3 pairs of wt and ClC-6 knockout mice, RNA from p14 hippocampus
Lysosomal storage disease upon disruption of the neuronal chloride transport protein ClC-6.
Sex, Age, Specimen part, Subject, Time
View SamplesIntegration of the HIV-1 provirus in the host genome ensures a persistent supply of latently infected cells. This latent reservoir is recalcitrant to antiretroviral therapy (ART) making lifelong treatment the only option for patients. The “shock and kill” strategy aims to eradicate latent HIV by reactivating proviral gene expression followed by ART treatment. Gene specific transcriptional activation can be achieved using the RNA-guided CRISPR-Cas9 system comprising small guide RNAs (sgRNAs) with a nuclease deficient Cas9 mutant (dCas9) fused to the VP64 transactivation domain (dCas9-VP64). We engineered this system to target 23 sites within the LTR promoter of HIV-1 and identified a “hotspot” for activation. We studied the functionality of activating sgRNAs to transcriptionally modulate the latent proviral genome across multiple different in vitro latency cell models including several J-Lat, ACH2 J1.1 and the CEM T cell model comprising a single clonal population of integrated mCherry-IRES-Tat from a full-length HIV LTR (LChIT). While we observed variable responses of latent cell models to well-characterized chemical stimuli, we detected consistent efficient activation of latent virus mediated by activator sgRNAs. In addition, transcriptome analysis of chemically treated cells revealed massive non-specific gene dysregulation whereas by comparison, dCas9-VP64/sgRNAs induced specific activation of the integrated provirus. In conclusion, we show the potential for CRISPR-mediated gene activation systems to provide enhanced efficiency and specificity in a targeted latency reactivation strategy. This represents a promising approach to a “functional cure” of HIV/AIDS. Overall design: Three experimental conditions (sgRNA control, TNF treated and sgRNA against the LTR of HIV-1) were analyzed in triplicate using two sequencing lanes
Potent and Targeted Activation of Latent HIV-1 Using the CRISPR/dCas9 Activator Complex.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesUlcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the colon with preiods of active disease followed by remission.
Transcriptional analysis of the intestinal mucosa of patients with ulcerative colitis in remission reveals lasting epithelial cell alterations.
Sex, Age, Treatment
View SamplesPurpose: The goal of this study is to identify host genes whose expression is perturbed in primary CD4+ T cells by histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors (HDACi) SAHA and RMD, which have different potencies and specificities for various HDACs. The study aims to evaluate the effects of SAHA and RMD that may promote or inhibit reactivation of HIV provirus out of latency. Methods: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were collected from 4 HIV-seronegative donors. CD4+ T cells were isolated and utilized to generate an in vitro model of latent HIV infection (model developed in the Spina laboratory and previously described in Spina et al., 2013). Mock-infected cells were cultured in parallel to evaluate effects of SAHA and RMD that may be dependent on the exposure of cells to virus. Following generation of the model, cells were treated with SAHA, RMD or their solvent dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) for 24 hours. Mock-infected cells were treated in parallel. The experiment had 4 biological replicates, 6 conditions for each, for a total of 24 samples. ERCC spikes (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.) were added to cell lysates based on cell number in each sample (10 ul of 1:800 dilution per million cells). Mix 1 was used for DMSO- and mix 2 for SAHA- and RMD-treated cells. After all samples were collected, RNA was extracted and subjected to deep sequencing by Expression Analysis, Inc. Sequence reads that passed quality filters were mapped using Tophat (human genome) or Bowtie (ERCC spikes and HIV) and counted using HTSeq. ERCC spikes with the same concentration in mixes 1 and 2 were utilized to remove unwanted technical variation. Any human gene which did not achieve at least 1 count per million reads in at least 4 samples or any ERCC that did not achieve at least 5 reads in at least 4 samples was discarded. Differential gene expression analysis was performed using library EdgeR in Bioconductor R. National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) HIV-1 Human Interaction Database was then searched for genes that have been implicated in controlling HIV latency. EdgeR output was used to extract expression information of the genes of interest from the NCBI database to identify genes implicated in HIV latency that were modulated by SAHA and RMD. The resulting lists were manually curated to verify relevance to HIV latency, using the Description column of the NCBI database, as well as available PubMed references. Results: Using a custom built data analysis pipeline, ~100 million reads per sample were mapped to the human genome (build hg38). After applying filtering criteria, 16058 human transcripts, 19 ERCC spikes transcripts, and HIV NL4-3 transcripts were identified with the Tophat/Bowtie and HTSeq workflow. Differential expression analysis was performed between SAHA or RMD-treated and DMSO-treated cells. In addition, differential modulation of gene expression by SAHA and RMD in the model of HIV latency and mock-infected cells was assessed using EdgeR. In mock-infected cells, SAHA upregulated 3,971 genes and downregulated 2,940 genes; RMD upregulated 5,068 genes and downregulated 4,050 genes. In the model of HIV latency, SAHA upregulated 3,498 genes and downregulated 2,904 genes; RMD upregulated 5,116 genes and downregulated 4,053 genes (FDR < 0.05). SAHA modulated 6, and RMD 11 genes differentially between mock-infected cells and the model of HIV latency. Following search of the NCBI HIV-1 Human Interaction Database, 27 genes upregulated and 29 downregulated in common between SAHA and RMD were found to be relevant to regulation of HIV latency; 31 were up- and 32 downregulated by RMD only; and 6 were up- and 2 were downregulated by SAHA only. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that SAHA and RMD, which have different potencies and specificities for HDACs, modulate a set of overlapping genes implicated in regulation of HIV latency. Some of these genes may be explored as additional host targets for improving the outcomes of “shock and kill” strategies. Overall design: Transcriptomic profiling of the in vitro model of HIV latency and mock-infected cells treated with SAHA, RMD or the solvent DMSO (N=4 donors) by deep sequencing at Expression Analysis, Inc.
