The transition of regularly cycling endometrium from the proliferative or Estrogen-dominant phase of the menstrual cycle to the Progesterone-dominant Early and Mid Secretory phases requires wide-spread changes in gene expression that shift the endometrium from a proliferative capacity to a differentiated 'decidual' phenotype in preparation for implantation. This process appears delayed in women with severe endometriosis, suggestive of a progesterone resistant endometrium in this disease.
Gene expression analysis of endometrium reveals progesterone resistance and candidate susceptibility genes in women with endometriosis.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesIntrinsic abnormalities in transplanted eutopic endometrium are believed to contribute to the pathogenesis of pelvic endometriosis. Herein, we investigated transcriptomic differences in human endometrial stromal fibroblasts (hESF) from women with (hESFendo) versus without (hESFnon-endo) endometriosis, in response to activation of the PKA pathway with 8-Br-cAMP. hESFnon-endo (n=4) and hESFendo (mild endometriosis, n=4) were isolated from eutopic endometrium and treated +/- 0.5mM 8-Br-cAMP for 96 hours. Purified total RNA was subjected to microarray analysis using the whole genome Gene 1.0 ST Affymetrix platform. 733 genes were regulated in cAMP-treated hESFnon-endo versus 172 genes in hESFendo, suggesting a blunted response to cAMP/PKA pathway activation in women with disease. Real-time PCR and ELISA validated the decreased expression of decidualization markers in hESFendo compared to hESFnon-endo. In the absence of disease, 8-Br-cAMP down-regulated progression through the cell-cycle due to a decrease in Cyclin D1, cyclin-dependent kinase 6 and cell division cycle 2, and an increase in cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1A. However, cell cycle components in hESFendo were not responsive to 8-Br-cAMP, resulting in persistence of a proliferative phenotype. hESFendo treated with 8-Br-cAMP exhibited altered expression of immune response, extracellular matrix, cytoskeleton, and apoptosis genes. Changes in phosphodiesterase expression and activity were not different among experimental groups. Thus, eutopic hESF with increased proliferative potential may seed the pelvic cavity via retrograde menstruation and promote establishment, survival, and proliferation of endometriosis lesions, independent of hydrolysis of cAMP and likely due to an inherent abnormality in the PKA pathway in the presence of disease.
The protein kinase A pathway-regulated transcriptome of endometrial stromal fibroblasts reveals compromised differentiation and persistent proliferative potential in endometriosis.
Specimen part, Disease, Treatment
View SamplesEndometriosis, an estrogen-dependent, progesterone-resistant, inflammatory disorder affects 10% of reproductive-age women. It is diagnosed and staged at surgery, resulting in an 11-year latency from symptom onset to diagnosis, underscoring the need for less invasive, less expensive approaches. Since the uterine lining (endometrium) in women with endometriosis has altered molecular profiles, we tested whether molecular classification of this tissue can distinguish and stage disease. We developed classifiers using genomic data from n=148 archived endometrial samples from women with endometriosis or without endometriosis (normal controls or with other common uterine/pelvic pathologies) across the menstrual cycle and evaluated their performance on independent sample sets. Classifiers were trained separately on samples in specific hormonal milieu, using margin tree classification, and accuracies were scored on independent validation samples. Classification of samples from women with endometriosis or no endometriosis involved two binary decisions each based on expression of specific genes. These first distinguished presence or absence of uterine/pelvic pathology and then no endometriosis from endometriosis, with the latter further classified according to severity (minimal/mild or moderate/severe). Best performing classifiers identified endometriosis with 90-100% accuracy, were cycle phase-specific or independent, and utilized relatively few genes to determine disease and severity. Differential gene expression and pathway analyses revealed immune activation, altered steroid and thyroid hormone signaling/metabolism and growth factor signaling in endometrium of women with endometriosis. Similar findings were observed with other disorders versus controls. Thus, classifier analysis of genomic data from endometrium can detect and stage pelvic endometriosis with high accuracy, dependent or independent of hormonal milieu. We propose that limited classifier candidate-genes are of high value in developing diagnostics and identifying therapeutic targets. Discovery of endometrial molecular differences in the presence of endometriosis and other uterine/pelvic pathologies raises the broader biological question of their impact on the steroid hormone response and normal functions of this tissue.
Molecular classification of endometriosis and disease stage using high-dimensional genomic data.
Specimen part
View SamplesTo examine the possibility that biochemical or molecular signatures of endometrium may prove to be more useful, we have investigated whole genome molecular phenotyping (54,600 genes/ESTs) of this tissue sampled across the cycle in 28 normo-ovulatory women, using high-density oligonucleotide microarrays. The results demonstrate that endometrial samples obtained by two different sampling techniques (biopsy and curetting hysterectomy specimens) from subjects who are as normal as possible in a human study and 4 including those with unknown histology, can be classified by their molecular signatures and correspond to known phases of the menstrual cycle with identical results using two independent analytical methods. Also, the results enable global identification of biological processes and molecular mechanisms that occur dynamically in the endometrium in the changing steroid hormone milieu across the menstrual cycle in normo-ovulatory women. The results underscore the potential of gene expression profiling for developing molecular diagnostics of endometrial normalcy and abnormalities and identifying molecular targets for therapeutic purposes in endometrial disorders.
Molecular phenotyping of human endometrium distinguishes menstrual cycle phases and underlying biological processes in normo-ovulatory women.
Age
View SamplesHerein, we investigated eMSC and eSF freshly isolated from endometrium from women with and without endometriosis and compared them to their respective short- and long-term cultures and subsequent decidualization response to progesterone.
