Highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIV) induce severe inflammation in poultry and men. There is still an ongoing threat that these viruses may acquire the capability to freely spread as novel pandemic virus strains that may cause major morbidity and mortality. One characteristic of HPAIV infections is the induction of a cytokine burst that strongly contributes to viral pathogenicity. It has been suggested, that this cytokine overexpression is an intrinsic feature of infected cells and involves hyperinduction of p38 mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK). Here we investigate the role of MAPK p38 signaling in the antiviral response against HPAIV in mice as well as in endothelial cells, the latter a primary source for cytokines during systemic infections.
Inhibition of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase impairs influenza virus-induced primary and secondary host gene responses and protects mice from lethal H5N1 infection.
Specimen part
View SamplesStandard chemotherapy is the only systemic treatment for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Despite the good initial responses, resistance remains a major therapeutic obstacle. Here, we employed a High-Throughput Screen to identify targeted therapies that overcome chemoresistance in TNBC. We applied short-term paclitaxel treatment and screened 320 small-molecule inhibitors of known targets to identify drugs that preferentially and efficiently target paclitaxel-treated TNBC cells. Among these compounds the SMAC mimetics (BV6, Birinapant) and BH3-mimetics (ABT-737/263) were recognized as potent targeted therapy for multiple paclitaxel-residual TNBC cell lines. However, acquired paclitaxel resistance through repeated paclitaxel pulses result in desensitization to BV6, but not to ABT-263, suggesting that short- and long-term paclitaxel resistance are mediated by distinct mechanisms. Gene expression profiling of paclitaxel-residual, -resistant and nave MDA-MB-231 cells demonstrated that paclitaxel-residual, as opposed to -resistant cells, were characterized by an apoptotic signature, with downregulation of anti-apoptotic genes (BCL2, BIRC5), activation of apoptosis inducers (IL24, PDCD4), and enrichment of TNF/NF-B pathway, including upregulation of TNFSF15, coupled with cell-cycle arrest. BIRC5 and FOXM1 downregulation and IL24 induction was also evident in breast cancer patient datasets following taxane treatment. Exposure of nave and paclitaxel-resistant cells to supernatants of paclitaxel-residual cells sensitized them to BV6, and treatment with TNF enhanced the potency of BV6, suggesting that sensitization to BV6 is mediated, at least partially, by secreted factor(s). Our results suggest that administration of SMAC or BH3 mimetics following short-term paclitaxel treatment could be an effective therapeutic strategy for TNBC, while only BH3-mimetics could effectively overcome long-term paclitaxel resistance
Targeting of apoptotic pathways by SMAC or BH3 mimetics distinctly sensitizes paclitaxel-resistant triple negative breast cancer cells.
Sex, Age, Specimen part, Cell line, Treatment
View SamplesInterferons (IFNs) are key players in the antiviral response. IFN sensing by the cell activates transcription of IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs) able to induce an antiviral state by affecting viral replication and release. IFN also induces the expression of ISGs that function as negative regulators to limit the strength and duration of IFN response. The ISGs identified so far belong to coding genes. However, only a small proportion of the transcriptome corresponds to coding transcripts and it has been estimated that there could be as many coding as long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). To address whether IFN can also regulate the expression of lncRNAs, we analyzed the transcriptome of HuH7 cells treated or not with IFNa2 by expression arrays. Analysis of the arrays showed increased levels of several well-characterized coding genes that respond to IFN both at early or late times. Furthermore, we identified several IFN-stimulated or -downregulated lncRNAs (ISRs and IDRs). Further validation showed that ISR2, 8, and 12 expression mimics that of their neighboring genes GBP1, IRF1, and IL6, respectively, all related to the IFN response. These genes are induced in response to different doses of IFNa2 in different cell lines at early (ISR2 or 8) or later (ISR12) time points. IFNß also induced the expression of these lncRNAs. ISR2 and 8 were also induced by an influenza virus unable to block the IFN response but not by other wild-type lytic viruses tested. Surprisingly, both ISR2 and 8 were significantly upregulated in cultured cells and livers from patients infected with HCV. Increased levels of ISR2 were also detected in patients chronically infected with HIV. This is relevant as genome-wide guilt-by-association studies predict that ISR2, 8, and 12 may function in viral processes, in the IFN pathway and the antiviral response. Therefore, we propose that these lncRNAs could be induced by IFN to function as positive or negative regulators of the antiviral response. Overall design: HuH7 cells were treated with 10000 units/ml of IFN a2 and RNA was isolated 3 days post-treatment
Type I Interferon Regulates the Expression of Long Non-Coding RNAs.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesTo identify genes regulated by BRD4 and to provide insight into new mechanisms de-regulated by BRD4, such as the response to oxidative stress, we integrated BRD4-binding regions with BRD4 gene expression data. For this analysis we performed BRD4 chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments and BRD4 knock down experiments followed by RNA-Seq analyses. By integration of both gene lists we identified top candidate genes regulated by BRD4. Overall design: HEK cells have been investigated for genomewide BRD4 binding sites and expression changes after knock down of BRD4. Illumina sequencing was used to gather data of the type ChIP Seq and mRNA Seq.
