Vitiligo is an acquired depigmentation of the skin inducing a marked alteration of the quality of life of affected individuals. Halting the disease progression and repigmenting the lesional skin represent the two faces of the therapeutic challenge in vitiligo. So far, none of them has been successfully addressed. Oxidative stress and immune system in genetically predisposed individuaLesionalparticipate to the complex pathophysiology of vitiligo. We performed a transcriptome and proteomic analysis on lesional, perilesional and non-depigmented skin of vitiligo patients compared to matched skin controLesionalof healthy subjects. Our results show that the WNT pathway, implicated in melanocytes differentiation, was found to be altered in vitiligo skin. We demonstrated that the oxidative stress decreases WNT expression/activation in keratinocytes and in melanocytes. We developed an ex vivo skin model that remains functional up to 15 days. We then confirmed the decreased activation of the WNT pathway in human skin subjected to oxidative stress. Finally, using pharmacological agents that activate the WNT pathway, we treated the ex vivo depigmented skins from vitiligo patients and successfully induced the differentiation of resident stem celLesionalinto pre-melanocytes supporting further exploration of WNT activators to repigment vitiligo lesions.
Transcriptional Analysis of Vitiligo Skin Reveals the Alteration of WNT Pathway: A Promising Target for Repigmenting Vitiligo Patients.
Specimen part
View SamplesThe advent of human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells enables for the first time the derivation of unlimited numbers of patient-specific stem cells and holds great promise for regenerative medicine. However, realizing the full potential of iPS cells requires robust, precise and safe strategies for their genetic modification. Safe human iPS cell engineering is especially needed for therapeutic applications, as stem cell-based therapies that rely on randomly integrated transgenes pose oncogenic risks. Here we describe a strategy to genetically modify iPS cells from patients with beta-thalassemia in a potentially clinically relevant manner. Our approach is based on the identification and selection of safe harbor sites for transgene expression in the human genome. We show that thalassemia patient iPS cell clones harboring a transgene can be isolated and screened according to chromosomal position. We next demonstrate that iPS cell clones that meet our safe harbor criteria resist silencing and allow for therapeutic levels of beta-globin expression upon erythroid differentiation without perturbation of neighboring gene expression. Combined bioinformatics and functional analyses thus provide a robust and dependable approach for achieving desirable levels of transgene expression from selected chromosomal loci. This approach may be broadly applicable to introducing therapeutic or suicide genes into patient specific iPS cells for use in cell therapy.
Genomic safe harbors permit high β-globin transgene expression in thalassemia induced pluripotent stem cells.
Sex, Specimen part
View SamplesRosacea is a common chronic inflammatory skin disease of unknown etiology. Our knowledge about an involvement of the adaptive immune system is very limited. We performed detailed transcriptome analysis, qRT-PCR, and quantitative immunohistochemistry on facial biopsies of rosacea patients, classified according to their clinical subtype. As controls, we used samples from healthy controls. Our study shows significant activation of the immune system in all subtypes of rosacea, characterizing erythematotelangiectatic rosacea (ETR) already as a disease with significant influx of proinflammatory cells. The T cell response is dominated by Th1/Th17-polarized immune cells, as demonstrated by significant upregulation of IFN or IL-17, for example. Chemokine expression patterns support a Th1/Th17 polarization profile of the T cell response. Macrophages and mast cells are increased in all three subtypes of rosacea, while neutrophils reach a maximum in papulopustular rosacea. Our studies also provide evidence for activation of plasma cells with significant antibody production already in ETR, followed by a crescendo pattern towards phymatous rosacea. In sum, Th1/Th17 polarized inflammation and macrophage infiltration is an underestimated hallmark in all subtypes of rosacea. Therapies directly targeting the Th1/Th17 pathway are promising candidates in the future treatment of this skin disease.
