Description

Publication Title

Increasing alpha 7 beta 1-integrin promotes muscle cell proliferation, adhesion, and resistance to apoptosis without changing gene expression.

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No sample metadata fields

Description

Analysis of integrin alpha7 transgenic mice skeletal muscle transcription profiles comparing to wild type controls. Integrin alpha7 is the major laminin binding integrin in muscle cells. Enhancing its expression has been demonstrated to alleviate pathology in a murine model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Results of this study provide insights into the effects of increasing integrin alpha7 expression on skeletal muscle transcription and physiology in vivo. This analysis also evaluates any potential possible side effects associate with enhancing integrin alpha7 in skeletal muscle.

Publication Title

Increasing alpha 7 beta 1-integrin promotes muscle cell proliferation, adhesion, and resistance to apoptosis without changing gene expression.

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Sex, Age, Specimen part

Description

Experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) in Lewis rats is a model for the clinical heterogeneity of human uveitis. The autoantigens inducing disease in the rat are also seen in human disease. Depending upon the specific autoantigen used, the experimental disease course can be either monophasic or relapsing/remitting and appears to be dictated by the T cell effector phenotype elicited. We investigated potential differences between monophasic and relapsing/remitting effector T cells using transcriptomic profiling and pathway analysis. RNA samples isolated from three independent T cell lines derived from each specificity where analyzed by microarrays.

Publication Title

Effector T cells driving monophasic vs. relapsing/remitting experimental autoimmune uveitis show unique pathway signatures.

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Specimen part

Description

NKL homeobox genes encode developmental transcription factors regulating basic processes in cell differentiation. According to their physiological expression pattern in early hematopoiesis and B-cell development, particular members of this homeobox gene subclass constitute an NKL-code. These B-cell specific genes generate a regulatory network and their deregulation is implicated in B-cell lymphomagenesis. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infects B-cells and influences the activity of signalling pathways including JAK/STAT and several genes encoding developmental regulators. Therefore, EBV-infection impacts the pathogenesis and the outcome of B-cell malignancies including Hodgkin lymphoma and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Here, we isolated EBV-positive and EBV-negative subclones from the DLBCL derived cell line DOHH-2. These subclones served as model to investigate the role of EBV in deregulation of the B-cell specific NKL-code members HHEX, HLX, MSX1 and NKX6-3. We showed that the EBV-encoded factors LMP1 and LMP2A activated the expression of HLX via STAT3. HLX in turn repressed NKX6-3, SPIB and IL4R which normally mediate plasma cell differentiation. In addition, HLX repressed pro-apoptotic factor BCL2L11/BIM supporting cell survival. Thus, EBV aberrantly activated HLX thereby disturbing both B-cell differentiation and apoptosis in DLBCL. The results of our study contribute to better understand the pathogenic role of EBV in B-cell malignancies.

Publication Title

The NKL-code for innate lymphoid cells reveals deregulated expression of NKL homeobox genes HHEX and HLX in anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL).

Sample Metadata Fields

Cell line, Treatment

Description

NKL homeobox genes encode developmental transcription factors regulating basic processes in cell differentiation. According to their physiological expression pattern in early hematopoiesis and B-cell development, particular members of this homeobox gene subclass constitute an NKL-code. These B-cell specific genes generate a regulatory network and their deregulation is implicated in B-cell lymphomagenesis. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infects B-cells and influences the activity of signalling pathways including JAK/STAT and several genes encoding developmental regulators. Therefore, EBV-infection impacts the pathogenesis and the outcome of B-cell malignancies including Hodgkin lymphoma and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Here, we isolated EBV-positive and EBV-negative subclones from the DLBCL derived cell line DOHH-2. These subclones served as model to investigate the role of EBV in deregulation of the B-cell specific NKL-code members HHEX, HLX, MSX1 and NKX6-3. We showed that the EBV-encoded factors LMP1 and LMP2A activated the expression of HLX via STAT3. HLX in turn repressed NKX6-3, SPIB and IL4R which normally mediate plasma cell differentiation. In addition, HLX repressed pro-apoptotic factor BCL2L11/BIM supporting cell survival. Thus, EBV aberrantly activated HLX thereby disturbing both B-cell differentiation and apoptosis in DLBCL. The results of our study contribute to better understand the pathogenic role of EBV in B-cell malignancies.

Publication Title

The NKL-code for innate lymphoid cells reveals deregulated expression of NKL homeobox genes HHEX and HLX in anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL).

Sample Metadata Fields

Cell line, Treatment

Description

We have investigated the initial responses in human lung tissue explants to Mtb infection, focusing primarily on gene expression patterns in different tissue resident innate cell types Overall design: Cells sorted from uninfected and infected lung tissue (24 hrs. post infection)

Publication Title

<i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i> Invasion of the Human Lung: First Contact.

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Specimen part, Subject

Description

We have investigated the initial responses in human lung tissue explants to Mtb infection, focusing primarily on gene expression patterns in different tissue resident innate cell types Overall design: Cells sorted from uninfected and infected lung tissue (24 hrs. post infection)

Publication Title

<i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i> Invasion of the Human Lung: First Contact.

