Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) was suggested to mediate ischemic myocardial injury and adverse cardiac remodeling. However, the specific functions of the CaMKII isoforms and splice variants in ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury have not been investigated yet. Thus, we studied the roles of the CaMKII isoforms and splice variants in I/R by the use of various CaMKII mutant mice. CaMKIIC was up-regulated already one day after I/R injury but surprisingly, acute I/R injury was neither affected in CaMKII-deficient mice, CaMKII-deficient mice in which the splice variants CaMKIIB and C were re-expressed nor in conditional CaMKII/ double-knockout mice (DKO). In contrast, 5 weeks after I/R, DKO mice were protected against extensive scar formation and cardiac dysfunction. Leukocyte infiltration was not altered one day but five days after I/R, explaining the late effects of CaMKII deletion on post-I/R remodeling. Other than reported before, we demonstrate that CaMKII is not critically involved in the immediate mechanisms that regulate acute I/R injury but in the process of post-infarct remodeling.
CaM Kinase II mediates maladaptive post-infarct remodeling and pro-inflammatory chemoattractant signaling but not acute myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury.
Specimen part, Treatment
View SamplesThe objective was to identify the molecular mechanisms responsible for in vitro and in vivo efficacy of an anti-MYCN peptide nucleic acid on a preclinical model of alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma. Cells treated with a anti-MYCN PNA exhibit growth arrest and apoptosis, and in vivo tumor growth is blocked.
Antitumor activity of sustained N-myc reduction in rhabdomyosarcomas and transcriptional block by antigene therapy.
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View SamplesWilms tumor (nephroblastoma) is a pediatric kidney tumor that arises from renal progenitor cells. Since the blastemal type is associated with adverse prognosis, we characterized such Wilms tumors by exome and transcriptome analysis. We detected novel, recurrent somatic mutations affecting the SIX1/2 SALL1 pathway implicated in kidney development, the DROSHA/DGCR8 microprocessor genes as well as alterations in MYCN and TP53, the latter being strongly associated with dismal outcome. The DROSHA mutations impair the RNase III domains, while DGCR8 exhibits stereotypic E518K mutations in the RNA binding domain - both may skew miRNA representation. SIX1 and SIX2 mutations affect a single hotspot (Q177R) in the homeodomain indicative of a dominant effect. In larger cohorts, these mutations cluster in blastemal and chemotherapy-induced regressive tumors that likely derive from blastemal cells and these are characterized by generally higher SIX1/2 expression. These findings broaden the spectrum of human cancer genes and may open new avenues for stratification and therapeutic leads for Wilms tumors.
Mutations in the SIX1/2 pathway and the DROSHA/DGCR8 miRNA microprocessor complex underlie high-risk blastemal type Wilms tumors.
Sex
View SamplesTumor metastasis and lack of NKG2D ligand (NKG2DL) expression are associated with poor prognosis in patients with colon cancer. Here we found that spironolactone (SPIR), an FDA-approved diuretic drug with a long-term safety profile, can upregulate NKG2DL expression in multiple colon cancer cell lines by activating the ATM-Chk2-mediated checkpoint pathway, which in turn enhances tumor elimination by natural killer cells. SPIR can also upregulate the expression of metastasis-suppressor genes TIMP2 and TIMP3, thereby reducing tumor cell invasiveness. Although SPIR is an aldosterone antagonist, its anti-tumor effects are independent of the mineralocorticoid receptor pathway. Instead, by screening the human nuclear hormone receptor siRNA library, we identify retinoid X receptor gamma (RXR gamma) as being indispensable for the anti-tumor functions of SPIR. Collectively, our results strongly support the use of SPIR or other RXR gamma-agonists with minimal side effects for colon cancer prevention and therapy.
Modulation of NKG2D ligand expression and metastasis in tumors by spironolactone via RXRγ activation.
Treatment
View SamplesWe have employed whole genome microarray expression profiling to identify genes differentially expressed in cord blood purified neutrophils after a short-term exposure to peptidoglycan (PGN).
Expression profile of cord blood neutrophils and dysregulation of HSPA1A and OLR1 upon challenge by bacterial peptidoglycan.
