied in detail. We set out to identify novel transcripts localized to the vegetal cortex of Xenopus oocytes, one of the best-studied examples of RNA localization. We identified over 400 transcripts enriched in the vegetal cortex, compared with whole oocytes. Included were many novel genes, as well as known genes not thought to undergo RNA localization. These data suggest that the role of RNA localization in early development is extensive and will provide a resource for identifying candidate regulatory genes for early developmental processes.
Identification of germ plasm-associated transcripts by microarray analysis of Xenopus vegetal cortex RNA.
Specimen part, Treatment
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