In order to identify transcriptional targets of ATF2, we used a recombinant adenovirus to express constitutively active ATF2 in murine hepatoblasts. Expression of GFP was the control condition.
JNK suppresses tumor formation via a gene-expression program mediated by ATF2.
Specimen part
View SamplesThe goal of the study was to evaluate the influence of mutations in MLK4 on the protein function and the process of tumorigenesis in colorectal cancers. Biochemical data imply that a majority of MLK4 mutations in colon cancer are loss-of-function, including, E314K and Y330H mutations.
Recurrent MLK4 Loss-of-Function Mutations Suppress JNK Signaling to Promote Colon Tumorigenesis.
Specimen part, Cell line
View SamplesRecent studies have suggested increased plasticity of differentiated cells within the intestine to act both as intestinal stem cells and tumour initiating cells. However, little is known of the processes that regulate this plasticity. Our previous work has shown that activating mutations of Kras or the NF-kB pathway can drive dedifferentiation of intestinal cells lacking Apc.
TGFβ pathway limits dedifferentiation following WNT and MAPK pathway activation to suppress intestinal tumourigenesis.
Specimen part
View SamplesRecent studies have suggested increased plasticity of differentiated cells within the intestine to act both as intestinal stem cells and tumour initiating cells. However, little is known of the processes that regulate this plasticity. Our previous work has shown that activating mutations of Kras or the NF-kB pathway can drive dedifferentiation of intestinal cells lacking Apc.
TGFβ pathway limits dedifferentiation following WNT and MAPK pathway activation to suppress intestinal tumourigenesis.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesThe adult pancreas is capable of limited regeneration after injury, but has no defined stem cell population. The cell types and molecular signals that govern the production of new pancreatic tissue are not well understood. Here we show that inactivation of the SCF-type E3 ubiquitin ligase substrate recognition component Fbw7 induces pancreatic ductal cells to reprogram into -cells. The induced -cells resemble islet -cells in morphology and histology, express genes essential for -cell function, and release insulin upon glucose challenge. Thus, loss of Fbw7 appears to reawaken an endocrine developmental differentiation program in adult pancreatic ductal cells. Our study highlights the plasticity of seemingly differentiated adult cells, identifies Fbw7 as a master regulator of cell fate decisions in the pancreas, and reveals adult pancreatic duct cells as a latent multipotent cell type.
Loss of Fbw7 reprograms adult pancreatic ductal cells into α, δ, and β cells.
Specimen part, Treatment
View SamplesThis SuperSeries is composed of the SubSeries listed below.
Evaluation and validation of a robust single cell RNA-amplification protocol through transcriptional profiling of enriched lung cancer initiating cells.
Specimen part, Disease, Cell line
View SamplesHierarchical maintenance of MLL myeloid leukemia stem cells employs a transcriptional program shared with embryonic rather than adult stem cells
No associated publication
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesThe genetic programs that promote retention of self-renewing leukemia stem cells (LSCs) at the apex of cellular hierarchies in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are not known. In a mouse model of human AML, LSCs exhibit variable frequencies that correlate with the initiating MLL oncogene and are maintained in a self-renewing state by a transcriptional sub-program more akin to that of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) than adult stem cells. The transcription/chromatin regulatory factors Myb, Hmgb3 and Cbx5 are critical components of the program and suffice for Hoxa/Meis-independent immortalization of myeloid progenitors when co-expressed, establishing the cooperative and essential role of an ESC-like LSC maintenance program ancillary to the leukemia initiating MLL/Hox/Meis program. Enriched expression of LSC maintenance and ESC-like program genes in normal myeloid progenitors and poor prognosis human malignancies links the frequency of aberrantly self-renewing progenitor-like cancer stem cells to prognosis in human cancer.
No associated publication
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesDegradation and chemical modification of RNA in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples hamper their use in expression profiling studies. In this study, we investigated the feasibility of gene expression signature generation from archival FFPE materials. Nineteen cervical squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and nine adenocarcinoma (AC) 10~16-year-old FFPE samples were profiled using Affymetrix Exon 1.0 ST arrays. A comparison of the global gene expression changes between SCC and AC revealed 1217 differentially expressed genes. Of these, 1062 showed significantly higher expression levels in SCC relative to AC, and 155 genes were found to be specifically upregulated in AC. When the 1217-gene signature was tested on a fresh-frozen human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) series, it correctly separated the 58 NSCLC samples into SCC and AC. In conclusion, our results showed that clinically and biologically relevant gene expression profiles can be derived from FFPE samples with Exon array profiling.
Exon-array profiling unlocks clinically and biologically relevant gene signatures from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumour samples.
Disease, Disease stage
View SamplesAccurate profiling of RNA expression of single cells is a valuable approach for broadening our understanding of cancer biology and mechanisms of dissemination, but requires the development of reliable methods for their molecular characterization. Here we evaluate a single cell methodology which generates microgram amounts of cDNA suitable for next generation sequencing (RNA-Seq), high throughput RT-qPCR and Affymetrix array analysis. The approach was tested by comparing expression profiles of amplified single MCF7 and MCF10A cells to profiles generated from unamplified RNA. The expression profiles were compared by Affymetrix-U133 arrays, RNA-Seq and high-density qPCR. There were strong cross-platform correlations of >80% and concordance between single cell and unamplified material of >70%. We exemplify the approach through analysis of rare sorted cancer initiating cells (CICs) derived from a NSCLC patient-derived xenograft. Populations of 10 cells from total tumour and two distinct subsets of CIC, putatively involved in primary tumor maintenance or metastasis formation were FACS sorted then directly amplified. CIC expression profiles strongly correlated with published stem-cell and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) signatures. Our results confirm the utility of the amplification system and our methodology to detect and distinguish RNA profiles in rare cell populations that inform on EMT and stem-cell characteristics. This GEO dataset comprises the Affymetrix U-133 Plus 2.0 data for MCF7 and MCF10A cDNA amplified from 1ng RNA and single cell samples.
Evaluation and validation of a robust single cell RNA-amplification protocol through transcriptional profiling of enriched lung cancer initiating cells.
Disease, Cell line
View Samples