STAT2 is an essential transcription factor in type I interferon (IFN) signaling. STAT2 mediates the antigrowth and apoptotic effects of IFN as demonstrated in cell lines thus leading to the hypothesis that STAT2 has tumor suppressor function.
Host STAT2/type I interferon axis controls tumor growth.
Specimen part
View SamplesEnhanced BMP or canonical Wnt (cWnt) signaling are therapeutic strategies employed to enhance bone formation and fracture repair, but the mechanisms each pathway utilizes to specify cell fate of bone-forming osteoblasts remain poorly understood. Among all BMPs expressed in bone, we find that singular deficiency of Bmp2 blocks the ability of cWnt signaling to specify osteoblasts from limb bud or bone marrow progenitors. When exposed to cWnts, Bmp2-deficient cells fail to progress through the Runx2/Osx1 checkpoint and thus do not upregulate multiple genes controlling mineral metabolism in osteoblasts. Cells lacking Bmp2 after induction of Osx1 differentiate normally in response to cWnts, supporting pre-Osx1+ osteoprogenitors as a critical source and target of BMP2. Our analysis furthermore reveals Grainyhead-like 3 (Grhl3) is to date an unidentified transcription factor in the osteoblast gene regulatory network that is induced during bone development and bone repair, and acts upstream of Osx in a BMP2-dependent manner. The Runx2/Osx1 transition therefore receives critical regulatory inputs from BMP2 that are not compensated for by cWnt signaling, and this is mediated at least in part by induction and activation of Grhl3.
Specification of osteoblast cell fate by canonical Wnt signaling requires Bmp2.
Age, Specimen part
View SamplesWe describe a method for isolating RNA suitable for high-throughput RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) from small numbers of fluorescently labeled cells isolated from live zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos without using costly, commercially available columns. This method ensures high cell viability after dissociation and suspension of cells and gives a very high yield of intact RNA. We demonstrate the utility of our new protocol by isolating RNA from fluorescence activated cell sorted (FAC sorted) pineal complex neurons in wild-type and tbx2b knockdown embryos at 24 hours post fertilization. Tbx2b is a transcription factor required for pineal complex formation. We describe a bioinformatics pipeline used to analyze differential expression following high-throughput sequencing and demonstrate the validity of our results using in situ hybridization of differentially expressed transcripts. This protocol brings modern transcriptome analysis to the study of small cell populations in zebrafish. Overall design: Differential expression analysis of mRNA levels in a single time-point (24 hpf) between wild-type and Tbx2b deficient FAC sorted pineal complex cells
Identification of differentially expressed genes during development of the zebrafish pineal complex using RNA sequencing.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesBackground: The main focus of the work was the evaluation of gene expression differences between our established NSCLC 3D cell culture model and the 2D cell culture in regard to the use of our model for drug screening applications.
3D-cultivation of NSCLC cell lines induce gene expression alterations of key cancer-associated pathways and mimic <i>in-vivo</i> conditions.
Cell line
View SamplesExpression profiling of normal NIH3T3 and transformed NIH3T3 K-ras cell lines grown for 72 hours in optimal glucose availability (25 mM glucose) or low glucose availability (1 mM). Low glucose induces apoptosis in transformed cells as compared to normal ones.
Oncogenic K-Ras decouples glucose and glutamine metabolism to support cancer cell growth.
Cell line, Time
View SamplesProstate cancer is a common cause of cancer-related death in men. E6AP, an E3 ubiquitin ligase and a transcription cofactor, is elevated in a subset of prostate cancer patients. Genetic manipulations of E6AP in prostate cancer cells expose a role of E6AP in promoting growth and survival of prostate cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. However, the effect of E6AP on prostate cancer cells is broad and it cannot be explained fully by previously identified tumour suppressor targets of E6AP, promyelocytic leukemia protein and p27. To explore additional players that are regulated downstream of E6AP, we combined a transcriptomic and proteomic approaches. We identified and quantified 16,130 transcripts and 7,209 proteins in castration resistant prostate cancer cell line, DU145. A total of 2,763 transcripts and 308 proteins were significantly altered upon knockdown of E6AP. Pathway analyses supported the known phenotypic effects of E6AP knockdown in prostate cancer cells and in parallel exposed novel potential links of E6AP with cancer metabolism, DNA damage repair and immune response. Changes in expression of the top candidates were confirmed using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Of these, clusterin, a stress-induced chaperone protein, commonly deregulated in prostate cancer, was pursued further. Knockdown of E6AP resulted in increased clusterin transcript and protein levels in vitro and in vivo. Concomitant knockdown of E6AP and clusterin supported the contribution of clusterin to the phenotype induced by E6AP. Overall, results from this study provide insight into the potential biological pathways controlled by E6AP in prostate cancer cells and identifies clusterin as a novel target of E6AP. Overall design: Examination of candidate targets regulated by E6AP at transcript level
Proteotranscriptomic Measurements of E6-Associated Protein (E6AP) Targets in DU145 Prostate Cancer Cells.
Cell line, Subject
View SamplesNuclear receptor subfamily 1, group D, member 1 (Nr1d1) (also known as Rev-erb alpha) has been linked to circadian rhythm regulation, mood-related behavior, and disorders associated with social deficits. Recent work from our laboratory found striking decreases in Nr1d1 in nucleus accumbens (NAc) in the maternal condition and indirect evidence that Nr1d1 was interacting with numerous addiction and reward-related genes to modulate social reward. In this study, we applied our insights from the maternal state to non-parental adult mice to determine whether decreases in Nr1d1 expression in NAc via adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors and short hairpin RNA (shRNA)-mediated gene knockdown were sufficient to modulate social reward and mood-related behaviors. We also used microarray analysis of to identify gene expression alterations induced by the lowering of Nr1d1 expression.
