Cell Adhesion Molecule and Lymphocyte Activation Marker Expression during Experimental Vaginal Candidiasis

Science.gov (United States)

Wormley, Floyd L.; Chaiban, Joseph; Fidel, Paul L.

2001-01-01

Cell-mediated immunity by Th1-type CD4+ T cells is the predominant host defense mechanism against mucosal candidiasis. However, studies using an estrogen-dependent murine model of vaginal candidiasis have demonstrated little to no change in resident vaginal T cells during infection and no systemic T-cell infiltration despite the presence of Candida-specific systemic Th1-type responses in infected mice. The present study was designed to further investigate these observations by characterizing T-cell activation and cell adhesion molecule expression during primary and secondary C. albicans vaginal infections. While flow cytometry analysis of activation markers showed some evidence for activation of CD3+ draining lymph node and/or vaginal lymphocytes during both primary and secondary vaginal Candida infection, CD3+ cells expressing the homing receptors and integrins α4β7, αM290β7, and α4β1 in draining lymph nodes of mice with primary and secondary infections were reduced compared to results for uninfected mice. At the local level, few vaginal lymphocytes expressed integrins, with only minor changes observed during both primary and secondary infections. On the other hand, immunohistochemical analysis of vaginal cell adhesion molecule expression showed increases in mucosal addressin cell adhesion molecule 1 and vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 expression during both primary and secondary infections. Altogether, these data suggest that although the vaginal tissue is permissive to cellular infiltration during a vaginal Candida infection, the reduced numbers of systemic cells expressing the reciprocal cellular adhesion molecules may preempt cellular infiltration, thereby limiting Candida-specific T-cell responses against infection. PMID:11447188

Behavioral experience induces zif268 expression in mature granule cells but suppresses its expression in immature granule cells

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Huckleberry, Kylie A.; Kane, Gary A.; Mathis, Rita J.; Cook, Sarah G.; Clutton, Jonathan E.; Drew, Michael R.

2015-01-01

Thousands of neurons are born each day in the dentate gyrus (DG), but many of these cells die before reaching maturity. Both death and survival of adult-born neurons are regulated by neuronal activity in the DG. The immediate-early gene (IEG) zif268 appears to be an important mediator of these effects, as its expression can be induced by neural activity and knockout of zif268 impairs survival of adult-born neurons (Richardson et al., 1992; Veyrac et al., 2013). Despite the apparent importance of zif268 for adult neurogenesis, its behavior-induced expression has not been fully characterized in adult-born neurons. Here we characterize behavior-evoked expression of zif268 in mature and newborn dentate granule cells (DGCs). We first quantified zif268 expression in doublecortin-positive (DCX+) immature neurons and in the general granule cell population after brief exposure to a novel environment (NE). In the general granule cell population, zif268 expression peaked 1 h after NE exposure and returned to baseline by 8 h post-exposure. However, in the DCX+ cells, zif268 expression was suppressed relative to home cage for at least 8 h post-exposure. We next asked whether suppression of zif268 in DCX+ immature cells occurs in other behavioral paradigms that recruit the hippocampus. Exposure to Morris water maze (MWM) training, an enriched environment, or a NE caused approximately equal suppression of zif268 expression in DCX+ cells and approximately equal activation of zif268 expression among the general granule cell population. The same behavioral procedures activated zif268 expression in 6-week-old BrdU-labeled adult-born neurons, indicating that zif268 suppression is specific to immature neurons. Finally, we asked whether zif268 suppression varied as a function of age within the DCX+ population, which ranges in age from 0 to approximately 4 weeks. NE exposure had no significant effect on zif268 expression in 2- or 4-week-old BrdU-labeled neurons, but it significantly

Expression of E-selectin ligands on circulating tumor cells: cross-regulation with cancer stem cell regulatory pathways?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burdick, Monica M.; Henson, Karissa A.; Delgadillo, Luis F.; Choi, Young Eun; Goetz, Douglas J.; Tees, David F. J.; Benencia, Fabian

2012-01-01

Although significant progress has been made in the fight against cancer, successful treatment strategies have yet to be developed to combat those tumors that have metastasized to distant organs. Poor characterization of the molecular mechanisms of cancer spread is a major impediment to designing predictive diagnostics and effective clinical interventions against late stage disease. In hematogenous metastasis, it is widely suspected that circulating tumor cells (CTCs) express specific adhesion molecules that actively initiate contact with the vascular endothelium lining the vessel walls of the target organ. This “tethering” is mediated by ligands expressed by CTCs that bind to E-selectin expressed by endothelial cells. However, it is currently unknown whether expression of functional E-selectin ligands on CTCs is related to cancer stem cell regulatory or maintenance pathways, particularly epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and the reverse, mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition. In this hypothesis and theory article, we explore the potential roles of these mechanisms on the dynamic regulation of selectin ligands mediating CTC trafficking during metastasis.

Identifying EGFR-Expressed Cells and Detecting EGFR Multi-Mutations at Single-Cell Level by Microfluidic Chip

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Li, Ren; Zhou, Mingxing; Li, Jine; Wang, Zihua; Zhang, Weikai; Yue, Chunyan; Ma, Yan; Peng, Hailin; Wei, Zewen; Hu, Zhiyuan

2018-03-01

EGFR mutations companion diagnostics have been proved to be crucial for the efficacy of tyrosine kinase inhibitor targeted cancer therapies. To uncover multiple mutations occurred in minority of EGFR-mutated cells, which may be covered by the noises from majority of un-mutated cells, is currently becoming an urgent clinical requirement. Here we present the validation of a microfluidic-chip-based method for detecting EGFR multi-mutations at single-cell level. By trapping and immunofluorescently imaging single cells in specifically designed silicon microwells, the EGFR-expressed cells were easily identified. By in situ lysing single cells, the cell lysates of EGFR-expressed cells were retrieved without cross-contamination. Benefited from excluding the noise from cells without EGFR expression, the simple and cost-effective Sanger's sequencing, but not the expensive deep sequencing of the whole cell population, was used to discover multi-mutations. We verified the new method with precisely discovering three most important EGFR drug-related mutations from a sample in which EGFR-mutated cells only account for a small percentage of whole cell population. The microfluidic chip is capable of discovering not only the existence of specific EGFR multi-mutations, but also other valuable single-cell-level information: on which specific cells the mutations occurred, or whether different mutations coexist on the same cells. This microfluidic chip constitutes a promising method to promote simple and cost-effective Sanger's sequencing to be a routine test before performing targeted cancer therapy.[Figure not available: see fulltext.

Tropomyosin Receptor Kinase A Expression on Merkel Cell Carcinoma Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Wehkamp, Ulrike; Stern, Sophie; Krüger, Sandra; Hauschild, Axel; Röcken, Christoph; Egberts, Friederike

2017-11-01

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a malignant neuroendocrine skin tumor frequently associated with the Merkel cell polyomavirus. Immune checkpoint therapy showed remarkable results, although not all patients are responsive to this therapy. Anti-tropomyosin receptor kinase A (TrkA)-targeted treatment has shown promising results in several tumor entities. To determine TrkA expression in MCC as a rationale for potential targeted therapy. This case series study investigated the MCC specimens of 55 patients treated at the Department of Dermatology, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany, from January 1, 2005, through December 31, 2015. Thirty-nine of the 55 samples were suitable for further histopathologic examination. Expression of TrkA was explored by immunohistochemical analysis. Diagnosis of MCC was confirmed by staining positive for cytokeratin 20 (CK20) and synaptophysin. Expression of TrkA on the tumor cells. Specimens of 39 patients (21 women and 18 men; mean [SD] age, 75.0 [7.8] years) underwent immunohistochemical investigation. Thirty-eight of 38 specimens expressed CK20 and synaptophysin on the MCC tumor cells (100% expression). Merkel cell polyomavirus was detected in 32 of 38 specimens (84%). Tropomyosin receptor kinase A was found in all 36 evaluable specimens on the tumor cells; 34 (94%) showed a weak and 2 (6%) showed a strong cytoplasmic expression. In addition, strongly positive perinuclear dots were observed in 30 of 36 specimens (83%). Tropomyosin receptor kinase A was expressed on MCC tumor cells in 100% of evaluable specimens. This result may lead to the exploration of new targeted treatment options in MCC, especially for patients who do not respond to anti-programmed cell death protein 1 treatment.

Determining Physical Mechanisms of Gene Expression Regulation from Single Cell Gene Expression Data

OpenAIRE

Ezer, Daphne; Moignard, Victoria; G?ttgens, Berthold; Adryan, Boris

2016-01-01

Many genes are expressed in bursts, which can contribute to cell-to-cell heterogeneity. It is now possible to measure this heterogeneity with high throughput single cell gene expression assays (single cell qPCR and RNA-seq). These experimental approaches generate gene expression distributions which can be used to estimate the kinetic parameters of gene expression bursting, namely the rate that genes turn on, the rate that genes turn off, and the rate of transcription. We construct a complete ...

Expression of stanniocalcin 1 in thyroid side population cells and thyroid cancer cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Hayase, Suguru; Sasaki, Yoshihito; Matsubara, Tsutomu; Seo, Daekwan; Miyakoshi, Masaaki; Murata, Tsubasa; Ozaki, Takashi; Kakudo, Kennichi; Kumamoto, Kensuke; Ylaya, Kris; Cheng, Sheue-yann; Thorgeirsson, Snorri S; Hewitt, Stephen M; Ward, Jerrold M; Kimura, Shioko

2015-04-01

Mouse thyroid side population (SP) cells consist of a minor population of mouse thyroid cells that may have multipotent thyroid stem cell characteristics. However the nature of thyroid SP cells remains elusive, particularly in relation to thyroid cancer. Stanniocalcin (STC) 1 and 2 are secreted glycoproteins known to regulate serum calcium and phosphate homeostasis. In recent years, the relationship of STC1/2 expression to cancer has been described in various tissues. Microarray analysis was carried out to determine genes up- and down-regulated in thyroid SP cells as compared with non-SP cells. Among genes up-regulated, stanniocalcin 1 (STC1) was chosen for study because of its expression in various thyroid cells by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Gene expression analysis revealed that genes known to be highly expressed in cancer cells and/or involved in cancer invasion/metastasis were markedly up-regulated in SP cells from both intact as well as partial thyroidectomized thyroids. Among these genes, expression of STC1 was found in five human thyroid carcinoma-derived cell lines as revealed by analysis of mRNA and protein, and its expression was inversely correlated with the differentiation status of the cells. Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated higher expression of STC1 in the thyroid tumor cell line and thyroid tumor tissues from humans and mice. These results suggest that SP cells contain a population of cells that express genes also highly expressed in cancer cells including Stc1, which warrants further study on the role of SP cells and/or STC1 expression in thyroid cancer.

Rho GTPase expression in human myeloid cells.

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Suzanne F G van Helden

Full Text Available Myeloid cells are critical for innate immunity and the initiation of adaptive immunity. Strict regulation of the adhesive and migratory behavior is essential for proper functioning of these cells. Rho GTPases are important regulators of adhesion and migration; however, it is unknown which Rho GTPases are expressed in different myeloid cells. Here, we use a qPCR-based approach to investigate Rho GTPase expression in myeloid cells.We found that the mRNAs encoding Cdc42, RhoQ, Rac1, Rac2, RhoA and RhoC are the most abundant. In addition, RhoG, RhoB, RhoF and RhoV are expressed at low levels or only in specific cell types. More differentiated cells along the monocyte-lineage display lower levels of Cdc42 and RhoV, while RhoC mRNA is more abundant. In addition, the Rho GTPase expression profile changes during dendritic cell maturation with Rac1 being upregulated and Rac2 downregulated. Finally, GM-CSF stimulation, during macrophage and osteoclast differentiation, leads to high expression of Rac2, while M-CSF induces high levels of RhoA, showing that these cytokines induce a distinct pattern. Our data uncover cell type specific modulation of the Rho GTPase expression profile in hematopoietic stem cells and in more differentiated cells of the myeloid lineage.

