Osteoarthritis (OA) of the hand is a common disease resulting in pain and impaired function. The pathogenesis of hand OA (HOA) is elusive and models to study it have not been described so far. Culture of chondrocytes is a model to study the development of cartilage degeneration, which is a hallmark of OA and well established in OA of the knee and hip. In the current study we investigated the feasibility human chondrocyte culture derived from proximal interphalangeal (PIP) finger joints of dissecting room cadavers. Index and middle fingers without signs of osteoarthritis were obtained from 30 cadavers using two different protocols. Hyaline cartilage from both articulating surfaces of the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint was harvested and digested in collagenase. Cultured chondrocytes were monitored for contamination, viability, and expression of chondrocyte specific genes. Chondrocytes derived from knee joints of the cadavers were cultured under identical conditions. Gene expression comparing chondrocytes from PIP and knee joints was carried out using Affymetrix GeneChip Human 2.0 ST arrays. The resulting differentially expressed genes were validated by real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry.Chondrocytes harvested up to 101 hours after death of the donors were viable. mRNA expression of collagen 2A1, aggrecan and Sox9 was significantly higher in chondrocytes as compared to cultured fibroblasts. Comparison of gene expression by chondrocytes from PIP and knee joints yielded 528 differentially expressed genes. Chondrocytes from the same joint region had a higher grade of similarity than chondrocytes of the same individual. These results were validated using real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry.We demonstrate for the first time a reliable method for culture of chondrocytes derived from PIP joints. PIP chondrocytes show a specific gene expression pattern and could be used as tool to study cartilage degeneration in HOA.
Chondrocyte cultures from human proximal interphalangeal finger joints.
Sex, Specimen part
View SamplesSomatic mutations in calreticulin (CALR) are present in approximately 40% of patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN). However, the mechanism by which mutant CALR is oncogenic is unknown. Here, we demonstrate that a megakaryocytic-specific MPN phenotype is induced when mutant CALR is over-expressed in mice and that the thrombopoietin receptor, MPL is required for mutant CALR driven transformation. Whole transcriptome analysis reveals enrichment of STAT signatures in mutant CALR transformed cells and JAK2 inhibitor treatment abrogates STAT activation. Employing extensive mutagenesis-based structure-function analysis we demonstrate that the positively charged amino acids within the mutant CALR C-terminus are required for cellular transformation through facilitating physical interaction between mutant CALR and MPL. Together, our findings elucidate a novel mechanism of cancer pathogenesis. Overall design: Transcriptomes derived from BA/F3-MPL cells transformed with human wild-type CALR, human mutant CALR 52bp del, or Empty vector, at time zero (t0) and 24 hours (t24) after IL3-withdrawal culture were generated by deep sequencing, two replicas, by HiSeq2000.
Mutant Calreticulin Requires Both Its Mutant C-terminus and the Thrombopoietin Receptor for Oncogenic Transformation.
Cell line, Subject
View SamplesThe transcription factor farnesoid X receptor (FXR) governs bile acid and energy homeostasis, is involved in inflammation, and has protective functions in the liver. In the present study we investigated the effect of Fxr deficiency in mouse precision cut liver slices (PCLS) exposed to a model hepatotoxicant cyclosporin A (CsA). It was anticipated that Fxr deficiency could aggravate toxicity of CsA in PCLS and pinpoint to novel genes/processes regulated by FXR.
Cyclosporin A induced toxicity in mouse liver slices is only slightly aggravated by Fxr-deficiency and co-occurs with upregulation of pro-inflammatory genes and downregulation of genes involved in mitochondrial functions.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesERRa and ERRg are essential transcriptional regulators of cardiac metabolism and functions. Here we extend our previous studies by analyzing the transcriptome changes in ERRa/ERRg KO hearts Overall design: RNA from 16-day-old mouse hearts were used. 2-3 mice per sample, 2 samples per genotype, 4 genotypes (aHetgWT, aHetgKO, aKOgWT, aKOgKO)
Single-nucleus transcriptomic survey of cell diversity and functional maturation in postnatal mammalian hearts.
Specimen part, Cell line, Subject
View SamplesA summary of the work associated to these microarrays is the following:
Role of caveolin 1, E-cadherin, Enolase 2 and PKCalpha on resistance to methotrexate in human HT29 colon cancer cells.
