Rett syndrome (RTT) is an X-linked dominant neurodevelopmental disorder caused by mutations in MECP2, encoding methyl-CpG binding protein 2. MeCP2 is a transcriptional repressor elevated in mature neurons and is predicted to be required for neuronal maturation by regulating multiple target genes. Identifying primary gene targets in either Mecp2-deficient mice or human RTT brain has proven to be difficult, perhaps because of the transient requirement for MeCP2 during neuronal maturation. In order to experimentally control the timing of MeCP2 expression and deficiency during neuronal maturation, human SH-SY5Y cells undergoing mature neuronal differentiation were transfected with methylated MeCP2 oligonucleotide decoy to disrupt the binding of MeCP2 to endogenous targets. Genome-wide expression microarray analysis identified all four known members of the inhibitors of differentiation or inhibitors of DNA binding (ID1, ID2, ID3 and ID4) subfamily of helix-loop-helix (HLH) genes as novel neuronal targets of MeCP2. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis confirmed binding of MeCP2 near or within the promoters of ID1, ID2 and ID3, and quantitative RT-PCR confirmed increased expression of all four Id genes in Mecp2-deficient mouse brain. All four ID proteins were significantly increased in Mecp2-deficient mouse and human RTT brain using immunofluorescence and laser scanning cytometric analyses. Because of their involvement in cell differentiation and neural development, ID genes are ideal primary targets for MeCP2 regulation of neuronal maturation that may explain the molecular pathogenesis of RTT.
Inhibitors of differentiation (ID1, ID2, ID3 and ID4) genes are neuronal targets of MeCP2 that are elevated in Rett syndrome.
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View SamplesAs genome-scale DNA methylation sequencing technologies have improved it has become apparent that tissue-specific methylation can occur not only at promoters, enhancers, and CpG islands but also over larger genomic regions. In most human tissues, the vast majority of the genome is highly methylated (>70%). However, genomic sequencing of bisulfite-treated DNA (MethylC-seq) has revealed large partially methylated domains (PMDs) in some human cell lines. However, to date only cultured cells and some cancers have shown evidence for PMDs, suggesting that PMDs may not be observed in normal human tissues. Here we performed MethylC-seq in a set of human tissues and found that full-term human placenta shows clear evidence of PMDs. Overall design: Examination of gene expression in human placenta using RNA-seq, with one biological replicate (taken from same placenta)
The human placenta methylome.
Sex, Specimen part, Subject
View SamplesThe quality of maternal care in early-life plays a crucial role in mammalian neurodevelopment. Augmented maternal care (AMC) is a well-established rodent model of enhanced neonatal care. Rats that have undergone AMC have improved stress resilience and cognition compared with rats that have experienced normal levels of maternal care or adverse neonatal stress. However, the epigenomic basis of long-lived responses to AMC has not been previously explored. Thus, we employed whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS), RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq), and a multiplex microRNA (miRNA) assay to assess DNA cytosine methylation, gene expression, and miRNA expression, respectively. The integrated results identify a suite of 20 prioritized candidates impacted by AMC. Overall, these results identified AMC-induced regulatory differences in genes related to neurotransmission, neurodevelopment, protein synthesis, and oxidative phosphorylation in addition to the expected stress response genes. Together, these unbiased results represent a key progression in understanding the complex mechanisms underlying the early-life mechanisms for AMC programming stress resiliency. Overall design: DNA methylation and RNA were assayed in augmented maternal care male rats as well as controls.
Experience-dependent neuroplasticity of the developing hypothalamus: integrative epigenomic approaches.
Sex, Specimen part, Treatment, Subject
View SamplesNitrogen mustard (NM) is a vesicant known to target the lung, causing acute injury which progresses to fibrosis. Evidence suggests that activated macrophages contribute to the pathologic response to NM. In these studies, we analyzed the role of lung lipids generated following NM exposure on macrophage activation and phenotype. Treatment of rats with NM (0.125 mg/kg, i.t.) resulted in a time-related increase in enlarged vacuolated macrophages in the lung. At 28 d post exposure, macrophages stained positively for Oil Red O, a marker of neutral lipids. This was correlated with an accumulation of oxidized phospholipids in lung macrophages and epithelial cells, and an increase in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL) phospholipids. RNA-sequencing analysis revealed that lipid handling pathways under control of the transcription factors LXR, FXR and PPAR-? were significantly altered following NM exposure. Whereas at 1-3 d post NM, FXR and the downstream oxidized low density lipoprotein receptor, Cd36, were increased, Lxr and the lipid extrusion pump targets, Abca1 and Abcg1 were reduced. Treatment of naïve lung macrophages with lipid enriched fractions of BAL collected 3 d after NM resulted in upregulation of Nos2, Apoe and Ptgs2, markers of pro-inflammatory activation, while lipid-enriched BAL collected 28 d post NM upregulated expression of the anti-inflammatory markers, Il10, Cd163, and Cx3cr1, and induced the formation of lipid-laden foamy macrophages. These data suggest that NM-induced alterations in lipid handling and metabolism drive macrophage foam cell formation, potentially contributing to the development of pulmonary fibrosis. Overall design: Alveolar macrophages were collected by gentile message from male wistar rats 1 d or 28 d after intratracheal exposure to NM and from rats intratracheally exposed to PBS. There were three biological replicates per exposure group.