Mammalian designer cells: Engineering principles and biomedical applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Mingqi; Fussenegger, Martin

2015-07-01

Biotechnology is a widely interdisciplinary field focusing on the use of living cells or organisms to solve established problems in medicine, food production and agriculture. Synthetic biology, the science of engineering complex biological systems that do not exist in nature, continues to provide the biotechnology industry with tools, technologies and intellectual property leading to improved cellular performance. One key aspect of synthetic biology is the engineering of deliberately reprogrammed designer cells whose behavior can be controlled over time and space. This review discusses the most commonly used techniques to engineer mammalian designer cells; while control elements acting on the transcriptional and translational levels of target gene expression determine the kinetic and dynamic profiles, coupling them to a variety of extracellular stimuli permits their remote control with user-defined trigger signals. Designer mammalian cells with novel or improved biological functions not only directly improve the production efficiency during biopharmaceutical manufacturing but also open the door for cell-based treatment strategies in molecular and translational medicine. In the future, the rational combination of multiple sets of designer cells could permit the construction and regulation of higher-order systems with increased complexity, thereby enabling the molecular reprogramming of tissues, organisms or even populations with highest precision. Copyright © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Forced Expression of ZNF143 Restrains Cancer Cell Growth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Izumi, Hiroto; Yasuniwa, Yoshihiro; Akiyama, Masaki; Yamaguchi, Takahiro; Kuma, Akihiro; Kitamura, Noriaki; Kohno, Kimitoshi

2011-01-01

We previously reported that the transcription factor Zinc Finger Protein 143 (ZNF143) regulates the expression of genes associated with cell cycle and cell division, and that downregulation of ZNF143 induces cell cycle arrest at G2/M. To assess the function of ZNF143 expression in the cell cycle, we established two cells with forced expression of ZNF143 derived from PC3 prostate cancer cell lines. These cell lines overexpress genes associated with cell cycle and cell division, such as polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1), aurora kinase B (AURKB) and some minichromosome maintenance complex components (MCM). However, the doubling time of cells with forced expression of ZNF143 was approximately twice as long as its control counterpart cell line. Analysis following serum starvation and re-seeding showed that PC3 cells were synchronized at G1 in the cell cycle. Also, ZNF143 expression fluctuated, and was at its lowest level in G2/M. However, PC3 cells with forced expression of ZNF143 synchronized at G2/M, and showed lack of cell cycle-dependent fluctuation of nuclear expression of MCM proteins. Furthermore, G2/M population of both cisplatin-resistant PCDP6 cells over-expressing ZNF143 (derived from PC3 cells) and cells with forced expression of ZNF143 was significantly higher than that of each counterpart, and the doubling time of PCDP6 cells is about 2.5 times longer than that of PC3 cells. These data suggested that fluctuations in ZNF143 expression are required both for gene expression associated with cell cycle and for cell division

Forced Expression of ZNF143 Restrains Cancer Cell Growth

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Izumi, Hiroto, E-mail: h-izumi@med.uoeh-u.ac.jp; Yasuniwa, Yoshihiro; Akiyama, Masaki; Yamaguchi, Takahiro; Kuma, Akihiro; Kitamura, Noriaki; Kohno, Kimitoshi [Department of Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, 1-1 Iseigaoka, Yahatanishi-ku, Kitakyushu 807-8555 (Japan)

2011-10-19

We previously reported that the transcription factor Zinc Finger Protein 143 (ZNF143) regulates the expression of genes associated with cell cycle and cell division, and that downregulation of ZNF143 induces cell cycle arrest at G2/M. To assess the function of ZNF143 expression in the cell cycle, we established two cells with forced expression of ZNF143 derived from PC3 prostate cancer cell lines. These cell lines overexpress genes associated with cell cycle and cell division, such as polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1), aurora kinase B (AURKB) and some minichromosome maintenance complex components (MCM). However, the doubling time of cells with forced expression of ZNF143 was approximately twice as long as its control counterpart cell line. Analysis following serum starvation and re-seeding showed that PC3 cells were synchronized at G1 in the cell cycle. Also, ZNF143 expression fluctuated, and was at its lowest level in G2/M. However, PC3 cells with forced expression of ZNF143 synchronized at G2/M, and showed lack of cell cycle-dependent fluctuation of nuclear expression of MCM proteins. Furthermore, G2/M population of both cisplatin-resistant PCDP6 cells over-expressing ZNF143 (derived from PC3 cells) and cells with forced expression of ZNF143 was significantly higher than that of each counterpart, and the doubling time of PCDP6 cells is about 2.5 times longer than that of PC3 cells. These data suggested that fluctuations in ZNF143 expression are required both for gene expression associated with cell cycle and for cell division.

Forced Expression of ZNF143 Restrains Cancer Cell Growth

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kimitoshi Kohno

2011-10-01

Full Text Available We previously reported that the transcription factor Zinc Finger Protein 143 (ZNF143 regulates the expression of genes associated with cell cycle and cell division, and that downregulation of ZNF143 induces cell cycle arrest at G2/M. To assess the function of ZNF143 expression in the cell cycle, we established two cells with forced expression of ZNF143 derived from PC3 prostate cancer cell lines. These cell lines overexpress genes associated with cell cycle and cell division, such as polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1, aurora kinase B (AURKB and some minichromosome maintenance complex components (MCM. However, the doubling time of cells with forced expression of ZNF143 was approximately twice as long as its control counterpart cell line. Analysis following serum starvation and re-seeding showed that PC3 cells were synchronized at G1 in the cell cycle. Also, ZNF143 expression fluctuated, and was at its lowest level in G2/M. However, PC3 cells with forced expression of ZNF143 synchronized at G2/M, and showed lack of cell cycle-dependent fluctuation of nuclear expression of MCM proteins. Furthermore, G2/M population of both cisplatin-resistant PCDP6 cells over-expressing ZNF143 (derived from PC3 cells and cells with forced expression of ZNF143 was significantly higher than that of each counterpart, and the doubling time of PCDP6 cells is about 2.5 times longer than that of PC3 cells. These data suggested that fluctuations in ZNF143 expression are required both for gene expression associated with cell cycle and for cell division.

CD25+ B-1a Cells Express Aicda

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Hiroaki Kaku

2017-06-01

Full Text Available B-1a cells are innate-like B-lymphocytes producing natural antibodies. Activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID, a product of the Aicda gene, plays a central role in class-switch recombination and somatic hypermutation in B cells. Although a role for Aicda in B-1a cells has been suggested on the basis of experiments with knock out (KO mice, whether B-1a cells express Aicda, and if so, which B-1a cell subpopulation expresses Aicda, remains unknown. Here, we demonstrate that B-1 cells express Aicda, but at a level below that expressed by germinal center (GC B cells. We previously reported that B-1a cells can be subdivided based on CD25 expression. We show here that B-1a cell Aicda expression is concentrated in the CD25+ B-1a cell subpopulation. These results suggest the possibility that previous studies of memory B cells identified on the basis of Aicda expression may have inadvertently included an unknown number of CD25+ B-1a cells. Although B-1a cells develop normally in the absence of Aicda, a competitive reconstitution assay reveals enhanced vigor for AID KO B-1a cell bone marrow (BM progenitors, as compared with wild-type BM B-1 cell progenitors. These results suggest that AID inhibits the development of B-1a cells from BM B-1 cell progenitors in a competitive environment.

Exploiting translational coupling for the selection of cells producing toxic recombinant proteins from expression vectors.

Science.gov (United States)

Tagliavia, Marcello; Cuttitta, Angela

2016-01-01

High rates of plasmid instability are associated with the use of some expression vectors in Escherichia coli, resulting in the loss of recombinant protein expression. This is due to sequence alterations in vector promoter elements caused by the background expression of the cloned gene, which leads to the selection of fast-growing, plasmid-containing cells that do not express the target protein. This phenomenon, which is worsened when expressing toxic proteins, results in preparations containing very little or no recombinant protein, or even in clone loss; however, no methods to prevent loss of recombinant protein expression are currently available. We have exploited the phenomenon of translational coupling, a mechanism of prokaryotic gene expression regulation, in order to select cells containing plasmids still able to express recombinant proteins. Here we designed an expression vector in which the cloned gene and selection marker are co-expressed. Our approach allowed for the selection of the recombinant protein-expressing cells and proved effective even for clones encoding toxic proteins.

During development intense Sox2 expression marks not only Prox1-expressing taste bud cell but also perigemmal cell lineages.

Science.gov (United States)

Nakayama, Ayumi; Miura, Hirohito; Ooki, Makoto; Harada, Shuitsu

2015-03-01

Sox2 is proposed to regulate the differentiation of bipotential progenitor cells into taste bud cells. However, detailed expression of Sox2 remains unclear. In this report, Sox2 expression during taste bud development in the fungiform (FF), circumvallate (CV) and soft palate (SP) areas is examined together with Prox1. First, we immunohistochemically checked Prox1 expression in adults and found that almost all taste bud cells are Prox1-positive. During FF development, intense Sox2 expression was restricted to taste bud primordia expressing Prox1 at E12.5. However, at E14.5, Sox2 was intensely expressed outside the developing taste buds resolving to perigemmal Sox2 expression in adults. In the SP, at E14.5, taste bud primordia emerged as Prox1-expressing cell clusters. However, intense Sox2 expression was not restricted to taste bud primordia but was detected widely in the epithelium. During development, Sox2 expression outside developing taste buds was generally down-regulated but was retained in the perigemmal region similarly to that in the FF. In the CV, the initial stage of taste bud development remained unclear because of the lack of taste bud primordia comparable to that in the FF and SP. Here, we show that Prox1-expressing cells appear in the apical epithelium at E12.5, in the inner trench wall at E17.5 and in the outer trench wall at E18.5. Sox2 was again not restricted to developing taste bud cells expressing Prox1 during CV development. The expression patterns support that Sox2 does not serve as a cell fate selector between taste bud cells and surrounding keratinocytes but rather may contribute to them both.

Decorin expression in quiescent myogenic cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nishimura, Takanori; Nozu, Kenjiro; Kishioka, Yasuhiro; Wakamatsu, Jun-ichi; Hattori, Akihito

2008-01-01

Satellite cells are quiescent muscle stem cells that promote postnatal muscle growth and repair. When satellite cells are activated by myotrauma, they proliferate, migrate, differentiate, and ultimately fuse to existing myofibers. The remainder of these cells do not differentiate, but instead return to quiescence and remain in a quiescent state until activation begins the process again. This ability to maintain their own population is important for skeletal muscle to maintain the capability to repair during postnatal life. However, the mechanisms by which satellite cells return to quiescence and maintain the quiescent state are still unclear. Here, we demonstrated that decorin mRNA expression was high in cell cultures containing a higher ratio of quiescent satellite cells when satellite cells were stimulated with various concentrations of hepatocyte growth factor. This result suggests that quiescent satellite cells express decorin at a high level compared to activated satellite cells. Furthermore, we examined the expression of decorin in reserve cells, which were undifferentiated myoblasts remaining after induction of differentiation by serum-deprivation. Decorin mRNA levels in reserve cells were higher than those in differentiated myotubes and growing myoblasts. These results suggest that decorin participates in the quiescence of myogenic cells

Automating InDesign with Regular Expressions

CERN Document Server

Kahrel, Peter

2006-01-01

If you need to make automated changes to InDesign documents beyond what basic search and replace can handle, you need regular expressions, and a bit of scripting to make them work. This Short Cut explains both how to write regular expressions, so you can find and replace the right things, and how to use them in InDesign specifically.

