The use of radiation treatment has increased for both sporadic and neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2)-associated vestibular schwannoma (VS). However, there are a subset of radioresistant tumors and systemic treatments that are seldom used in these patients. We investigated molecular alterations after radiation in three NF2-associated and five sporadically operated recurrent VS after primary irradiation. We compared these findings with 49 non-irradiated (36 sporadic and 13 NF2-associated) VS through gene-expression profiling and pathway analysis. Furthermore, we stained the key molecules of the distinct pathway by immunohistochemistry. A total of 195 differentially expressed genes in sporadic and NF2-related comparisons showed significant differences based on the criteria of p value < 0.05 and a two-fold change. These genes were involved in pathways that are known to be altered upon irradiation (e.g., mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling). We observed a combined downregulation of PTEN signaling and an upregulation of mTOR signaling in progressive NF2-associated VS after irradiation. Immunostainings with mTOR and PTEN antibodies confirmed the respective molecular alterations. Taken together, mTOR inhibition might be a promising therapeutic strategy in NF2-associated VS progress after irradiation.
Contribution of mTOR and PTEN to Radioresistance in Sporadic and NF2-Associated Vestibular Schwannomas: A Microarray and Pathway Analysis.
Specimen part, Disease
View SamplesImmunoprecipitation of EGFR from irradiated A549 (ATCC CCL185) cells was performed in order to characterize bound mRNA species with the help of microarray analysis
New roles for nuclear EGFR in regulating the stability and translation of mRNAs associated with VEGF signaling.
Cell line, Treatment
View SamplesPseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans often co-colonize niches or body sites in humans. One of these sites is the gut. We have found that C. albicans inhibits P. aeruginosa virulence in the setting of neutropenia (which emulates how cancer and stem cell transplant patients develop gram-negative bacteremia). In an effort to understand how this inhibitions occurs, we performed in vivo transcription profiling of P. aeruginosa in mice that were mono-colonized with P. aeruginosa and mice that were co-colonized with P. aeruginosa and C. albicans
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Specimen part, Cell line
View SamplesThis SuperSeries is composed of the SubSeries listed below.
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View SamplesHGSOC, the most aggressive form of OC, is characterized by insidious onset, rapid intraperitoneal spread and development of massive ascites. Peritoneal adhesion was considered as the first step of abdominal metastasis, underscoring that only tumor cells gain access to peritoneal adherence contribute to metastasis. Studies on ovarian cancer progression were mainly focused on the primary and metastatic tumor cells, while understanding of the ascitic tumor cells is limited. We hypothesized that uncovering the gene expression profiles of ascitic tumor cells from high grade serous ovarian cancer patients will allow us to understand more specifically their unique phenotype which mediates the peritoneal adhesion. In this study, gene expression profiling was completed for 15 magnetic sorted tumor cells samples from matched primary tumors, ascites and metastases of 5 high grade serous ovarian cancer patients. By comparing the expression data from ascitic tumor cells with primary and metastasis tumor cells, we identified a set of differential expressed genes in ovarian ascitic tumor cells advantageous for peritoneal adhesion and metastasis. Further study revealed that ascites microenvironment modulated the ascitic tumor cells phenotype and contributed to ovarian cancer dissemination through facilitating CAFs in formation of compact spheroids with ascitic tumor cells.
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No sample metadata fields
View SamplesDiffer from the aggressive nature of HGSOC (high grade serous ovarian cancer), LGSOC (low grade serous ovarian cancer) is characterized by an early age of disease onset, slow growth pattern, and poor response to chemotherapy. To understand more specifically the underlying gene profiling discrepancy that contributes to their behavior distinction, we performed parallel gene expression profiling in 9 magnetic sorted tumor cells samples from matched primary tumors, ascites and metastases of 3 LGSOC patients as in HGSOC. By comparing the expression data among primary tumor cells, ascitic tumor cells and metastasis tumor cells, we identified a set of differential expressed genes along LGSOC progression. Further study revealed that the gene phenotype perturbance along LGSOC progression was quite different from that of HGSOC patients.
