Advanced age is associated with chronic low-grade inflammation, which is usually referred to as inflammaging. Elderly are also known to have an altered gut microbiota composition. However, whether inflammaging is a cause or consequence of an altered gut microbiota composition is not clear. In this study gut microbiota from young or old conventional mice was transferred to young germ-free mice. Four weeks after gut microbiota transfer immune cell populations in spleen, Peyers patches, and mesenteric lymph nodes from conventionalized germ-free mice were analyzed by flow cytometry. In addition, whole-genome gene expression in the ileum was analyzed by microarray. Gut microbiota composition of donor and recipient mice was analyzed with 16S rDNA sequencing. Here we show by transferring aged microbiota to young germ-free mice that certain bacterial species within the aged microbiota promote inflammaging. This effect was associated with lower levels of Akkermansia and higher levels of TM7 bacteria and Proteobacteria in the aged microbiota after transfer. The aged microbiota promoted inflammation in the small intestine in the germ-free mice and enhanced leakage of inflammatory bacterial components into the circulation was observed. Moreover, the aged microbiota promoted increased T cell activation in the systemic compartment. In conclusion, these data indicate that the gut microbiota from old mice contributes to inflammaging after transfer to young germ-free mice.
Aged Gut Microbiota Contributes to Systemical Inflammaging after Transfer to Germ-Free Mice.
Sex, Specimen part, Treatment
View SamplesC57Bl6J mice were injected CCL4 for 8 weeks to induce liver injury and livers were used to prepare RNA.
Interspecies NASH disease activity whole-genome profiling identifies a fibrogenic role of PPARα-regulated dermatopontin.
Sex, Specimen part, Treatment
View SamplesHIV-1 nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) use is associated with severe adverse events. However, the exact mechanisms behind their toxicity has not been fully understood. Mitochondrial dysfunction after chronic exposure to NRTIs has predominantly been assigned to mitochondrial polymerase-? inhibition by NRTIs. However, an increasing amount of data suggests that this is not the sole mechanism. Many NRTI induced adverse events have been linked to the incurrence of oxidative stress, although the causality of events leading to reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and their role in toxicity is unclear. In this study we show that short-term effects of these drugs, which are rarely discussed in the literature, include direct inhibition of the mitochondrial respiratory chain (MRC), decreased ATP levels and increased ROS production. Collectively these events affect fitness and longevity of C. elegans through mitohormetic signalling events. Furthermore, we demonstrate that these effects can be normalized by addition of the anti-oxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC), which suggests that ROS likely influence the onset and severity of adverse events upon drug exposure. Overall design: RNA-seq on Caenorhabditis elegans exposed to DMSO, 3''-azido-3''-deoxythymidine (zidovudine or AZT), 2'',3''-didehydro-2'',3''-deoxythymidine (stavudine or d4T), 3''-deoxy-3''-fluorothymidine (alovudine or FLT) or untreated control after 24 or 72 hours of exposure.
Beyond the polymerase-γ theory: Production of ROS as a mode of NRTI-induced mitochondrial toxicity.
Specimen part, Subject
View SamplesSystems biology has the potential to identify gene signatures associated with vaccine immunogenicity or protective efficacy. The main objective of our study was to identify optimal post-vaccination time points for evaluating blood RNA-expression profiles in recipients of the candidate tuberculosis vaccine M72/AS01. In this phase II open-label study (NCT01669096), healthy Bacillus Calmette-Gurin (BCG)-primed, HIV-negative adults were administered two doses (30-days apart) of M72/AS01. Blood samples were collected pre-dose 1, pre-dose 2 and 1, 7, 10, 14, 17 and 30 days post-dose 2. RNA expression in blood and peripheral-blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was quantified using microarray technology. The data analysis used as a reference, a PBMC-gene signature that was associated with the protective efficacy of a similarly adjuvanted candidate malaria vaccine. Peripheral-blood CD4+ T-cell reactivity, serum interferon-gamma (IFNG) concentrations and safety were also assessed. Twenty subjects completed the study and 18 subjects received two doses. The observed safety profile was similar to previous trials. Serum IFNG responses and M72-specific CD4+ T cell responses to vaccination were detected as expected, based on previous trial experience. PBMC and whole-blood RNA-expression data at day 14 post-dose 2 relative to pre-vaccination and whole-blood RNA-expression data at 7, 10, and 17 days post-dose 2 relative to pre-vaccination could be used to classify vaccine recipients into gene-signature positive or gene-signature negative groups. In conclusion, whole blood sampled from the 7, 10, 14, or 17 day post-vaccination time points, in addition to pre-vaccination, could be selected to assess potentially clinically relevant responses to M72/AS01 using transcriptome analysis.