Specimen part, Treatment
View SamplesThymocyte selection-associated high mobility group box protein family member 2 (TOX2) is a transcription factor belonging to the TOX family that shares a highly conserved high mobility group DNA binding domain with the other TOX members. While TOX1 has been shown to be an essential regulator of T-cell and natural killer (NK) cell differentiation in mice, little is known about the roles of the other TOX family members in lymphocyte development, particularly in humans. In this study, we found that TOX2 was preferentially expressed in mature human NK cells and was upregulated during in vitro differentiation of NK cells from human umbilical cord blood (UCB)derived CD34+ cells. Gene silencing of TOX2 intrinsically hindered the transition between early developmental stages of NK cells, while overexpression of TOX2 enhanced the development of mature NK cells from UCB CD34+ cells. We subsequently found that TOX2 was independent of ETS-1 but could directly upregulate the transcription of TBX21 (encoding T-BET). Overexpression of T-BET rescued the TOX2 knockdown phenotypes. Given the essential function of T-BET in NK cell differentiation, TOX2 therefore plays a crucial role in controlling normal NK cell development by acting upstream of TBX21 transcriptional regulation.
TOX2 regulates human natural killer cell development by controlling T-BET expression.
Specimen part, Subject
View SamplesTranscriptome profiling using Affymetrix GeneChip arrays was performed on sorted populations of Lgr5-expressing mouse ovarian surface epithelium.
Lgr5 marks stem/progenitor cells in ovary and tubal epithelia.
Sex, Specimen part
View SamplesMultipotent stem cells and their lineage-restricted progeny drive nephron formation within the developing kidney. Validated markers of these early stem/progenitor populations are essential for deciphering their in vivo function and for evaluating their clinical potential for treating adult kidney disease. Here, we document expression of the adult stem cell marker Lgr5 in the developing kidney and assess the stem/progenitor identity of Lgr5+ve cells via in vivo lineage tracing. The appearance and localization of Lgr5+ve cells coincided with that of the S-shaped body around E14. Lgr5 expression remained restricted to cell clusters within developing nephrons in the cortex until P7, when expression was permanently silenced. In vivo lineage tracing identified Lgr5 as a marker of a novel progenitor population within nascent nephrons dedicated to generating the thick ascending limb of Henle's loop and distal convoluted tubule. The Lgr5 surface marker and experimental models described here will be invaluable for deciphering the contribution of early nephron stem cells to developmental defects and for isolating human nephron progenitors as a prerequisite to evaluating their therapeutic potential.
Lgr5(+ve) stem/progenitor cells contribute to nephron formation during kidney development.
Specimen part
View SamplesEye development and photoreceptor maintenance requires the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), a thin layer of cells that underlies the neural retina. Despite its importance, RPE development has not been studied by a genomic approach. A microarray expression profiling methodology was established in this study for studying RPE development. The intact retina with RPE attached was dissected from developing embryos, and differentially expressed genes in RPE were inferred by comparing the dissected tissues with retinas without RPE using microarray and statistical analyses. We found 8810 probesets to be significantly expressed in RPE at 52 hours post-fertilization (hpf), of which 1443 might have biologically meaningful expression levels. Further, 78 and 988 probesets were found to be significantly over- or under-expressed in RPE respectively compared to retina. Also, 79.2% (38/48) of the known over-expressed probesets have been independently validated as RPE-related transcripts. The results strongly suggest that this methodology can obtain in vivo RPE specific gene expression from the zebrafish embryos and identify novel RPE markers.
Gene expression profiling of zebrafish embryonic retinal pigment epithelium in vivo.
Specimen part
View SamplesRetinal cells are specified in a zebrafish recessive mutant called young (yng) but they fail to terminally differentiate; i.e. extend neurites and make synaptic contacts. A point mutation in a brahma-related gene 1 (brg1) is responsible for this phenotype. In this microarray study, a three-factor factorial design was utilized to investigate the effects of 1) mutation, 2) change in time (36 vs. 52hpf), and 3) change in tissue (retina vs. whole embryos), and their interactions on gene expression. Significant probesets were inferred by using both specific contrasts of the fitted Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) models and a corresponding 2-fold expression cutoff. The probesets were grouped into three broad categories: 1) Brg1-regulated retinal differentiation genes (731 probsets), 2) Retinal specific genes but independent of Brg1 regulation (3038 probesets) and 3) Genes regulated by Brg1 but outside the retina (107 probesets). Four gene groups/pathways including neurite outgrowth regulators, Delta-Notch signalling molecules, Irx family members and specific cell cycle regulators were identified in the first group, and their relevance for retinal differentiation functionally validated. This study demonstrates that an approach such as ours can identify relevant genes and pathways involved in retinal development as well as the development of other tissues at the same time.
Factorial microarray analysis of zebrafish retinal development.
Specimen part
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