The adipose tissue is an endocrine regulator and a risk factor for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease when by excessive accumulation induces obesity. Although the adipose tissue is also a reservoir for stem cells (ASC) their function and stemcellness has been questioned. Our aim was to investigate the mechanisms by which obesity affects subcutaneous white adipose tissue (WAT) stem cells.
Stem cells isolated from adipose tissue of obese patients show changes in their transcriptomic profile that indicate loss in stemcellness and increased commitment to an adipocyte-like phenotype.
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View SamplesThe tumor microenvironment plays a critical role in cancer progression, but the precise mechanisms by which stromal cells influence the tumor epithelium are poorly understood. The signaling adapter p62 has been implicated as a positive regulator of epithelial tumorigenesis; however, its role in the stroma is unknown. We show here that p62 levels are reduced in the stroma of several tumors. Also, orthotopic and organotypic studies demonstrate that the loss of p62 in the tumor microenvironment or stromal fibroblasts resulted in increased tumorigenesis of epithelial prostate cancer cells. The mechanism involves the regulation of cellular redox through an mTORC1/c-Myc pathway of stromal glucose and amino acid metabolism. Inhibition of the pathway by p62 deficiency results in increased stromal IL-6 production, which is required for tumor promotion in the epithelial compartment. Thus, p62 is an anti-inflammatory tumor suppressor that acts through modulation of metabolism in the tumor stroma.
Metabolic reprogramming of stromal fibroblasts through p62-mTORC1 signaling promotes inflammation and tumorigenesis.
Specimen part
View SamplesWe isolated fetal murine urogenital sinus epithelium and urogenital sinus mesenchyme and determined their global gene expression profiles to define their differentially expressed regulators. To distinguish gene expression patterns that are shared by other developing epithelial/mesenchymal compartments in the embryo from those that pertain to the prostate stem cell niche, we also determine the global gene expression of epidermis and dermis of the same embryos. We identified a distinctive core of transcripts that were differentially regulated in the prostate stem cell niche. Our analysis indicates that several of the key transcriptional components that are likely to be active in the embryonic prostate stem cell niche regulate processes such as self-renewal (e.g., E2f and Ap2), lipid metabolism (e.g., Serbp1) and cell migration (e.g., Areb6 and Rreb1). Several of the promoter binding motifs that are enriched in the profiles are shared between the prostate epithelial/mesenchymal compartments and their epidermis/dermis counterparts, indicating their likely relevance in epithelial/mesenchymal signaling in primitive cellular compartments. We also focused on defining ligand-receptor interactions that may be relevant in controlling signals in the stem cell niche and identified the Wnt/beta-catenin, ephrin, Notch, sonic hedgehog, FGF, TGF-beta and bone morphogenic signaling pathways as being of likely relevance in the prostate stem cell niches. Members of the integrins family including those that bind extracellular matrix proteins such as laminin and activate latent TGF-beta are also expressed in the prostate niche.development.
Molecular signatures of the primitive prostate stem cell niche reveal novel mesenchymal-epithelial signaling pathways.
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View SamplesBackground: Gq-coupled G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) mediate the actions of a variety of messengers that are key regulators of cardiovascular function. Enhanced Gaq-mediated signaling plays an important role in cardiac hypertrophy and in the transition to heart failure. We have recently described that Gaq acts as an adaptor protein that facilitates PKCz-mediated activation of ERK5 in epithelial cells. Since the ERK5 cascade is known to be involved in cardiac hypertrophy, we have investigated the potential relevance of this pathway in Gq-dependent signaling in cardiac cells.
Protein kinase C (PKC)ζ-mediated Gαq stimulation of ERK5 protein pathway in cardiomyocytes and cardiac fibroblasts.
Sex, Age, Specimen part
View SamplesA-to-I RNA editing levels differ across tissues and cell types, but regulators of the editing process are largely unknown. We used RNA-seq on whole fly brains with different RNA binding proteins knocked down to test for A-to-I RNA editing level differences between controls and knockdowns. Overall design: To screen for editing regulators in the Drosophila brain, we crossed a pan-neuronal Gal4 driver, C155-Gal4, to different UAS-shRNA lines targeting individual RNA binding proteins, extracted RNA and made RNA-seq libraries. We sequenced four total replicates of shGFP controls and two replicates of all RNA binding protein knockdowns.
Zinc Finger RNA-Binding Protein Zn72D Regulates ADAR-Mediated RNA Editing in Neurons.
