The majority of transplanted organs are recovered from deceased donors after brain death (BD). BD has been hypothesized to compromise organ quality in part from the activation of systemic inflammation. The objective of this study was to characterize the immune response induced by BD in a well controlled non-human primate (NHP) model. Assessment of physiologic parameters (blood pressure, heart rate, urinary output, catecholamines, and cerebral angiograms) was used to confirm BD. After 6h of BD, we monitored changes in the peripheral blood by flow cytometry, liver gene expression by microarray and liver protein expression by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry (IHC). BD was indicated by a rapid increase in blood pressure followed by hemodynamic instability, hypotension, diabetes insipidus and the absence of cerebral blood flow and brain stem reflexes. Within the peripheral blood IL-6 levels and neutrophils increased and myeloid dendritic cells decreased in BD NHP when compared to living donor controls. Genes related to innate inflammatory response and apoptosis were significantly upregulated in BD NHP. BD livers showed increased expression of suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3) protein and the danger associated molecular pattern protein S100A9. Increased expression of intracellular cellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) II, neutrophil accumulation, and products of oxidative stress (carboxy methyl lysine (CML) and hydroxynonenal (HNE)) were detected by IHC in livers. Conclusion: These data indicate that BD leads to the rapid activation of an inflammatory response within the liver involving components of the innate immune response at the gene and protein levels. The activation of these inflammatory pathways may provide one explanation for the reduced post-transplant function of organs from brain dead donors.
Early activation of the inflammatory response in the liver of brain-dead non-human primates.
Sex, Age, Specimen part
View SamplesExtramedullary hematopoiesis (EMH) refers to the differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) into effector cells that occurs in compartments outside of the bone marrow. Previous studies linked pattern recognition receptor (PRR)-expressing HSCs, EMH and immune responses to microbial stimuli. However, the factors that regulate EMH and whether EMH operates in broader immune contexts remain unknown. Here, we demonstrate a previously unrecognized role for thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) in promoting the population expansion of progenitor cells in the periphery and identify that TSLP-elicited progenitors differentiate into effector cells including macrophages, dendritic cells and granulocytes that contribute to TH2 cytokine responses. The frequency of circulating progenitor cells was also increased in allergic patients with a gain-of-function polymorphism in TSLP, suggesting the TSLP-EMH pathway may operate in human disease. These data identify that TSLP-induced EMH contributes to the development of allergic inflammation and indicate that EMH is a conserved mechanism of innate immunity.
Thymic stromal lymphopoietin-mediated extramedullary hematopoiesis promotes allergic inflammation.
Sex, Specimen part
View SamplesThis SuperSeries is composed of the SubSeries listed below.
Nijmegen Breakage Syndrome fibroblasts and iPSCs: cellular models for uncovering disease-associated signaling pathways and establishing a screening platform for anti-oxidants.
Specimen part, Disease, Disease stage, Cell line
View SamplesNijmegen Breakage Syndrome (NBS) is a rare autosomal recessive genetic disorder, first described 1981 in Nijmegen, Holland. The characteristics of NBS include genomic instability (resulting in early onset of malignancies), premature aging, microcephaly and other growth retardations, immune deficiency, and impaired puberty and fertility in females. The consequence of these manifestations is a severe decrease in average life span, caused by cancer or infection of the respiratory and urinary tract. We reprogrammed fibroblasts from NBS patients into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCS) to bypass premature senescence and to generate an unlimited cell source for modeling purposes. We screened the influence of antioxidants on intracellular levels of ROS and DNA damage and found that EDHB was able to decrease DNA damage in the presence of high oxidative stress. Furthermore, we found that NBS fibroblasts, but not NBS-iPSCs were more susceptible to the induction of DNA damage than their normal counterparts. We performed global transcriptome analysis comparing NBS to normal fibroblasts and NBS-iPSCs to hESCs. There, we found, that TP53 was activated and cell cycle genes broadly down-regulated in NBS fibroblasts and up-regulation of glycolysis specifically in NBS-iPSCs.
Nijmegen Breakage Syndrome fibroblasts and iPSCs: cellular models for uncovering disease-associated signaling pathways and establishing a screening platform for anti-oxidants.