Haemopedia: An Expression Atlas of Murine Hematopoietic Cells

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Carolyn A. de Graaf

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Hematopoiesis is a multistage process involving the differentiation of stem and progenitor cells into distinct mature cell lineages. Here we present Haemopedia, an atlas of murine gene-expression data containing 54 hematopoietic cell types, covering all the mature lineages in hematopoiesis. We include rare cell populations such as eosinophils, mast cells, basophils, and megakaryocytes, and a broad collection of progenitor and stem cells. We show that lineage branching and maturation during hematopoiesis can be reconstructed using the expression patterns of small sets of genes. We also have identified genes with enriched expression in each of the mature blood cell lineages, many of which show conserved lineage-enriched expression in human hematopoiesis. We have created an online web portal called Haemosphere to make analyses of Haemopedia and other blood cell transcriptional datasets easier. This resource provides simple tools to interrogate gene-expression-based relationships between hematopoietic cell types and genes of interest.

Cell cycle gene expression networks discovered using systems biology: Significance in carcinogenesis

Science.gov (United States)

Scott, RE; Ghule, PN; Stein, JL; Stein, GS

2015-01-01

The early stages of carcinogenesis are linked to defects in the cell cycle. A series of cell cycle checkpoints are involved in this process. The G1/S checkpoint that serves to integrate the control of cell proliferation and differentiation is linked to carcinogenesis and the mitotic spindle checkpoint with the development of chromosomal instability. This paper presents the outcome of systems biology studies designed to evaluate if networks of covariate cell cycle gene transcripts exist in proliferative mammalian tissues including mice, rats and humans. The GeneNetwork website that contains numerous gene expression datasets from different species, sexes and tissues represents the foundational resource for these studies (www.genenetwork.org). In addition, WebGestalt, a gene ontology tool, facilitated the identification of expression networks of genes that co-vary with key cell cycle targets, especially Cdc20 and Plk1 (www.bioinfo.vanderbilt.edu/webgestalt). Cell cycle expression networks of such covariate mRNAs exist in multiple proliferative tissues including liver, lung, pituitary, adipose and lymphoid tissues among others but not in brain or retina that have low proliferative potential. Sixty-three covariate cell cycle gene transcripts (mRNAs) compose the average cell cycle network with p = e−13 to e−36. Cell cycle expression networks show species, sex and tissue variability and they are enriched in mRNA transcripts associated with mitosis many of which are associated with chromosomal instability. PMID:25808367

Foxp3 expression in human cancer cells

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Gourgoulianis Konstantinos I

2008-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Objective Transcription factor forkhead box protein 3 (Foxp3 specifically characterizes the thymically derived naturally occurring regulatory T cells (Tregs. Limited evidence indicates that it is also expressed, albeit to a lesser extent, in tissues other than thymus and spleen, while, very recently, it was shown that Foxp3 is expressed by pancreatic carcinoma. This study was scheduled to investigate whether expression of Foxp3 transcripts and mature protein occurs constitutively in various tumor types. Materials and methods Twenty five tumor cell lines of different tissue origins (lung cancer, colon cancer, breast cancer, melanoma, erythroid leukemia, acute T-cell leukemia were studied. Detection of Foxp3 mRNA was performed using both conventional RT-PCR and quantitative real-time PCR while protein expression was assessed by immunocytochemistry and flow cytometry, using different antibody clones. Results Foxp3 mRNA as well as Foxp3 protein was detected in all tumor cell lines, albeit in variable levels, not related to the tissue of origin. This expression correlated with the expression levels of IL-10 and TGFb1. Conclusion We offer evidence that Foxp3 expression, characterizes tumor cells of various tissue origins. The biological significance of these findings warrants further investigation in the context of tumor immune escape, and especially under the light of current anti-cancer efforts interfering with Foxp3 expression.

A Guide to Transient Expression of Membrane Proteins in HEK-293 Cells for Functional Characterization

KAUST Repository

Ooi, Amanda Siok Lee

2016-07-19

The human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK-293) cells are commonly used as host for the heterologous expression of membrane proteins not least because they have a high transfection efficiency and faithfully translate and process proteins. In addition, their cell size, morphology and division rate, and low expression of native channels are traits that are particularly attractive for current-voltage measurements. Nevertheless, the heterologous expression of complex membrane proteins such as receptors and ion channels for biological characterization and in particular for single-cell applications such as electrophysiology remains a challenge. Expression of functional proteins depends largely on careful step-by-step optimization that includes the design of expression vectors with suitable identification tags, as well as the selection of transfection methods and detection parameters appropriate for the application. Here, we use the heterologous expression of a plant potassium channel, the Arabidopsis thaliana guard cell outward-rectifying K+ channel, AtGORK (At5G37500) in HEK-293 cells as an example, to evaluate commonly used transfection reagents and fluorescent detection methods, and provide a detailed methodology for optimized transient transfection and expression of membrane proteins for in vivo studies in general and for single-cell applications in particular. This optimized protocol will facilitate the physiological and cellular characterization of complex membrane proteins.

A Guide to Transient Expression of Membrane Proteins in HEK-293 Cells for Functional Characterization

KAUST Repository

Ooi, Amanda Siok Lee; Wong, Aloysius Tze; Esau, Luke; Lemtiri-Chlieh, Fouad; Gehring, Christoph A

2016-01-01

The human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK-293) cells are commonly used as host for the heterologous expression of membrane proteins not least because they have a high transfection efficiency and faithfully translate and process proteins. In addition, their cell size, morphology and division rate, and low expression of native channels are traits that are particularly attractive for current-voltage measurements. Nevertheless, the heterologous expression of complex membrane proteins such as receptors and ion channels for biological characterization and in particular for single-cell applications such as electrophysiology remains a challenge. Expression of functional proteins depends largely on careful step-by-step optimization that includes the design of expression vectors with suitable identification tags, as well as the selection of transfection methods and detection parameters appropriate for the application. Here, we use the heterologous expression of a plant potassium channel, the Arabidopsis thaliana guard cell outward-rectifying K+ channel, AtGORK (At5G37500) in HEK-293 cells as an example, to evaluate commonly used transfection reagents and fluorescent detection methods, and provide a detailed methodology for optimized transient transfection and expression of membrane proteins for in vivo studies in general and for single-cell applications in particular. This optimized protocol will facilitate the physiological and cellular characterization of complex membrane proteins.

Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cells Expressing CD44 Are Enriched for Stem Cell-Like Properties

Science.gov (United States)

Leung, Elaine Lai-Han; Fiscus, Ronald R.; Tung, James W.; Tin, Vicky Pui-Chi; Cheng, Lik Cheung; Sihoe, Alan Dart-Loon; Fink, Louis M.; Ma, Yupo; Wong, Maria Pik

2010-01-01

Background The cancer stem cell theory hypothesizes that cancers are perpetuated by cancer stem cells (CSC) or tumor initiating cells (TIC) possessing self-renewal and other stem cell-like properties while differentiated non-stem/initiating cells have a finite life span. To investigate whether the hypothesis is applicable to lung cancer, identification of lung CSC and demonstration of these capacities is essential. Methodology/Principal Finding The expression profiles of five stem cell markers (CD34, CD44, CD133, BMI1 and OCT4) were screened by flow cytometry in 10 lung cancer cell lines. CD44 was further investigated by testing for in vitro and in vivo tumorigenecity. Formation of spheroid bodies and in vivo tumor initiation ability were demonstrated in CD44+ cells of 4 cell lines. Serial in vivo tumor transplantability in nude mice was demonstrated using H1299 cell line. The primary xenografts initiated from CD44+ cells consisted of mixed CD44+ and CD44− cells in similar ratio as the parental H1299 cell line, supporting in vivo differentiation. Semi-quantitative Real-Time PCR (RT-PCR) showed that both freshly sorted CD44+ and CD44+ cells derived from CD44+-initiated tumors expressed the pluripotency genes OCT4/POU5F1, NANOG, SOX2. These stemness markers were not expressed by CD44− cells. Furthermore, freshly sorted CD44+ cells were more resistant to cisplatin treatment with lower apoptosis levels than CD44− cells. Immunohistochemical analysis of 141 resected non-small cell lung cancers showed tumor cell expression of CD44 in 50.4% of tumors while no CD34, and CD133 expression was observed in tumor cells. CD44 expression was associated with squamous cell carcinoma but unexpectedly, a longer survival was observed in CD44-expressing adenocarcinomas. Conclusion/Significance Overall, our results demonstrated that stem cell-like properties are enriched in CD44-expressing subpopulations of some lung cancer cell lines. Further investigation is required to clarify

Sorting live stem cells based on Sox2 mRNA expression.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hans M Larsson

Full Text Available While cell sorting usually relies on cell-surface protein markers, molecular beacons (MBs offer the potential to sort cells based on the presence of any expressed mRNA and in principle could be extremely useful to sort rare cell populations from primary isolates. We show here how stem cells can be purified from mixed cell populations by sorting based on MBs. Specifically, we designed molecular beacons targeting Sox2, a well-known stem cell marker for murine embryonic (mES and neural stem cells (NSC. One of our designed molecular beacons displayed an increase in fluorescence compared to a nonspecific molecular beacon both in vitro and in vivo when tested in mES and NSCs. We sorted Sox2-MB(+SSEA1(+ cells from a mixed population of 4-day retinoic acid-treated mES cells and effectively isolated live undifferentiated stem cells. Additionally, Sox2-MB(+ cells isolated from primary mouse brains were sorted and generated neurospheres with higher efficiency than Sox2-MB(- cells. These results demonstrate the utility of MBs for stem cell sorting in an mRNA-specific manner.

Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase-expressing leukemic dendritic cells impair a leukemia-specific immune response by inducing potent T regulatory cells

OpenAIRE

Curti, A; Trabanelli, S; Onofri, C; Aluigi, M; Salvestrini, V; Ocadlikova, D; Evangelisti, C; Rutella, S; De Cristofaro, R; Ottaviani, E; Baccarani, M; Lemoli, RM

2010-01-01

Background: The immunoregulatory enzyme indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase, which catalyzes the conversion of tryptophan into kynurenine, is expressed in a significant subset of patients with acute myeloid leukemia, resulting in the inhibition of T-cell proliferation and the induction of regulatory T cells. Acute myeloid leukemia cells can be differentiated into dendritic cells, which have increased immunogenicity and have been proposed as vaccines against leukemia.\\ud Design and Methods: Leukemic d...