Adjuvant-Associated Peripheral Blood mRNA Profiles and Kinetics Induced by the Adjuvanted Recombinant Protein Candidate Tuberculosis Vaccine M72/AS01 in Bacillus Calmette-Guérin-Vaccinated Adults.
Specimen part, Subject
View SamplesHigh anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) protein levels may be correlated with an unfavorable prognosis in neuroblastoma (NBL) patients, regardless of ALK mutation status. We therefore examined the correlation between levels of ALK, phosphorylated ALK (pALK) and downstream signaling proteins and response to ALK inhibition in a large panel of both ALK mutated (MUT) and wild type (WT) NBL cell lines. Six of the nineteen NBL cell lines had a point mutation and four an amplification of the ALK gene. ALK amplified cell lines showed similar ALK levels and ALK inhibitor sensitivity as WT cell lines and were therefore co-analyzed. The ALK mRNA (p=0.043), ALK 220 kDa (p=0.009) and ALK 140 kDa (p=0.025) protein levels were higher in ALK mutant (n=6) than WT cell lines (n=13). ALK mRNA and protein levels significantly correlated with ERK1 and ERK2 protein levels, and also with PHOX2B mRNA levels, a neural differentiation marker which is mutated in NBL. Response to ALK inhibitor TAE684 was also significantly correlated with ALK levels. ALK mutant cell lines (n=4) demonstrated a higher sensitivity towards ALK inhibitor TAE684 (14.9 fold more sensitive, p=0.004) than eight WT cell lines. These results underline the importance of ALK mutations but also ALK levels for response to ALK inhibitors in NBL cell lines. Furthermore, the strong correlation of PHOX2B and ALK suggests that neural differentiation stage may be correlated with ALK levels in neuroblastoma. These data will enhance understanding of ALK inhibitor response in future patient trials.
Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitor response in neuroblastoma is highly correlated with ALK mutation status, ALK mRNA and protein levels.
Sex, Specimen part
View SamplesMesenchymal progenitor cells can be differentiated in vitro into myotubes that exhibit many characteristic features of primary mammalian skeletal muscle fibers. However, in general, they do not show the functional excitation-contraction coupling or the striated sarcomere arrangement typical of mature myofibers. Epigenetic modifications have been shown to play a key role in regulating the progressional changes in transcription necessary for muscle differentiation. In this study, we demonstrate that treatment of murine C2C12 mesenchymal progenitor cells with 10 M of the DNA methylation inhibitor 5-azacytidine (5AC) promotes myogenesis, resulting in myotubes with enhanced maturity as compared to untreated myotubes. Specifically, 5AC treatment resulted in the upregulation of muscle genes at the myoblast stage while at later stages nearly 50 % of the 5AC-treated myotubes displayed a mature, well-defined sarcomere organization as well as spontaneous contractions that coincided with action potentials and intracellular calcium transients. Both the percentage of striated myotubes and their contractile activity could be inhibited by 20 nM TTX, 10 M ryanodine and 100 M nifedipine, suggesting that action potential-induced calcium transients are responsible for these characteristics. Our data suggest that genomic demethylation induced by 5AC overcomes an epigenetic barrier that prevents untreated C2C12 myotubes from reaching full maturity.
Epigenetics: DNA demethylation promotes skeletal myotube maturation.
Cell line, Treatment
View SamplesLifelong murine gene expression profiles in relation to chronological and biological aging in multiple organs
Life spanning murine gene expression profiles in relation to chronological and pathological aging in multiple organs.
Age, Specimen part
View SamplesWe applied a systems biology approach to study immune responses in subjects receiving 3 consecutive immunizations with RTS,S/AS01 (RRR), or in those receiving 2 immunizations of RTS,S/AS01, following a primary immunization with adenoviral Ad35 (ARR) vector expressing circumsporozoite protein.
Systems analysis of protective immune responses to RTS,S malaria vaccination in humans.
Specimen part, Disease stage, Subject, Time
View SamplesBackground
Loss of photoreceptorness and gain of genomic alterations in retinoblastoma reveal tumor progression.
Specimen part
View SamplesIn order to identify the gene targets of frequently altered chromosomal regions in retinoblastoma, a meta-analysis of genome-wide copy number alterations studies on primary retinoblastoma tissue and retinoblastoma cell lines was performed. Published studies were complemented by copy number and gene expression analysis on primary and cell line samples of retinoblastoma. This dataset includes the gene expression data of the retinoblastoma cell lines
A Meta-Analysis of Retinoblastoma Copy Numbers Refines the List of Possible Driver Genes Involved in Tumor Progression.
Specimen part, Cell line
View Samples