Vitamin A (retinol) is an essential precursor for the production of retinoic acid (RA), which in turn is a major regulator of gene expression, affecting cell differentiation throughout the body. Understanding how vitamin A nutritional status, as well as therapeutic retinoid treatment, regulates the expression of retinoid homeostatic genes is important for improving dietary recommendations and therapeutic strategies using retinoids. This study investigated genes central to processes of retinoid uptake and storage, release to plasma, and oxidation in the liver of rats under steady-state conditions after different exposures to dietary vitamin A (deficient, marginal, adequate and supplemented), and acutely after administration of a therapeutic dose of all-trans-RA. Over a very wide range of dietary vitamin A, lecithin:retinol acyltransferase (LRAT) as well as multiple cytochrome P450s (CYP26A1, CYP26B1, and CYP2C22) differed by diet and were highly correlated with one another and with vitamin A status assessed by liver retinol concentration (all correlations, P<0.05). After acute treatment with RA, the same genes were rapidly and concomitantly induced, preceding RAR, a classical direct target of RA. CYP26A1 mRNA exhibited the greatest dynamic range (change of log26 in 3 h). Moreover, CYP26A1 increased more rapidly in the liver of RA-primed rats than nave rats. By in situ hybridization, CYP26A1 mRNA was strongly regulated within hepatocytes, closely resembling RBP4 in location. Overall, whether RA is produced endogenously from retinol or administered exogenously, changes in retinoid homeostatic gene expression simultaneously favor both retinol esterification and RA oxidation, with CYP26A1 exhibiting the greatest dynamic change.
Multiple cytochrome P-450 genes are concomitantly regulated by vitamin A under steady-state conditions and by retinoic acid during hepatic first-pass metabolism.
Sex, Age, Specimen part
View SamplesThe ontogeny of human Langerhans cells (LCs) remains poorly characterized, in particular the nature of LC precursors and the factors that may drive LC differentiation. Through a systematic transcriptomic analysis of TSLP-activated dendritic cells (DCs), we unexpectedly identified markers that have been associated with a skin-homing potential as well as with a LC phenotype. We performed transcriptomic analysis of TSLP-activated blood DCs, as compared to freshly purified, Medium-, and TNF-activated DCs. Among TSLP up-regulated genes, we identified molecules associated with skin homing, LC phenotype, and LC function, as determined by a literature-based survey. Conversely, genes not expressed in LCs were not found among TSLP-induced genes. Further experiments showed that TGF- synergized with TSLP leading to the differentiation of blood BDCA-1+ DCs into bona fide Birbeck granule-positive LCs.
Human blood BDCA-1 dendritic cells differentiate into Langerhans-like cells with thymic stromal lymphopoietin and TGF-β.
Specimen part
View SamplesWe sought to more precisely characterize the different alpha-synuclein (aSyn) 3’UTR mRNA species in normal and PD human brain. High-throughput, whole-transcriptome sequencing of the 3’UTR ends of polyadenylated mRNA transcripts (termed pA-RNAseq; see Methods) was performed on a cohort of 17 unaffected and 17 PD cerebral cortical tissue samples. This revealed 5 aSyn 3’UTR isoforms, with lengths of 290, 480, 560, 1070 and 2520 nt. Of these, the 560 nt and 2520 nt forms were predominant. The existence and relative preponderance of these species was further confirmed by Northern Blot. We next hypothesized, that aSyn 3’UTR selection might be altered in PD. Comparison of pA-RNAseq profiles from PD and unaffected cerebral cortex samples revealed an increase in the preponderance of the long 3’UTR species (>560 nt) relative to shorter species (<560 nt). Such a relative increase in aSynL was confirmed by Quantitative real-time RT-PCR (rt-qPCR) and appeared specific for PD, as the increase was also observed by comparison to RNA from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patient samples. We note that the modified aSyn 3’UTR selection associated with PD patient tissue was detected in cerebral cortex tissue, which typically harbors pathological evidence of the disease process without frank cell loss; thus, this phenotype is unlikely to be a secondary consequence of neurodegeneration. Overall design: Comparison of 3''UTR ends of alpha-synuclein in PD and unaffected brain cortex
Alternative α-synuclein transcript usage as a convergent mechanism in Parkinson's disease pathology.