Specialized activities and expression differences for Clostridium thermocellum biofilm and planktonic cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Dumitrache, Alexandru; Klingeman, Dawn M; Natzke, Jace; Rodriguez, Miguel; Giannone, Richard J; Hettich, Robert L; Davison, Brian H; Brown, Steven D

2017-02-27

Clostridium (Ruminiclostridium) thermocellum is a model organism for its ability to deconstruct plant biomass and convert the cellulose into ethanol. The bacterium forms biofilms adherent to lignocellulosic feedstocks in a continuous cell-monolayer in order to efficiently break down and uptake cellulose hydrolysates. We developed a novel bioreactor design to generate separate sessile and planktonic cell populations for omics studies. Sessile cells had significantly greater expression of genes involved in catabolism of carbohydrates by glycolysis and pyruvate fermentation, ATP generation by proton gradient, the anabolism of proteins and lipids and cellular functions critical for cell division consistent with substrate replete conditions. Planktonic cells had notably higher gene expression for flagellar motility and chemotaxis, cellulosomal cellulases and anchoring scaffoldins, and a range of stress induced homeostasis mechanisms such as oxidative stress protection by antioxidants and flavoprotein co-factors, methionine repair, Fe-S cluster assembly and repair in redox proteins, cell growth control through tRNA thiolation, recovery of damaged DNA by nucleotide excision repair and removal of terminal proteins by proteases. This study demonstrates that microbial attachment to cellulose substrate produces widespread gene expression changes for critical functions of this organism and provides physiological insights for two cells populations relevant for engineering of industrially-ready phenotypes.

A Microchip for Integrated Single-Cell Gene Expression Profiling and Genotoxicity Detection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hui Dong

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Microfluidics-based single-cell study is an emerging approach in personalized treatment or precision medicine studies. Single-cell gene expression holds a potential to provide treatment selections with maximized efficacy to help cancer patients based on a genetic understanding of their disease. This work presents a multi-layer microchip for single-cell multiplexed gene expression profiling and genotoxicity detection. Treated by three drug reagents (i.e., methyl methanesulfonate, docetaxel and colchicine with varied concentrations and time lengths, individual human cancer cells (MDA-MB-231 are lysed on-chip, and the released mRNA templates are captured and reversely transcribed into single strand DNA. Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH, cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1A (CDKN1A, and aurora kinase A (AURKA genes from single cells are amplified and real-time quantified through multiplex polymerase chain reaction. The microchip is capable of integrating all steps of single-cell multiplexed gene expression profiling, and providing precision detection of drug induced genotoxic stress. Throughput has been set to be 18, and can be further increased following the same approach. Numerical simulation of on-chip single cell trapping and heat transfer has been employed to evaluate the chip design and operation.

CNPase Expression in Olfactory Ensheathing Cells

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Christine Radtke

2011-01-01

Full Text Available A large body of work supports the proposal that transplantation of olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs into nerve or spinal cord injuries can promote axonal regeneration and remyelination. Yet, some investigators have questioned whether the transplanted OECs associate with axons and form peripheral myelin, or if they recruit endogenous Schwann cells that form myelin. Olfactory bulbs from transgenic mice expressing the enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP under the control of the 2-3-cyclic nucleotide 3-phosphodiesterase (CNPase promoter were studied. CNPase is expressed in myelin-forming cells throughout their lineage. We examined CNPase expression in both in situ in the olfactory bulb and in vitro to determine if OECs express CNPase commensurate with their myelination potential. eGFP was observed in the outer nerve layer of the olfactory bulb. Dissociated OECs maintained in culture had both intense eGFP expression and CNPase immunostaining. Transplantation of OECs into transected peripheral nerve longitudinally associated with the regenerated axons. These data indicate that OECs in the outer nerve layer of the olfactory bulb of CNPase transgenic mice express CNPase. Thus, while OECs do not normally form myelin on olfactory nerve axons, their expression of CNPase is commensurate with their potential to form myelin when transplanted into injured peripheral nerve.

Foxl1-Expressing Mesenchymal Cells Constitute the Intestinal Stem Cell NicheSummary

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Reina Aoki

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Background & Aims: Intestinal epithelial stem cells that express leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein coupled receptor 5 (Lgr5 and/or B cell specific Moloney murine leukemia virus integration site 1 (Bmi1 continuously replicate and generate differentiated cells throughout life. Previously, Paneth cells were suggested to constitute an epithelium-intrinsic niche that regulates the behavior of these stem cells. However, ablating Paneth cells has no effect on the maintenance of functional stem cells. Here, we show definitively that a small subset of mesenchymal subepithelial cells expressing the winged-helix transcription factor forkhead box l1 (Foxl1 are a critical component of the intestinal stem cell niche. Methods: We genetically ablated Foxl1+ mesenchymal cells in adult mice using 2 separate models by expressing either the human or simian diphtheria toxin receptor under Foxl1 promoter control. Conclusions: Killing Foxl1+ cells by diphtheria toxin administration led to an abrupt cessation of proliferation of both epithelial stem- and transit-amplifying progenitor cell populations that was associated with a loss of active Wnt signaling to the intestinal epithelium. Therefore, Foxl1-expressing mesenchymal cells constitute the fundamental niche for intestinal stem cells. Keywords: Intestinal Stem Cell Niche, Wnt, Mesenchyme

Gene expression of panaxydol-treated human melanoma cells using radioactive cDNA microarrays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cho, Joong Youn; Yu, Su Jin; Soh, Jeong Won; Kim, Meyoung Kon

2001-01-01

Polyacetylenic alcohols derived from Panax ginseng have been studied to be an anticancer reagent previously. One of the Panax ginseng polyacetylenic alcohols, i.e., panaxydol, has been studied to possess an antiproliferative effect on human melanoma cell line (SK-MEL-1). In ths study, radioactive cDNA microarrays enabled an efficient approach to analyze the pattern of gene expression (3.194 genes in a total) simultaneously. The bioinformatics selection of human cDNAs, which is specifically designed for immunology, apoptosis and signal transduction, were arrayed on nylon membranes. Using with 33 P labeled probes, this method provided highly sensitive gene expression profiles of our interest including apoptosis, cell proliferation, cell cycle, and signal transduction. Gene expression profiles were also classified into several categories in accordance with the duration of panaxydol treatment. Consequently, the gene profiles of our interest were significantly up (199 genes, > 2.0 of Z-ratio) or down-(196 genes, < 2.0 of Z-ratio) regulated in panaxydol-treated human melanoma cells

Gene expression of panaxydol-treated human melanoma cells using radioactive cDNA microarrays

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cho, Joong Youn; Yu, Su Jin; Soh, Jeong Won; Kim, Meyoung Kon [College of Medicine, Korea Univ., Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2001-07-01

Polyacetylenic alcohols derived from Panax ginseng have been studied to be an anticancer reagent previously. One of the Panax ginseng polyacetylenic alcohols, i.e., panaxydol, has been studied to possess an antiproliferative effect on human melanoma cell line (SK-MEL-1). In ths study, radioactive cDNA microarrays enabled an efficient approach to analyze the pattern of gene expression (3.194 genes in a total) simultaneously. The bioinformatics selection of human cDNAs, which is specifically designed for immunology, apoptosis and signal transduction, were arrayed on nylon membranes. Using with {sup 33}P labeled probes, this method provided highly sensitive gene expression profiles of our interest including apoptosis, cell proliferation, cell cycle, and signal transduction. Gene expression profiles were also classified into several categories in accordance with the duration of panaxydol treatment. Consequently, the gene profiles of our interest were significantly up (199 genes, > 2.0 of Z-ratio) or down-(196 genes, < 2.0 of Z-ratio) regulated in panaxydol-treated human melanoma cells.

Rethinking cell-cycle-dependent gene expression in Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

Science.gov (United States)

Cooper, Stephen

2017-11-01

Three studies of gene expression during the division cycle of Schizosaccharomyces pombe led to the proposal that a large number of genes are expressed at particular times during the S. pombe cell cycle. Yet only a small fraction of genes proposed to be expressed in a cell-cycle-dependent manner are reproducible in all three published studies. In addition to reproducibility problems, questions about expression amplitudes, cell-cycle timing of expression, synchronization artifacts, and the problem with methods for synchronizing cells must be considered. These problems and complications prompt the idea that caution should be used before accepting the conclusion that there are a large number of genes expressed in a cell-cycle-dependent manner in S. pombe.

Resveratrol represses YKL-40 expression in human glioma U87 cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Wei; Tamiya, Takashi; Murao, Koji; Zhang, Xiang; Matsumoto, Kensuke; Diah, Suwarni; Okada, Masaki; Miyake, Keisuke; Kawai, Nobuyuki; Fei, Zhou

2010-01-01

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most malignant intracranial tumour that develops in both adults and children. Microarray gene analyses have confirmed that the human YKL-40 gene is one of the most over-expressed genes in these tumours but not in normal brain tissue. Clinical studies have shown that serum YKL-40 levels are positively correlated with tumour burden in addition to being an independent prognostic factor of a short relapse-free interval as well as short overall survival in patients with various cancers. Our previous study revealed that YKL-40 was closely correlated with the pathological grades of human primary astrocytomas and played a crucial role in glioma cell proliferation. Hence, YKL-40 could be an attractive target in the design of anti-cancer therapies. Cell viability and invasion assays were performed to detect the cell proliferation and invasive ability of U87 cells induced by resveratrol (3, 5, 4'-trihydroxystilbene; Res) or YKL-40 small-interfering RNAs (siRNAs). In addition, the luciferase assay, real-time RT-PCR, western blotting, and ELISA were used to measure YKL-40 promoter activity, mRNA, and protein expression, respectively. The expressions of phosphor-ERK1/2 and ERK1/2 were determined by western blotting. Res inhibited U87 cell proliferation and invasion in vitro and repressed YKL-40 in U87 cells by decreasing the activity of its promoter and reducing mRNA transcription and protein expression in vitro. YKL-40 siRNA treatment also impaired the invasiveness of U87 cells. When U87 cells were cultured with 20 μM PD98059 (an ERK1/2 inhibitor) alone, with 20 μM PD98059 and 100 μM Res, or with 100 μM Res alone for 48 h, YKL-40 protein expression decreased most significantly in the Res-treated group. PD98059 partially reversed the decrease of YKL-40 protein expression induced by Res. Furthermore, phosphor-ERK1/2 expression was reduced by Res treatment in a time-dependent manner. We demonstrated for the first time that Res

Cross-cultural evaluations of avatar facial expressions designed by Western and Japanese Designers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Koda, Tomoko; Rehm, Matthias; André, Elisabeth

2008-01-01

The goal of the study is to investigate cultural differences in avatar expression evaluation and apply findings from psychological study in human facial expression recognition. Our previous study using Japanese designed avatars showed there are cultural differences in interpreting avatar facial...... expressions, and the psychological theory that suggests physical proximity affects facial expression recognition accuracy is also applicable to avatar facial expressions. This paper summarizes the early results of the successive experiment that uses western designed avatars. We observed tendencies of cultural...

Glutathione S-transferase expression and isoenzyme composition during cell differentiation of Caco-2 cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scharmach, E.; Hessel, S.; Niemann, B.; Lampen, A.

2009-01-01

The human colon adenocarcinoma cell line Caco-2 is frequently used to study human intestinal metabolism and transport of xenobiotica. Previous studies have shown that both Caco-2 cells and human colon cells constitutively express the multigene family of detoxifying enzymes glutathione S-transferases (GSTs), particularly GST alpha and GST pi. GSTs may play a fundamental role in the molecular interplay between phase I, II enzymes and ABC-transporters. The gut fermentation product, butyrate, can modulate the potential for detoxification. The aim of this study was to investigate the basal expression of further cytosolic GSTs in Caco-2 cells during cell differentiation. In addition, a comparison was made with expression levels in MCF-7 and HepG2, two other cell types with barrier functions. Finally, the butyrate-mediated modulation of gene and protein expression was determined by real time PCR and western blot analysis. In Caco-2, gene and protein expression levels of GST alpha increased during cell differentiation. High levels of GSTO1 and GSTP1 were constantly expressed. No expression of GSTM5 and GSTT1 was detected. HepG2 expressed GSTO1 and MCF-7 GSTZ1 most intensively. No expression of GSTA5, GSTM5, or GSTP1 was detected in either cell. Incubation of Caco-2 cells with butyrate (5 mM) significantly induced GSTA1 and GSTM2 in proliferating Caco-2 cells. In differentiated cells, butyrate tended to increase GSTO1 and GSTP1. The results of this study show that a differentiation-dependent expression of GSTs in Caco-2 cells may reflect the in vivo situation and indicate the potential of butyrate to modify intestinal metabolism. GSTA1-A4 have been identified as good markers for cell differentiation. The Caco-2 cell line is a useful model for assessing the potential of food-related substances to modulate the GST expression pattern.

