Lipotoxicity is a metabolic disorder that results from accumulation of lipids, particularly fatty acids, in non-adipose tissue leading to cellular dysfunction, lipid droplet formation, and cell death. Our studies indicate for the first time that the neurovascular circulation also can manifest lipotoxicity, which could have major effects on cognitive function. The penetration of integrative systems biology approaches is limited in this area of research, which reduces our capacity to gain an objective insight into the signal transduction and regulation dynamics at a systems level.
A systems biology analysis of brain microvascular endothelial cell lipotoxicity.
Specimen part
View SamplesIFNg is a pro-inflammatory and pro-atherogenic cytokine that leads to macrophage activation. Adenosine has well-documented anti-inflammatory properties. We used microarrays to compare the global gene expression profile in mouse macrophages stimulated with IFNg alone and those cells treated with IFNg and adenosine.
Adenosine blocks IFN-gamma-induced phosphorylation of STAT1 on serine 727 to reduce macrophage activation.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesMultiple Sclerosis (MS) is an immune-mediated chronic inflammatory disease affecting the central nervous system. The cause of MS is not known and the mechanism of IFN-beta, a disease-modifying treatment (DMT) approved for MS, is not well-understood. Oligonucleotide microarrays were used to study gene expression in plasmacytoid denditic cells (pDCs) which are antigen-presenting cells implicated in MS pathogenesis.
Multiple sclerosis-linked and interferon-beta-regulated gene expression in plasmacytoid dendritic cells.
Sex, Age, Specimen part, Disease, Disease stage, Subject
View SamplesTo seek whether seasonal variation in environmental particulate matter composition affected the global gene response patterns in cultured human cells representing pulmonary and systemic vascular targets.
Comparative gene responses to collected ambient particles in vitro: endothelial responses.
Specimen part
View SamplesLipotoxicity is a metabolic disorder that results from accumulation of lipids, particularly fatty acids, in non-adipose tissue leading to cellular dysfunction, lipid droplet formation, activate the ATF3 stress pathway, induce secretion of inflammatory cytokines, and increase APP. Our observations are consistent with neurovascular lipotoxicity that could play a role in cognitive decline with aging.
Triglyceride-rich lipoprotein lipolysis products increase blood-brain barrier transfer coefficient and induce astrocyte lipid droplets and cell stress.
Specimen part, Treatment
View SamplesCompound Kushen Injection (CKI) has been clinically used in China for over 15 years to treat various types of solid tumours. However, because such Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) preparations are complex mixtures of plant secondary metabolites, it is essential to explore their underlying molecular mechanisms in a systematic fashion. We have used the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line as an initial in vitro model to identify CKI induced changes in gene expression. Cells were treated with CKI for 24 and 48 hours at two concentrations (1.0 and 2.0 mg/mL), and 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) was used to treat cells as a positive control. Cell proliferation and apoptosis activity were measured with XTT and Caspase-3 assays respectively. Transcriptome data of cells treated with CKI or 5-FU for 24 and 48 hours were acquired using high-throughput Illumina RNA-seq technology. In this report we show that CKI inhibited MCF-7 cell proliferation and induced apoptosis in a dose-dependent fashion. We integrated and applied a series of transcriptome analysis methods, including gene differential expression analysis, pathway over-representation analysis, de novo identification of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) as well as co-expression network reconstruction, to identify candidate anti-cancer molecular mechanisms of CKI. Multiple pathways were perturbed and the cell cycle was identified as the potential primary target pathway of CKI in MCF-7 cells. CKI may also induce apoptosis in MCF-7 cells via a p53 independent mechanism. In addition, we identified novel lncRNAs and showed that many of them might be expressed as a response to CKI treatment. Overall, we have comprehensively investigated the utility of transcriptome analysis with high-throughput sequencing to characterise the molecular response of cancer cells to a TCM drug, and provided a practical guideline for future molecular studies of TCM. Overall design: High-depth paired-end RNA-seq from MCF-7 cell line. Each sample contains 3 biological replicates.
