Hundreds of immune cell types work in coordination to maintain tissue homeostasis. Upon infection, dramatic changes occur with the localization, migration and proliferation of the immune cells to first alert the body of the danger, confine it to limit spreading, and finally extinguish the threat and bring the tissue back to homeostasis. Since current technologies can follow the dynamics of only a limited number of cell types, we have yet to grasp the full complexity of global in vivo cell dynamics in normal developmental processes and disease. Here we devise a computational method, digital cell quantification (DCQ), which combines genomewide gene expression data with an immune cell compendium to infer in vivo dynamical changes in the quantities of 213 immune cell subpopulations. DCQ was applied to study global immune cell dynamics in mice lungs at ten time points during a 7-day time course of flu infection. We find dramatic changes in quantities of 70 immune cell types, including various innate, adaptive and progenitor immune cells. We focus on the previously unreported dynamics of four immune dendritic cell subtypes, and suggest a specific role for CD103+CD11b- cDCs in early stages of disease and CD8+ pDC in late stages of flu infection. Overall design: To study pathogenesis of Influenza infection, C57BL/6 mice (5 weeks) were infected intranasally with 4x103 PFU of influenza PR8 virus. We measured using RNA-Seq global gene expression in lung tissue at ten time points during a 7-day time course of infection, two infected individuals in each time point and four un-infected individuals as control. The lung organ was removed and transferred immediately into RNA Latter solution (Invitrogen).
Digital cell quantification identifies global immune cell dynamics during influenza infection.
Age, Specimen part, Cell line, Subject, Time
View SamplesHundreds of immune cell types work in coordination to maintain tissue homeostasis. Upon infection, dramatic changes occur with the localization, migration and proliferation of the immune cells to first alert the body of the danger, confine it to limit spreading, and finally extinguish the threat and bring the tissue back to homeostasis. Since current technologies can follow the dynamics of only a limited number of cell types, we have yet to grasp the full complexity of global in vivo cell dynamics in normal developmental processes and disease. Here we devise a computational method, digital cell quantification (DCQ), which combines genomewide gene expression data with an immune cell compendium to infer in vivo dynamical changes in the quantities of 213 immune cell subpopulations. DCQ was applied to study global immune cell dynamics in mice lungs at ten time points during a 7-day time course of flu infection. We find dramatic changes in quantities of 70 immune cell types, including various innate, adaptive and progenitor immune cells. We focus on the previously unreported dynamics of four immune dendritic cell subtypes, and suggest a specific role for CD103+CD11b- cDCs in early stages of disease and CD8+ pDC in late stages of flu infection. Overall design: To better understand the physiological role of these differential dynamic changes in the DCs, we measured the genome-wide RNA expression of all four DC subpopulations from lung of influenza infected mice at four time points following infections (two mice per time-point). For sorting dendritic cells from lungs, the lungs from infected and control uninfected C57BL/6J mice were immersed in cold PBS, cut into small pieces in 5 ml DMEM media containing 10% Bovine Fetal Serum, the cell suspensions were grinded using 1ml syringe cup on a 70 µm cell strainers (BD Falcon). The cells were washed with ice cold PBS. Remaining red blood cells were lysed using ammonium chloride solution (Sigma). Cells were harvested, immersed 1ml FACS buffer [PBS+2% FBS, 1mM EDTA], Fc receptors were blocked with anti-mouse CD16/CD32, washed with FACS buffer and divided into two tubes for sorting cDC and pDC cells.
Digital cell quantification identifies global immune cell dynamics during influenza infection.
Age, Specimen part, Cell line, Subject, Time
View SamplesThe balance between protecting tissue integrity and efficient immune response is critical for host survival. Here we investigate the role of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteolysis in achieving this balance in the lung during influenza virus infection using a combined genomic and proteomic approach. We followed the transcriptional dynamics and ECM- related responses in a mouse model of influenza virus infection, integrated with whole tissue imaging and functional assays. Our study identifies MT1-MMP as a prominent host-ECM-remodeling collagenase in influenza virus infection. We show that selective inhibition of MT1-MMP-driven ECM proteolysis protects the tissue from infection-related structural and compositional damage. Inhibition of MT1-MMP did not significantly alter the immune response or cytokine expression, indicating its dominant role in ECM remodeling. We demonstrate that the available treatment for influenza virus (Tamiflu/ Oseltamivir) does not prevent lung ECM damage and is less effective than anti-MT1-MMP treatment in influenza virus and Streptococcus pneumoniae coinfection paradigms. Importantly, combination therapy of Tamiflu with anti-MT1-MMP shows a strong synergistic effect and results in complete recovery in mice. This study highlights the importance of tissue tolerance agents for surviving infectious diseases, and the potential of such host-pathogen therapy combination for respiratory infections. Overall design: Overall 8 samples were included, in duplicates, both infected and non-infected control cells were includeda. Both MT1-MMP positive and MT1-MMP negative were tested were non-infectdd, MT1-MMP negative cells served as controls.
Extracellular Matrix Proteolysis by MT1-MMP Contributes to Influenza-Related Tissue Damage and Mortality.