Glutathione S-transferase expression and isoenzyme composition during cell differentiation of Caco-2 cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Scharmach, E; Hessel, S; Niemann, B; Lampen, A

2009-11-30

The human colon adenocarcinoma cell line Caco-2 is frequently used to study human intestinal metabolism and transport of xenobiotica. Previous studies have shown that both Caco-2 cells and human colon cells constitutively express the multigene family of detoxifying enzymes glutathione S-transferases (GSTs), particularly GST alpha and GST pi. GSTs may play a fundamental role in the molecular interplay between phase I, II enzymes and ABC-transporters. The gut fermentation product, butyrate, can modulate the potential for detoxification. The aim of this study was to investigate the basal expression of further cytosolic GSTs in Caco-2 cells during cell differentiation. In addition, a comparison was made with expression levels in MCF-7 and HepG2, two other cell types with barrier functions. Finally, the butyrate-mediated modulation of gene and protein expression was determined by real time PCR and western blot analysis. In Caco-2, gene and protein expression levels of GST alpha increased during cell differentiation. High levels of GSTO1 and GSTP1 were constantly expressed. No expression of GSTM5 and GSTT1 was detected. HepG2 expressed GSTO1 and MCF-7 GSTZ1 most intensively. No expression of GSTA5, GSTM5, or GSTP1 was detected in either cell. Incubation of Caco-2 cells with butyrate (5 mM) significantly induced GSTA1 and GSTM2 in proliferating Caco-2 cells. In differentiated cells, butyrate tended to increase GSTO1 and GSTP1. The results of this study show that a differentiation-dependent expression of GSTs in Caco-2 cells may reflect the in vivo situation and indicate the potential of butyrate to modify intestinal metabolism. GSTA1-A4 have been identified as good markers for cell differentiation. The Caco-2 cell line is a useful model for assessing the potential of food-related substances to modulate the GST expression pattern.

Model-directed engineering of "difficult-to-express" monoclonal antibody production by Chinese hamster ovary cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Pybus, Leon P; Dean, Greg; West, Nathan R; Smith, Andrew; Daramola, Olalekan; Field, Ray; Wilkinson, Stephen J; James, David C

2014-02-01

Despite improvements in volumetric titer for monoclonal antibody (MAb) production processes using Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, some "difficult-to-express" (DTE) MAbs inexplicably reach much lower process titers. These DTE MAbs require intensive cell line and process development activity, rendering them more costly or even unsuitable to manufacture. To rapidly and rationally identify an optimal strategy to improve production of DTE MAbs, we have developed an engineering design platform combining high-yielding transient production, empirical modeling of MAb synthesis incorporating an unfolded protein response (UPR) regulatory loop with directed expression and cell engineering approaches. Utilizing a panel of eight IgG1 λ MAbs varying >4-fold in volumetric titer, we showed that MAb-specific limitations on folding and assembly rate functioned to induce a proportionate UPR in host CHO cells with a corresponding reduction in cell growth rate. Derived from comparative empirical modeling of cellular constraints on the production of each MAb we employed two strategies to increase production of DTE MAbs designed to avoid UPR induction through an improvement in the rate/cellular capacity for MAb folding and assembly reactions. Firstly, we altered the transfected LC:HC gene ratio and secondly, we co-expressed a variety of molecular chaperones, foldases or UPR transactivators (BiP, CypB, PDI, and active forms of ATF6 and XBP1) with recombinant MAbs. DTE MAb production was significantly improved by both strategies, although the mode of action was dependent upon the approach employed. Increased LC:HC ratio or CypB co-expression improved cell growth with no effect on qP. In contrast, BiP, ATF6c and XBP1s co-expression increased qP and reduced cell growth. This study demonstrates that expression-engineering strategies to improve production of DTE proteins in mammalian cells should be product specific, and based on rapid predictive tools to assess the relative impact of

Oncomirs Expression Profiling in Uterine Leiomyosarcoma Cells

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Bruna Cristine de Almeida

2017-12-01

Full Text Available MicroRNAs (miRNAs are small non-coding RNAs that act as regulators of gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. They play a key role in several biological processes. Their abnormal expression may lead to malignant cell transformation. This study aimed to evaluate the expression profile of 84 miRNAs involved in tumorigenesis in immortalized cells of myometrium (MM, uterine leiomyoma (ULM, and uterine leiomyosarcoma (ULMS. Specific cell lines were cultured and qRT-PCR was performed. Thirteen miRNAs presented different expression profiles in ULM and the same thirteen in ULMS compared to MM. Eight miRNAs were overexpressed, and five were underexpressed in ULM. In ULMS cells, five miRNAs exhibited an overexpression and eight were down-regulated. Six miRNAs (miR-1-3p, miR-130b-3p, miR-140-5p, miR-202-3p, miR-205-5p, and miR-7-5p presented a similar expression pattern in cell lines compared to patient samples. Of these, only three miRNAs showed significant expression in ULM (miR-1-3p, miR-140-5p, and miR-7-5p and ULMS (miR-1-3p, miR-202-3p, and miR-7-5p. Our preliminary approach identified 24 oncomirs with an altered expression profile in ULM and ULMS cells. We identified four differentially expressed miRNAs with the same profile when compared with patients’ samples, which strongly interacted with relevant genes, including apoptosis regulator (BCL2, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR, vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA, insulin like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R,serine/threonine kinase (RAF1, receptor tyrosine kinase (MET, and bHLH transcription factor (MYCN. This led to alterations in their mRNA-target.

Automatic Control of Gene Expression in Mammalian Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Fracassi, Chiara; Postiglione, Lorena; Fiore, Gianfranco; di Bernardo, Diego

2016-04-15

Automatic control of gene expression in living cells is paramount importance to characterize both endogenous gene regulatory networks and synthetic circuits. In addition, such a technology can be used to maintain the expression of synthetic circuit components in an optimal range in order to ensure reliable performance. Here we present a microfluidics-based method to automatically control gene expression from the tetracycline-inducible promoter in mammalian cells in real time. Our approach is based on the negative-feedback control engineering paradigm. We validated our method in a monoclonal population of cells constitutively expressing a fluorescent reporter protein (d2EYFP) downstream of a minimal CMV promoter with seven tet-responsive operator motifs (CMV-TET). These cells also constitutively express the tetracycline transactivator protein (tTA). In cells grown in standard growth medium, tTA is able to bind the CMV-TET promoter, causing d2EYFP to be maximally expressed. Upon addition of tetracycline to the culture medium, tTA detaches from the CMV-TET promoter, thus preventing d2EYFP expression. We tested two different model-independent control algorithms (relay and proportional-integral (PI)) to force a monoclonal population of cells to express an intermediate level of d2EYFP equal to 50% of its maximum expression level for up to 3500 min. The control input is either tetracycline-rich or standard growth medium. We demonstrated that both the relay and PI controllers can regulate gene expression at the desired level, despite oscillations (dampened in the case of the PI controller) around the chosen set point.

Designing a HER2/neu promoter to drive α1,3galactosyltransferase expression for targeted anti-αGal antibody-mediated tumor cell killing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lanteri, Marion; Ollier, Laurence; Giordanengo, Valérie; Lefebvre, Jean-Claude

2005-01-01

Our goal was to specifically render tumor cells susceptible to natural cytolytic anti-αGal antibodies by using a murine α1,3galactosyltransferase (mαGalT) transgene driven by a designed form of HER2/neu promoter (pNeu), the transcription of which is frequently observed to be above basal in breast tumors. Indeed, the αGalT activity that promotes Galα1,3Galβ1,4GlcNAc-R (αGal) epitope expression has been mutationally disrupted during the course of evolution, starting from Old World primates, and this has led to the counter-production of large amounts of cytotoxic anti-αGal antibodies in recent primates, including man. Expression of the endogenous c-erbB-2 gene was investigated in various cell lines by northern blotting. A mαGalT cDNA was constructed into pcDNA3 vector downstream of the original CMV promoter (pCMV/mαGalT) and various forms of pNeu were prepared by PCR amplification and inserted in the pCMV/mαGalT construct upstream of the mαGalT cDNA, in the place of the CMV promoter. These constructs were transferred into HEK-293 control and breast tumor cell lines. Stably transfected cells were analyzed by northern blotting for their expression of αGalT and c-erbB-2, and by flow cytometry for their binding with fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated Griffonia simplicifolia/isolectin B4. We show that expression of the mαGalT was up- or down-modulated according to the level of endogenous pNeu activity and the particular form of constructed pNeu. Among several constructs, two particular forms of the promoter, pNeu250 containing the CCAAT box and the PEA3 motif adjacent to the TATAA box, and pNeu664, which has three additional PEA3 motifs upstream of the CCAAT box, were found to promote differential αGalT expression. Our results strengthen current concepts about the crucial role played by the proximal PEA3 motif of pNeu, and may represent a novel therapeutic approach for the development of targeted transgene expression

Expression of MIF and CD74 in leukemic cell lines: correlation to DR expression destiny.

Science.gov (United States)

Georgouli, Mirella; Papadimitriou, Lina; Glymenaki, Maria; Patsaki, Valia; Athanassakis, Irene

2016-06-01

Invariant chain (Ii) or CD74 is a non-polymorphic glycoprotein, which apart from its role as a chaperone dedicated to MHCII molecules, is known to be a high-affinity receptor for macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF). The present study aimed to define the roles of CD74 and MIF in the immune surveillance escape process. Towards this direction, the cell lines HL-60, Raji, K562 and primary pre-B leukemic cells were examined for expression and secretion of MIF. Flow cytometry analysis detected high levels of MIF and intracellular/membrane CD74 expression in all leukemic cells tested, while MIF secretion was shown to be inversely proportional to intracellular HLA-DR (DR) expression. In the MHCII-negative cells, IFN-γ increased MIF expression and induced its secretion in HL-60 and K562 cells, respectively. In K562 cells, CD74 (Iip33Iip35) was shown to co-precipitate with HLA-DOβ (DOβ), inhibiting thus MIF or DR binding. Induced expression of DOα in K562 (DOα-DOβ+) cells in different transfection combinations decreased MIF expression and secretion, while increasing surface DR expression. Thus, MIF could indeed be part of the antigen presentation process.

Assay and heterologous expression in Pichia pastoris of plant cell wall type-II membrane anchored glycosyltransferases

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Bent; Egelund, Jack; Damager, Iben

2009-01-01

.011 to 0.013 U (1 U = 1 nmol conversion of substrate * min(-1) * microl medium(-1)) similar to those of RGXT1 and RGXT2 expressed in Baculovirus transfected insect Sf9 cells. In summary, the data presented suggest that Pichia is an attractive host candidate for expression of plant glycosyltransferases.......Two Arabidopsis xylosyltransferases, designated RGXT1 and RGXT2, were recently expressed in Baculovirus transfected insect cells and by use of the free sugar assay shown to catalyse transfer of D-xylose from UDP-alpha-D-xylose to L-fucose and derivatives hereof. We have now examined expression...