The circadian gene Nr1d1 in the mouse nucleus accumbens modulates sociability and anxiety-related behavior.
Sex, Age, Specimen part
View SamplesBipolar disorder (BPD) is a debilitating heritable psychiatric disorder. Contemporary models for the manic pole of BPD have primarily utilized either single locus transgenics or treatment with psychostimulants. Our lab recently characterized a mouse strain, termed Madison (MSN), which naturally displays a manic phenotype, exhibiting elevated locomotor activity, increased sexual behavior, and higher forced swimming relative to control strains. Lithium chloride and olanzapine treatments attenuate this phenotype. In this study, we replicated our locomotor activity experiment, showing that MSN mice display generationally-stable mania relative to their outbred ancestral strain, hsd:ICR (ICR). We then performed a gene expression microarray experiment to compare hippocampus of MSN and ICR mice. We found dysregulation of multiple transcripts whose human orthologs are associated with BPD and other psychiatric disorders including schizophrenia and ADHD, including: Epor, Smarca4, Cmklr1, Cat, Tac1, Npsr1, Fhit, and P2rx7. RT-qPCR confirmed dysregulation for all of seven transcripts tested. Using a network analysis, we found dysregulation of a gene system related to chromatin packaging, a result convergent with recent human findings on BPD. Using a novel genomic enrichment algorithm, we found enrichment in genome regions homologous to human loci implicated in BPD in replicated linkage studies including homologs of human cytobands 1p36, 3p14, 3q29, 6p21-22, 12q24, 16q24, and 17q25. Our findings suggest that MSN mice represent a polygenic model for the manic pole of BPD showing much of the genetic systems complexity of the corresponding human disorder. Further, the high degree of convergence between our findings and the human literature on BPD brings up novel questions about evolution by analogy in mammalian genomes.
A new mouse model for mania shares genetic correlates with human bipolar disorder.
Sex, Specimen part
View SamplesMotherhood involves a switch in natural rewards, whereby offspring become highly rewarding. Nucleus accumbens (NAC) is a key CNS region for natural rewards and addictions, but to date no study has evaluated on a large scale the events in NAC that underlie the maternal change in natural rewards. In this study we utilized microarray and bioinformatics approaches to evaluate postpartum NAC gene expression changes in mice. Modular Single-set Enrichment Test (MSET) indicated that postpartum (relative to virgin) NAC gene expression profile was significantly enriched for genes related to addiction and reward in 5 of 5 independently curated databases (e.g., Malacards, Phenopedia). Over 100 addiction/reward related genes were identified and these included: Per1, Per2, Arc, Homer2, Creb1, Grm3, Fosb, Gabrb3, Adra2a, Ntrk2, Cry1, Penk, Cartpt, Adcy1, Npy1r, Htr1a, Drd1a, Gria1, and Pdyn. ToppCluster analysis found maternal NAC expression profile to be significantly enriched for genes related to the drug action of nicotine, ketamine, and dronabinol. Pathway analysis indicated postpartum NAC as enriched for RNA processing, CNS development/differentiation, and transcriptional regulation. Weighted Gene Coexpression Network Analysis identified possible networks for transcription factors, including Nr1d1, Per2, Fosb, Egr1, and Nr4a1. The postpartum state involves increased risk for mental health disorders and MSET analysis indicated postpartum NAC to be enriched for genes related to depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. Mental health related genes included: Fabp7, Grm3, Penk, and Nr1d1. We confirmed via quantitative PCR Nr1d1, Per2, Grm3, Penk, Drd1a, and Pdyn. This study indicates for the first time that postpartum NAC involves large scale gene expression alterations linked to addiction and reward. Because the postpartum state also involves decreased response to drugs, the findings could provide insights into how to mitigate addictions.
Addiction and reward-related genes show altered expression in the postpartum nucleus accumbens.
Specimen part
View SamplesThe transition from the non-maternal to the maternal state is characterized by a variety of CNS alterations that support the care of offspring. The septum (including lateral and medial portions) is a brain region previously linked to various emotional and motivational processes, including maternal care. In this study, we used microarrays (PLIER algorithm) to examine gene expression changes in the septum of postpartum mice and employed gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) to identify possible regulators of altered gene expression. Genes of interest identified as differentially regulated with microarray analysis were validated with quantitative real-time PCR. We found that fatty acid binding protein 7 (Fabp7) and galanin (Gal) were downregulated, whereas insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 (Igfbp3) was upregulated in postpartum mice compared to virgin females. These genes were previously found to be differentially regulated in other brain regions during lactation. We also identified altered expression of novel genes not previously linked to maternal behavior, but that could play a role in postpartum processes, including glutamate-ammonia ligase (Glul) and somatostatin receptor 1 (Sstr1) (both upregulated in postpartum). Genes implicated in metabolism, cell differentiation, or proliferation also exhibited altered expression. Unexpectedly, enrichment analysis revealed a high number of microRNAs, transcription factors, or conserved binding sites (177 with corrected P-value <0.05) that were significantly linked to maternal upregulated genes, while none were linked to downregulated genes. MicroRNAs have been linked to placenta and mammary gland development, but this is the first indication they may also play a key role in sculpting the maternal brain. Together, this study provides new insights into genes (along with possible mechanisms for their regulation) that are involved in septum-mediated adaptations during the postpartum period.
Gene expression changes in the septum: possible implications for microRNAs in sculpting the maternal brain.
Specimen part
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