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No sample metadata fields
View SamplesInteraction between stromal cells and the tumor greatly influences tumor initiation and progression. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are the major component of tumor stroma and play a key role in ovarian cancer (OC) cells adhesion and metastasis. CAFs were found abundantly in primary tumor and metastases, as well as in malignant ascites of high grade serous OC patients, underscoring that CAFs modulate OC cells phenotype and facilitate disease exacerbation along OC progression. Studies of CAFs exertion on OC mainly focused on the influence of CAFs conditioned medium (CM) influence of tumor cells phenotype, while ignoring the fact that CAFs are supposed to be in intimate contact with neoplastic cells in tumor mass, and that CAFs also form compact heterotypic spheroids with ascitic tumor cells in malignant ascites. We hypothesized that uncovering the underlying molecules that mediate tumor cells binding with CAFs could aid in developing measures destroying the pro-carcinogenic heterotypic spheroids in malignant ascites. In this study, gene expression profiling was completed for individual SKOV3, and magnetic sorted SKOV3 cells that form heterotypic spheroids with 4 cases of high grade serous OC derived CAFs. By comparing the expression data of SKOV3 cells in individual group with that in spheroid group, we identified a set of differential expressed genes. This study revealed the heterogeneity of ascitic tumor cells and raised potent therapeutical targets in destroying of the heterotypic spheroids in malignant ascites of OC.
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Specimen part, Cell line
View SamplesOvarian cancer (OC) remains the leading cause of death in patients with gynecological malignancy. An improved understanding of the genomics has led to the separation of OC into histologically and molecularly defined subgroups. Based on molecular profiling in OC patients, subtype with a reactivated tumor stroma presented the worst prognosis, emphasizing the importance of tumor microenvironment especially stromal fibroblasts in fueling OC progression. Dicer1 is well recognized as the microRNA (miR) synthesis machinery, playing a crucial role in cellular maturation and development, and was generally considered to be a tumor suppressor gene that inhibited tumor initiation and metastasis. Dicer1 expression pattern and exact biological function was seldom studied in the stromal compartment. There was a recent study demonstrating that Dicer1 was involved in mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF) development and maturation. Therefore, we are inspired to explore the expression and function of Dicer1 in stromal fibroblasts of OC patients. In this study, mRNA and microRNA gene expression profiling were conducted for MRC5-CAFs after silencing of Dicer1. By comparing the expression data of MRC5-CAFs transfected with control siRNA (si-Ctrl) or with Dicer1 specific siRNA (si-Dicer1) for 72 hr, we identified a set of differential expressed mRNA and microRNA in MRC5-CAFs after Dicer1 knockdown. This study was the first to investigate Dicer1 influence of stromal fibroblast gene expression and the underlying regulation mechanism, which held great importance in complementing our understanding of Dicer1 in OC initiation and development, and raises potent therapeutical targets in controlling OC metastasis
Dicer reprograms stromal fibroblasts to a pro-inflammatory and tumor-promoting phenotype in ovarian cancer.
Specimen part
View SamplesMassively parallel sequencing of human urinary exosome/microvesicle RNA reveals a predominance of non-coding RNA
No associated publication
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesOne of the central issues in evolutionary developmental biology is how we can formulate the relationships between evolutionary and developmental processes. Two major models have been proposed: the 'funnel-like' model, in which the earliest embryo shows the most conserved morphological pattern, followed by diversifying later stages, and the 'hourglass' model, in which constraints are imposed to conserve organogenesis stages, which is called the phylotypic period. Here we perform a quantitative comparative transcriptome analysis of several model vertebrate embryos and show that the pharyngula stage is most conserved, whereas earlier and later stages are rather divergent. These results allow us to predict approximate developmental timetables between different species, and indicate that pharyngula embryos have the most conserved gene expression profiles, which may be the source of the basic body plan of vertebrates.
Comparative transcriptome analysis reveals vertebrate phylotypic period during organogenesis.
Sex, Specimen part, Disease, Disease stage
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