Orofacial clefts (OFCs) are the most frequent craniofacial birth defects. An orofacial cleft (OFC) occurs as a result of deviations in palatogenesis. Cell proliferation, differentiation, adhesion, migration and apoptosis are crucial in palatogenesis. We hypothesized that deregulation of these processes in oral keratinocytes contributes to OFC. We performed microarray expression analysis on palatal keratinocytes from OFC and non-OFC individuals. Principal component analysis showed a clear difference in gene expression with 24 and 17% for the first and second component respectively. In OFC cells, 228 genes were differentially expressed (p<0.001). Gene ontology analysis showed enrichment of genes involved in β1 integrin-mediated adhesion and migration, as well as in P-cadherin expression. A scratch assay demonstrated reduced migration of OFC keratinocytes (343.6 ± 29.62 μm) vs. non-OFC keratinocytes (503.4 ± 41.81 μm, p<0.05). Our results indicate that adhesion and migration are deregulated in OFC keratinocytes, which might contribute to OFC pathogenesis.
Deregulated Adhesion Program in Palatal Keratinocytes of Orofacial Cleft Patients.
Specimen part
View SamplesAffymetrix gene expression AID-GFP-positive vs AID-GFP-negative
The B cell mutator AID promotes B lymphoid blast crisis and drug resistance in chronic myeloid leukemia.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesActivated T cells inhibit neurogenesis in adult animal brain and cultured human fetal neural stem cells (NSC). However, the role of inhibition of neurogenesis in human neuroinflammatory diseases is still uncertain because of the difficulty in obtaining adult NSC from patients. Recent developments in cell reprogramming suggest that NSC may be derived directly from adult fibroblasts. We generated NSC from adult human peripheral CD34+ cells by transfecting the cells with Sendai virus constructs containing Sox-2, Oct3/4, C-MyC and Klf-4. The derived NSC could be differentiated to astroglia and action potential firing neurons. Co-culturing NSC with activated autologous T cells or treatment with recombinant granzyme B caused inhibition of neurogenesis as indicated by decreased NSC proliferation and neuronal differentiation. Thus, we have established a unique autologous in vitro model to study the pathophysiology of neuroinflammatory diseases that has potential for usage in personalized medicine.
Derivation of neural stem cells from human adult peripheral CD34+ cells for an autologous model of neuroinflammation.
Specimen part
View SamplesEpendymal tumors across age groups have been classified and graded solely by histopathology. It is, however, commonly accepted that this classification scheme has limited clinical utility based on its lack of reproducibility in predicting patient outcome. We aimed at establishing a reliable molecular classification using DNA methylation fingerprints and gene expression data of the tumors on a large cohort of 500 tumors. Nine robust molecular subgroups, three in each anatomic compartment of the central nervous system (CNS), were identified.
Molecular Classification of Ependymal Tumors across All CNS Compartments, Histopathological Grades, and Age Groups.
Sex, Specimen part
View SamplesERG overexpression was conducted in stably transfected K562 cell line with a tet-on inducible plasmid habouring ERG3. Prolonged induction of ERG (8 days) produced spindle cell shape changes whereas non-induced cells retained the round morphology. In oder to determine the genes responsible for inducing cell shape changes, a genome wide transcriptional screen was conducted.
ERG induces a mesenchymal-like state associated with chemoresistance in leukemia cells.
Cell line, Treatment
View SamplesThe Philadelphia chromosome (Ph) encoding the oncogenic BCR-ABL1 kinase defines a subset of ALL with a particularly unfavorable prognosis. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cells are derived from B cell precursors in most cases and typically carry rearranged immunglobulin heavy chain (IGH) variable (V) region genes devoid of somatic mutations. Somatic hypermutation is restricted to mature germinal center B cells and depends on activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID). Studying AID expression in 108 cases of ALL, we detected AID mRNA in 24 of 28 Ph-positive ALLs as compared to 6 of 80 Ph-negative ALLs. Forced expression of BCR-ABL1 in Ph-negative ALL cells and inhibition of the BCR-ABL1-kinase showed that aberrant expression of AID depends on BCR-ABL1 kinase activity. Consistent with aberrant AID expression in Ph-positive ALL, IGH V region genes and BCL6 were mutated in many Ph-positive but unmutated in most Ph-negative cases. In addition, AID introduced DNA-single-strand breaks within the tumor suppressor gene CDKN2B in Ph-positive ALL cells, which was sensitive to BCR-ABL1 kinase inhibition and silencing of AID expression by RNA interference. These findings identify AID as a BCR-ABL1-induced mutator in Ph-positive ALL cells, which may be relevant with respect to the particularly unfavorable prognosis of this leukemia subset.
Activation-induced cytidine deaminase acts as a mutator in BCR-ABL1-transformed acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesEmbryonal Tumors with Multilayered Rosettes (ETMRs) have recently been described as a new entity of rare pediatric brain tumors with fatal outcome. We show here that ETMRs are characterized by a parallel activation of Shh- and Wnt-signaling. Co-activation of these pathways in murine neural precursors is sufficient to induce ETMR-like tumors in vivo that resemble their human counterparts based on histology and global gene expression analyses, and point to apical radial glia cells as the possible tumor cell-of-origin. Overexpression of LIN28A, which is a hallmark of human ETMRs, augments Sonic Hedgehog (Shh)- and Wnt-signaling in these precursor cells through downregulation of let7-miRNA, and LIN28A/let7a interaction with the Shh-pathway was detected at the level of Gli mRNA. Finally, human ETMR cells that were transplanted into immunocompromised host mice were responsive to the Shh-inhibitor Arsenic trioxide (ATO). Our findings provide a novel mouse model to study this tumor type, demonstrate the driving role of Wnt- and Shh-activation in the growth of ETMRs and propose downstream inhibition of Shh-signaling as a therapeutic option for patients with ETMRs.
A mouse model for embryonal tumors with multilayered rosettes uncovers the therapeutic potential of Sonic-hedgehog inhibitors.
Specimen part
View SamplesThe aim of the study was to get insights into transcriptional alterations in bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells derived from acute myeloid leukemia patients
Molecular alterations in bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells derived from acute myeloid leukemia patients.
Disease
View SamplesPrecursor B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia (pre-B ALL) can be subdivided into different categories based on genetic abnormalities.
Pre-B cell receptor-mediated cell cycle arrest in Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia requires IKAROS function.
Specimen part
View SamplesSingle-cell analysis of KPC pancreatic tumor cells Overall design: Evaluate the single-cell transcriptomic landscape in 3 KPf/fC tumors
A Multiscale Map of the Stem Cell State in Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma.
Specimen part, Cell line, Subject
View Samples