Acute renal allograft rejection is an important complication in kidney transplantation. Accurate diagnosis of rejection events is necessary for timely response and treatment. We illustrate the usefulness and biological relevance of selected multivariate approaches to detect rejection from genomic and proteomic signals. The data was used to study gene expression changes using whole genome microarray analysis of peripheral blood from subjects with acute rejection (n=20) and non-rejecting controls (n=20) to obtain insight into the molecular and biological causation of acute renal allograft rejection when combined with proteomics (iTRAQ) data for the same patients/time-points.
Novel multivariate methods for integration of genomics and proteomics data: applications in a kidney transplant rejection study.
Sex, Specimen part, Race
View SamplesRenal failure is characterized by important biological changes resulting in profound pleomorphic physiological effects termed uremia, whose molecular causation is not well understood. The data was used to study gene expression changes in uremia using whole genome microarray analysis of peripheral blood from subjects with end-stage renal failure (n=63) and healthy controls (n=20) to obtain insight into the molecular and biological causation of this syndrome.
Alteration of human blood cell transcriptome in uremia.
Sex, Specimen part, Disease, Disease stage, Race
View SamplesAcute cardiac allograft rejection is a serious complication of heart transplantation. Investigating molecular processes in whole blood via microarrays is a promising avenue of research in transplantation, particularly due to the non-invasive nature of blood sampling. However, whole blood is a complex tissue and the consequent heterogeneity in composition amongst samples is ignored in traditional microarray analysis. This complicates the biological interpretation of microarray data. Here we have applied a statistical deconvolution approach, cell-specific significance analysis of microarrays (csSAM), to whole blood samples from subjects either undergoing acute heart allograft rejection (AR) or not (NR). We identified eight differentially expressed probe-sets significantly correlated to monocytes (mapping to 6 genes, all down-regulated in ARs versus NRs) at a false discovery rate (FDR) <= 15%. None of the genes identified are present in a biomarker panel of acute heart rejection previously published by our group and discovered in the same data.
White blood cell differentials enrich whole blood expression data in the context of acute cardiac allograft rejection.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesThe pathological outcomes of schistosomiasis are largely dependent on the molecular and cellular mechanisms of the host immune response. In this study, we demonstrate the variation of host gene expression which underlies the contrasting hepatic pathology observed between two inbred mouse strains following schistosome infection. Whole genome microarray analysis was employed in conjunction with histological and immunohistochemical analysis to define and compare the hepatic gene expression profiles and cellular composition associated with the hepatopathology observed in BALB/c and CBA mice during an active Schistosoma japonicum infection. Here, we show that the transcriptional profiles differ significantly between the two mouse strains with high statistical confidence. We identified specific genes correlating with the more severe pathology associated with CBA mice, as well as genes which may confer the milder degree of pathology associated with BALB/c mice. Generally, up-regulated genes were largely associated with immune and inflammatory responses, antigen processing and cytokine/chemokine activity. In BALB/c mice, neutrophil genes exhibited striking increases in expression, which coincided with significantly greater accumulation of neutrophils at granulomatous regions, compared to CBA mice. In contrast, up-regulated expression of eosinophil chemokine CCL24 in CBA mice paralleled the cellular influx of eosinophils to the hepatic granulomas. Additionally, there was greater down-regulation of genes involved in metabolic processes in CBA mice, reflecting the greater degree of liver damage in these mice. Genes involved in fibrosis showed similar levels of expression in both mouse strains. Genes associated with Th1 and Th2 responses showed no significant differences in expression between strains. These results provide a more complete picture of the molecular and cellular mechanisms which govern the pathological outcome of hepatic schistosomiasis. Furthermore, this improved understanding of schistosome immunopathogenesis in the murine model will provide the basis for a better appreciation of the complexities associated with chronic human schistosomiasis.
Differential expression of chemokine and matrix re-modelling genes is associated with contrasting schistosome-induced hepatopathology in murine models.
Sex, Age, Specimen part, Time
View SamplesSchistosomiasis continues to be an important cause of parasitic morbidity and mortality world-wide. Determining the molecular mechanisms regulating the development of granulomas and fibrosis will be essential for understanding how schistosome antigens interact with the host environment. We report here the first whole genome microarray analysis of the murine liver during the progression of Schistosoma japonicum egg-induced granuloma formation and hepatic fibrosis. Our results reveal a distinct temporal relationship between the expression of chemokine subsets and the recruitment of cells to the infected liver. Genes up-regulated earlier in the response included T- and B-cell chemoattractants, reflecting the early recruitment of these cells illustrated by flow cytometry. The later phases of the response corresponded with peak recruitment of eosinophils, neutrophils, macrophages and myofibroblasts/hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and the expression of chemokines with activity for these cells including CCL11 (eotaxin 1), members of the Monocyte-chemoattractant protein family (CCL7, CCL8, CCL12) and the Hepatic Stellate Cell/Fibrocyte chemoattractant CXCL1. Peak expression of macrophage chemoattractants (CCL6, CXCL14) and markers of alternatively-activated macrophages (e.g. Retnla) during this later phase provides further evidence of a role for these cells in schistosome-induced pathology. Additionally, we demonstrate that CCL7 immunolocalises to the fibrotic zone of granulomas. Furthermore, striking up-regulation of neutrophil markers and the localisation of neutrophils and the neutrophil chemokine S100A8 to fibrotic areas suggests the involvement of neutrophils in S. japonicum-induced hepatic fibrosis. These results further our understanding of the immunopathogenic and, especially, chemokine signalling pathways that regulate the development of S. japonicum-induced granulomas and fibrosis and may provide correlative insight into the pathogenesis of other chronic inflammatory diseases of the liver where fibrosis is a common feature.
