Uncontrolled Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF) signaling promotes aggressive metastatic properties in late-stage breast cancers. However, how TGF-mediated cues are directed to induce late-stage tumorigenic events is poorly understood, particularly given that TGF has clear tumor suppressing activity in other contexts. Here we demonstrate that the transcriptional regulators TAZ and YAP (TAZ/YAP), key effectors of the Hippo pathway, are necessary to promote and maintain TGF-induced tumorigenic phenotypes in breast cancer cells. Interactions between TAZ/YAP, TGF-activated SMAD2/3, and TEAD transcription factors reveal convergent roles for these factors in the nucleus. Genome-wide expression analyses indicate that TAZ/YAP, TEADs and TGF-induced signals coordinate a specific pro-tumorigenic transcriptional program. Importantly, genes cooperatively regulated by TAZ/YAP, TEAD, and TGF, such as the novel targets NEGR1 and UCA1, are necessary for maintaining tumorigenic activity in metastatic breast cancer cells. Nuclear TAZ/YAP also cooperate with TGF signaling to promote phenotypic and transcriptional changes in non-tumorigenic cells to overcome TGF repressive effects. Our work thus identifies crosstalk between nuclear TAZ/YAP and TGF signaling in breast cancer cells, revealing novel insight into late-stage disease-driving mechanisms.
The transcriptional regulators TAZ and YAP direct transforming growth factor β-induced tumorigenic phenotypes in breast cancer cells.
Cell line, Treatment
View SamplesOral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a prevalent form of cancer that develops from the epithelium of the oral cavity. OSCC is on the rise worldwide, and death rates associated with the disease are particularly high. Despite progress in understanding of the mutational and expression landscape associated with OSCC, advances in deciphering these alterations for the development of therapeutic strategies have been limited. Further insight into the molecular cues that contribute to OSCC is therefore required. Here we show that the transcriptional regulators YAP (YAP1) and TAZ (WWTR1), which are key effectors of the Hippo pathway, drive pro-tumorigenic signals in OSCC. Regions of pre-malignant oral tissues exhibit aberrant nuclear YAP accumulation, suggesting that dysregulated YAP activity contributes to the onset of OSCC. Supporting this premise, we determined that nuclear YAP and TAZ activity drives OSCC cell proliferation, survival, and migration in vitro, and is required for OSCC tumor growth and metastasis in vivo. Global gene expression profiles associated with YAP and TAZ knockdown revealed changes in the control of gene expression implicated in pro-tumorigenic signaling, including those required for cell cycle progression and survival. Notably, the transcriptional signature regulated by YAP and TAZ significantly correlates with gene expression changes occurring in human OSCCs identified by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), emphasizing a central role for YAP and TAZ in OSCC biology.
A YAP/TAZ-Regulated Molecular Signature Is Associated with Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.
Cell line, Treatment
View SamplesWhe embryonic stem cells are in vitro expanded threir telomereres lengthen, in the absence of genetic manipulations, concomitant with the loss of heterochromatic marks. In order to analyze whether there would be changes in gene expression during in vitro expansion we performed RNA-seq and found no substantial differences in gene expression at passage 6 or 16. Overall design: Embryonic stem (ES) cells were derived from blastocysts expressing GFP in the Rosa26 locus. Four independent lines of ES were in vitro expanded to passage 16. Total RNA was extracted from each independent clones, RNA was extracted and prepared for RNA-seq.
Generation of mice with longer and better preserved telomeres in the absence of genetic manipulations.
Specimen part, Cell line, Treatment, Subject
View SamplesThis SuperSeries is composed of the SubSeries listed below.
Lhx5 controls mamillary differentiation in the developing hypothalamus of the mouse.
Specimen part, Treatment
View SamplesLhx5 mutant mouse embryos show loss of a neuronal nucleus of the brain called the mamillary body and essential for the formation of memories. We wanted to identify the genes that are responsible for the normal development of the mammillary body.
Lhx5 controls mamillary differentiation in the developing hypothalamus of the mouse.
Specimen part
View SamplesDifferent mutations in the gene encoding humans IGF-I cause intrauterine growth retardation, postnatal growth failure, microcephaly, mental retardation, bilateral sensorineural deafness and multiple dysmorphic features. Insight into the role of IGFs in inner ear cochlear ganglion neurogenesis has come from the study of genetically modified mice. Postnatal cochlear development is severely impaired in mice Igf1-/-, which develop smaller cochlea and cochlear ganglia, an immature tectorial membrane and they display a significant decrease in the number and size of auditory neurons.
