It is generally believed that cerebellar granule neurons originate exclusively from granule neuron precursors (GNPs) in the external germinal layer (EGL). Here we identify a rare population of neuronal progenitors in the developing cerebellum that expresses Nestin. Although Nestin is widely considered a marker for multipotent stem cells, these Nestin-expressing progenitors (NEPs) are committed to the granule neuron lineage. Unlike conventional GNPs, which reside in the outer EGL and proliferate extensively, NEPs reside in the deep part of the EGL and are quiescent. Expression profiling reveals that NEPs are distinct from GNPs, and in particular, express markedly reduced levels of genes associated with DNA repair. Consistent with this, upon aberrant activation of Sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling, NEPs exhibit more severe genomic instability and give rise to tumors more efficiently than GNPs. These studies identify a novel progenitor for cerebellar granule neurons and a novel cell of origin for medulloblastoma.
A population of Nestin-expressing progenitors in the cerebellum exhibits increased tumorigenicity.
Specimen part
View SamplesMelanoma is an aggressive neoplasm with increasing incidence that is classified by the NCI as a recalcitrant cancer, i.e., a cancer with poor prognosis, lacking progress in diagnosis and treatment. In addition to conventional therapy, melanoma treatment is currently based on targeting the BRAF/MEK/ERK signaling pathway and immune checkpoints. As drug resistance remains a major obstacle to treatment success, advanced therapeutic approaches based on novel targets are still urgently needed. We reasoned that the base excision repair enzyme Thymine DNA Glycosylase (TDG) could be such a target for its dual role in safeguarding the genome and the epigenome, by performing the last of the multiple steps in DNA demethylation. Overall design: Six samples : cells treated with shTDG and cells treated with shControl both in triplicates.
Thymine DNA glycosylase as a novel target for melanoma.
Cell line, Treatment, Subject
View SamplesThe aim of our study is to determine the functions of histone deacetylases (HDACs) 1 and 2 in Schwann cells during postnatal development of the peripheral nervous system (PNS). Schwann cells are the myelinating glial cells of the PNS. At birth, mouse sciatic nerves mature in 2 subsequent phases: 1/ big caliber axons get sorted into a 1 to 1 relationship with Schwann cells, 2/ Schwann cells build a myelin sheath around sorted axons. In mice where both HDAC1 & HDAC2 have been specifically knocked out in Schwann cells, both phases are impaired. HDACs are chromatin remodeling enzymes, they can thus alter gene expression directly. We want to identify which genes controlled by HDAC1 and HDAC2 in Schwann cells are necessary for the maturation of sciatic nerves. Because HDAC1 and HDAC2 can compensate for each other loss to some extend, we will first analyze changes of gene expression in HDAC1/HDAC2 double KO animals. We expect to gain critical insights into the molecular mechanisms controlling Schwann cell differentiation and myelination. This knowledge is of key importance for the success of regenerative medicine in peripheral neuropathies, nerve tumors, and transplantation paradigms in non-regenerative CNS lesions and in large PNS injuries.
HDAC1 and HDAC2 control the transcriptional program of myelination and the survival of Schwann cells.
Disease, Disease stage
View SamplesWe used oligonucleotide microarrays to address the specificities of transcriptional responses of adult Drosophila to different stresses induced by paraquat and H2O2, two oxidative stressors, and by tunicamycin which induces an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Flies were tested 24 hours after exposure to continuous stresses induced by ingestion of paraquat, H2O2 or tunicamycin at concentrations leading to similar effects on viability. We used concentrations of 1% H2O2, 5mM paraquat and 12uM of tunicamycin which lead to negligeable mortality at 24 hours. A paraquat concentration of 15mM was also used for comparison with previous studies Both specific and common responses to the three stressors were observed and whole genome functional analysis identified several important classes of stress responsive genes. Within some functional classes, we observed large variabilities of transcriptional changes between isozymes, which may reflect unsuspected functional specificities.
Genome wide analysis of common and specific stress responses in adult drosophila melanogaster.
Sex, Age, Compound, Time
View SamplesDetailed analysis of genome-wide transcriptome profiling in rice root is reported here, following Cr-plant interaction. Such studies are important for the identification of genes responsible for tolerance, accumulation and defense response in plants with respect to Cr stress. Rice root metabolome analysis was also carried out to relate differential transcriptome data to biological processes affected by Cr (VI) stress in rice.