Sample Metadata Fields

Specimen part, Subject

Description

Homeobox genes encode transcription factors regulating basic processes in cell differentiation during embryogenesis and in the adult. Recently, we have reported the NKL-code which describes physiological expression patterns of nine NKL homeobox genes in early hematopoiesis and in lymphopoiesis including main stages of T-, B- and NK-cell development. Aberrant activity of NKL homeobox genes is involved in the generation of hematological malignancies including T-cell leukemia. Here, we searched for deregulated NKL homeobox genes in main entities of T-cell lymphomas comprising peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL), angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL), anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL), hepatospleenic T-cell lymphoma (HSTL), and NK/T-cell lymphoma (NKTL). Our data revealed in all types altogether 19 aberrantly overexpressed genes, demonstrating that deregulated NKL homeobox genes play a significant role in T-cell lymphomas as well. For detailed analyses we focused on NKL homeobox gene MSX1 which is normally expressed in NK-cells and aberrantly activated in T-cell leukemia. This gene was overexpressed in subsets of HSTL patients and HSTL-derived sister cell lines DERL-2 and DERL-7 which served as models to identify mechanisms of deregulation. We performed genomic and expression profiling and whole genome sequencing and revealed mutated and deregulated gene candidates including the fusion gene CD53-PDGFRB exclusively expressed in DERL-2. Subsequent knockdown experiments allowed the construction of an aberrant network involved in MSX1 deregulation containing chromatin factors AUTS2 and H3B/H3.1, PDGF- and BMP-signalling pathways, and homeobox genes NKX2-2 and PITX1. The gene encoding AUTS2 is located at 7q11 and may represent a basic target of the HSTL hallmark aberration i(7q). Our data indicate both oncogenic and tumor suppressor functions of MSX1 in HSTL, reflecting its activity in early lineage differentiation of T- and NK-cells and the presence of NK-cell like characteristics in malignant HSTL cells. In this context, NKL homeobox gene MSX1 may represent a selective target in HSTL tumor evolution. Together, the data highlight an oncogenic role of deregulated NKL homeobox genes in T-cell lymphoma and identified MSX1 as a novel player in HSTL, involved in aberrant NK- and T-cell differentiation.

Publication Title

Deregulated expression of NKL homeobox genes in T-cell lymphomas.

Sample Metadata Fields

Disease, Disease stage, Cell line

Description

T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) cells represent developmentally arrested T-cell progenitors, subsets of which aberrantly express homeobox genes of the NKL subclass, including TLX1, TLX3, NKX2-1, NKX2-5, NKX3-1 and MSX1. Here, we analyzed the transcriptional landscape of all 48 members of the NKL homeobox gene subclass in CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and during lymphopoiesis, identifying activities of 9 particular genes. Four of these were expressed in HSCs (HHEX, HLX1, NKX2-3 and NKX3-1) and three in common lymphoid progenitors (HHEX, HLX1 and MSX1). Interestingly, our data indicated downregulation of NKL homeobox gene transcripts in late progenitors and mature T-cells, a phenomenon which might explain the oncogenic impact of this group of genes in T-ALL. Using MSX1-expressing T-ALL cell lines as models, we showed that HHEX activates while HLX1, NKX2-3 and NKX3-1 repress MSX1 transcription, demonstrating the mutual regulation and differential activities of these homeobox genes. Analysis of a public T-ALL expression profiling data set comprising 117 patient samples identified 20 aberrantly activated members of the NKL subclass, extending the number of known NKL homeobox oncogene candidates. While 7/20 genes were also active during hematopoiesis, the remaining 13 showed ectopic expression. Finally, comparative analyses of T-ALL patient and cell line profiling data of NKL-positive and NKL-negative samples indicated absence of common target genes but instead highlighted deregulation of apoptosis as common oncogenic effect. Taken together, we present a comprehensive survey of NKL homeobox genes in early hematopoiesis, T-cell development and T-ALL, showing that these genes generate an NKL-code for the diverse stages of lymphoid development which might be fundamental for regular differentiation.

Publication Title

NKL homeobox gene activities in hematopoietic stem cells, T-cell development and T-cell leukemia.

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Cell line

Description

The Growth Regulating Factors (GRFs) are plant specific transcription factors. They form complexes with GRF Interacting Factors (GIFs), a small family of transcriptional co-activators. In Arabidopsis thaliana, seven out of the nine GRFs are regulated by microRNA miR396. A detailed analysis of GRF3 revealed that a modified transgene, insensitive to the regulation of miR396, causes a strong increase in the number of cells in leaves, while an additional increase of GIF1 expression further enhances the number of cells synergistically. Genome-wide transcript profiling revealed that simultaneous increase of GRF3 and GIF1 levels causes additional effects in gene expression compared to either of the transgenes alone. We observed that GIF1 interacts in vivo with GRF3, as well as chromatin remodeling complexes, providing a mechanistic explanation for the additional activities of a GRF3-GIF1 complex. Interestingly, we found that the GRF system also regulates leaf longevity. Genetic and molecular analysis revealed that the functions of GRFs in leaf size and senescence can be uncoupled, demonstrating that the GRFs control different stages of leaf development. The results provide new insights into the functions of a complex regulatory network composed of microRNAs, transcription factors, and co-transcription factors.

Publication Title

Post-transcriptional control of GRF transcription factors by microRNA miR396 and GIF co-activator affects leaf size and longevity.

Sample Metadata Fields

Specimen part