Impaired cell surface expression of HLA-B antigens on mesenchymal stem cells and muscle cell progenitors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Isa, Adiba; Nehlin, Jan; Sabir, Hardee Jawad

2010-01-01

HLA class-I expression is weak in embryonic stem cells but increases rapidly during lineage progression. It is unknown whether all three classical HLA class-I antigens follow the same developmental program. In the present study, we investigated allele-specific expression of HLA-A, -B, and -C...... at the mRNA and protein levels on human mesenchymal stem cells from bone marrow and adipose tissue as well as striated muscle satellite cells and lymphocytes. Using multicolour flow cytometry, we found high cell surface expression of HLA-A on all stem cells and PBMC examined. Surprisingly, HLA-B was either...... undetectable or very weakly expressed on all stem cells protecting them from complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) using relevant human anti-B and anti-Cw sera. IFNgamma stimulation for 48-72 h was required to induce full HLA-B protein expression. Quantitative real-time RT-PCR showed that IFNgamma induced...

MicroRNA-17-5p post-transcriptionally regulates p21 expression in irradiated betel quid chewing-related oral squamous cell carcinoma cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, S.Y.; HungKuang Univ., Taichung; Lin, K.C.; Chiou, J.F.; Taipei Medical Univ. Hospital, Taipei; Taipei Medical Univ. Hospital, Taipei; Taipei Medical Univ. Hospital, Taipei; Jeng, S.C.; Cheng, W.H.; Chang, C.I.; Lin, W.C.; Wu, L.L.; Lee, H.L.; Chen, R.J.

2013-01-01

Background and purpose: Betel nut chewing is associated with oral cavity cancer in Taiwan. OC3 is an oral carcinoma cell line that was established from cells collected from a long-term betel nut chewer who does not smoke. After we found that microRNA-17-5p (miR-17-5p) is induced in OC3 cells, we used this cell line to examine the biological role(s) of this microRNA in response to exposure to ionizing radiation. Materials and methods: A combined SYBR green-based real-time PCR and oligonucleotide ligation assay was used to examine the expression of the miR-17 polycistron in irradiated OC3 cells. The roles of miR-17-5p and p21 were evaluated with specific antisense oligonucleotides (ODN) that were designed and used to inhibit their expression. Expression of the p21 protein was evaluated by Western blotting. The clonogenic assay and annexin V staining were used to evaluate cell survival and apoptosis, respectively. Cells in which miR-17-5p was stably knocked down were used to create ectopic xenografts to evaluate in vivo the role of miR-17-5p. Results: A radiation dose of 5 Gy significantly increased miR-17-5p expression in irradiated OC3 cells. Inhibition of miR-17-5p expression enhanced the radiosensitivity of the OC3 cells. We found that miR-17-5p downregulates radiation-induced p21 expression in OC3 cells and, by using a tumor xenograft model, it was found that p21 plays a critical role in increasing the radiosensitivity of OC3 cells in vitro and in vivo. Conclusion: miR-17-5p is induced in irradiated OC3 cells and it downregulates p21 protein expression, contributing to the radioresistance of OC3 cells. (orig.)

MicroRNA-17-5p post-transcriptionally regulates p21 expression in irradiated betel quid chewing-related oral squamous cell carcinoma cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, S.Y. [Taipei Medical Univ., Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei (China). Dept. of Radiation-Oncology; HungKuang Univ., Taichung (China). Dept. of Biotechnology; Lin, K.C. [Taipei Medical Univ., Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei (China). Dept. of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery; Chiou, J.F. [Taipei Medical Univ., Taipei (China). Dept. of Radiology; Taipei Medical Univ. Hospital, Taipei (China). Dept. of Radiation Oncology; Taipei Medical Univ. Hospital, Taipei (China). Dept. of Hospice and Palliative Center; Taipei Medical Univ. Hospital, Taipei (China). Cancer Center; Jeng, S.C. [Taipei Medical Univ. Hospital, Taipei (China). Dept. of Radiation Oncology; Cheng, W.H.; Chang, C.I. [Taipei Medical Univ., Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei (China). Dept. of Hemato-Ongology; Lin, W.C. [Taipei Medical Univ., Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei (China). Div. of Thoracic Surgery; Wu, L.L. [National Taiwan Univ. Hospital, Taipei (China). Dept. of Ophthalmology; Lee, H.L. [Taipei Medical Univ., Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei (China). Dept. of Radiation-Oncology; Chen, R.J. [National Taiwan Univ. Hospital and National Taiwan Univ., Taipei (China). Dept. of Obstetrics and Gynecology

2013-08-15

Background and purpose: Betel nut chewing is associated with oral cavity cancer in Taiwan. OC3 is an oral carcinoma cell line that was established from cells collected from a long-term betel nut chewer who does not smoke. After we found that microRNA-17-5p (miR-17-5p) is induced in OC3 cells, we used this cell line to examine the biological role(s) of this microRNA in response to exposure to ionizing radiation. Materials and methods: A combined SYBR green-based real-time PCR and oligonucleotide ligation assay was used to examine the expression of the miR-17 polycistron in irradiated OC3 cells. The roles of miR-17-5p and p21 were evaluated with specific antisense oligonucleotides (ODN) that were designed and used to inhibit their expression. Expression of the p21 protein was evaluated by Western blotting. The clonogenic assay and annexin V staining were used to evaluate cell survival and apoptosis, respectively. Cells in which miR-17-5p was stably knocked down were used to create ectopic xenografts to evaluate in vivo the role of miR-17-5p. Results: A radiation dose of 5 Gy significantly increased miR-17-5p expression in irradiated OC3 cells. Inhibition of miR-17-5p expression enhanced the radiosensitivity of the OC3 cells. We found that miR-17-5p downregulates radiation-induced p21 expression in OC3 cells and, by using a tumor xenograft model, it was found that p21 plays a critical role in increasing the radiosensitivity of OC3 cells in vitro and in vivo. Conclusion: miR-17-5p is induced in irradiated OC3 cells and it downregulates p21 protein expression, contributing to the radioresistance of OC3 cells. (orig.)

Manufacture of clinical-grade CD19-specific T cells stably expressing chimeric antigen receptor using Sleeping Beauty system and artificial antigen presenting cells.

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Harjeet Singh

Full Text Available Adoptive transfer of T cells expressing a CD19-specific chimeric antigen receptor (CAR is being evaluated in multiple clinical trials. Our current approach to adoptive immunotherapy is based on a second generation CAR (designated CD19RCD28 that signals through a CD28 and CD3-ζ endodomain. T cells are electroporated with DNA plasmids from the Sleeping Beauty (SB transposon/transposase system to express this CAR. Stable integrants of genetically modified T cells can then be retrieved when co-cultured with designer artificial antigen presenting cells (aAPC in the presence of interleukin (IL-2 and 21. Here, we reveal how the platform technologies of SB-mediated transposition and CAR-dependent propagation on aAPC were adapted for human application. Indeed, we have initiated clinical trials in patients with high-risk B-lineage malignancies undergoing autologous and allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT. We describe the process to manufacture clinical grade CD19-specific T cells derived from healthy donors. Three validation runs were completed in compliance with current good manufacturing practice for Phase I/II trials demonstrating that by 28 days of co-culture on γ-irradiated aAPC ∼10(10 T cells were produced of which >95% expressed CAR. These genetically modified and propagated T cells met all quality control testing and release criteria in support of infusion.

Integrated cell and process engineering for improved transient production of a "difficult-to-express" fusion protein by CHO cells.

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Johari, Yusuf B; Estes, Scott D; Alves, Christina S; Sinacore, Marty S; James, David C

2015-12-01

Based on an optimized electroporation protocol, we designed a rapid, milliliter-scale diagnostic transient production assay to identify limitations in the ability of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells to produce a model "difficult-to-express" homodimeric Fc-fusion protein, Sp35Fc, that exhibited very low volumetric titer and intracellular formation of disulfide-bonded oligomeric aggregates post-transfection. As expression of Sp35Fc induced an unfolded protein response in transfected host cells, we utilized the transient assay to compare, in parallel, multiple functionally diverse strategies to engineer intracellular processing of Sp35Fc in order to increase production and reduce aggregation as two discrete design objectives. Specifically, we compared the effect of (i) co-expression of ER-resident molecular chaperones (BiP, PDI, CypB) or active forms of UPR transactivators (ATF6c, XBP1s) at varying recombinant gene load, (ii) addition of small molecules known to act as chemical chaperones (PBA, DMSO, glycerol, betaine, TMAO) or modulate UPR signaling (PERK inhibitor GSK2606414) at varying concentration, (iii) a reduction in culture temperature to 32°C. Using this information, we designed a biphasic, Sp35Fc-specific transient manufacturing process mediated by lipofection that utilized CypB co-expression at an optimal Sp35Fc:CypB gene ratio of 5:1 to initially maximize transfected cell proliferation, followed by addition of a combination of PBA (0.5 mM) and glycerol (1% v/v) at the onset of stationary phase to maximize cell specific production and eliminate Sp35Fc aggregation. Using this optimal, engineered process transient Sp35Fc production was significantly increased sixfold over a 12 day production process with no evidence of disulfide-bonded aggregates. Finally, transient production in clonally derived sub-populations (derived from parental CHO host) screened for a heritably improved capability to produce Sp35Fc was also significantly improved by the optimized

CD40 expression in Wehi-164 cell line.

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Karimi, Mohammad Hossein; Ebadi, Padideh; Pourfathollah, Ali Akbar; Soheili, Zahra Soheila; Moazzeni, Seyed Mohammad

2010-07-01

CD40-CD154 interaction is an important process for cellular and humoral immunity regulation and can be effective in the body's defense against tumors. In the present study, we evaluated the expression of CD40 in Wehi-164 cell line. CD40 expressions on the cell surface and in the cytoplasm were assessed by flow cytometry and intracellular staining assay, respectively. Also, the mRNA expression was identified by real time-PCR. The obtained results showed the high mRNA and cytoplasmic protein expression of CD40 but no surface expression. These results suggest that the Wehi-164 cell line down regulates expression of CD40 on the surface for evasion of immune system.