Long non-coding RNAs and latent HIV - A search for novel targets for latency reversal.
Specimen part, Treatment, Subject
View SamplesCrohn's Disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the intestinal tract.
Identification of inflammatory mediators in patients with Crohn's disease unresponsive to anti-TNFα therapy.
Sex, Age, Specimen part, Subject
View SamplesNeuroblastoma (NB) is a neoplasm of the sympathetic nervous system, and is the most common solid tumor of infancy. NBs are very heterogeneous, with a clinical course ranging from spontaneous regression to resistance to all current forms of treatment. High-risk patients need intense chemotherapy, and only 30-40% will be cured. Relapsed or metastatic tumors acquire multi-drug resistance, raising the need for alternative treatments. Owing to the diverse mechanisms that are responsible of NB chemoresistance, we aimed to target epigenetic factors that control multiple pathways to bypass therapy resistance. We found that the SWI/SNF-related, matrix-associated, actin- dependent regulator of chromatin, subfamily a, member 4 (SMARCA4/BRG1) was consistently upregulated in advanced stages of NB, with high BRG1 levels being indicative of poor outcome. Loss-of-function experiments in vitro and in vivo showed that BRG1 is essential for the proliferation of NB cells. Furthermore, whole genome transcriptome analysis revealed that BRG1 controls the expression of key elements of oncogenic pathways such as PI3K/AKT and BCL2, which offers a promising new combination therapy for high-risk NB
BRG1/SMARCA4 is essential for neuroblastoma cell viability through modulation of cell death and survival pathways.
Cell line
View SamplesThe transcriptional signature of mucosa of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) in remission reveals long-lasting changes in the epithelial barrier which persist once the inflammatory response has resolved. In order to investigate if these changes are caused by primary defects in the epithelial cells, we generated in vitro epithelial organoid cultures (EpOCs) from colon samples of non-IBD controls and UC patients.
Alterations in the epithelial stem cell compartment could contribute to permanent changes in the mucosa of patients with ulcerative colitis.
Age, Specimen part
View SamplesCrohn's Disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the intestinal tract.
Commensal-Specific CD4(+) Cells From Patients With Crohn's Disease Have a T-Helper 17 Inflammatory Profile.
Sex, Age, Disease, Subject
View SamplesThe type III RNase Dicer is responsible for the maturation and function of microRNA (miRNA) molecules in the cell. It is now well documented that Dicer and the fine-tuning of the miRNA gene network are important for neuronal integrity. However, the underlying mechanisms involved in neuronal death, particularly in the adult brain, remain poorly defined. Here, we show that absence of Dicer in the adult forebrain is accompanied by a mixed neurodegenerative phenotype. While neuronal loss is observed in the hippocampus, cellular shrinkage is predominant in the cortex. Interestingly, neuronal degeneration coincides with the hyperphosphorylation of endogenous tau at several epitopes previously associated with neurofibrillary pathology. Transcriptome analysis of enzymes involved in tau phosphorylation identified ERK1 as one of the candidate kinases responsible for this event in vivo. We further demonstrate that miRNAs belonging to the miR-15 family are potent regulators of ERK1 expression in mouse neuronal cells and co-expressed with ERK1/2 in vivo. Last, we show that miR-15a is specifically downregulated in Alzheimers disease brain. In sum, these results support the hypothesis that changes in the miRNA network may contribute to a neurodegenerative phenotype by affecting tau phosphorylation.
Genetic ablation of Dicer in adult forebrain neurons results in abnormal tau hyperphosphorylation and neurodegeneration.
Specimen part
View SamplesUlcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the colon with preiods of active disease followed by remission.
Usefulness of Transcriptional Blood Biomarkers as a Non-invasive Surrogate Marker of Mucosal Healing and Endoscopic Response in Ulcerative Colitis.
Sex, Age, Specimen part, Disease stage, Treatment
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