Human Endometrial Fibroblasts Derived from Mesenchymal Progenitors Inherit Progesterone Resistance and Acquire an Inflammatory Phenotype in the Endometrial Niche in Endometriosis.
Age, Specimen part, Disease
View SamplesMacrophage expressed gene 1 (MPEG1) encodes an evolutionary conserved protein with a predicted Membrane Attack Complex/Perforin domain associated with host defence against invading pathogens. In vertebrates, MPEG1 is an integral membrane protein of macrophages, but how it contributes to the macrophage defence mechanisms remains unknown. Zebrafish have three copies of MPEG1, two of which (mpeg1 and mpeg1.2) are expressed in macrophages whereas the third could be a pseudogene. The mpeg1 and mpeg1.2 genes show differential regulation during infection of zebrafish embryos with the bacterial pathogens, Mycobacterium marinum and Salmonella typhimurium. While mpeg1 is down-regulated during infection with both pathogens, mpeg1.2 is infection inducible. Up-regulation of mpeg1.2 is partially dependent on the presence of functional Mpeg1, and requires the Toll-like receptor adaptor molecule MyD88 and transcription factor NF?B. Knockdown of mpeg1 alters the immune response to M. marinum infection and results in increased bacterial burden. In S. typhimurium infection, both mpeg1 and mpeg1.2 knockdown increase bacterial burdens, but mpeg1 morphants show an increased survival rate. The combined results of these two in vivo infection models support the anti-bacterial function of the Mpeg1 family and indicate that the intricate cross-regulation of the two mpeg1 copies aids the zebrafish host in combatting infection Overall design: Embryos were injected at the one cell stage with a morpholino targeting mpeg1, or with the standard control morpholino from GeneTools, or with a morpholino targeting ptpn6 (Kanwal et al., 2013, J. Immunol 190:1631-45) for comparison. Subsequently, at 24 hours post fertilisation (hpf) the morphants and their controls were manually dechorionated at 24 hpf and at 28 hpf they were infected by injecting 200 colony forming units of M. marinum Mma20 into the caudal vein, or mock-injected with PBS/2%PVP. After injections embryos were transferred into fresh egg water containing 0.003% 1-phenyl-2-thiourea (Sigma-Aldrich) to prevent melanisation and incubated for 4 days at 28°C. After the incubation period, infected and uninfected morphants, mutants and their controls were imaged and groups of 30 embryos were snap-frozen in liquid nitrogen and RNA was isolated for Illumina RNAseq analysis.
Macrophage-expressed perforins mpeg1 and mpeg1.2 have an anti-bacterial function in zebrafish.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesMyD88 is an adaptor protein in Toll-like receptor and interleukin 1 receptor mediated signaling pathways that plays an essential role in activation of immune responses following pathogen recognition. We investigate that role in the zebrafish embryo model by using a zebrafish mutant line that contains a premature stop condon in the gene encoding MyD88, leading to a truncated protein that lacks domains important for its normal function. We infected these MyD88 mutants and wildtype individuals with Mycobacterium marinum to compare the resulting immune response by transcriptome profiling on total RNA isolated from single embryos. Autophagy regulator dram1 was identified as one of the MyD88-dependent genes. Overall design: This RNAseq analysis was used to determine the effect of a truncation of the MyD88 protein on the innate immune response of zebrafish embryos during infection with Mycobacterium marinum. Myd88 mutant and wild type embryos were derived by incrossing homozygous myd88 mutant parents (allele hu3568, van der Vaart et al., 2013, Disease models & mechanisms 6, 841-854) or their wildtype siblings. RNA was isolated from pools of 20 embryos at 4 days post infection (4 dpi). The following treatment groups were used: homozygous mutants mock-injected with PBS/2%PVP 4 dpi, (2) wildtype siblings mock-injected with PBS/2%PVP 4dpi, (3) M. marinum-infected homozygous mutants 4dpi, (4) M. marinum-infected wildtype siblings 4dpi. Embryos were grown at 28.5–30°C in egg water and manually dechorionated at 24 hours post fertilization (hpf). Subsequently, embryos were infected at 28 hpf by micro-injecting 200 colony forming units (CFU) of Mycobacterium marinum Mma20 bacteria into the caudal vein, or were mock-injected with buffer (PBS/2%PVP) as a control. After injections embryos were transferred into fresh egg water and incubated for 4 days at 28°C. After the incubation period, single embryos were snap-frozen in liquid nitrogen and RNA was isolated for RNAseq analysis.
Macrophage-expressed perforins mpeg1 and mpeg1.2 have an anti-bacterial function in zebrafish.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesThis SuperSeries is composed of the SubSeries listed below.
Truncating PREX2 mutations activate its GEF activity and alter gene expression regulation in NRAS-mutant melanoma.
Specimen part
View SamplesPREX2 truncating mutations occur in melanoma. We used microarray based gene expression profiling to compare expression patterns between xenografts harboring control GFP, wt PREX2 or various human relevant PREX2 mutants
Truncating PREX2 mutations activate its GEF activity and alter gene expression regulation in NRAS-mutant melanoma.
Specimen part
View SamplesPREX2 truncating mutations occur in melanoma. We used microarray based gene expression profiling to compare expression patterns between cells harboring Suv420h1 knockout and PREX2 mutant expressing
Truncating PREX2 mutations activate its GEF activity and alter gene expression regulation in NRAS-mutant melanoma.
Specimen part
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