Specimen part, Disease, Disease stage, Cell line
View SamplesNijmegen Breakage Syndrome (NBS) is a rare autosomal recessive genetic disorder, first described 1981 in Nijmegen, Holland. The characteristics of NBS include genomic instability (resulting in early onset of malignancies), premature aging, microcephaly and other growth retardations, immune deficiency, and impaired puberty and fertility in females. The consequence of these manifestations is a severe decrease in average life span, caused by cancer or infection of the respiratory and urinary tract. We reprogrammed fibroblasts from NBS patients into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCS) to bypass premature senescence and to generate an unlimited cell source for modeling purposes. We screened the influence of antioxidants on intracellular levels of ROS and DNA damage and found that EDHB was able to decrease DNA damage in the presence of high oxidative stress. Furthermore, we found that NBS fibroblasts, but not NBS-iPSCs were more susceptible to the induction of DNA damage than their normal counterparts. We performed global transcriptome analysis comparing NBS to normal fibroblasts and NBS-iPSCs to hESCs. There, we found, that TP53 was activated and cell cycle genes broadly down-regulated in NBS fibroblasts and up-regulation of glycolysis specifically in NBS-iPSCs.
Nijmegen Breakage Syndrome fibroblasts and iPSCs: cellular models for uncovering disease-associated signaling pathways and establishing a screening platform for anti-oxidants.
Specimen part, Disease, Disease stage
View SamplesMillions of patients suffer from lymphedema worldwide. Supporting the contractility of lymphatic collectors is an attractive target for pharmacological therapy of lymphedema. However, lymphatics have mostly been studied in animals, while the cellular and molecular characteristics of human lymphatic collectors are largely unknown. We studied epifascial lymphatic collectors of the thigh, which were isolated for autologous transplantations. Our immunohistological studies identify additional markers for LECs (vimentin, CCBE-1). We show and confirm differences between initial and collecting lymphatics concerning the markers ESAM1, D2-40 and LYVE-1. Our transmission electron microscopic studies reveal two types of smooth muscle cells (SMCs) in the media of the collectors with dark and light cytoplasm. We observed vasa vasorum in the media of the largest collectors, as well as interstitial Cajal-like cells, which are highly ramified cells with long processes, caveolae, and lacking a basal lamina. They are in close contact with SMCs, which possess multiple caveolae at the contact sites. Immunohistologically we identified such cells with antibodies against vimentin and PDGFRa, but not CD34 and cKIT. With Next Generation Sequencing we searched for highly expressed genes in the media of lymphatic collectors, and found therapeutic targets, suitable for acceleration of lymphatic contractility, such as neuropeptide Y receptors 1, and 5; tachykinin receptors 1, and 2; purinergic receptors P2RX1, and 6, P2RY12, 13, and 14; 5-hydroxytryptamine receptors HTR2B, and 3C; and adrenoceptors a2A,B,C. Our studies represent the first comprehensive characterization of human epifascial lymphatic collectors, as a prerequisite for diagnosis and therapy. Overall design: The transcriptome of 6 different normal human lymphatic collectors (Lyko1, Lyko 4-12, Lyko 5, Lyko12, Lyko13, Lyko26) from the dermis of the thigh of women between 44 and 61 years of age was compared to cultures of human dermal lymphatic endothelial cells (LEC1, LEC2, HD-LEC9A) and a mixture of 3 different human dermal blood endothelial cells (HD-BEC-CA) to identify potential drug targets in the media of the collectors.
Morphological and Molecular Characterization of Human Dermal Lymphatic Collectors.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesRat kidney in normo- and hypotensive animals.
A physiogenomic approach to study the regulation of blood pressure.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesTranscriptional analysis of the effects of the deletion of the sRNAs glmY and glmZ in EHEC
Global analysis of posttranscriptional regulation by GlmY and GlmZ in enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesGata5 is a zinc finger transcription factor that is expressed in embryonic pulmonary mesenchyme and becomes upregulated in the lungs, gut, and bladder during postnatal development. We used microarray to comapre gene expression profiles of mouse lung between Gata5 knockout and wild type mice. We hope to identify the differentially expressed genes that affected by Gata5 gene deletion and their functional clusters or pathways.
Gata5 deficiency causes airway constrictor hyperresponsiveness in mice.
Specimen part
View SamplesThis SuperSeries is composed of the SubSeries listed below.
Learning from nature: pregnancy changes the expression of inflammation-related genes in patients with multiple sclerosis.
Specimen part, Disease, Disease stage
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