Molecular and Morphological Characterization of Inflammatory Infiltrate in Rosacea Reveals Activation of Th1/Th17 Pathways.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesBackground: First- and third-generation retinoids are the main treatment in acne. Even though efficacious, they lack full selectivity for RAR expressed in the epidermis and infundibulum. Objectives: To characterize the in vitro metabolism and the pharmacology of the novel retinoid trifarotene. Methods: In vitro assays determined efficacy, potency and selectivity on RARs, as well as the activity on the expression of retinoid target genes in human keratinocytes and ex vivo cultured skin. In vivo studies investigated topical comedolytic, anti-inflammatory and depigmenting properties. The trifarotene-induced gene expression profile was investigated in non-lesional skin of acne patients and compared to ex vivo and in vivo models. Finally, the metabolic stability in human keratinocytes and hepatic microsomes was established. Results: Trifarotene is a selective RAR agonist with >20-fold selectivity over RAR and RAR. Trifarotene is active and stable in keratinocytes but rapidly metabolized by human hepatic microsomes, predicting improved safety. In vivo, trifarotene 0.01% applied topically is highly comedolytic and has antiinflammatory and antipigmenting properties. Gene expression studies indicated potent activation of known retinoid-modulated processes (epidermal differentiation, proliferation, stress response, RA metabolism) and novel pathways (proteolysis, transport/skin hydration, cell adhesion) in ex vivo and in vivo models, as well as in human skin after four weeks of topical application of trifarotene 0.005% cream. Conclusion: Based on its RAR selectivity, rapid degradation in human hepatic microsomes and pharmacological properties including potent modulation of epidermal processes, topical treatment with trifarotene is expected to provide strong efficacy combined with a favourable safety profile in acne and ichthyotic disorders.
Nonclinical and human pharmacology of the potent and selective topical retinoic acid receptor-γ agonist trifarotene.
Specimen part
View SamplesThe strength of T cell stimulation determines IL-7 responsiveness, recall potential and lineage commitment of primed human CD4+IL-7Rhi T cells
The strength of T cell stimulation determines IL-7 responsiveness, secondary expansion, and lineage commitment of primed human CD4+IL-7Rhi T cells.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesObesity has been shown to increase risk for cardiovascular disease and type-2 diabetes. In addition, it has been implicated in aggravation of neurological conditions such as Alzheimer's. In the model organism Drosophila melanogaster, a physiological state mimicking diet-induced obesity can be induced by subjecting fruit flies to a solid medium disproportionately higher in sugar than protein (HSD) or that has been supplemented with a rich source of saturated fat (HFD). These flies can exhibit increased circulating glucose levels, increased triglyceride content, insulin-like peptide resistance, and behavior indicative of neurological decline, such as decreased climbing ability. We subjected Oregon-R-C flies to variants of the HSD, HFD, or normal (control) diet (ND), followed by a total RNA extraction from fly heads of each diet group for the purpose of Poly-A selected RNA-Sequencing. We targeted at least 50 million paired-end, stranded reads of 75 basepairs in size, and analyzed 4 biological replicates per dietary condition. Our objective was to identify the effects of obesogenic diets on transcriptome patterns, how they differed between obesogenic diets, and identify genes that may relate to pathogenesis accompanying an obesity-like state. Functional annotation and enrichment analysis among genes whose expression was significantly affected by the obesogenic diets indicated an overrepresentation of genes associated with immunity, metabolism, and hemocyanin in the HFD group, and CHK, cell cycle activity, and DNA binding and transcription in the HSD group. Heat map representation of genes affected by both diets illustrated a large fraction of differentially expressed genes between the two diet groups. Diets high in sugar and diets high in fat both have notableeffects on the Drosophila transcriptome in head tissue. The impacted genes, and how they may relate to pathogenesis in the Drosophila obesity-like state, warrant further experimental investigation. Our results also indicate differences in the effects of the HFD and HSD on expression profiles in head tissue of Oregon-R-C flies, despite the reportedly similar phenotypic impacts of the diets. Overall design: Flies were reared on one of three diets (high fat, high sugar, or normal). 6 replicates, with twenty flies each, from each diet treatment were collected for a total of 18 samples. The heads of the flies were then obtained, and RNA extracted from each of those samples. 4 of the RNA samples from each diet group (12 samples total) were sequenced.
RNA-Sequencing of <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i> Head Tissue on High-Sugar and High-Fat Diets.