The bromodomain protein BRD4 regulates the KEAP1/NRF2-dependent oxidative stress response.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesTo analyze the impact of photosynthetic redox signals, light sources with spectral qualities that preferentially excite either Photosystem I (PSI light) or Photosystem II (PSII light) were used. The light sources have been described in (Wagner et al, Planta 2008). Strong reduction signals were induced by light shifts from PSI to PSII light (PSI-II). In order to find primary regulated genes the acclimation responses were monitored at 30 min and 60 min after a light shift. The control was continuous Psi light at the same time. We used stn7 (a thylakoid redox regulated kinase) to specifically block transduction of photosynthetic redox signal in order to compare real redox regulated with that of other light acclimation pathways.
Identification of Early Nuclear Target Genes of Plastidial Redox Signals that Trigger the Long-Term Response of Arabidopsis to Light Quality Shifts.
Specimen part, Treatment, Time
View SamplesPurpose: Assess whether knocking out the UMLILO lncRNA altered the expression of genes transcribed within the CXCL chemokine TAD Outcome: To confirm whether the effect of UMLILO was limited to the CXCL TAD. Adeno-associated viral vectors (AAVs) were constructed that contain CRISPR/Cas9 and guides targeting UMLILO to delete the full length UMLILO transcript. RNAseq was performed on a transduced THP-1 population to verify genome-wide effects of UMLILO depletion. This revealed that IL8, CXCL1, 2, 3 transcription was abrogated, but a similar effect was not seen for genes located outside of the CXCL TAD boundary Overall design: AAVs were constructed that contain CRISPRs that harness non homologous end joining (NHEJ) to target UMLILO by deleting the genomic region encoding UMLILO, but not its promoter. The THP-1 monocytic cell line was transduced with the AAVs containing the CRISPRs for 1.5 weeks. Controls were transduced with AAV vector plasmids expressing SpCas9.
Immune genes are primed for robust transcription by proximal long noncoding RNAs located in nuclear compartments.
Specimen part, Subject
View SamplesWe sequenced total RNAs that were extracted from Osr1-expressing cells isolated by FACS-sorting from E13.5 limbs of two heterozygous (Osr1 GCE/+) and two homozygous (Osr1 GCE/GCE) mouse embryos. Overall design: Gene expression profiling of Osr1-expressing cells at E13.5
Odd skipped-related 1 identifies a population of embryonic fibro-adipogenic progenitors regulating myogenesis during limb development.
Specimen part, Cell line, Subject
View SamplesMiRNAs are discussed as diagnostic and therapeutic molecules. However, effective miRNA drug treatments with miRNAs are so far hampered by the complexity of the miRNA networks. To identify potential miRNA drugs in colorectal cancer, we profiled miRNA and mRNA expression in matching normal, tumor and metastasis tissues of eight patients by Illumina sequencing. We identified miRNA-1 as top candidate differentially expressed in tumor and metastasis. Furthermore, miRNA-1 was de-regulated in 16 additional tumor entities underscoring its central role in tumor pathogenesis. Functional analyses showed an additive effect of miRNA-1 with camptothecin treatment. We used a systems-biology simulation of cellular cancer models implemented in PyBios to investigate miRNA-1 function and assessed the effects of depletion as well as overexpression in terms of miRNA-1 as a potential treatment option. In this system miRNA-1 treatment reverted the disease phenotype with different effectiveness among the patients. Scoring the gene expression changes obtained through mRNA-Seq from the same patients we show that the combination of deep sequencing and systems biological modeling can help to identify patient-specific responses to miRNA treatments. We present this data as guideline for future pre-clinical assessments of new and personalized therapeutic options. Overall design: Examination of miRNA expression values by Illumina sequencing of matched benign, tumor and metastasis tissues of 8 colorectal cancer patients. For 4 of these patients all tissues have been resequenced to obtain mRNA expression values.
High-throughput miRNA and mRNA sequencing of paired colorectal normal, tumor and metastasis tissues and bioinformatic modeling of miRNA-1 therapeutic applications.
Sex, Age, Specimen part, Disease, Disease stage, Subject
View SamplesPatients relapsing with FLT3-ITD mutant acute myeloid leukemia (AML) after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) have a one-year-survival below 20%. We observed that sorafenib increased IL-15 production by FLT3-ITD+-leukemia cells, which synergized with the allogeneic CD8+T-cell response, leading to long-term survival in murine and humanized FLT3-ITD+AML models. Using IL-15 deficiency in recipient tissues or leukemia cells, IL-15 production upon sorafenib-treatment could be attributed to leukemia cells. Sorafenib treatment-related IL-15 production caused an increase in CD8+CD107a+IFN-+ T-cells with features of longevity (Bcl-2high/reduced PD-1-levels), which eradicated leukemia in secondary recipients. Mechanistically, sorafenib reduced ATF4 expression, thereby blocking negative regulation of IRF7-activation, which enhances IL-15 transcription. Consistent with the mouse data, IL-15 and pIRF7 levels increased in leukemic blasts of FLT3-ITD+AML patients upon sorafenib treatment. Analysis of 130 patients with FLT3-ITD-mutant AML relapsing after allo-HCT showed the highest complete remission-rate and median overall-survival-rate in the sorafenib/donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) group compared to all other groups (chemotherapy, chemotherapy/DLI, sorafenib alone). Our findings indicate that the synergism of DLI and sorafenib is mediated via reduced ATF4 expression, causing activation of the pIRF7/IL-15-axis in leukemia cells. The sorafenib/DLI strategy therefore has the potential for an immune-mediated cure of FLT3-ITD-mutant AML- relapse, an otherwise fatal complication after allo-HCT.
Sorafenib promotes graft-versus-leukemia activity in mice and humans through IL-15 production in FLT3-ITD-mutant leukemia cells.
Specimen part, Treatment, Time
View Samples