Essential metals such as iron are required for healthy plant growth. Fe is an important cofactor and catalytic element in many biological processes. Fe and other metals can also be toxic when present in excess. Therefore plants have mechanisms of metal homeostasis which involve coordination of metal ion transporters for uptake, translocation and compartmentalisation. The NAS genes are supposed to play an important role in Fe homeostasis. They are coding for enzymes called nicotianaminesynthase (NAS), which synthesize nicotianamine (NA) by a one-step condensation reaction of three molecules S-adenosyl-methionine. NA acts as a chelator for Fe, Cu, Ni and Zn and might be involved in the transport and allocation of Fe throughout the plant. We generated quadruple T-DNA insertion mutant nas plants to investigate NA function as described in Klatte et al., 2009, Plant Physiol. The nas4x-1 plants show an interveinal leaf chlorosis when turning from vegetative to reproductive stage, which intensifies when growing under Fe deficiency conditions. nas4x-1 plants have strongly reduced NA contents and show an elevated Fe deficiency response in roots. By performing microarray experiments we want to reveal global changes on transcriptional level in roots and leaves of nas4x-1 mutant compared to wild type plants grown under Fe supply and Fe deficiency conditions, respectively. The loss of NAS genes has a strong impact on the regulation of other metal homeostasis genes and allows to draw conclusions about nicotianamine function in metal homeostasis of A.thaliana.
Transcriptome analysis by GeneTrail revealed regulation of functional categories in response to alterations of iron homeostasis in Arabidopsis thaliana.
Specimen part
View SamplesWe applied Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) to miRNAs from blood samples of 48 AD (Alzheimer''s Disease) patients and 22 unaffected controls, yielding a total of 140 unique mature miRNAs with significantly changed expression level. Of these, 82 were higher and 58 lower abundant in samples from AD patients. We selected a panel of 12 miRNAs for a qRT-PCR analysis on a larger cohort of 202 samples including not only AD patients and healthy controls but also patients with other CNS illnesses: Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson''s Disease, Major Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia, and Mild Cognitive Impairment, which is assumed to represent a transitional period before the development of AD. MiRNA target enrichment analysis of the selected 12 miRNAs indicated an involvement of miRNAs in nervous system development, neuron projection, neuron projection development, and neuron projection morphogenesis, respectively. Using this 12-miRNA signature we were able to differentiate between AD and controls with an accuracy of 93.3%, a specificity of 95.1%, and a sensitivity of 91.5%. The differentiation of AD from other neurological diseases was possible with accuracies between 73.8% and 77.8%. The differentiation of the other CNS disorders from controls yielded even higher accuracies. Overall design: Examination of the miRNA profile in blood samples of 48 AD patients and 22 controls
A blood based 12-miRNA signature of Alzheimer disease patients.
Sex, Age, Subject
View SamplesHypoxia protects cancer cells from chemotherapeutic drug-induced cell death.
TMEM45A is essential for hypoxia-induced chemoresistance in breast and liver cancer cells.
Cell line
View SamplesWe compared the gene expression of A549 cells following 24 and 48 hours of treatment with a no-observed-effect level dose of cisplatin. The objective of the study is to identify genes that are differentially expressed in response to sub-lethal doses of cisplatin. This study helps identify not only treatment responses but also changes in gene expression that may confer cytoprotective mechanisms that allow these cells to survive treatment and to develop treatment resistance.
Combined Use of Gene Expression Modeling and siRNA Screening Identifies Genes and Pathways Which Enhance the Activity of Cisplatin When Added at No Effect Levels to Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cells In Vitro.
Cell line, Treatment, Time
View SamplesA specialized population of memory CD8+ T-cells resides in the epithelium of the respiratory tract to maintain protection against recurring infections. These cells express CD69 and the integrin 7 (CD103) and correspond to tissue resident memory T-cells (TRM) also described in intestine, liver and brain. A less well characterized population of CD103- CD8+ T-cells also resides in lungs and expresses markers characteristic of effector memory T-cells (TEM). We determined the transcriptional profiles of these memory CD8+ T-cell subsets retrieved from human lung resection samples and compared these with corresponding T-cell populations from peripheral blood of the same individuals. Our results demonstrate that each of the populations exhibits a distinct transcriptional identity. We found that the lung environment has a major impact on gene expression profiles. Thus, transcriptomes from CD103+ and CD103- subsets from lungs are much more resemblant to one another than to those from CD103+ or CD103- memory CD8+ T-cells from blood. TRM express specific sets of chemokine receptors, in accordance with their unique migratory properties. Furthermore, these cells constitutively express cytokine and cytotoxic genes for immediate effector function and chemokines to attract auxiliary immune cells. At the same time, multiple genes encoding inhibitory regulators are also expressed. This suggests that rapid ability to unleash effector functions is counterbalanced by programmed restraint, a combination that may be critical in the exposed but delicate tissue of the lung. Comprehensive sets of transcription factors were identified that characterize the memory CD8+ populations in the lungs. Prominent among these were components of the Notch pathway. Using mice genetically lacking expression of the NOTCH1 and NOTCH2 receptors in T-cells, we demonstrated that Notch controls both the number of lung TRM as well as the function of lung TEM. Our data illustrate the adaptation of lung resident T-cells to the requirements of the respiratory epithelial environment. Defining the molecular imprinting of these cells is important for rational vaccine design and may help to improve the properties of T-cells for adoptive cellular therapy.
