Brain metastasis is one of the most feared complications of cancer and the most common intracranial malignancy in adults. Its underlying mechanisms remain unknown. From breast cancer patients with metastatic disease we isolated cell populations that aggressively colonize the brain. Transcriptomic analysis of these cells yielded overlapping gene sets whose expression is selectively associated with brain metastasis. The expression of seventeen of these genes in primary breast tumors is associated with brain relapse in breast cancer patients. Some of these genes are also associated with metastasis to lung but not to liver, bone or lymph nodes, providing a molecular basis for the long-observed link between brain and lung metastasis. Among the functionally validated brain metastasis genes, the cyclooxigenase COX-2, the EGFR ligand HB-EGF, and the brain-specific 2-6 sialyltransferase ST6GALNAC5 mediate cancer cell passage through the blood-brain barrier. Other brain metastasis genes encode inflammatory factors and brain-specific proteolytic regulators, suggesting a multifaceted program for breast cancer colonization of the brain.
Genes that mediate breast cancer metastasis to the brain.
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View SamplesIdentification and evaluation of specific molecular markers is of great importance for reliable diagnostics and outcome prediction of renal neoplasms
High-resolution DNA copy number and gene expression analyses distinguish chromophobe renal cell carcinomas and renal oncocytomas.
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View SamplesMicroarray expression profiling approach was used to identify age-related mRNA markers.
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Age, Specimen part
View SamplesEnd stage renal disease (ESRD) is associated with hyperplastic-cystic remodelling of the kidneys (ARCD) and increased rate of kidney tumours. Using the Affymetrix oligoarray, we have established the gene expression signature of ESRD/ARCD kidneys and compared to those of normal kidneys and of distinct types of renal tumours.
Gene expression profiling of chromophobe renal cell carcinomas and renal oncocytomas by Affymetrix GeneChip using pooled and individual tumours.
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View SamplesIn mice and other mammals the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) within the brain, synchronises daily rhythms in metabolism, physiology and behaviour to the Earth's local time. Whilst much is known about the SCN's time keeping mechanism, less is known about how it adjusts or resets timing to changes in local time beyond the induction of CRE regulated genes and the differential response of dorsal and ventral sub-regions of the SCN after light exposure known to advance rhythms.
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Specimen part, Treatment
View SamplesThyroid hormone is crucial for normal brain development. Thyroid hormone transporters control thyroid hormone homeostatis in brain. Mutations in the thyroid hormone transporter MCT8 result in a complex endocrine and neurological phenotype.
Transcriptional profiling of fibroblasts from patients with mutations in MCT8 and comparative analysis with the human brain transcriptome.
Specimen part
View SamplesDuring B cell development the precursor B cell receptor (pre-BCR) checkpoint is thought to increase immunoglobulin k light chain (Igk) locus accessibility to the V(D)J recombinase. Accordingly, pre-B cells lacking the pre-BCR signaling molecules Btk or Slp65 showed reduced germline Vk transcription. To investigate whether pre-BCR signaling modulates Vk accessibility through enhancer-mediated Igk locus topology, we performed chromosome conformation capture and sequencing analyses. These revealed that already in pro-B cells the k enhancers robustly interact with the ~3.2 Mb Vk region and its flanking sequences. Analyses in wild-type, Btk and Slp65 single and double-deficient pre-B cells demonstrated that pre-BCR signaling reduces interactions of both enhancers with Igk locus flanking sequences and increases interactions of the 3k enhancer with Vk genes. Remarkably, pre-BCR signaling does not significantly affect interactions between the intronic enhancer and Vk genes, which are already robust in pro-B cells. Both enhancers interact most frequently with highly used Vk genes, which are often marked by transcription factor E2a. We conclude that the k enhancers interact with the Vk region already in pro-B cells and that pre-BCR signaling induces accessibility through a functional redistribution of long-range chromatin interactions within the Vk region, whereby the two enhancers play distinct roles.
Pre-B cell receptor signaling induces immunoglobulin κ locus accessibility by functional redistribution of enhancer-mediated chromatin interactions.
Specimen part
View SamplesNIH3T3 cells were irradiated with 8Jm-2 UVC using a Philips TUV germicidal lamp and 4 hours later total RNA was isolated.
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Cell line
View SamplesWe have analysed a family with an autosomal recessive type of tetraplegic cerebral palsy with mental retardation, reduction of cerebral white matter, and atrophy of the cerebellum in an inbred sibship.
Mutation in the AP4M1 gene provides a model for neuroaxonal injury in cerebral palsy.
Sex, Specimen part
View SamplesRecent studies have suggested that deregulated AKT1 signaling is associated with schizophrenia. We hypothesized that if this is indeed the case, we should observe both decreased AKT1 expression as well as deregulation of AKT1 regulated pathways in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMCs) of schizophrenia patients. We therefore examined PBMC expression levels of AKT1 in schizophrenia patients versus controls, and examined whether functional biological processes in which AKT1 plays an important role are deregulated in schizophrenia patients. We performed a case-control study, investigating whole-genome PBMC gene expression in male, recent onset (<5 years) schizophrenia patients (N=43) as compared to controls (N=29). Genes, differentially expressed between patients and controls were identified using ANOVA with Benjamini-Hochberg correction (false discovery rate (FDR)= 0.05). Functional aspects of the deregulated set of genes were investigated with the Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) Software Tool.
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Sex, Specimen part, Disease, Disease stage
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