Background: COPD is currently the fourth leading cause of death worldwide and predicted to rank third by 2020. Statins are commonly used lipid lowering agents with documented benefits on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, and have also been shown to have pleiotropic effects including anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant activity. Objective: Identify a gene signature associated with statin use in the blood of COPD patients, and identify molecular mechanisms and pathways underpinning this signature that could explain any potential benefits in COPD. Methods: Whole blood gene expression was measured on 168 statin users and 452 non-users from the ECLIPSE (Evaluation of COPD Longitudinally to Identify Predictive Surrogate Endpoints) study. Gene expression was measured using the Affymetrix Human Gene 1.1 ST microarray chips. Factor Analysis for Robust Microarray Summarization (FARMS) was used to process the expression data and to filter out non-informative probe sets. Differential gene expression analysis was undertaken using the Linear Models for Microarray data (Limma) package adjusting for propensity score and employing a surrogate variable analysis. Similarity of the expression signal with published gene expression profiles was performed in ProfileChaser. Results: 18 genes were differentially expressed between statin users and non-users at a false discovery rate of 10%. Top genes included LDLR, ABCA1, ABCG1, MYLIP, SC4MOL, and DHCR24. The 18 genes were significantly enriched in pathways and biological processes related to cholesterol homeostasis and metabolism, and were enriched for transcription factor binding sites for sterol regulatory element binding protein 2 (SREBP-2). The resulting gene signature showed correlation with Huntington disease, Parkinsons disease and acute myeloid leukemia. Conclusion: Statins gene signature was not enriched in any pathways related to respiratory diseases, beyond the drugs effect on cholesterol homeostasis.
The Effect of Statins on Blood Gene Expression in COPD.
Sex, Age, Disease
View SamplesThe study analyzes analyzes gene expression changes in the ankle joint in mouse TNFa overexpression models with or without sphingosine kinase 1 activity.
Genetic sphingosine kinase 1 deficiency significantly decreases synovial inflammation and joint erosions in murine TNF-alpha-induced arthritis.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesHedgehog (Hh) signaling is critical for organogenesis, tissue homeostasis, and stem cell maintenance. Smoothened (SMO), the primary effector of Hh signaling, is expressed ectopically in human breast cancer, as well as in other cancers. Constitutive activation of SMO in mouse mammary glands leads to paracrine stimulation of proliferation, as well as hyperplasia. In canonical signaling, SMO functions via GLI transcription factor activation. However, recent data from Drosophila and mammalian cell lines indicate that SMO can function non-canonically as a G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) by coupling to heterotrimeric G proteins, particularly those in the pertussis toxin (PTX)-sensitive G-alpha-i (Gai) class. Whether SMO functions as a GPCR in mammalian tissues in vivo is not known. Using genetically modified mouse models, we demonstrate here that SMO-induced stimulation of proliferation is PTX sensitive, and requires Gai2, but not Gai1 or Gai3. Our findings provide evidence for a non-canonical GPCR function of activated SMO in vivo, a finding that may have clinical significance given that most SMO-targeted agents were selected based largely on their ability to block canonical GLI-mediated transcription. Overall design: Primary mammary epithelial cell RNA was deep-sequenced from mT-mG/SmoM2;MMTV-Cre (EGFP), mT-mG/SmoM2;MMTV-Cre (tdTomato), and mT-mG/SmoM2;+ cells to examine the effects of SmoM2 overexpression in the mammary gland.
An essential role for Gα(i2) in Smoothened-stimulated epithelial cell proliferation in the mammary gland.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesPersistent severe asthma is associated with hyper-contractile airways and structural changes in the airway wall, including an increased airway smooth muscle (ASM) mass. This study used gene expression profiles from asthmatic and healthy airway smooth muscle cells grown in culture to identify novel receptors and pathways that potentially contributed to asthma pathogenesis.
Latrophilin receptors: novel bronchodilator targets in asthma.
Sex, Disease, Treatment
View SamplesThe goal of this study was to investigate the role of intragenic CTCF in alternative pre-mRNA splicing through a combined CTCF-ChIP-seq and RNA-seq approach. CTCF depletion led to decreased inclusion of weak upstream exons. Overall design: CTCF ChIP-seq was performed in BJAB and BL41 B cell lines and normalized relative to Rabbit Ig control IP-seq reads. RNA-seq was performed in BJAB and BL41 cells transduced with shRNA against CTCF or RFP as a control, and in untransduced cells as well.
CTCF-promoted RNA polymerase II pausing links DNA methylation to splicing.
Cell line, Subject
View SamplesControl and Liver Insulin Receptor KO mice (LIRKO) were sacrificed in the non-fasted state. RNA was prepared from liver samples and subjected to expression microarray analysis
Flavin-containing monooxygenase 3 as a potential player in diabetes-associated atherosclerosis.
Specimen part
View SamplesPrevalence and severity of allergic diseases have increased worldwide. To date, respiratory allergy phenotypes are not fully characterized and, in addition, the mechanisms underlying sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) are still unknown.
Exploring novel systemic biomarker approaches in grass-pollen sublingual immunotherapy using omics.
Specimen part, Treatment, Time
View SamplesPrevalence and severity of allergic diseases have increased worldwide. To date, respiratory allergy phenotypes are not fully characterized and, along with inflammation progression, treatment is increasingly complex and expensive. Profilin sensitization constitutes a good model to study the progression of allergic inflammation.
Multi-omics analysis points to altered platelet functions in severe food-associated respiratory allergy.
Specimen part
View SamplesThis SuperSeries is composed of the SubSeries listed below.
The effects of EBV transformation on gene expression levels and methylation profiles.
Sex, Specimen part, Subject
View SamplesEpstein-Barr virus (EBV) transformed lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) are a widely used renewable resource for functional genomic studies in humans. The ability to accumulate multidimensional data pertaining to the same individual cell lines, from complete genomic sequences to detailed gene regulatory profiles, further enhances the utility of LCLs as a model system. However, the extent to which LCLs are a faithful model system is relatively unknown. We have previously shown that gene expression profiles of newly established LCLs maintain a strong individual component. Here, we extend our study to investigate the effect of freeze-thaw cycles on gene expression patterns in mature LCLs, especially in the context of inter-individual variation in gene regulation. We found a profound difference in the gene expression profiles of newly established and mature LCLs. Once newly established LCLs undergo a freeze-thaw cycle, the individual specific gene expression signatures become much less pronounced as the gene regulatory programs in LCLs from different individuals converge to a more uniform profile, which reflects a mature transformed B cell phenotype. As expected, previously identified eQTLs are enriched among the relatively few genes whose regulations in mature LCLs maintain marked individual signatures. We thus conclude that findings and insight drawn from gene regulatory studies in mature LCLs are generally not affected by artificial nature of the LCL model system and are likely to faithfully reflect regulatory interactions in primary tissues. However, our data indicate that many aspects of primary B cell biology cannot be observed and studied in mature LCL cultures.
The effect of freeze-thaw cycles on gene expression levels in lymphoblastoid cell lines.
Sex, Specimen part
View Samples