Tumor growth and metastasis is controlled by paracrine signaling between cells of the tumor microenvironment and malignant cells. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), are functionally important components of the tumor microenvironment. Although some steps involved in the cross-talk between these cells are known, there is still a lot that is not clear. Thus, the addition of, the consideration of microenvironment in the development of the disease, to the clinical and pathological procedures (currently admitted as the consistent value cancer treatments) could lay the foundations for the development of new treatment strategies to control the disease.
Functional heterogeneity of cancer-associated fibroblasts from human colon tumors shows specific prognostic gene expression signature.
Specimen part
View SamplesThis SuperSeries is composed of the SubSeries listed below.
The Npl3 hnRNP prevents R-loop-mediated transcription-replication conflicts and genome instability.
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View SamplesTranscription is a major obstacle for replication fork progression and a cause of genome instability. Such instability increases in mutants with a suboptimal assembly of the nascent messenger ribonucleo-protein particle (mRNP), as THO/TREX and some heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins (hnRNPs) mutants.
The Npl3 hnRNP prevents R-loop-mediated transcription-replication conflicts and genome instability.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesSnail1 transcriptional factor is essential for triggering epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and inducing tumor cell invasion. We report here that Snail1 plays also a key role in tumor associated fibroblasts since is necessary for enhancement by these cells on epithelial cells tumor invasion. Snail1 expression in fibroblast requires signals derived from tumor cells such as TGF-b; reciprocally, in fibroblasts Snail1 organizes a complex program that favors collective invasion of epithelial cells at least in part by the secretion of diffusible signaling molecules, such as prostaglandin E2. The capability of human or murine tumor-derived cancer associated fibroblasts to promote tumor invasion is associated to Snail1 expression and obliterated by Snail1 depletion. In vivo experiments show that tumor cells co-transplanted with Snail1 depleted fibroblasts show lower invasion than those xenografted with control fibroblasts. Finally Snail1 depletion in mice prevents the formation of breast tumors and decreased their invasion. Therefore, these results demonstrate that the role of Snail1 in tumor invasion is not limited to its effect in EMT but dependent on its expression in stromal fibroblasts where it orchestrates its activation and the crosstalk with epithelial cells.
Snail1-Dependent Activation of Cancer-Associated Fibroblast Controls Epithelial Tumor Cell Invasion and Metastasis.
Specimen part
View SamplesOur results indicate that oxidation of TAF10 by LOXL2 induces its release from its promoters, leading to a block in TFIID-dependent gene transcription. Since TFIID complex is crucial for the expression of Nanog, Klf4, Sox2 and Oct4 and for maintaining the pluripotent state of embryonic stem cells, TAF10 oxidation by LOXL2 leads to inactivation of the pluripotency genes and a loss of pluripotent capacity in embryonic stem cells. Moreover, in vivo results demonstrate an essential role of LOXL2 in neural differentiation during zebrafish development: in the absence of LOXL2 the neural progenitor gene Sox2 is aberrantly overexpressed and neural differentiation is impaired.
LOXL2 Oxidizes Methylated TAF10 and Controls TFIID-Dependent Genes during Neural Progenitor Differentiation.
Specimen part
View SamplesAlthough heterochromatin is enriched with repressive traits, it is also actively transcribed, giving rise to large amounts of non-coding RNAs. Although these RNAs are responsible for the formation and maintenance of heterochromatin, little is known about how their transcription is regulated. Here we show that the Snail1 transcription factor represses pericentromeric transcription, acting through the H3K4 deaminase LOXL2. Since Snail1 plays a key role in the epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), we analyzed the regulation of mouse heterochromatin transcription in this process. At the onset of EMT, one of the major structural heterochromatin proteins, HP1a, is transiently released from heterochromatin foci in a Snail1/LOXL2dependent manner during EMT, concomitantly with a down-regulation of major satellite transcription. Global transcriptome analysis indicated that ectopic expression of heterochromatin transcripts affects the transcription profile of EMT-related genes. Additionally, preventing the down-regulation of major satellite transcripts compromised the migratory and invasive behavior of mesenchymal cells. We propose that Snail1 regulates heterochromatin transcription through the histone-modifying enzyme, LOXL2, thus creating the favorable transcriptional state necessary for completing EMT.
Regulation of heterochromatin transcription by Snail1/LOXL2 during epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition.
Cell line, Treatment
View SamplesThe conserved FACT (FAcilitates Chromatin Transcription) complex is a chromatin-reorganizing complex that promotes RNAPII transcription through chromatin templates by interacting with histones. It facilitates promoter activation by nucleosome eviction, and transcription elongation by nucleosome disruption and reassembly ahead and behind the RNAP. It also has a role in replication not fully understood yet. Genome-wide microarray analyses in spt16-11 and pob3-7 strains revealed a set of genes whose mRNA levels were altered with respect to the WT levels. These include 48 up-regulated and 80 down-regulated genes that are common to both strains. The up-regulated genes were longer and expressed at lower levels than the genome average whereas the down-regulated genes were more similar to the average of the genome.
The yeast and human FACT chromatin-reorganizing complexes solve R-loop-mediated transcription-replication conflicts.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesGene expression from MDA-MB-231 cells shControl and shLOXL2.
Lysyl oxidase-like 2 (LOXL2) oxidizes trimethylated lysine 4 in histone H3.
Cell line
View SamplesH69M cells derive from H69 small cell lung cancer cells subjected to prolonged treatment with HGF. Among the whole population of cells, a subset of more fibroblastic cells was isolated (H69M-mesenchymal). In this experiment we compared expression profiles of both cell lines
Targeting epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition with Met inhibitors reverts chemoresistance in small cell lung cancer.
Specimen part, Cell line
View SamplesCytokine genes are targets of multiple epigenetic mechanisms in T lymphocytes. 5-azacytidine (5-azaC) is a nucleoside-based DNA methyltransferases (DNMT) inhibitor which induces demethylation and gene reactivation. In the current study, we analyzed the effect of 5-azaC in T-cell function and observed that 5-azaC inhibits T-cell proliferation and activation, blocking cell cycle in G0-G1 phase and decreasing the production of proinflammatory cytokines such as TNF and IFN. This effect was not due to a pro-apoptotic effect of the drug but to the down-regulation of genes involved in T-cell cycle progression and activation such as CCNG2, MTCP1, CD58, and ADK and up-regulation of genes which induce cell growth arrest, such as DCUN1D2, U2AF2, GADD45B or p53. In spite of being also up-regulated, we did not find any effect of 5-azaC on the methylation pattern of FOXP3. Finally, the administration of 5-azaC at 60 and 84 hours post-transplant prevented the development of GVHD leading to a significant increase in survival in a fully mismatched BMT mouse model. In conclusion, the current study shows the effect of 5-azaC in T-lymphocytes and illustrates its role in the allogeneic transplantation setting as an immunomodulatory drug, describing new pathways which must be explored in order to prevent graft-versus-host disease.
Immunomodulatory effect of 5-azacytidine (5-azaC): potential role in the transplantation setting.
Specimen part, Treatment, Time
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