Regulation of Macrophage Foam Cell Formation During Nitrogen Mustard (NM)-Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis by Lung Lipids.
Sex, Specimen part, Cell line, Subject
View SamplesRice (Oryza sativa L.) seeds can germinate in complete absence of oxygen. Under anoxia, the rice coleoptile elongates, reaching a length greater than that of the aerobic one. In this series, we compare the transcriptome of rice coleoptiles grown under aerobic and anaerobic conditions.
Transcript profiling of the anoxic rice coleoptile.
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View SamplesVaccination induces immunostimulatory signals which are often accompanied by regulatory mechanisms such as IL-10, which control T-cell activation and inhibit vaccine-dependent antitumor therapeutic effect. Thus, here we characterized IL-10-producing cells treated with therapeutic vaccines. Although several cell subsets produced IL-10 irrespective of treatment, an early vaccine-dependent induction of IL-10 was detected in dendritic cells (DC). IL-10 production defined a DC population characterized by a poorly mature phenotype, lower expression of T-cell stimulating molecules and upregulation of PD-L1. These IL-10+ DC showed impaired in vitro T-cell stimulatory capacity, which was rescued by incubation with IL-10R and PD-L1-inhibiting antibodies.
IL-10 expression defines an immunosuppressive dendritic cell population induced by antitumor therapeutic vaccination.
Specimen part, Time
View SamplesInhibition of mTOR signaling using the rapalog everolimus is an FDA-approved targeted therapy for patients with lung and gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (NET). However, patients eventually progress on treatment, highlighting the need for additional therapies. We focused on pancreatic NETs (pNETs) and reasoned that treatment of these tumors upon progression on rapalog therapy, with an mTOR kinase inhibitor (mTORKi) such as CC-223 could overcome a number of resistance mechanisms in tumors and delay cardiac carcinoid disease. We performed preclinical studies using human pNET cells in vitro and injected them subcutaneously or orthotopically to determine tumor progression and cardiac function in mice treated with either rapamycin alone or switched to CC-223 upon progression. Detailed signaling and RNA sequencing analyses were performed on tumors that were sensitive or progressed on mTOR treatment. Approximately 57% of mice bearing pNET tumors which progressed on rapalog therapy showed a significant decrease in tumor volume upon a switch to CC-223. Moreover, mice treated with an mTORKi exhibited decreased cardiac dilation and thickening of heart valves than those treated with placebo or rapamycin alone. In conclusion, in the majority of pNETs that progress on rapalogs, it is possible to reduce disease progression using an mTORKi, such as CC-223. Moreover, CC-223 had an additional transient cardiac benefit on valvular fibrosis compared to placebo- or rapalog-treated mice. These results provide the preclinical rationale to further develop mTORKi clinically upon progression on rapalog therapy and to further test their long term cardioprotective benefit in those NET patients prone to carcinoid syndrome. Overall design: We performed RNA sequencing analyses as an unbiased means to assess changes in gene expression. Our major goal was to identify the differences in tumor mRNAs between the CC-223- and non-CC-223 responders compared to the rapamycin alone treatment arm (Fig 5A in Orr-Asman et al manuscript). The analysis was conducted using 1 tumor each from 13 and 14 mice treated with rapamycin or switched to CC-223 respectively.
mTOR Kinase Inhibition Effectively Decreases Progression of a Subset of Neuroendocrine Tumors that Progress on Rapalog Therapy and Delays Cardiac Impairment.
Specimen part, Subject
View SamplesMethylazoxymethanol (MAM), the genotoxic metabolite of the cycad azoxyglucoside cycasin, induces genetic alterations in bacteria, yeast, plants, insects and mammalian cells, but adult nerve cells are thought to be unaffected. We show that the brains of young adult mice treated with a single systemic dose of MAM display DNA damage (O6-methylguanine lesions) that peaks at 48 hours and decline to near-normal levels at 7 days post-treatment. By contrast, at this time, MAM-treated mice lacking the gene encoding the DNA repair enzyme O6-methylguanine DNA methyltransferase (MGMT), showed persistent O6-methylguanine DNA damage. The DNA damage was linked to cell-signaling pathways that are perturbed in cancer and neurodegenerative disease. These data are consistent with the established carcinogenic and developmental neurotoxic properties of MAM in rodents, and they support the proposal that cancer and neurodegeneration share common signal transduction pathways. They also strengthen the hypothesis that early life exposure to the MAM glucoside cycasin has an etiological association with a declining, prototypical neurodegenerative disease seen in Guam, Japan, and New Guinea populations that formerly used the neurotoxic cycad plant for medicine and/or food. Exposure to environmental genotoxins may have relevance to the etiology of related tauopathies, notably, Alzheimers disease, as well as cancer.
The cycad genotoxin MAM modulates brain cellular pathways involved in neurodegenerative disease and cancer in a DNA damage-linked manner.
Sex, Specimen part, Time
View SamplesRNA prepared from specialized replum cells within siliques provided targets for profiling the Arabidopsis genome during replum cell development.
Laser capture microdissection of plant cells from tape-transferred paraffin sections promotes recovery of structurally intact RNA for global gene profiling.
Specimen part
View SamplesWe have applied a new software to analyse a human naive single-chain antibody (scFv) library, comprehensively revealing the diversity of antibody variable complementarity-determining regions (CDRs) and their families.
A novel DNAseq program for enhanced analysis of Illumina GAII data: a case study on antibody complementarity-determining regions.
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