Programs for the persistence, vigilance and control of human CD8<sup>+</sup> lung-resident memory T cells.
Specimen part, Subject
View SamplesTo uncover molecular mechanisms specifically involved in the pathogenesis of colitis-associated colon cancer (CAC), we studied tumorigenesis in experimental models of CAC and sporadic CRC that mimic characteristics of human CRC. Using comparative whole genome expression profiling, we observed differential expression of epiregulin (Ereg) in mouse models of colitis-associated, but not sporadic colorectal cancer. Similarly, highly significant upregulation of Ereg expression was found in cohorts of patients with colitis-associated cancer in inflammatory bowel disease but not in sporadic colorectal cancer. Furthermore, tumor-associated fibroblasts were identified as major source of Ereg in colitis-associated neoplasias. Functional studies showed that Ereg-deficient mice, although more prone to colitis, are strongly protected from colitis-associated tumors, and data from serial endoscopic studies revealed that Ereg promotes growth rather than initiation of tumors.
Tumor fibroblast-derived epiregulin promotes growth of colitis-associated neoplasms through ERK.
Sex, Specimen part
View SamplesIn the present study, we investigated the consequences of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) depletion on hepatic lipid metabolism in mice fed during three months with a diet presenting a high n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio to induce n-3 PUFA depletion. Microarray analyses were performed to identify the molecular targets involved in the development of hepatic steatosis associated with n-3 PUFA depletion.
Hepatic n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid depletion promotes steatosis and insulin resistance in mice: genomic analysis of cellular targets.
Sex, Specimen part, Treatment
View SamplesPTEN imparts tumor suppression in mice by cell autonomous and non-autonomous mechanisms. Whether these two tumor suppressor mechanisms are mediated through similar or distinct signaling pathways is not known. Here we generated and analyzed knockin mice that express a series of human cancer-derived mutant alleles of PTEN that differentially alter the Akt axis in either stromal or tumor cell compartments of mammary glands. We find that cell non-autonomous tumor suppression by Pten in stromal fibroblasts strictly requires activation of P-Akt signaling, whereas cell autonomous tumor suppression in epithelial tumor cells is independent of overt canonical pathway activation. These findings expose distinct Akt-dependent and independent tumor suppressor functions of PTEN in stromal fibroblasts and tumor cells, respectively, that can be used to guide clinical care of breast cancer patients
Noncatalytic PTEN missense mutation predisposes to organ-selective cancer development in vivo.
Age, Specimen part
View SamplesPTEN imparts tumor suppression in mice by cell autonomous and non-autonomous mechanisms. Whether these two tumor suppressor roles are mediated through similar or distinct signaling pathways is not known. Here we generated and analyzed knockin mice that express a series of human cancer-derived mutant alleles of PTEN in either stromal or tumor cell compartments of mammary glands. We find that cell non-autonomous tumor suppression by Pten in stromal fibroblasts strictly requires activation of P-Akt signaling, whereas cell autonomous tumor suppression in epithelial tumor cells is independent of overt canonical pathway activation
Noncatalytic PTEN missense mutation predisposes to organ-selective cancer development in vivo.
Age, Specimen part
View SamplesCalcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) was suggested to mediate ischemic myocardial injury and adverse cardiac remodeling. However, the specific functions of the CaMKII isoforms and splice variants in ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury have not been investigated yet. Thus, we studied the roles of the CaMKII isoforms and splice variants in I/R by the use of various CaMKII mutant mice. CaMKIIC was up-regulated already one day after I/R injury but surprisingly, acute I/R injury was neither affected in CaMKII-deficient mice, CaMKII-deficient mice in which the splice variants CaMKIIB and C were re-expressed nor in conditional CaMKII/ double-knockout mice (DKO). In contrast, 5 weeks after I/R, DKO mice were protected against extensive scar formation and cardiac dysfunction. Leukocyte infiltration was not altered one day but five days after I/R, explaining the late effects of CaMKII deletion on post-I/R remodeling. Other than reported before, we demonstrate that CaMKII is not critically involved in the immediate mechanisms that regulate acute I/R injury but in the process of post-infarct remodeling.
CaM Kinase II mediates maladaptive post-infarct remodeling and pro-inflammatory chemoattractant signaling but not acute myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury.
Specimen part, Treatment
View Samples