Sex, Specimen part, Subject
View SamplesGranulopoietic differentiation of myeloid progenitor cells derived from control iPSCs was performed in a two-step liquid culture. At the end of culture, stages of differentiation were identified by morphological analysis and submitted for RNA-sequencing analysis in order to provide insight into the genomic landscape of myeloid lineage hematopoiesis as modeled by the in vitro induced differentiation of iPSCs as compared to in vivo bone marrow-derived promyelocytes. Overall design: Peripheral blood from healthy controls was obtained and iPSC were generated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Hematopoietic progenitors generated from control iPSCs when cultured in myeloid expansion medium containing 50ng/mL SCF, 10ng/mL IL-3 and 10ng/mL GM-CSF for 5 days at which point cells were stained for CD45-Pacific blue, CD34-PECy7, CD33-AP, CD11b-APC-Cy7, CD15-FITC. 7-AAD was used to eliminate the dead cells. The promyelocytic population (CD45+CD34-CD33+CD11b-CD15+/lo) was sorted and the RNA from control iPSC promyelocytes was isolated using QIAGEN RNAeasy mini kit. The RNA samples were processed for RNA-seq analyses using RNA-seq protocol from NuGEN and Illumina. The amplified products were sequenced to analyze the gene expression profile of each replicate sample. A total of 20 samples were used in this analysis to characterize and compare iPSC in vitro differentiated myeloid cells with those isolated from human bone marrow.
p62 is required for stem cell/progenitor retention through inhibition of IKK/NF-κB/Ccl4 signaling at the bone marrow macrophage-osteoblast niche.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesTumor cells utilize the so-called Warburg effect to allow for rapid proliferation with glucose as the main nutrient. We show here that, although PKCz is critical for that effect, its deficiency promotes the plasticity necessary for nutrient-stressed cancer cells to reprogram their metabolism to utilize glutamine through the serine biosynthetic pathway, empowering them to survive and proliferate in the absence of glucose. We show that PKCz deficiency enhances glutamine utilization and expression of two key enzymes of the pathway, PGHDGH and PSAT1, in cells cultured in the absence of glucose. The loss of PKCz in mice results in enhanced intestinal tumorigenesis and increased levels of these two metabolic enzymes, while patients with low levels of PKCz have a poor prognosis. Taken together, this suggests that PKCz is a critical metabolic tumor suppressor.
Control of nutrient stress-induced metabolic reprogramming by PKCζ in tumorigenesis.
Cell line, Treatment
View SamplesA SNP microarray and FISH-based procedure to detect allelic imbalances in multiple myeloma: an integrated genomics approach reveals a wide dosage effect on gene and microRNA expression
A SNP microarray and FISH-based procedure to detect allelic imbalances in multiple myeloma: an integrated genomics approach reveals a wide gene dosage effect.
Specimen part, Disease
View SamplesMultiple myeloma (MM) is characterized by marked genomic instability. Beyond structural rearrangements, a relevant role in its biology is represented by allelic imbalances leading to significant variations in ploidy status. To better elucidate the genomic complexity of MM, we analyzed a panel of 45 patients using combined FISH and microarray approaches. Using a self-developed procedure to infer exact local copy numbers for each sample, we identified a significant fraction of patients showing marked aneuploidy. A conventional clustering analysis showed that aneuploidy, chromosome 1 alterations, hyperdiploidy and recursive deletions at 1p and chromosomes 13, 14 and 22 were the main aberrations driving samples grouping. Then, we integrated mapping information with gene and microRNAs expression profiles: a multiclass analysis of the identified clusters showed a marked gene-dosage effect, particularly concerning 1q transcripts, also confirmed by correlating gene expression levels and local copy number alterations. A wide dosage effect affected also microRNAs, indicating that structural abnormalities in MM closely reflect in their expression imbalances. Finally, we identified several loci in which genes and microRNAs expression correlated with loss-of-heterozygosity occurrence. Our results provide insights into the composite network linking genome structure and gene/microRNA transcriptional features in MM.
A SNP microarray and FISH-based procedure to detect allelic imbalances in multiple myeloma: an integrated genomics approach reveals a wide gene dosage effect.
Specimen part, Disease
View SamplesSmall nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) and small Cajal body-specific RNAs (scaRNAs) are non-coding RNAs involved in the maturation of other RNA molecules and generally located in the introns of host genes. It is now emerging that altered sno/scaRNAs expression may play a pathological role in cancer. This study elucidates the patterns of sno/scaRNAs expression in multiple myeloma (MM), by profiling puri?ed malignant plasma cells from 55 MMs, 8 secondary plasma cell leukemias (sPCL) and 4 normal controls. Overall, a global sno/scaRNAs down-regulation was found in MMs and at more extent in sPCLs compared to normal plasma cells. Whereas SCARNA22 resulted the only sno/scaRNA characterizing the TC4 MM, TC2 group displayed a distinct sno/scaRNA signature overexpressing members of SNORD115 and SNORD116 families located in a region finely regulated by imprinting mechanism at 15q11. However, the imprinting center resulted overall hypomethylated in MMs independently of the SNORD115 and SNORD116 expression levels. Finally, integrative analyses with available gene expression and genome-wide data revealed the occurrence of significant sno/scaRNAs/host genes co-expression and the putative influence of allelic imbalances on specific snoRNAs expression. Our data extend the current view of sno/scaRNAs deregulation in cancer and add novel information into the bio-molecular complexity of plasma cell dyscrasias.
The expression pattern of small nucleolar and small Cajal body-specific RNAs characterizes distinct molecular subtypes of multiple myeloma.
Specimen part, Disease, Disease stage
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