Acute liver injury is a critical life-threatening event. Common causes are infections, intoxication, and ischemic conditions. The cytokine Interleukin 22 (IL-22) has been implicated in this process. However, the role of IL-22 during acute liver damage is controversial, since both protective and pathogenic properties have been reported. IL-22 binding protein (IL-22BP, IL-22Ra2), a soluble endogenous inhibitor of IL-22, is able to regulate IL-22 activity, and thus might explain some of the controversial findings. Since the role of IL-22BP in liver injury is unknown, we used Il22bp deficient mice and mouse models for acute liver damage to address this point. We found that Il22bp deficient mice were more susceptible to ischemia- and acetaminophen- induced liver damage. Deficiency of Il22bp caused increased hepatic damage and delayed liver regeneration. Using an unbiased approach, we found that IL-22, if uncontrolled in Il22bp deficient mice, induced Cxcl10 expression by hepatocytes, thereby recruiting inflammatory CD11b+Ly6C+ monocytes into the liver upon liver damage. Accordingly, neutralization of Cxcl10 reversed the increased disease susceptibility of Il22bp deficient mice. In conclusion, our data suggest dual functions of IL-22 in acute liver damage, and highlight the need to control IL-22 activity via IL-22BP. Overall design: RNA sequencing of RNA isolated from liver tissue from mice that underwent liver reperfusion treatment (IR) or sham surgery, in triplicate for three genotypes (Wt, Il22-/- and Il22bp-/-).
A Protective Function of IL-22BP in Ischemia Reperfusion and Acetaminophen-Induced Liver Injury.
Specimen part, Treatment, Subject
View SamplesMesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) are crucial components of the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment essential for regulating self-renewal, survival and differentiation of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPC) in the stem cell niche. MSC are functionally and phenotypically altered in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), contributing to disease progression. MDS MSC do not harbor recurrent genetic alterations but have been shown to exhibit an altered methylome compared to MSC from healthy controls. We examined growth, differentiation and HSPC-supporting capacity of ex vivo expanded MSC from MDS patients in comparison to age-matched healthy controls after direct treatment in vitro with the hypomethylating agent azacitidine (AZA). We show that AZA exerts a direct effect on MSC by modulating their differentiation potential. Osteogenesis was significantly boosted in healthy MSC while adipogenesis was inhibited in both healthy and MDS MSC. In co-culture experiments, both AZA treated MDS MSC and healthy MSC exhibited enhanced support of non-clonal HSPC which was associated with increased cell cycle induction. Conversely, clonal MDS HSPC were inhibited by contact with AZA treated MSC. RNA-sequencing analyses of stromal cells revealed changes in pathways essential for HSPC support as well as in immune regulatory pathways. In sum, our data demonstrate that AZA treatment of stromal cells leads to upregulation of HSPC-supportive genes and cell cycle induction in co-cultured healthy HSPC, resulting in a proliferative advantage over clonal HSPC. Thus, restoration of functional hematopoiesis by AZA may be driven by activated stromal support factors in MSC providing cell cycle cues to healthy HSPC. Overall design: RNA sequencing was performed on a mesenchymal stromal cell line (EL08-1D2), either untreated or treated with Azacitidine [(-)AZA vs. (+)AZA].
Direct modulation of the bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cell compartment by azacitidine enhances healthy hematopoiesis.
Treatment, Subject
View SamplesHaploid budding yeast has two mating types, defined by the alleles of the MAT locus, MATa and MATa. Mating occurs when two haploid cells of opposite mating types signal to each other using reciprocal pheromones and receptors, polarize and grow towards each other, and eventually fuse to form a single diploid cell. The pheromones and receptors are necessary and sufficient to define a mating type, but other mating type-specific proteins make mating more efficient. We examined the role of these proteins by genetically engineering “transvestite” cells that swap the pheromone, pheromone receptor, and pheromone processing factors of one mating type for another. These cells can mate with each other, but their mating is inefficient. By characterizing their mating defects and examining their transcriptomes, we found Afb1 (a-factor barrier), a novel MATa-specific protein that interferes with a-factor, the pheromone secreted by MATa cells. We show that strong pheromone secretion is essential for efficient mating and that the weak mating of transvestites can be improved by boosting their pheromone production. Using synthetic biology, it is possible to characterize the factors that control efficiency in biological processes. In the case of budding yeast mating, selection for increased mating efficiency is likely to have continually boosted pheromone levels and the ability to discriminate between partners who make more (potentially fitter) and less (potentially less fit) pheromones. This sensitivity to which partner makes more pheromone comes at a cost: it means mating is not robust in situations where all potential partners make less pheromone. Overall design: 4 conditions were analysed, each with 3 biological replicates. The conditions were unstimulated MATa cells in YPD. Stimulated MATa cells in YPD+10nM a-factor. Unstimulated MATa cells in YPD. Stimulated MATa cells in YPD+10nM a-factor.
