There is emerging evidence that, beyond their cholesterol lowering properties, statins exhibit important antileukemic effects in vitro and in vivo, but the precise mechanisms by which they generate such responses remain to be determined. We have previously shown that statins promote differentiation of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) cells and enhance generation of all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA)-dependent antileukemic responses. We now provide evidence that statin-dependent leukemic cell differentiation requires engagement and activation of the JNK kinase pathway. In addition, in experiments to define the molecular targets and mediators of statin-induced differentiation we found a remarkable effect of statins on ATRA-dependent gene transcription, evidenced by the selective induction of over 400 genes by the combination of atorvastatin and ATRA. Altogether, our studies identify novel statin molecular targets linked to differentiation, establish that statins modulate ATRA-dependent transcription, and suggest that combined use of statins with retinoids may provide a novel approach to enhance antileukemic responses in APL and possibly other leukemias.
Regulation of leukemic cell differentiation and retinoid-induced gene expression by statins.
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View SamplesAnaplastic Large Cell Lymphomas (ALCL) represent a subset of lymphomas in which the Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK) gene is frequently fused to the NPM gene. We previously demonstrated that the constitutive phosphorylation of ALK chimeric proteins is sufficient to induce cellular transformation in vitro and in vivo, and that ALK activity is strictly required for the survival of ALK positive ALCL cells. To elucidate the signaling pathways required for ALK-mediated transformation and tumor maintenance, we analyzed the transcriptomes of multiple ALK positive ALCL cell lines abrogating their ALK-mediated signaling by inducible ALK RNA interference (RNAi) or with potent and cell permeable ALK inhibitors. Transcripts derived from the gene expression profiling (GEP) analysis uncovered a reproducible signature, which included a novel group of ALK-regulated genes. Functional RNAi screening on a set of these ALK transcriptional targets revealed that the transcription factor C/EBPb and the anti-apoptotic protein BCL2A1 are absolutely necessary to induce cell transformation and/or to sustain the growth and survival of ALK positive ALCL cells. Thus, we proved that an experimentally controlled and functionally validated GEP analysis represents a powerful tool to identify novel pathogenetic networks and validate biologically suitable target genes for therapeutic interventions.
Functional validation of the anaplastic lymphoma kinase signature identifies CEBPB and BCL2A1 as critical target genes.
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View SamplesThe efficacy of cancer treatments have improved constantly in the last decade. However, therapeutic resistance and the lack of curative treatments in metastatic disease, raises the question if conventional anticancer therapies target the right cells. Indeed, these treatments might miss cancer stem cells (CSCs), which might also represent a more chemoresistant and radioresistant subpopulation within cancer. In this view using vaccines in tertiary prevention of cancer, i.e. residual disease treatment, might be particularly effective if vaccine-elicited immune response is directed against CSC oncoantigens (OAs) proteins required for the neoplastic process the chance that the tumour will evade the vaccine should be reduced. An important task to devise effective CSC preventive vaccines is therefore the identification of CSC OAs. In this experiment we used a cell line (TuBo) derived by the mouse breast cancer model BALB-neuT and its CSC subpupolation, enriched by mean of mammosphere formation. Integrating data derived by gene and exon-level transcription profiling of the above experiments with public available normal and tumor datasets we identified two new breast cancer CSC OAs: TMPRSS4 and xCT. Both genes are linked to invasion, migration and metastasis. Furthermore, we observed that alternative splicing events discriminating TuBo cells, grown in adherent medium, with respect of TuBo mammospheres, produced growing in no-adherent medium, are very limited. We detect only one clear splcing event characterizing the beta-isoform of Rabgap1l gene.
No associated publication
Specimen part, Cell line
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
View SamplesThis SuperSeries is composed of the SubSeries listed below.