Temporal expression of chemokines dictates the hepatic inflammatory infiltrate in a murine model of schistosomiasis.
Sex, Age, Specimen part, Treatment
View SamplesMigrating schistosomula are an important stage of the schistosome lifecycle and represent a key target for elimination of infection by natural and vaccine induced host immune responses. To gain a better understanding of how these parasites initiate a primary host immune response we have characterised the host lung response to migrating Schistosoma japonicum schistosomula using a combination of histochemistry, microarrays and quantitative cytokine analysis. Our data suggest that, during a S. japonicum infection, actively migrating schistosomula induce a Type-2 cytokine response in the lung that may support the subsequent development of a CD4+ T helper 2 (Th2) response against egg antigens. This hypothesis is supported by the fact that schistosomula and schistosome eggs are known to express important Th2-inducing antigens such as omega-1, peroxiredoxin, kappa-5 and IPSE/alpha1. The host lung response to migrating schistosomula was associated with increased numbers of macrophages and expression of markers for alternatively activated macrophages (AAM) in the lung. Activation of AAM in the lung and at the systemic level could lead to the modulation of the host immune response to favour parasite survival. Induction of these cells could also contribute to diminished inflammatory responses to, for example, allergy and asthma that are known to be associated with helminth infections. These data enhance our understanding of the mechanisms whereby schistosomes may evade the immune response and the mechanisms by which schistosome infection can help influence the host response following exposure to allergenic stimuli.
Migrating Schistosoma japonicum schistosomula induce an innate immune response and wound healing in the murine lung.
Sex, Age, Specimen part
View SamplesA new Treg-specific, FoxP3-GFP-hCre BAC transgenic was crossed to a conditional Dicer knock-out mouse strain to analyze the role of microRNAs (miRNA) in the development and function of regulatory T cells (Tregs). Although thymic Tregs developed normally in this setting, the cells showed evidence of altered differentiation and dysfunction in the periphery. Dicer-deficient Treg lineage cells failed to remain stable as a subset of cells down-regulated the Treg-specific transcription factor, FoxP3, while the majority expressed altered levels of multiple genes and proteins (including Neuropilin 1, GITR and CTLA-4) associated with the Treg fingerprint. In fact, a significant percentage of the Treg lineage cells took on a Th memory phenotype including increased levels of CD127, IL-4, and interferon-g. Importantly, Dicer-deficient Tregs lost suppression activity in vivo; the mice rapidly developed fatal systemic autoimmune disease resembling the FoxP3 knockout phenotype. These results support a central role for miRNAs in maintaining the stability of differentiated Treg function in vivo and homeostasis of the adaptive immune system.
Selective miRNA disruption in T reg cells leads to uncontrolled autoimmunity.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesDifferentiation of human pluripotent stem cells toward definitive endoderm (DE) is the critical first step for generating cells comprising organs such as the gut, liver, pancreas and lung. This in-vitro differentiation process generates a heterogeneous population with a proportion of cells failing to differentiate properly and maintaining expression of pluripotency factors such as Oct4. RNA-sequencing of single cells collected at four time points during a 4-day DE differentiation identified high expression of metallothionein genes in the residual Oct4-positive cells that failed to differentiate to DE. Using X-ray fluorescence microscopy and multi-isotope mass spectrometry, we discovered that high intracellular zinc level corresponds with persistent Oct4 expression and failure to differentiate. We further show that differentiation-arrested phenotype is inversely correlated with zinc concentration in the differentiation media. This study improves our understanding of in-vitro DE differentiation and provides actionable options to improve DE differentiation efficiency. Overall design: RNA-sequencing of 329 single cells collected at four time points during a 4-day DE differentiation to identify mechanisms leading to cellular heterogeneity during differentiation
Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals metallothionein heterogeneity during hESC differentiation to definitive endoderm.
Specimen part, Subject, Time
View SamplesWe used RNA sequencing to profile over 70 transcriptomes of CD4+ T cells, a cell type crucial for Coeliac Disease CD pathogenesis, in both stimulated and resting samples from individuals with CD and unaffected controls The data gave us the opportunity to (i) compare gene expression between cases and controls; (ii) specifically assess whether genes that have been genetically associated with the disease were being DE; (iii) and also look for known and novel aspects of pathogenesis in the transcriptome of this specific cellular compartment. Overall design: RNA sequencing was performed on mRNA extracted from the CD4+ T cells of 15 Coeliac patients and 11 Controls that had been stimulated with anti-CD3/anti-CD28, PMA and left unstimulated. In total we sequenced 74 transcriptome samples using 50bp reads on an Illumina HiSeqâ„¢ 2000.
Transcriptome Analysis of CD4+ T Cells in Coeliac Disease Reveals Imprint of BACH2 and IFNγ Regulation.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesAffymetrix HuGene ST 1.0 microarrays were used to study and compare gene expression in peripheral blood CD8+ T cells of human patients with Acute Infectious Mononucleosis (AIM; acute EBV infection) and during convalescence (CONV; 6-12 months after AIM visit). Blood samples were drawn from ten human patients with AIM and again during their covalescence (CONV). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated and cryopreserved. Paired AIM and CONV samples were thawed and CD8+ T cells purified with magnetic beads. RNA was isolated and processed for hybridization according to the Affymetrix protocol
A Gene Expression Signature That Correlates with CD8+ T Cell Expansion in Acute EBV Infection.
Specimen part, Disease stage
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