Genetically engineered transvestites reveal novel mating genes in budding yeast.
Cell line, Subject
View SamplesWe used microarrays to find Stat6 dependent genes in control and IL-4 exposed bone marrow derived macrophages.
Alternatively activated macrophages inhibit T-cell proliferation by Stat6-dependent expression of PD-L2.
Specimen part
View SamplesImmunoprecipitation of EGFR from irradiated A549 (ATCC CCL185) cells was performed in order to characterize bound mRNA species with the help of microarray analysis
New roles for nuclear EGFR in regulating the stability and translation of mRNAs associated with VEGF signaling.
Cell line, Treatment
View SamplesBackground: Isolation and characterization of tumourigenic colon cancer initiating cells may help to develop novel diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Methods: We characterized a panel of fourteen human colon carcinoma cell lines and their corresponding xenografts for the surface expression of different potential stem cell markers: CD133, CD24, CD44, CDCP1 and CXCR4. In five cell lines and nine xenografts mRNA expression of the investigated markers was determined. Tumour growth behaviour of CD133+, CD133- and unsorted SW620 cells was evaluated in vivo. Results: All surface markers showed distinct expression patterns in the examined tumours. Analyses of the corresponding xenografts revealed a significant reduction of cell numbers expressing the investigated markers. CD44 and CXCR4 mRNA expression correlated within the cell line panel and CD44 and CDCP1 within the xenograft panel, respectively. Small subpopulations of double and triple positive cells could be described. SW620 showed significantly higher take rates and shorter doubling times in vivo when sorted for CD133 positivity. Conclusion: Our data support the hypothesis of a small subset of cells with stem cell-like properties characterized by a distinct surface marker profile. In vivo growth kinetics give strong relevance for an important role of CD133 within the mentioned surface marker profile.
Characterization of colon cancer cells: a functional approach characterizing CD133 as a potential stem cell marker.
Sex, Age, Specimen part
View SamplesGlioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most malignant and most common tumor of the central nervous system characterized by rapid growth and extensive tissue infiltration. GBM results in more years of life lost than any other cancer type. Notch signaling has been implicated in GBM pathogenesis through several modes of action. Inhibition of Notch leads to a reduction of cancer-initiating cells in gliomas and reduces proliferation and migration. Deltex1 (DTX1) is part of an alternative Notch signaling pathway distinct from the canonical MAML1/RBPJ-mediated cascade. In this study, we show that DTX1 activates both the RTK/PI3K/PKB as well as the MAPK/ERK pathway. Moreover, we found the anti-apoptotic factor Mcl-1 to be induced by DTX1. In accordance with this, the clonogenic potential and proliferation rates of glioma cell lines correlated with DTX1 levels. DTX1 knock down mitigated the tumorigenic potential in vivo, and overexpression of DTX1 increased cell migration and invasion of tumor cells accompanied by an elevation of the pro-migratory factors PKB and Snail1. Microarray gene expression analysis identified a DTX1-specific transcriptional program - including microRNA-21 - which is distinct from the canonical Notch signaling. We propose the alternative Notch pathway via DTX1 as oncogenic factor in malignant glioma and found low DTX1 expression levels to correlate with prolonged survival of GBM and early breast cancer patients in open source databases.
Deltex-1 activates mitotic signaling and proliferation and increases the clonogenic and invasive potential of U373 and LN18 glioblastoma cells and correlates with patient survival.
Specimen part, Cell line
View SamplesBackground
Adapted Boolean network models for extracellular matrix formation.
Sex, Age
View SamplesBackground. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory and destructive joint disease, characterized by overexpression of pro-inflammatory/-destructive genes and other activating genes (e.g., proto-oncogenes) in the synovial membrane (SM). The gene expression in disease is often characterized by significant inter-individual variances via specific synchronization/ desynchronization of gene expression. To elucidate the contribution of the variance to the pathogenesis of disease, expression variances were tested in SM samples of RA patients, osteoarthritis (OA) patients, and normal controls (NC).
Identification of intra-group, inter-individual, and gene-specific variances in mRNA expression profiles in the rheumatoid arthritis synovial membrane.
Sex, Age, Disease
View SamplesProtocadherin 12 (Pcdh12) is a transmembrane adhesive protein with homophilic adhesive properties and expressed in endothelial cells, the glycogen trophoblast cells of the placenta, and the mesangial cells of kidney glomeruli. Pcdh12-deficient mice are alive although they show alterations in placenta development.
Protocadherin 12 deficiency alters morphogenesis and transcriptional profile of the placenta.
Sex
View Samples