The in vitro test battery of the European research consortium ESNATS (novel stem cell-based test systems) has been used to screen for potential human developmental toxicants. As part of this effort, the migration of neural crest (MINC) assay has been used to evaluate chemical effects on neural crest function. It identified some drug-like compounds in addition to known environmental toxicants. The hits included the HSP90 inhibitor geldanamycin, the chemotherapeutic arsenic trioxide, the flame-retardant PBDE-99, the pesticide triadimefon and the histone deacetylase inhibitors valproic acid and trichostatin A. Transcriptome changes triggered by these substances in human neural crest cells were recorded and analysed here to answer three questions: (1) can toxicants be individually identified based on their transcript profile; (2) how can the toxicity pattern reflected by transcript changes be compacted/ dimensionality-reduced for practical regulatory use; (3) how can a reduced set of biomarkers be selected for large-scale follow up? Transcript profiling allowed clear separation of different toxicants and the identification of toxicant types in a blinded test study. We also developed a diagrammatic system to visualize and compare toxicity patterns of a group of chemicals by giving a quantitative overview of altered superordinate biological processes (e.g. activation of KEGG pathways or overrepresentation of gene ontology terms). The transcript data were mined for potential markers of toxicity, and 39 transcripts were selected to either indicate general developmental toxicity or distinguish compounds with different modes-of-action in read-across. In summary, we found inclusion of transcriptome data to largely increase the information from the MINC phenotypic test.
Identification of transcriptome signatures and biomarkers specific for potential developmental toxicants inhibiting human neural crest cell migration.
Sex, Specimen part
View SamplesSolid tumors are less oxygenated than normal tissues, and for this reason the cancer cells have developed several molecular mechanisms of adaptation to hypoxic environment. Moreover, his poor oxygenation is a major indicator of an adverse prognosis and leads resistance to standard anticancer treatment. Previous reports from this laboratory showed an involvement of Che-1/AATF (Che-1) in cancer cell survival under stress conditions, and on the basis of these observations, we hypothesized that Che-1 might have a role in the response of cancer cells to hypoxia. Methods: The human colon adenocarcinoma cell line HCT116 depleted or not for Che-1 by siRNA, was subjected to normoxic and hypoxic conditions to perform studies about the role of this protein in metabolic adaptation and cell proliferation. The expression of Che-1 under normoxia or hypoxia was detected using western blot assays; cell metabolism was assessed by NMR spectroscopy and functional assays. Further molecular studies were performed by RNA seq, qRT-PCR and ChIP analysis. Results: In this paper we report that Che-1 expression is required for the adaptation of the cells to hypoxia, playing and important role in metabolic modulation. Indeed, Che-1 depletion impacted on glycolysis by altering the expression of several genes involved in the response to hypoxia by modulating the levels of HIF-1alpha. Conclusions: These data demonstrate a novel player in the regulation of a HIF1alpha in response to hypoxia. We found that the transcriptional down-regulation of a members of E3 ubiquitin ligase family SIAH2 by Che-1, produces a failure in the degradation by the hydroxylase PHD3 with a decrease in HIF-1alpha levels during hypoxia. Overall design: The human colon adenocarcinoma cell line HCT116 depleted or not for Che-1 by siRNA was profiled for mRNA high-troughput sequencing (RNA-seq)
Che-1 sustains hypoxic response of colorectal cancer cells by affecting Hif-1α stabilization.
Cell line, Subject
View SamplesBackground: The bromodomain containing 1 (BRD1) gene has been implicated with transcriptional regulation, brain development and susceptibility to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Identification of the BRD1 interaction network and its impact on mental disorder risk.
Cell line
View SamplesPrevious in vitro studies in our lab have shown that CD24, a cell surface receptor, actively regulates lipid accumulation in adipocytes. But how CD24 regulates this process remains unknown. In order to answer this question, we initially tested to determine if CD24 regulates lipid accumulation by regulating glucose uptake in adipocytes in vitro. We observed that instead, CD24 caused the dysregulation of the expression of 134 genes as determined by DNA microarray analysis. We then validated the expression of select four genes, when CD24 is knocked down during the different stages of adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes in vitro. To further confirm the role of these genes, we then determined the expression patterns of these four genes in primary cells undergoing adipogenesis that were isolated from the epididymal and inguinal white adipose tissue depots of CD24 knockout mice. Surprisingly, we found that these genes were dysregulated in the inguinal but not the epididymal depot in vitro. Overall, the data presented here suggests that CD24 is necessary for select gene expression, but not glucose uptake, during adipogenesis in vitro.
CD24 is required for regulating gene expression, but not glucose uptake, during adipogenesis.