RNA microarray analysis in prenatal mouse cochlea reveals novel IGF-I target genes: implication of MEF2 and FOXM1 transcription factors.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesDNA Damage Regulated Autophagy Modulator 1 (DRAM1) is a stress-inducible regulator of autophagy and cell death. DRAM1 has been implicated in cancer, myocardial infarction, and infectious diseases, but the molecular and cellular functions of this transmembrane protein remain poorly understood. Previously, we have proposed DRAM1 as a host resistance factor for tuberculosis (TB) and a potential target for host-directed anti-infective therapies. In this study, we generated a zebrafish dram1 mutant and investigated its loss-of-function effects during Mycobacterium marinum (Mm) infection, a widely used model in TB research. In agreement with previous knockdown analysis, dram1 mutation increased the susceptibility of zebrafish larvae to Mm infection. RNA sequencing revealed major effects of Dram1 deficiency on metabolic, immune response, and cell death pathways during Mm infection, whereas only minor effects on proteinase and metabolic pathways were found under uninfected conditions. Furthermore, unchallenged dram1 mutants did not display overt autophagic defects, while autophagic targeting of Mm was reduced in absence of Dram1, despite overall increased Lc3-II accumulation. The phagocytic ability of dram1 mutants was unaffected, but acidification of Mm-containing vesicles was strongly reduced, indicating that Dram1 is required for phagosome maturation. By in vivo imaging we observed that Dram1-deficient macrophages fail to restrict Mm during early stages of infection. The resulting enhanced bacterial burden phenotype could be rescued by knockdown of inflammatory caspase (caspa) and gasdermin (gsdmeb), demonstrating pyroptosis as the mechanism underlying premature cell death of Mm-infected macrophages in dram1 mutants. Collectively, these data demonstrate that dissemination of mycobacterial infection in zebrafish larvae is promoted in absence of Dram1 due to reduced maturation of mycobacteria-containing vesicles, failed intracellular containment, and consequent pyroptotic cell death of infected macrophages. These results provide new evidence that Dram1 plays a central role in host resistance to intracellular infection, acting at the crossroad of autophagy and cell death. Overall design: Mutant embryos and their controls were manually dechorionated at 24 hours post fertilization (hpf) and at 28 hpf they were infected by injecting 150 or 300 colony forming units of M. marinum strain M into the blood island, or mock-injected with PBS/2%PVP. After injections embryos were transferred into fresh egg water containing 0.003% 1-phenyl-2-thiourea (Sigma-Aldrich) to prevent melanisation and incubated for 4 days at 28,5°C. After the incubation period, infected and uninfected mutants and their controls were imaged and groups of 20 embryos were snap-frozen in liquid nitrogen and RNA was isolated for Illumina RNAseq analysis.
Deficiency in the autophagy modulator Dram1 exacerbates pyroptotic cell death of Mycobacteria-infected macrophages.
Subject
View SamplesInsulin like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) has a central role in mammalian hearing and hearing loss. The auditory and vestibular systems form the inner ear and have a common developmental origin. During chicken early development IGF-1 modulates neurogenesis of the cochleovestibular ganglion but no further studies have been conducted to explore the potential role of IGF-1 in the vestibular system.
Comparative gene expression study of the vestibular organ of the Igf1 deficient mouse using whole-transcript arrays.
Specimen part
View SamplesThe targeting of oncogenic ‘driver’ kinases with small molecule inhibitors has proven to be a highly effective therapeutic strategy in selected non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. However, acquired resistance to targeted therapies invariably arises and is a major limitation to patient care. ROS1 fusion proteins are a recently described class of oncogenic driver, and NSCLC patients that express these fusions generally respond well to ROS1-targeted therapy. In this study, we sought to determine mechanisms of acquired resistance to ROS1 inhibition. To accomplish this, we generated a ROS1 inhibition-resistant derivative of the initially sensitive NSCLC cell line HCC78.
Resistance to ROS1 inhibition mediated by EGFR pathway activation in non-small cell lung cancer.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesSensitive versus Resistant patient-derived colorectal cancer tumor xenografts with PIK3CA mutant against saracatinib (AZD0530)
Common PIK3CA mutants and a novel 3' UTR mutation are associated with increased sensitivity to saracatinib.
Specimen part
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