HBx induced AFP receptor expressed to activate PI3K/AKT signal to promote expression of Src in liver cells and hepatoma cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu, Mingyue; Guo, Junli; Li, Wei; Xia, Hua; Lu, Yan; Dong, Xu; Chen, Yi; Xie, Xieju; Fu, Shigan; Li, Mengsen

2015-01-01

Hepatitis B virus (HBV)-X protein(HBx) is a transactivator of host several cellular genes including alpha-fetoprotein(AFP) and AFP receptor(AFPR) which contributes to HBV-associated tumor development. The expression of AFP/AFPR are correlated with hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)-initial cells. But the role of AFP and AFPR in promoting occurrence of HBV-related HCC were still unclear. A total of 71 clinical patients’ liver specimens, normal human liver cells L-02 and HCC cell lines, PLC/PRF/5 were selected for analyzing the effects of HBx on expression of AFP, AFPR and Src. The expression of goal proteins were detected by Immunohistochemical stained and Western blotting; HBx-expressed vectors were constructed and transfected into L-02 cells, laser confocal microscopy was applied to observe expression and location of AFP, AFPR and Src in the normal liver cells and HCC cells, soft agar colony formation assay was used to observe colonies formed of the cells. We confirmed HBx gives preference to promote the expression of AFP and AFPR; HBx priors to up-regulate the expression of AFPR and AFP in L-02 cells and in normal liver specimens; AFPR signal been able to stimulate Src expression. The results also indicated that phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(PI3K) inhibitors Ly294002 and GDC0941 effectively suppress AFPR mediated up-regulation expression of Src in AFPR positive HCC lines. HBx priors to drive the expression of AFP and AFPR to promote expression of Src in normal liver cells and hepatoma cells; AFP and AFPR maybe play pivotal role in HBV-related hepatocarcinogenesis; Targeting AFPR is an available therapeutic strategy of HCC. The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12885-015-1384-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Expression of myc family oncoproteins in small-cell lung-cancer cell lines and xenografts

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Rygaard, K; Vindeløv, L L; Spang-Thomsen, M

1993-01-01

A number of genes have altered activity in small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), but especially genes of the myc family (c-myc, L-myc and N-myc) are expressed at high levels in SCLC. Most studies have explored expression at the mRNA level, whereas studies of myc family oncoprotein expression are sparse....... WE examined the expression of myc proto-oncogenes at the mRNA and protein level in 23 cell lines or xenografts. In the cell lines, the doubling time and the cell-cycle distribution, as determined by flow-cytometric DNA analysis, were examined to establish whether the level of myc......-myc. In general, the level of expression of c-myc and N-myc was similar at the mRNA and the protein level. Expression of c-myc was positively correlated with the proliferative index (sum of S and G2+M phases) of cell lines, but not with the population doubling time. In general, L-myc-expressing cell lines had...

Prognostic impact of concurrent MYC and BCL6 rearrangements and expression in de novo diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

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Ye, Qing; Xu-Monette, Zijun Y; Tzankov, Alexandar

2016-01-01

Double-hit B-cell lymphoma is a common designation for a group of tumors characterized by concurrent translocations of MYC and BCL2, BCL6, or other genes. The prognosis of concurrent MYC and BCL6 translocations is not well known. In this study, we assessed rearrangements and expression of MYC, BCL2...... frequent in activated B-cell like diffuse large B-cell lymphoma). In summary, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients with either MYC/BCL6 rearrangements or MYC/BCL6 co-expression did not always have poorer prognosis; MYC expression levels should be evaluated simultaneously; and double-hit B-cell lymphoma...

Hemoglobin Expression in Nonerythroid Cells: Novel or Ubiquitous?

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Debarchana Saha

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Hemoglobin (Hb is a major protein involved in transport of oxygen (O2. Red blood cells (RBCs contain maximum amount of Hb and because of their unique structure and plasticity they transport O2 to various tissues of the body at an optimal concentration. Recently, it has been reported that, apart from RBCs, Hb is also expressed by nonerythroid cells such as epithelial cells of different origin. The cells expressing Hb are from the tissues where maintenance of O2 homeostasis is of paramount importance. Hb expression has been observed in the epithelial cells from human tissues including lungs, neurons, retina, and endometrium. Our group has recently demonstrated that Hb is expressed by the cervicovaginal epithelial cells. We further showed that, apart from maintaining O2 homeostasis, Hb and the peptides derived from it play an indispensable role in the protection of vaginal epithelium by exhibiting antimicrobial activity. In this review, we discuss the significance of Hb expression in vaginal epithelial cells and its role in the recognition of pathogens thereby reducing the risk and/or severity of inflammation and/or infections and the possible mechanism by which Hb exhibits antimicrobial and antioxidative functions.

Prostate stromal cells express the progesterone receptor to control cancer cell mobility.

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Yu, Yue; Lee, Jennifer Suehyun; Xie, Ning; Li, Estelle; Hurtado-Coll, Antonio; Fazli, Ladan; Cox, Michael; Plymate, Stephen; Gleave, Martin; Dong, Xuesen

2014-01-01

Reciprocal interactions between epithelium and stroma play vital roles for prostate cancer development and progression. Enhanced secretions of cytokines and growth factors by cancer associated fibroblasts in prostate tumors create a favorable microenvironment for cancer cells to grow and metastasize. Our previous work showed that the progesterone receptor (PR) was expressed specifically in prostate stromal fibroblasts and smooth muscle cells. However, the expression levels of PR and its impact to tumor microenvironment in prostate tumors are poorly understood. Immunohistochemistry assays are applied to human prostate tissue biopsies. Cell migration, invasion and proliferation assays are performed using human prostate cells. Real-time PCR and ELISA are applied to measure gene expression at molecular levels. Immunohistochemistry assays showed that PR protein levels were decreased in cancer associated stroma when compared with paired normal prostate stroma. Using in vitro prostate stromal cell models, we showed that conditioned media collected from PR positive stromal cells inhibited prostate cancer cell migration and invasion, but had minor suppressive impacts on cancer cell proliferation. PR suppressed the secretion of stromal derived factor-1 (SDF-1) and interlukin-6 (IL-6) by stromal cells independent to PR ligands. Blocking PR expression by siRNA or supplementation of exogenous SDF-1 or IL-6 to conditioned media from PR positive stromal cells counteracted the inhibitory effects of PR to cancer cell migration and invasion. Decreased expression of the PR in cancer associated stroma may contribute to the elevated SDF-1 and IL-6 levels in prostate tumors and enhance prostate tumor progression.

Prostate stromal cells express the progesterone receptor to control cancer cell mobility.

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Yue Yu

Full Text Available Reciprocal interactions between epithelium and stroma play vital roles for prostate cancer development and progression. Enhanced secretions of cytokines and growth factors by cancer associated fibroblasts in prostate tumors create a favorable microenvironment for cancer cells to grow and metastasize. Our previous work showed that the progesterone receptor (PR was expressed specifically in prostate stromal fibroblasts and smooth muscle cells. However, the expression levels of PR and its impact to tumor microenvironment in prostate tumors are poorly understood.Immunohistochemistry assays are applied to human prostate tissue biopsies. Cell migration, invasion and proliferation assays are performed using human prostate cells. Real-time PCR and ELISA are applied to measure gene expression at molecular levels.Immunohistochemistry assays showed that PR protein levels were decreased in cancer associated stroma when compared with paired normal prostate stroma. Using in vitro prostate stromal cell models, we showed that conditioned media collected from PR positive stromal cells inhibited prostate cancer cell migration and invasion, but had minor suppressive impacts on cancer cell proliferation. PR suppressed the secretion of stromal derived factor-1 (SDF-1 and interlukin-6 (IL-6 by stromal cells independent to PR ligands. Blocking PR expression by siRNA or supplementation of exogenous SDF-1 or IL-6 to conditioned media from PR positive stromal cells counteracted the inhibitory effects of PR to cancer cell migration and invasion.Decreased expression of the PR in cancer associated stroma may contribute to the elevated SDF-1 and IL-6 levels in prostate tumors and enhance prostate tumor progression.

Pharmacologic suppression of target cell recognition by engineered T cells expressing chimeric T-cell receptors.

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Alvarez-Vallina, L; Yañez, R; Blanco, B; Gil, M; Russell, S J

2000-04-01

Adoptive therapy with autologous T cells expressing chimeric T-cell receptors (chTCRs) is of potential interest for the treatment of malignancy. To limit possible T-cell-mediated damage to normal tissues that weakly express the targeted tumor antigen (Ag), we have tested a strategy for the suppression of target cell recognition by engineered T cells. Jurkat T cells were transduced with an anti-hapten chTCR tinder the control of a tetracycline-suppressible promoter and were shown to respond to Ag-positive (hapten-coated) but not to Ag-negative target cells. The engineered T cells were then reacted with hapten-coated target cells at different effector to target cell ratios before and after exposure to tetracycline. When the engineered T cells were treated with tetracycline, expression of the chTCR was greatly decreased and recognition of the hapten-coated target cells was completely suppressed. Tetracycline-mediated suppression of target cell recognition by engineered T cells may be a useful strategy to limit the toxicity of the approach to cancer gene therapy.

A Versatile System for USER Cloning-Based Assembly of Expression Vectors for Mammalian Cell Engineering

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lund, Anne Mathilde; Kildegaard, Helene Faustrup; Petersen, Maja Borup Kjær

2014-01-01

, in addition the system is fully extendable by other users. The vector system is designed to facilitate high-throughput genome-scale studies of mammalian cells, such as the newly sequenced CHO cell lines, through the ability to rapidly generate high-fidelity assembly of customizable gene expression vectors....

Expression and significance of Axin2 in pancreatic cancer cells

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ZHANG Tao

2016-05-01

Full Text Available ObjectiveTo investigate the expression of Axin2 in pancreatic cancer cells, and to observe the influence of Axin2 on the proliferation, invasion, and migration of human pancreatic cancer cells (PANC-1. MethodsQuantitative real-time PCR was used to measure the expression of Axin2 in pancreatic cancer cell lines with different invasive abilities (PANC-1, Mia PaCa-2, and BxPC-3 and immortalized normal pancreatic cells (H6C7. PANC-1 cells with low expression were transfected with over-expressed Axin2 plasmid by transient transfection. MTT assay, Transwell assay, and scratch assay were used to determine the proliferation, invasion, and migration of cells transfected with over-expressed Axin2. One-way analysis of variance was used for comparison between multiple groups, and SNK-q test was used for comparison between any two groups. ResultsThe relative expression levels of Axin2 in PANC-1, BxPC-3, Mia PaCa-2, and H6C7 cells were 0.13±0.01, 0.42±0.05, 0.24±0.011, and 1.00±0.00, respectively, and PANC-1 cells had the lowest expression level of Axin2, with significant differences compared with the other cells (all P＜0.05. When PANC-1 cells were transfected with over-expressed Axin2 plasmid, the cells in the over-expression group had a significant increase in the expression level of Axin2 compared with those in the blank group and the negative control group (both P＜0.05. Compared with those in the non-transfection group and the blank group, PANC-1 cells in the over-expression group showed significant reductions in the proliferation, invasion, and migration abilities. ConclusionThe expression of Axin2 is down-regulated in pancreatic cancer cell lines and decreases with the increasing invasion ability, suggesting the role of tumor suppressor gene. High expression of Axin2 can reduce the proliferation, invasion, and migration abilities of PANC-1 cells.

A sensitive electrochemiluminescence cytosensor for quantitative evaluation of epidermal growth factor receptor expressed on cell surfaces

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Tang, Yanjuan; Zhang, Shaolian; Wen, Qingqing; Huang, Hongxing; Yang, Peihui, E-mail: typh@jnu.edu.cn

2015-06-30

Highlights: • EGF-cytosensor was used for evaluating EGFR expression level on cell surfaces. • CdSQDs and EGF were coated on magnetic beads (MBs) for ECL-probe. • Good sensitivity was achieved due to the signal amplification of ECL-probe. - Abstract: A sensitive electrochemiluminescence (ECL) strategy for evaluating the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression level on cell surfaces was designed by integrating the specific recognition of EGFR expressed on MCF-7 cell surfaces with an epidermal growth factor (EGF)-funtionalized CdS quantum dots (CdSQDs)-capped magnetic bead (MB) probe. The high sensitivity of ECL probe of EGF-funtionalized CdSQD-capped-MB was used for competitive recognition with EGFR expressed on cell surfaces with recombinant EGFR protein. The changes of ECL intensity depended on both the cell number and the expression level of EGFR receptor on cell surfaces. A wide linear response to cells ranging from 80 to 4 × 10{sup 6} cells mL{sup −1} with a detection limit of 40 cells mL{sup −1} was obtained. The EGF-cytosensor was used to evaluate EGFR expression levels on MCF-7 cells, and the average number of EGFR receptor on single MCF-7 cells was 1.35 × 10{sup 5} with the relative standard deviation of 4.3%. This strategy was further used for in-situ and real-time evaluating EGFR receptor expressed on cell surfaces in response to drugs stimulation at different concentration and incubation time. The proposed method provided potential applications in the detection of receptors on cancer cells and anticancer drugs screening.