Specimen part, Cell line, Treatment, Subject
View SamplesPrimordial germ cells (PGCs), the embryonic precursors of eggs and sperm, are a unique model for identifying and studying regulatory mechanisms in singly migrating cells. From their time of specification to eventual colonization of the gonad, mouse PGCs traverse through and interact with many different cell types, including epithelial cells and mesenchymal tissues. Work in drosophila and zebrafish have identified many genes and signaling pathways involved in PGC migration, but little is known about this process in mammals.
Discrete somatic niches coordinate proliferation and migration of primordial germ cells via Wnt signaling.
Specimen part
View SamplesMounting evidence points to a link between a cancer possessing stem-like properties and a worse prognosis. To understand the biology, a common approach is to integrate network biology with signal processing mechanics. That said, even with the right tools, predicting the risk for a highly susceptible target using only a handful of gene signatures remains very difficult. By compiling the expression profiles of a panel of tumor stem-like cells (TSLCs) originating in different tissues, comparing these to their parental tumor cells (PTCs) and the human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), and integrating network analysis with signaling mechanics, we propose that network topologically-weighted signaling processing measurements under tissue-specific conditions can provide scalable and predicable target identification.
Network biology of tumor stem-like cells identified a regulatory role of CBX5 in lung cancer.
Specimen part
View SamplesPostnatal handling in rodents leads to decreased anxiety-like behavior in adulthood. We used microarrays to look at gene expression differences in the CA1 region of the hippocampus in female mice subjected to postnatal handling compared to controls.
Variation in the large-scale organization of gene expression levels in the hippocampus relates to stable epigenetic variability in behavior.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesGenetically identical inbred mice exhibit substantial stable individual variability in exploratory behavior. We used microarrays to look at gene expression differences in the hippocampus in female mice separated by stable differences in exploratory behavior
Variation in the large-scale organization of gene expression levels in the hippocampus relates to stable epigenetic variability in behavior.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesCD24 is a potential oncogene reported to be overexpressed in a large variety of human malignancies. We have shown that CD24 is overexpressed in 90% of colorectal tumors at a fairly early stage in the multistep process of carcinogenesis. Anti-CD24 monoclonal antibodies (mAb) induce a significant growth inhibition in colorectal and pancreatic cancer cell lines that express the protein. This study is designed to investigate further the effects of CD24 down-regulation using mAb or small interfering RNA in vitro and in vivo. Western blot analysis showed that anti-CD24 mAb induced CD24 protein down-regulation through lysosomal degradation. mAb augmented growth inhibition in combination with five classic chemotherapies. Xenograft models in vivo showed that tumor growth was significantly reduced in mAb-treated mice. Similarly, stable growth inhibition of cancer cell lines was achieved by down-regulation of CD24 expression using short hairpin RNA (shRNA). The produced clones proliferated more slowly, reached lower saturation densities, and showed impaired motility. Most importantly, down-regulation of CD24 retarded tumorigenicity of human cancer cell lines in nude mice. Microarray analysis revealed a similar pattern of gene expression alterations when cells were subjected to anti-CD24 mAb or shRNA. Genes in the Ras pathway, mitogenactivated protein kinase, or BCL-2 family and others of oncogenic association were frequently down-regulated. As a putative new oncogene that is overexpressed in gastrointestinal malignancies early in the carcinogenesis process, CD24 is a potential target for early intervention in the prevention and treatment of cancer.
Targeting CD24 for treatment of colorectal and pancreatic cancer by monoclonal antibodies or small interfering RNA.
Specimen part, Cell line
View SamplesAsthma is a heterogeneous disease. Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) is a distinct syndrome that occurs in 30-50% of asthmatics and is characterized by high levels of pro-inflammatory eicosanoids. We identified genes differentially expressed in the airways of asthmatics with EIB relative to asthmatics without EIB. Genes related to epithelial repair and mast cell infiltration including beta-tryptase and carboxypeptidase A3 were upregulated by exercise challenge in the asthma group with EIB. We confirmed that two novel mediators trefoil factor 3 (TFF3) and transglutaminase 2 (TGM2) have increased expression in airways cells and secreted product in the airways. In vitro studies indicate that 1) TFF3 induces nitric oxide synthase in airway epithelial cells from asthmatics and 2) TGM2 augments the enzymatic activity of secreted phospholipase A2 (sPLA2) group X, an enzyme recently been implicated in asthma pathogenesis. Since PLA2 serves as the first rate-limiting step leading to eicosanoid generation, these results suggest that TGM2 may be a key initiator of the airway inflammatory cascade in asthma.
Transglutaminase 2, a novel regulator of eicosanoid production in asthma revealed by genome-wide expression profiling of distinct asthma phenotypes.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesMyocardial infarction (MI) leads to activation of cardiac fibroblasts (aCFs) and at the same time induces the formation of epicardium-derived cells at the heart surface. To discriminate between the two cell populations, we elaborated a fast and efficient protocol for the simultaneous isolation and characterization of aCFs and epicardial stromal cells (EpiSCs) from the infarcted mouse heart. For the isolation of aCFs and EpiSCs, infarcted hearts (50 min ischaemia/reperfusion) were digested by perfusion with a collagenase-containing medium for only 8 min, while EpiSCs were enzymatically removed from the outside by applying mild shear forces via a motor driven device.
Novel technique for the simultaneous isolation of cardiac fibroblasts and epicardial stromal cells from the infarcted murine heart.
Specimen part
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