Inherited genetic risk factors play an important role in cancer. However, other than cancer susceptibility genes found in familial cancer syndromes and inherited in a Mendelian fashion, little is known about modifier genes (germline variants that interact with each other and with environmental factors) that contribute to individual susceptibility. Here we develop a strategy parental strain expression mapping (PSEM), which utilizes the homogeneity of inbred mice and genome-wide mRNA expression analyses, to directly identify candidate germline modifier genes and pathways underlying phenotypic differences among murine strains exposed to transgenic activation of AKT1. We identified multiple candidate modifier pathways and specifically, the glycolysis pathway as a candidate negative modulator of AKT1-induced proliferation. In keeping with findings in murine models, the expression of the glycolysis pathway was strongly enriched in the non-cancer prostate tissue from patients with prostate cancer who did not recur after surgical resection. Together these data suggest that PSEM can directly identify germline modifier pathways of relevance to human disease.
Identification of prostate cancer modifier pathways using parental strain expression mapping.
Age
View SamplesThe RPMI-8226 human multiple myeloma cell line was stably infected with either a validated shRNA against BMI1 or a control shRNA. RNA was prepared from these lines, +/- doxycycline induction and at various time points post-induction. Samples were hybridized on the Affymetrix U133plus2 human genome expression microarray.
The Polycomb group protein Bmi-1 is essential for the growth of multiple myeloma cells.
Cell line
View SamplesTransgenic (Probasin driven Myr-AKT)or wild-type littermates were treated with RAD001 or placebo and sacrificed at 12 and 48 hours following the beginning of treatment
mTOR inhibition reverses Akt-dependent prostate intraepithelial neoplasia through regulation of apoptotic and HIF-1-dependent pathways.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesProstate tumors are among the most heterogeneous of cancers, both histologically and clinically. Microarray expression analysis was used to determine whether global biological differences underlie common pathological features of prostate cancer and to identify genes that might anticipate the clinical behavior of this disease. While no expression correlates of age, serum prostate specific antigen (PSA), and measures of local invasion were found, a set of genes was identified that strongly correlated with the state of tumor differentiation as measured by Gleason score. Moreover, a model using gene expression data alone accurately predicted patient outcome following prostatectomy. These results support the notion that the clinical behavior of prostate cancer is linked to underlying gene expression differences that are detectable at the time of diagnosis.
Gene expression correlates of clinical prostate cancer behavior.
Specimen part
View SamplesThe occurrence of clonal perturbations and leukemia in patients transplanted with retrovirally-transduced autologous hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) has stimulated extensive investigation, demonstrating that proviral insertions perturb adjacent proto-oncogene expression. Although enhancer-deleted lentiviruses are less likely to result in insertional oncogenesis, there is evidence that they may perturb transcript splicing, and one patient with a benign clonal expansion of lentivirally-transduced HPSC has been reported. The rhesus macaque model provides an opportunity for informative long-term analysis to ask whether transduction impacts on long-term HSPC properties. We utilized two techniques to examine whether lentivirally-transduced HSPCs from eight rhesus macaques transplanted 1-13.5 years previously are perturbed at a population level, comparing telomere length as a measure of replicative history and gene expression profile of vector positive versus vector negative cells. There were no differences in telomere lengths between sorted GFP+ and GFP- blood cells, suggesting that lentiviral transduction did not globally disrupt replicative patterns. Bone marrow GFP+ and GFP- CD34+ cells showed no differences in gene expression using unsupervised and principal component analysis. These studies did not uncover any global long-term perturbation of proliferation, differentiation, or other important functional parameters of transduced HSPCs in the rhesus macaque model.
No impact of lentiviral transduction on hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell telomere length or gene expression in the rhesus macaque model.