No associated publication
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View SamplesEndometriosis is a complex pathological condition in which multiple components are involved in the disease development and clinical outcome. Endometriosis is mainly an inflammatory codition estrogen-dependent, with unknown pathogenesis, that is characterized by dissemination of edometrium tissue in ectopic position (ovary or pelvic peritoneum). Two main theories rise the pathologic onset: the presence of retrograde menstruation and celomic metaplasia in the pelvic peritoneum, that can occur for development defects. Endometriosis is related not only to genetic or immunological changes and to environmental pollution factors, as the endocrine interferents. The disease phenotype results from multiple events (genetics and enviromental), thus it is difficult to find a single gene as causative while is more probable that a gene network/s might involved in the onset and mantainement of the disease state. The peculiarity of endometriosis rely on the tissue speificity manteinance in the ectopic position, where it responds to the hormone stimuli as the tissue in the eutopic position.
Transcriptional profiling of endometriosis tissues identifies genes related to organogenesis defects.
Specimen part, Disease, Disease stage, Subject
View SamplesMitochondrial dysfunction has been directly or indirectly implicated in the pathogenesis of a number of neurodegenerative disorders including Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). We used exon-sentive microarrays to characterize the responses to different mitochondrial perturbations in cellular models. We examined human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells treated with paraquat, a neurotoxic herbicide which both catalyzes the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and induces mitochondrial damage in animal models, and SH-SY5Y cells stably expressing the mutant SOD1(G93A) protein, one of the genetic causes of ALS. We identified a common set of genes that have a deregulated transcription and alternative splicing in both models. Noticeably, pathway analysis revealed that the expression of a subset of genes involved in neuritogenesis and axon guidance is perturbed, suggesting that alterations of axonal function may descend directly from mitochondrial damage and be responsible for neurodegenerative conditions.
Mutant SOD1 and mitochondrial damage alter expression and splicing of genes controlling neuritogenesis in models of neurodegeneration.
Cell line
View SamplesAdvanced ovarian cancers are initially responsive to chemotherapy with platinum drugs but develop drug resistance in most cases. We showed recently that hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) enhances death of human ovarian cancer cell lines treated with cisplatin (CDDP) and that this effect is mediated by the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase. In this work, we integrated genome-wide expression profiling, in silico data survey, and functional assays to identify transcripts regulated in SK-OV-3 ovarian cancer cells made more responsive to CDDP by HGF. Using oligonucleotide microarrays, we found that HGF pretreatment changes the transcriptional response to CDDP. Quantitative reverse transcription-PCR not only validated all the 15 most differentially expressed genes but also confirmed that they were primarily modulated by the combined treatment with HGF and CDDP and reversed by suppressing p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase activity. Among the differentially expressed genes, we focused functional analysis on two regulatory subunits of the protein phosphatase 2A, which were down-modulated by HGF plus CDDP. Decrease of each subunit by RNA interference made ovarian cancer cells more responsive to CDDP, mimicking the effect of HGF. In conclusion, we show that HGF and CDDP modulate transcription in ovarian cancer cells and that this transcriptional response is involved in apoptosis regulation. We also provide the proof-of-concept that the identified genes might be targeted to either increase the efficacy of chemotherapeutics or revert chemotherapy resistance.
Genes regulated by hepatocyte growth factor as targets to sensitize ovarian cancer cells to cisplatin.
Cell line
View SamplesHere we report that piroxicam/cisplatin combined treatment exerts an apoptotic effect on mesothelioma cells. Genome-wide transcriptome analyses lead us to identify p21 as the possible apoptosis mediator acting as downstream target of the piroxicam/cisplatin treatment.
No associated publication
Specimen part, Cell line, Time
View SamplesThe challenge of preventing colorectal cancer (CRC) is the early identification of individuals whose apparently normal colorectal mucosa will develop cancer, because of inherited trait or environmental exposure. We sought to use genome-wide expression profiling of endoscopic biopsies to detect a signature of propensity for cancer. We performed oligonucleotide microarray analysis of normal appearing mucosa of the following cases: healthy individuals (NOR), disease-free carriers predisposed to HNPCC (hereditary non-polyposis CRC), disease-free patients who underwent curative large bowel resection for CRC 1 to 15 years earlier and patients with CRC (MCRC) (GSE23011). As test set we run on affymetrix arrays an independent set of mucosal biopsies of MCRC and NOR samples.
No associated publication
Sex, Specimen part, Disease, Disease stage
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