Sex, Specimen part, Disease, Disease stage, Subject
View SamplesIn response to viral pathogens, the host upregulates antiviral genes that suppress translation of viral mRNAs. However, induction of such antiviral responses may not be exclusive to viruses as the pathways lie at the intersection of broad inflammatory networks that can also be induced by bacterial pathogens. Using a model of Gram-negative sepsis, we show that propagation of kidney damage initiated by a bacterial origin ultimately involves antiviral responses that result in host translation shutdown. We determined that activation of the Eif2ak2-Eif2a axis is the key mediator of translation initiation block in late phase sepsis. Reversal of this axis mitigated kidney injury. Furthermore, temporal profiling of the kidney translatome revealed that multiple genes involved in formation of the initiation complex were translationally altered during bacterial sepsis. Collectively, our findings implicate that translation shutdown is indifferent to the specific initiating pathogen and is an important determinant of tissue injury in sepsis. Overall design: Bulk 20 um thickness specimens from cross-sectional human kidney biopsies embedded in OCT underwent RNA sequencing. All subjects had ATN, AIN, or a mix of both conditions.
Bacterial sepsis triggers an antiviral response that causes translation shutdown.
Sex, Age, Specimen part, Disease, Subject
View SamplesThis study provides the dectin-1 and NFAT responsive genes for 2h and 4h of curdlan treatment.
NFATc2 mediates epigenetic modification of dendritic cell cytokine and chemokine responses to dectin-1 stimulation.
Specimen part
View SamplesMicroarray studies revealed that as a first hit, SV40 T/t-antigen causes deregulation of 462 genes in mammary gland cells (ME-cells) of WAP-SVT/t transgenic animals. The majority of deregulated genes are cell-proliferation specific and Rb-E2F dependent, causing ME-cell proliferation and gland hyperplasia but not breast cancer formation. In the breast tumor cells, a further 207 genes are differentially expressed, most of them belonging to the cell communication category. In tissue culture, breast tumor cells frequently switch off WAP-SVT/t transgene expression and regain the morphology and growth characteristics of normal-ME-cells, although the tumor-revertant cells are aneuploid and only 114 genes regain the expression level of normal-ME-cells. The profile of retransformants shows that only 38 deregulated genes appear to be tumor-relevant and that none of them is considered to be a typical breast cancer gene.
Gene expression profiling: cell cycle deregulation and aneuploidy do not cause breast cancer formation in WAP-SVT/t transgenic animals.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesDendritic cells (DCs) are crucial for sensing pathogens and triggering immune response. GM-CSF myeloid dendritic cells (GM-DCs) secrete several cytokines including IL-2 upon activation by pathogen associated molecular pattern (PAMP) ligands. DC IL-2 has been shown to be important for innate and adaptive immune responses, however its importance in DC physiology has never been demonstrated. This is due to ambiguity in expression of the CD122 subunit of the IL-2 trimeric receptor complex crucial for signaling. We show here that autocrine IL-2 signaling is functional in GM-DCs in early time window of stimulation with PAMPs. IL-2 signaling selectively activates the JAK/STAT5 pathway by assembling holo-receptor complexs at the cell surface. Autocrine IL-2 signaling inhibits survival of PAMP matured GM-DCs which is crucial for maintaining immune tolerance and preventing autoimmunity. Our findings suggest immune regulation by a novel autocrine signaling pathway that can potentially be exploited in DC immunotherapy.
Dendritic cell derived IL-2 inhibits survival of terminally mature cells via an autocrine signaling pathway.
Specimen part
View SamplesDerivation and expansion of human umbilical cord blood-derived endothelial colony forming cells under serum-free conditions - a transcriptome analysis.
Optimization of the culturing conditions of human umbilical cord blood-derived endothelial colony-forming cells under xeno-free conditions applying a transcriptomic approach.
Specimen part
View SamplesIntegration of multiple signals shapes cell adaptation to their microenvironment through synergistic and antagonistic interactions. The combinatorial complexity governing signal integration for multiple cellular output responses has not been resolved. For outputs measured in the conditions 0 (control), signals X, Y, X+Y, combinatorial analysis revealed 82 possible interaction profiles, which we biologically assimilated to 5 positive, and 5 negative interaction modes. To experimentally validate their use in living cells, we designed an original computational workflow, and applied it to transcriptomics data of innate immune cells integrating physiopathological signal combinations. Up to 9 of the 10 defined modes coexisted in context-dependent proportions. Each integration mode was enriched in specific molecular pathways, suggesting a coupling between genes involved in particular functions, and the corresponding mode of integration. We propose that multimodality and functional coupling are general principles underlying the systems level integration of physiopathological and pharmacological stimuli by mammalian cells.
Combinatorial code governing cellular responses to complex stimuli.
Time
View SamplesCharacterization of colon CD11chigh/MHCII+ myeloid cell subsets
Intestinal CD103(+)CD11b(-) dendritic cells restrain colitis via IFN-γ-induced anti-inflammatory response in epithelial cells.
No sample metadata fields
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