Transcriptomic and metabolomic shifts in rice roots in response to Cr (VI) stress.
Age, Specimen part, Treatment
View SamplesBackground: To date, few studies have systematically characterized microarray gene expression signal performance with degraded RNA from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) specimens in comparison to intact RNA from unfixed fresh-frozen (FF) specimens.
Quantitative expression profiling in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples by affymetrix microarrays.
Specimen part, Subject
View SamplesTechnical replicates from BC3 and BCBL1 cell lines were treated with DMSO or 5 micromoles of lenalidomide for 24 hours.
Immunomodulatory drugs target IKZF1-IRF4-MYC axis in primary effusion lymphoma in a cereblon-dependent manner and display synergistic cytotoxicity with BRD4 inhibitors.
Cell line, Treatment
View SamplesAlveolar rhabdomyosarcomas (ARMS) are aggressive soft-tissue sarcomas affecting children and young adults. Most ARMS tumors express the PAX3-FKHR or PAX7-FKHR (PAX-FKHR) fusion genes resulting from the t(2;13) or t(1;13) chromosomal translocations, respectively. However, up to 25% of ARMS tumors are fusion negative, making it unclear whether ARMS represent a single disease or multiple clinical and biological entities with a common phenotype. To test to what extent PAX-FKHR determine class and behavior of ARMS, we used oligonucleotide microarray expression profiling on 139 primary rhabdomyosarcoma tumors and an in vitro model. We found that ARMS tumors expressing either PAX-FKHR gene share a common expression profile distinct from fusion-negative ARMS and from the other rhabdomyosarcoma variants. We also observed that PAX-FKHR expression above a minimum level is necessary for the detection of this expression profile. Using an ectopic PAX3-FKHR and PAX7-FKHR expression model, we identified an expression signature regulated by PAX-FKHR that is specific to PAX-FKHR-positive ARMS tumors. Data mining for functional annotations of signature genes suggested a role for PAX-FKHR in regulating ARMS proliferation and differentiation. Cox regression modeling identified a subset of genes within the PAX-FKHR expression signature that segregated ARMS patients into three risk groups with 5-year overall survival estimates of 7%, 48%, and 93%. These prognostic classes were independent of conventional clinical risk factors. Our results show that PAX-FKHR dictate a specific expression signature that helps define the molecular phenotype of PAX-FKHR-positive ARMS tumors and, because it is linked with disease outcome in ARMS patients, determine tumor behavior.
Identification of a PAX-FKHR gene expression signature that defines molecular classes and determines the prognosis of alveolar rhabdomyosarcomas.
Sex, Age, Specimen part, Disease, Disease stage
View SamplesPseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) lung infection is a significant cause of mortality in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Existing experimental data in our lab showed significantly different levels of virulence of "early" and "late" P. aeruginosa infection isolates in a C. elegans slow killing model. We wished to examine the expression profile of these isolates in order to explore genes that may be responsible for the observed differences. The expression profiles of two pairs of isolates (four isolates in total) were compared to each other using the Affymetrix P. aeruginosa PAO1 genome array, to gain insight into properties mediating virulence in these isolates. Data analysis was carried out using BIOCONDUCTOR software.
Modulation of gene expression by Pseudomonas aeruginosa during chronic infection in the adult cystic fibrosis lung.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesPulmonary metastasis continues to be the most common cause of death in osteosarcoma. Indeed, the 5-year survival for newly diagnosed osteosarcoma patients has not significantly changed in over 20 years. Further understanding of the mechanisms of metastasis and resistance for this aggressive pediatric cancer is necessary. Pet dogs naturally develop osteosarcoma providing a novel opportunity to model metastasis development and progression. Given the accelerated biology of canine osteosarcoma, we hypothesized that a direct comparison of canine and pediatric osteosarcoma expression profiles may help identify novel metastasis-associated tumor targets that have been missed through the study of the human cancer alone. Collectively, these data support the strong similarities between human and canine osteosarcoma and underline the opportunities provided by a comparative oncology approach as a means to improve our understanding of cancer biology and therapy.
Canine tumor cross-species genomics uncovers targets linked to osteosarcoma progression.
No sample metadata fields
View Samples