Specimen part
View SamplesPurpose: Conducted expression profiling by RNA-seq as unbiased screen to identify genes that are altered in motor neurons of PbxMN? mice at e12.5 at brachial and thoracic levels of the spinal cord. Because loss of Pbx genes affects MN organization at all rostrocaudal levels, we focused on genes whose profiles were altered at both brachial and thoracic levels. Methods: We compared gene expression profiles in MNs isolated from control Hb9::GFP and PbxMN?; Hb9::GFP embryos at e12.5. MNs were purified by FACS, and RNA was extracted from 9 PbxMN?; Hb9::GFP and 9 control Hb9::GFP embryos at brachial and thoracic levels using the Arcturus Picopure RNA isolation kit. 10ng of RNA was pooled from 3 RNA samples of each genotype, and used to amplify 100ng of cDNA using Nugene''s Ovation RNA-Seq System V2 kit, 100ng of cDNA for each sample was used as in input to prepare 12 bar coded libraries using the Ovation Ultralow Library system. We then performed expression profiling by RNA-seq. The samples were mixed into two pools and run on two 50-nucleotide paired end read rapid run flow cell lanes with the Illumina HiSeq 2500 sequencer. Generating on average 74 and 101 million reads passing filter for brachial and thoracic samples respectively. Results: This analysis yielded 64 brachial and 124 thoracic genes that were differentially expressed with a stringent cutoff of padj.<0.05. Of these genes, we found 31 genes in common between the two, brachial and thoracic, levels of the spinal cord that may play a role in motor neuron columnar organization. Furthermore our expression profiling of control brachial and control thoracic MNs identified 61 genes with (padj.<0.05), that represent distinct molecular profiles of MNs generated at brachial and thoracic levels which may be used to further characterize MNs involved in forelimb and thoracic innervation. Conclusions: Our study represents a detailed transcriptional analysis of embryonic spinal motor neurons and revealed a number of novel motor neuron-specific genes that are under transcriptional regulation of Pbx genes. Overall design: Examination of embryonic spinal MN expression profiles at 2 different spinal cord levels, brachial and thoracic. From RNA collected from 9 pooled Control and 9 PbxMN? e12.5 Hb9::GFP FACS MNs.
Parallel Pbx-Dependent Pathways Govern the Coalescence and Fate of Motor Columns.
Specimen part, Cell line, Subject
View SamplesLNCaP-derived MDV3100-resistant clones were treated with MDV3100 for 24h prior to collection
An F876L mutation in androgen receptor confers genetic and phenotypic resistance to MDV3100 (enzalutamide).
Cell line
View SamplesGenetically engineered LNCaPs overexpressing various AR alleles were treated with 0.1% DMSO or 10uM MDV3100 for 24h prior to collection
An F876L mutation in androgen receptor confers genetic and phenotypic resistance to MDV3100 (enzalutamide).
Cell line
View SamplesTankyrases (TNKS) play roles in Wnt signaling, telomere homeostasis and mitosis, offering attractive targets for anti-cancer treatment. Using unbiased combination screening in a large panel of cancer cell lines, we have identified a strong synergy between TNKS and MEK inhibitors in KRAS mutant cancer cells. Our study uncovers a novel function of TNKS in the relief of a feedback loop induced by MEK inhibition on FGFR2 signaling pathway. Moreover, dual inhibition of TNKS and MEK leads to more robust apoptosis and anti-tumor activity both in vitro and in vivo than effects observed by previously reported MEK inhibitor combinations. Altogether, our results show how a novel combination of TNKS and MEK inhibitors can be highly effective in targeting KRAS mutant cancers by suppressing a newly discovered resistance mechanism.
Inhibiting Tankyrases sensitizes KRAS-mutant cancer cells to MEK inhibitors via FGFR2 feedback signaling.
Cell line, Treatment
View SamplesTwo critical events that are required for normal transition from fetal to extrauterine life are development of the alveoli that allow for efficient gas exchange in the lung and relaxation of the pulmonary vascular smooth muscle. Patients with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) have abnormal lung and pulmonary vascular development that results in a lethal combination of lung hypoplasia and pulmonary hypertension. To better understand the mechanisms responsible for abnormal lung and pulmonary vascular development and function we generated Pbx1/2 conditional knockout mice that lack Pbx1 and Pbx2 expression in the lung mesenchyme. Pbx1 has previously been shown to be required for normal diaphragm development, however its role in alveologenesis, and the mechanisms responsible for pulmonary hypertension, has not been studied. We found that Pbx1/2 CKO mice have failure of alveologenesis and die of severe pulmonary hypertension by 2 to 3 weeks of age. In order to better understand the downstream genetic mis-regulation caused by deletion of Pbx1/2, and identify their potential transcriptional targets, we carried out transcriptional profiling of Pbx1/2 CKO and control mice starting at postnatal day 3 (P3), when a histological phenotype first becomes apparent, and then working back to the time of birth (P0), and embryonic day 14 (E14) when the pulmonary vascular smooth muscle is developing.
PBX transcription factors drive pulmonary vascular adaptation to birth.
Specimen part
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