Cell line
View SamplesWe sorted Eomes-negative NK cells (CD3- CD56+ CXCR6- CD16-) and Eomes-positive NK cells (CD3- CD56+ CXCR6+) from total leukocytes isolated from the perfusion fluid of five healthy human livers destined for transplantation. Total RNA was extracted from sorted cells, cDNA generated and RNASeq performed. Overall design: Examination of mRNA levels in paired Eomes-negative/Eomes-positive NK cells from the same donor.
Eomeshi NK Cells in Human Liver Are Long-Lived and Do Not Recirculate but Can Be Replenished from the Circulation.
Specimen part, Subject
View SamplesGastric cancers with mismatch repair (MMR) inactivation are characterised by microsatellite instability (MSI). In this study, the transcriptional profile of 38 gastric cancers with and without MSI was analysed.
Genome-wide expression profile of sporadic gastric cancers with microsatellite instability.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesForced sustained swimming exercise at optimal speed enhances growth in many fish species, particularly through hypertrophy of the white skeletal muscle. The exact mechanism of this effect has not been resolved yet. To explore the mechanism, we first subjected wild-type zebrafish to an exercise protocol validated for exercise-enhanced growth, and showed that exercised zebrafish, which indeed showed enhanced growth, had higher cortisol levels than the non-exercised controls. A central role was therefore hypothesized for the steroid hormone cortisol acting through the Glucocorticoid receptor (Gr). Second, we subjected wild-type zebrafish and zebrafish with a mutant Gr to exercise at optimal, suboptimal and super-optimal speeds and compared them with non-exercised controls. Exercised zebrafish showed growth enhancement at all speeds, with highest growth at optimal speeds. In the Gr mutant fish, exercise resulted in growth enhancement similar to wild-type zebrafish, indicating that cortisol cannot be considered as a main determinant of exercise-enhanced growth. Finally, the transcriptome of white skeletal muscle tissue was analysed by RNA sequencing. The results of this analysis showed that in the muscle tissue of Gr mutant fish a lower number of genes is regulated by exercise than in wild-type fish (183 versus 351). A cluster of 36 genes was regulated by exercise in both wild-type and mutant fish. In this cluster, genes involved in transcriptional regulation and protein ubiquitination were overrepresented. Since growth was enhanced similarly in both wild-type fish and mutants, these processes may play an important role in exercise-enhanced growth. Overall design: Deep-sequencing transcriptome analysis of white muscle samples derived from wild-type (++) or glucocorticoid receptor (Gr) mutant (--) Danio rerio specimens that were exposed to either a resting (REST) or a swimming (UOPT) regimen: wild-type resting (REST++; n=3), Gr mutant resting (REST--; n=3), wild-type swimming (UOPT++; n=3), Gr mutant swimming (UOPT--; n=3).
Cortisol Acting Through the Glucocorticoid Receptor Is Not Involved in Exercise-Enhanced Growth, But Does Affect the White Skeletal Muscle Transcriptome in Zebrafish (<i>Danio rerio</i>).
Specimen part, Treatment, Subject
View SamplesDuring sexual dimorphism, the loss of one entire X chromosome in Drosophila males is achieved largely via a broad genome-wide aneuploid effect. Exploring how MSL proteins and two large non coding RNAs (roX1 and roX2) modulate trans-acting aneuploid effect for equality to females, we employ a system biology approach (microarray) to investigate the global aneuploid effect of maleless(mle) mutation by disrupting MSL binding. A large number of the genes (144) that encode a broad spectrum of cellular transport proteins and transcription factors are located in the autosomes of Drosophila melanogaster.
Drosophila maleless gene counteracts X global aneuploid effects in males.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesBackground: While atopic dermatitis (AD) often starts in early childhood, detailed tissue profiling of early-onset AD in children is lacking, hindering therapeutic development for this patient population with a particularly high unmet need of better treatments.
Early-onset pediatric atopic dermatitis is characterized by T<sub>H</sub>2/T<sub>H</sub>17/T<sub>H</sub>22-centered inflammation and lipid alterations.
Sex, Age, Specimen part, Race
View SamplesThe purpose of this study was to analyze the genomic signatures and profiles of skin from ichthyosis (various subtypes) vs. healthy patients. The analysis strategy was to study differentially expressed genes common to the ichthyosis shared phenotype, as well as individual ichthyosis subtypes, and compare and contrast to the genomic profiles of atopic dermatitis and psoriasis.
Ichthyosis molecular fingerprinting shows profound T<sub>H</sub>17 skewing and a unique barrier genomic signature.
Age, Specimen part, Disease
View Samples