Identification of candidate anti-cancer molecular mechanisms of Compound Kushen Injection using functional genomics.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesMillions of patients suffer from lymphedema worldwide. Supporting the contractility of lymphatic collectors is an attractive target for pharmacological therapy of lymphedema. However, lymphatics have mostly been studied in animals, while the cellular and molecular characteristics of human lymphatic collectors are largely unknown. We studied epifascial lymphatic collectors of the thigh, which were isolated for autologous transplantations. Our immunohistological studies identify additional markers for LECs (vimentin, CCBE-1). We show and confirm differences between initial and collecting lymphatics concerning the markers ESAM1, D2-40 and LYVE-1. Our transmission electron microscopic studies reveal two types of smooth muscle cells (SMCs) in the media of the collectors with dark and light cytoplasm. We observed vasa vasorum in the media of the largest collectors, as well as interstitial Cajal-like cells, which are highly ramified cells with long processes, caveolae, and lacking a basal lamina. They are in close contact with SMCs, which possess multiple caveolae at the contact sites. Immunohistologically we identified such cells with antibodies against vimentin and PDGFRa, but not CD34 and cKIT. With Next Generation Sequencing we searched for highly expressed genes in the media of lymphatic collectors, and found therapeutic targets, suitable for acceleration of lymphatic contractility, such as neuropeptide Y receptors 1, and 5; tachykinin receptors 1, and 2; purinergic receptors P2RX1, and 6, P2RY12, 13, and 14; 5-hydroxytryptamine receptors HTR2B, and 3C; and adrenoceptors a2A,B,C. Our studies represent the first comprehensive characterization of human epifascial lymphatic collectors, as a prerequisite for diagnosis and therapy. Overall design: The transcriptome of 6 different normal human lymphatic collectors (Lyko1, Lyko 4-12, Lyko 5, Lyko12, Lyko13, Lyko26) from the dermis of the thigh of women between 44 and 61 years of age was compared to cultures of human dermal lymphatic endothelial cells (LEC1, LEC2, HD-LEC9A) and a mixture of 3 different human dermal blood endothelial cells (HD-BEC-CA) to identify potential drug targets in the media of the collectors.
Morphological and Molecular Characterization of Human Dermal Lymphatic Collectors.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesIt is fundamentally unknown how normal cellular processes or responses to extracellular stimuli may invoke polyadenylation and degradation of ncRNA substrates or if human disease processes exhibit defects in polyadenylation of ncRNA substrates as part of their pathogenesis. Our results demonstrate that mononuclear cells from subjects with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) exhibit pervasive increases in levels of polyadenylated ncRNAs including Y1 RNA, 18S and 28S rRNA, and U1, U2, and U4 snRNAs and these defects are unique to RRMS. Defects in expression of both Ro60 and La proteins in RRMS appear to contribute to increased polyadenylation of ncRNAs. Further, IFN-ß1b, a common RRMS therapy, restores both Ro60 and La levels to normal as well as levels of polyadenylated Y1 RNA and U1 snRNA suggesting that aberrant polyadenylation of ncRNA substrates may have pathogenic consequences. Overall design: We extracted RNA from peripheral whole blood in healthy control subjects and patients with established relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis using PaxGene tubes.
Defective structural RNA processing in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesTo improve our understanding of lncRNA expression in T cells, we used whole genome sequencing (RNA-seq) to identify lncRNAs expressed in human T cells and those selectively expressed in T cells differentiated under TH1, TH2, or TH17 polarizing conditions. The majority of these lineage-specific lncRNAs are co-expressed with lineage-specific protein-coding genes. These lncRNAs are predominantly intragenic with co-expressed protein-coding genes and are transcribed in sense and antisense orientations with approximately equal frequencies. Further, genes encoding TH lineage specific mRNAs are not randomly distributed across the genome but are highly enriched in the genome in genomic regions also containing genes encoding TH lineage-specific lncRNAs. Our analyses also identify a cluster of antisense lncRNAs transcribed from the RAD50 locus that are selectively expressed under TH2 polarizing conditions and co-expressed with IL4, IL5 and IL13 genes. Depletion of these lncRNAs via selective siRNA treatment demonstrates the critical requirement of these lncRNAs for expression of the TH2 cytokines, IL-4, IL-5 and IL-13. Collectively, our analyses identify new lncRNAs expressed in a TH lineage specific manner and identify a critical role for a cluster of lncRNAs for expression of genes encoding TH2 cytokines. Overall design: Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were cultured under TH1, TH2, and TH17 polarizing conditions. TH1, TH2, and TH17 primary and effector cultures were isolated and poly(A)+ and total RNA sequencing performed.
Expression and functions of long noncoding RNAs during human T helper cell differentiation.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesIn this study, we evaluated global Mtb-induced gene expression in airway immune cells obtained by bronchoalveolar lavage of individuals with latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) and in Mtb-naïve control subjects
<i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i>-Induced Bronchoalveolar Lavage Gene Expression Signature in Latent Tuberculosis Infection Is Dominated by Pleiotropic Effects of CD4<sup>+</sup> T Cell-Dependent IFN-γ Production despite the Presence of Polyfunctional T Cells within the Airways.
Specimen part, Disease
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