Displacement of Bromodomain and Extra-Terminal (BET) proteins from chromatin has promise for cancer and inflammatory disease treatments, but roles of BET proteins in metabolic disease remain unexplored. Small molecule BET inhibitors, such as JQ1, block BET protein binding to acetylated lysines, but lack selectivity within the BET family (Brd2, Brd3, Brd4, Brdt), making it difficult to disentangle contributions of each family member to transcriptional and cellular outcomes. Here, we demonstrate multiple improvements in pancreatic -cells upon BET inhibition with JQ1 or BET-specific siRNAs. JQ1 (50-400 nM) increases insulin secretion from INS-1 cells in a concentration dependent manner. JQ1 increases insulin content in INS-1 cells, accounting for increased secretion, in both rat and human islets. Higher concentrations of JQ1 decrease intracellular triglyceride stores in INS-1 cells, a result of increased fatty acid oxidation. Specific inhibition of both Brd2 and Brd4 enhances insulin transcription, leading to increased insulin content. Inhibition of Brd2 alone increases fatty acid oxidation. Overlapping yet discrete roles for individual BET proteins in metabolic regulation suggest new isoform-selective BET inhibitors may be useful to treat insulin resistant/diabetic patients. Results imply that cancer and diseases of chronic inflammation or disordered metabolism are related through shared chromatin regulatory mechanisms.
BET Bromodomain Proteins Brd2, Brd3 and Brd4 Selectively Regulate Metabolic Pathways in the Pancreatic β-Cell.
Cell line
View SamplesGlioma cells are sensitized to the alkylator temozolomide after exposure to IFN-beta. In glioma-initiating cells (GIC), IFN-beta alone reduces clonogenicity. We investigated differentially expressed genes with or without IFN exposure in either longterm glioma cells or GIC.
Interferon-β induces loss of spherogenicity and overcomes therapy resistance of glioblastoma stem cells.
Specimen part, Cell line
View SamplesThe aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor involved in adaptive cell functions, and highly active in the epidermis. AhR-ligands can accelerate keratinocyte differentiation, but a precise role for AhR in the skin barrier is unknown. We here show that transepidermal water loss (TEWL), a parameter of skin barrier integrity, is high in AhR-deficient (AhR-KO) mice. Experiments with conditionally AhR-deficient mouse lines identified keratinocytes as the major responsible cell population for high TEWL. Electron microscopy showed weaker inter-cellular connectivity in the epidermis of keratinocytes in AhR-KO mice, and gene expression analysis identified many barrier-associated genes as AhR targets. Moreover, AhR-deficient mice had higher inter-individual differences in their microbiome. Interestingly, removing AhR-ligands from the diet of wild-type mice mimicked AhR-deficiency regarding the impaired barrier. Vice versa, re-addition of the plant-derived ligand indole-3-carbinol (I3C) rescued the barrier deficiency even in aged mice. Our results suggest that functional AhR expression is critical for skin barrier integrity and that AhR represents a molecular target for the development of novel therapeutic approaches for skin barrier diseases, including dietary intervention.
Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor in Keratinocytes Is Essential for Murine Skin Barrier Integrity.
Sex, Specimen part, Treatment, Time
View SamplesWe analyzed gene expression profiles of IL-18 generated murine NK cells in comparison to unstimulated, freshly isolated splenic NK cells.
Immunoregulatory natural killer cells suppress autoimmunity by down-regulating antigen-specific CD8+ T cells in mice.
Specimen part, Treatment
View SamplesNeuroprotective effects of NDP-MSH. We have characterized the signaling down-stream of melanocortin-1 receptor ligation to identify pathways mediating neuroprotective effects of NDP-MSH using transcriptional profiling. In this data set we included the expression data obtained from mouse brain tissue (MOG-immunized wild-type or C57BL/6Je/e mice at disease maximum, d14 after immunization). The data were used to obtain differentially regulated genes in wild-type or C57BL/6Je/e mice upon systemic NDP-MSH treatment.
Melanocortin-1 receptor activation is neuroprotective in mouse models of neuroinflammatory disease.
Specimen part, Treatment
View SamplesAffymetrix Microarrays were used to analyse gene expression in aortas and circulating CD115+ cells of ApoE- and ApoE/Lymphotoxin beta receptor (LTbR)-double-deficent mice fed a Western diet from 8 to 12 weeks of age in order to identify regulated genes and pathways leading to reduced atherosclerosis in ApoE-/-/LTbR-/- mice compared to ApoE-/- littermate controls.
Deficiency in lymphotoxin β receptor protects from atherosclerosis in apoE-deficient mice.
Sex, Age
View SamplesObesity induces macrophages to drive inflammation in adipose tissue, a crucial step towards the development of type 2 diabetes. The tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediate succinate is released from cells under metabolic stress and has recently emerged as a metabolic signal induced by proinflammatory stimuli. We therefore investigated whether succinate receptor 1 (SUCNR1) could play a role in the development of adipose tissue inflammation and type 2 diabetes. Succinate levels were determined in human plasma samples from individuals with type 2 diabetes and non-diabetic participants. Succinate release from adipose tissue explants was studied. Sucnr1 -/- and wild-type (WT) littermate mice were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) or low-fat diet (LFD) for 16 weeks. Serum metabolic variables, adipose tissue inflammation, macrophage migration and glucose tolerance were determined. We show that hypoxia and hyperglycaemia independently drive the release of succinate from mouse adipose tissue (17-fold and up to 18-fold, respectively) and that plasma levels of succinate were higher in participants with type 2 diabetes compared with non-diabetic individuals (+53%; p < 0.01). Sucnr1 -/- mice had significantly reduced numbers of macrophages (0.56 0.07 vs 0.92 0.15 F4/80 cells/adipocytes, p < 0.05) and crown-like structures (0.06 0.02 vs 0.14 0.02, CLS/adipocytes p < 0.01) in adipose tissue and significantly improved glucose tolerance (p < 0.001) compared with WT mice fed an HFD, despite similarly increased body weights. Consistently, macrophages from Sucnr1 -/- mice showed reduced chemotaxis towards medium collected from apoptotic and hypoxic adipocytes (-59%; p < 0.05). Our results reveal that activation of SUCNR1 in macrophages is important for both infiltration and inflammation of adipose tissue in obesity, and suggest that SUCNR1 is a promising therapeutic target in obesity-induced type 2 diabetes.
SUCNR1-mediated chemotaxis of macrophages aggravates obesity-induced inflammation and diabetes.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesIL-21 induces B cell activation, and differentiation into antibody-secreting plasmablasts in vitro. This process is abolished by loss-of function mutations in STAT3
IL-21 signalling via STAT3 primes human naive B cells to respond to IL-2 to enhance their differentiation into plasmablasts.
Specimen part, Disease
View Samplesbeta-glucan induced glycolysis in HIF-1 depedent manner. We reported that beta-glucan injection in mice led to upregulated glycolysis. HIF-1a plays a major role in this process. Overall design: Mice receives beta-glucan via ip for 4 days. Splenocytes were isolated for RNA sequencing.
mTOR- and HIF-1α-mediated aerobic glycolysis as metabolic basis for trained immunity.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesIL-21 induces B cell activation, and differentiation into antibody-secreting plasmblasts in vitro. This process is compromised in transitional B cells to gain of function mutations in PIK3CD
Germline-activating mutations in <i>PIK3CD</i> compromise B cell development and function.
Specimen part, Disease
View Samples