Specimen part, Cell line
View SamplesTo elucidate the molecular pathways that modulate renal cyst growth in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD)
Systems biology of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD): computational identification of gene expression pathways and integrated regulatory networks.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesPyrazinamide (PZA) is one of the first line antibiotics used for the treatment of tuberculosis (TB). we have used human monocyte and a mouse model of pulmonary TB to investigate whether treatment with PZA, in addition to its known anti-mycobacterial properties, modulate the host immune response during Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection.
Host targeted activity of pyrazinamide in Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection.
Specimen part, Treatment, Time
View SamplesThe receptor-interacting protein-associated ICH-1/CED-3 homologous protein with a death domain (Raidd) functions as a dual adaptor protein due to its bipartite nature, and is therefore thought to be a constituent of different multiprotein complexes including the PIDDosome, where it connects the cell death-related protease, Caspase-2, with the p53-induced protein with a death domain 1 (Pidd1). As such, Raidd has been implicated in DNA-damage-induced apoptosis as well as in tumor suppression, the latter based on its role as a direct activator of Caspase-2, known to delay lymphomagenesis caused by overexpression of c-Myc or loss of ATM kinase. As loss of Caspase-2 leads to an acceleration of tumor onset in the E-Myc mouse model we set out to interrogate the role of Raidd in this process in more detail. Our data obtained analyzing E-Myc/Raidd-/- mice indicate that Raidd is unable to protect from c-MYC-driven lymphomagenesis. Similarly, we failed to observe an effect of Raidd-deficiency on thymic lymphomagenesis induced by y-irradiation or fibrosarcoma development driven by 3-methylcholanthrene. The role of Caspase-2 as a tumor suppressor can therefore be uncoupled from its ability to interact and auto-activate upon binding to Raidd. Further, we provide supportive evidence that the tumor suppressive role of Caspase-2 is related to maintaining genomic integrity and allowing efficient p53-mediated signaling. Overall, our findings suggest that Raidd, although described to be the key-adapter allowing activation of the tumor suppressor Caspase-2, fails to suppress tumorigenesis in vivo.
The tumor-modulatory effects of Caspase-2 and Pidd1 do not require the scaffold protein Raidd.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesMotivation and design: Renal tubulointerstitial injury is an important determinant of chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression, yet treatment is limited to renin angiotensin system blockade. Accordingly, we performed global expression profiling in a 2 × 2 factorial design (N = 8 in each group) on RNA extracted from male Col4a3–/– mice and littermate controls on a 129X1/SvJ background at 4 and 7 weeks of age. Col4a3–/– mice have a mutation in the gene encoding the α3 chain of type IV collagen, associated with proteinuria and progressive loss of kidney function. We analyzed expression with Affymetrix GeneChip Mouse Gene 2.0 ST Arrays and derived a novel CKD progression signature based on aging and disease in Col4a3–/– mice. Using our progression signature, we sought to repurpose existing drugs for the treatment of progressive CKD.
Connectivity mapping of a chronic kidney disease progression signature identified lysine deacetylases as novel therapeutic targets.
Sex, Age, Specimen part
View SamplesThe adaptor protein LNK (SH2B3) has emerged as an important protein in regulating B cell development B cell leukemia. Loss-of-function mutations in LNK (SH2B3) are found in Philadelphia chromosomelike acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph-like ALL), but how LNK regulates normal B cell development or promotes leukemogenesis remains unclear. We found that combined loss of Lnk and tumor suppressors Tp53 in mice triggers a highly aggressive and transplantable precursor B-ALL. This study aims to investigate the molecular mechanism by which LNK regulates B-ALL development. We performed expression profiling of bone marrow proB progenitors from WT, Tp53-/-, Lnk-/- and preleukemic healthy Tp53/Lnk double knockout (DKO) mice, as well as leukemic bone marrow cells from DKO mice that have developed B-ALL. Results suggest that Tp53-/-Lnk-/- B-ALLs display similar gene expression profiles to human Ph-like B-ALLs, suggesting this model for preclinical and molecular studies.
LNK/SH2B3 regulates IL-7 receptor signaling in normal and malignant B-progenitors.
Specimen part, Disease, Disease stage
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