Specimen part, Subject
View SamplesDendritic cells (DCs) and macrophages (MPs) are important for immunological homeostasis in the colon. We found that F4/80hi CX3CR1hi (CD11b+CD103-) cells account for 80% of mouse colonic lamina propria (cLP) MHC-IIhi cells. Both CD11c+ and CD11c- cells within this population were identified as MPs based on multiple criteria, including a MP transcriptome revealed by microarray analysis. These MPs constitutively released high levels of IL-10 at least partially in response to the microbiota via an MyD88-independent mechanism. In contrast, cells expressing low to intermediate levels of F4/80 and CX3CR1 were identified as DCs, based on phenotypic and functional analysis and comprise three separate CD11chi cell populations: CD103+CX3CR1-CD11b- DCs, CD103+CX3CR1-CD11b+ DCs and CD103-CX3CR1intCD11b+ DCs. In non-inflammatory conditions, Ly6Chi monocytes differentiated primarily into CD11c+, but not CD11c- MPs. In contrast, during colitis, Ly6Chi monocytes massively invaded the colon and differentiated into pro-inflammatory CD103-CX3CR1intCD11b+ DCs, which produced high levels of IL-12, IL-23, iNOS and TNF. These findings demonstrate the dual capacity of Ly6Chi blood monocytes to differentiate into either regulatory MPs or inflammatory DCs in the colon, and that the balance of these immunologically antagonistic cell types is dictated by microenvironmental conditions.
Inflammation switches the differentiation program of Ly6Chi monocytes from antiinflammatory macrophages to inflammatory dendritic cells in the colon.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesWTX encodes a tumor suppressor, frequently inactivated in Wilms tumor, with both plasma membrane and nuclear localization. WTX has been implicated in beta-catenin turnover, but its effect on nuclear proteins is unknown. We report an interaction between WTX and p53, derived from the unexpected observation of WTX, p53 and E1B 55K colocalization within the characteristic cytoplasmic body of adenovirus-transformed kidney cells. In other cells without adenovirus expression, the C-terminal domain of WTX binds to the DNA binding domain of p53, enhances its binding to CBP, and increases CBP/p300-mediated acetylation of p53 at Lys 382. WTX knockdown accelerates CBP/p300 protein turnover and attenuates this modification of p53. In p53-reconstitution experiments, cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, and p53-target gene expression are suppressed by depletion of WTX. Together, these results suggest that WTX modulates p53 function, in part through regulation of its activator CBP/p300.
The WTX tumor suppressor enhances p53 acetylation by CBP/p300.
Cell line
View SamplesEffect of absence of interaction with MHC class II on memory CD4 T cells
Noncognate interaction with MHC class II molecules is essential for maintenance of T cell metabolism to establish optimal memory CD4 T cell function.
Sex, Specimen part
View SamplesThe small RNA payload of mammalian sperm undergoes dramatic remodeling during development, as several waves of microRNAs and tRNA fragments are shipped to sperm during post-testicular maturation in the epididymis. Here, we take advantage of this developmental process to probe the function of the sperm RNA payload in preimplantation development. We generated zygotes via intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) using sperm obtained from the proximal (caput) vs. distal (cauda) epididymis, then characterized development of the resulting embryos. Embryos generated using caput sperm significantly overexpress multiple regulatory factors throughout preimplantation development, and subsequently implant inefficiently and fail soon after implantation. Remarkably, microinjection of purified cauda-specific small RNAs into caput-derived embryos not only completely rescued preimplantation molecular defects, but also suppressed the postimplantation embryonic lethality phenotype. These findings reveal an essential role for small RNA remodeling during post-testicular maturation of mammalian sperm, and identify a specific preimplantation gene expression program responsive to sperm-delivered microRNAs. Overall design: Zygotes were generated by ICSI from sperm isolated from the testis, caput epididymis, or cauda epididiymis. Following fertilization by ICSI zygotes were developed to different stages of preimplantation development and were harvested for single-embryo RNA-Seq (Smart-Seq 2 protocol). For RNA injection experiments 3 hours after fertilization by ICSI RNA was injected using an Eppendorf Femtojet injection setup.
Small RNAs Gained during Epididymal Transit of Sperm Are Essential for Embryonic Development in Mice.
Cell line, Subject
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