Advantages and Applications of CAR-Expressing Natural Killer Cells

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Wolfgang eGlienke

2015-02-01

Full Text Available In contrast to donor T cells, natural killer (NK cells are known to mediate anti-cancer effects without the risk of inducing graft-versus-host disease (GvHD. In order to improve cytotoxicity against resistant cancer cells, auspicious efforts have been made with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR expressing T- and NK cells. These CAR-modified cells express antigen receptors against tumor-associated surface antigens, thus redirecting the effector cells and enhancing tumor-specific immunosurveillance. However, many cancer antigens are also expressed on healthy tissues, potentially leading to off tumor/ on target toxicity by CAR-engineered cells. In order to control such potentially severe side effects, the insertion of suicide genes into CAR-modified effectors can provide a means for efficient depletion of these cells. While CAR-expressing T cells have entered successfully clinical trials, experience with CAR-engineered NK cells is mainly restricted to pre-clinical investigations and predominantly to NK cell lines. In this review we summarize the data on CAR expressing NK cells focusing on the possible advantage using these short-lived effector cells and discuss the necessity of suicide switches. Furthermore, we address the compliance of such modified NK cells with regulatory requirements as a new field in cellular immunotherapy.

Designed cell consortia as fragrance-programmable analog-to-digital converters.

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Müller, Marius; Ausländer, Simon; Spinnler, Andrea; Ausländer, David; Sikorski, Julian; Folcher, Marc; Fussenegger, Martin

2017-03-01

Synthetic biology advances the rational engineering of mammalian cells to achieve cell-based therapy goals. Synthetic gene networks have nearly reached the complexity of digital electronic circuits and enable single cells to perform programmable arithmetic calculations or to provide dynamic remote control of transgenes through electromagnetic waves. We designed a synthetic multilayered gaseous-fragrance-programmable analog-to-digital converter (ADC) allowing for remote control of digital gene expression with 2-bit AND-, OR- and NOR-gate logic in synchronized cell consortia. The ADC consists of multiple sampling-and-quantization modules sensing analog gaseous fragrance inputs; a gas-to-liquid transducer converting fragrance intensity into diffusible cell-to-cell signaling compounds; a digitization unit with a genetic amplifier circuit to improve the signal-to-noise ratio; and recombinase-based digital expression switches enabling 2-bit processing of logic gates. Synthetic ADCs that can remotely control cellular activities with digital precision may enable the development of novel biosensors and may provide bioelectronic interfaces synchronizing analog metabolic pathways with digital electronics.

IFN-γ alters the expression of diverse immunity related genes in a cell culture model designed to represent maturing neutrophils.

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Michael A Ellison

Full Text Available The cytokine interferon-γ (IFN-γ is approved as a drug to treat chronic granulomatous disease (CGD and osteopetrosis and is also used in hyperimmunoglobulin E syndromes. Patients with CGD have defects in proteins of the NOX2 NADPH oxidase system. This leads to reduced production of microbicidal ROS by PMNs and recurrent life threatening infections. The goal of this study was to better understand how IFN-γ might support phagocyte function in these diseases, and to obtain information that might expand potential uses for IFN-γ. Neutrophils mature in the bone marrow and then enter the blood where they quickly undergo apoptotic cell death with a half-life of only 5-10 hours. Therefore we reasoned that IFN-γ might exert its effects on neutrophils via prolonged exposure to cells undergoing maturation in the marrow rather than by its brief exposure to short-lived circulating cells. To explore this possibility we made use of PLB-985 cells, a myeloblast-like myeloid cell line that can be differentiated into a mature, neutrophil-like state by treatment with various agents including DMSO. In initial studies we investigated transcription and protein expression in PLB-985 cells undergoing maturation in the presence or absence of IFN-γ. We observed IFN-γ induced differences in expression of genes known to be involved in classical aspects of neutrophil function (transmigration, chemotaxis, phagocytosis, killing and pattern recognition as well as genes involved in apoptosis and other mechanisms that regulating neutrophil number. We also observed differences for genes involved in the major histocompatibility complex I (MHCI and MHCII systems whose involvement in neutrophil function is controversial and not well defined. Finally, we observed significant changes in expression of genes encoding guanylate binding proteins (Gbps that are known to have roles in immunity but which have not as yet been linked to neutrophil function. We propose that changes in the

Glioblastoma formation from cell population depleted of Prominin1-expressing cells.

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Kenji Nishide

2009-08-01

Full Text Available Prominin1 (Prom1, also known as CD133 in human has been widely used as a marker for cancer stem cells (CSCs, which self-renew and are tumorigenic, in malignant tumors including glioblastoma multiforme (GBM. However, there is other evidence showing that Prom1-negative cancer cells also form tumors in vivo. Thus it remains controversial whether Prom1 is a bona fide marker for CSCs. To verify if Prom1-expressing cells are essential for tumorigenesis, we established a mouse line, whose Prom1-expressing cells can be eliminated conditionally by a Cre-inducible DTA gene on the Prom1 locus together with a tamoxifen-inducible CreER(TM, and generated glioma-initiating cells (GICs-LD by overexpressing both the SV40 Large T antigen and an oncogenic H-Ras(L61 in neural stem cells of the mouse line. We show here that the tamoxifen-treated GICs-LD (GICs-DTA form tumor-spheres in culture and transplantable GBM in vivo. Thus, our studies demonstrate that Prom1-expressing cells are dispensable for gliomagenesis in this mouse model.

Geometry of the Gene Expression Space of Individual Cells.

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Yael Korem

2015-07-01

Full Text Available There is a revolution in the ability to analyze gene expression of single cells in a tissue. To understand this data we must comprehend how cells are distributed in a high-dimensional gene expression space. One open question is whether cell types form discrete clusters or whether gene expression forms a continuum of states. If such a continuum exists, what is its geometry? Recent theory on evolutionary trade-offs suggests that cells that need to perform multiple tasks are arranged in a polygon or polyhedron (line, triangle, tetrahedron and so on, generally called polytopes in gene expression space, whose vertices are the expression profiles optimal for each task. Here, we analyze single-cell data from human and mouse tissues profiled using a variety of single-cell technologies. We fit the data to shapes with different numbers of vertices, compute their statistical significance, and infer their tasks. We find cases in which single cells fill out a continuum of expression states within a polyhedron. This occurs in intestinal progenitor cells, which fill out a tetrahedron in gene expression space. The four vertices of this tetrahedron are each enriched with genes for a specific task related to stemness and early differentiation. A polyhedral continuum of states is also found in spleen dendritic cells, known to perform multiple immune tasks: cells fill out a tetrahedron whose vertices correspond to key tasks related to maturation, pathogen sensing and communication with lymphocytes. A mixture of continuum-like distributions and discrete clusters is found in other cell types, including bone marrow and differentiated intestinal crypt cells. This approach can be used to understand the geometry and biological tasks of a wide range of single-cell datasets. The present results suggest that the concept of cell type may be expanded. In addition to discreet clusters in gene-expression space, we suggest a new possibility: a continuum of states within a

CD133 expression in chemo-resistant Ewing sarcoma cells

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Kovar Heinrich

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Some human cancers demonstrate cellular hierarchies in which tumor-initiating cancer stem cells generate progeny cells with reduced tumorigenic potential. This cancer stem cell population is proposed to be a source of therapy-resistant and recurrent disease. Ewing sarcoma family tumors (ESFT are highly aggressive cancers in which drug-resistant, relapsed disease remains a significant clinical problem. Recently, the cell surface protein CD133 was identified as a putative marker of tumor-initiating cells in ESFT. We evaluated ESFT tumors and cell lines to determine if high levels of CD133 are associated with drug resistance. Methods Expression of the CD133-encoding PROM1 gene was determined by RT-PCR in ESFT tumors and cell lines. CD133 protein expression was assessed by western blot, FACS and/or immunostaining. Cell lines were FACS-sorted into CD133+ and CD133- fractions and proliferation, colony formation in soft agar, and in vivo tumorigenicity compared. Chemosensitivity was measured using MTS (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl-5-(3-carboxy-methoxyphenyl-2-(4-sulfophenyl-2H-tetrazolium assays. Results PROM1 expression was either absent or extremely low in most tumors. However, PROM1 was highly over-expressed in 4 of 48 cases. Two of the 4 patients with PROM1 over-expressing tumors rapidly succumbed to primary drug-resistant disease and two are long-term, event-free survivors. The expression of PROM1 in ESFT cell lines was similarly heterogeneous. The frequency of CD133+ cells ranged from 2-99% and, with one exception, no differences in the chemoresistance or tumorigenicity of CD133+ and CD133- cell fractions were detected. Importantly, however, the STA-ET-8.2 cell line was found to retain a cellular hierarchy in which relatively chemo-resistant, tumorigenic CD133+ cells gave rise to relatively chemo-sensitive, less tumorigenic, CD133- progeny. Conclusions Up to 10% of ESFT express high levels of PROM1. In some tumors and cell

B cell lymphomas express CX3CR1 a non-B cell lineage adhesion molecule

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andreasson, U.; Ek, S.; Merz, H.

2008-01-01

normally is not expressed on B cells, is expressed both at the mRNA and protein level in several subtypes of lymphoma. CX3CR1 has also shown to be involved in the homing to specific tissues that express the ligand, CX3CL1, in breast and prostate cancer and may thus be involved in dissemination of lymphoma......To study the differential expression of cell membrane-bound receptors and their potential role in growth and/or survival of the tumor cells, highly purified follicular lymphoma cells were analyzed, using gene expression analysis, and compared to non-malignant B cell populations. Filtering...... the genome for overexpressed genes coding for cell membrane-bound proteins/receptors resulted in a hit list of 27 identified genes. Among these, we have focused on the aberrant over expression of CX3CR1, in different types of B cell lymphoma, as compared to non-malignant B cells. We show that CX3CR1, which...

Behavioral experience induces zif268 expression in mature granule cells but suppresses its expression in immature granule cells

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Kylie A. Huckleberry

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Thousands of neurons are born each day in the dentate gyrus (DG, but many of these cells die before reaching maturity. Both death and survival of adult-born neurons are regulated by neuronal activity in DG. The immediate-early gene (IEG zif268 is an important mediator of these effects, as its expression is induced by neural activity and knockout of zif268 impairs survival of adult-born neurons (Veyrac et al., 2013. Despite the apparent importance of zif268 for adult neurogenesis, its behavior-induced expression has not been fully characterized in adult-born neurons. Here we characterize behavior-evoked expression of zif268 in mature and newborn dentate granule cells (DGCs. In the general granule cell population, zif268 expression peaked 1 hour after novel environment exposure and returned to baseline by 8 hours post-exposure. However, in the doublecortin-positive (DCX+ immature neurons, zif268 expression was suppressed relative to home cage for at least 8 hours post-exposure. We next determined that exposure to water maze training, an enriched environment, or a novel environment caused approximately equal suppression of zif268 expression in DCX+ cells and approximately equal activation of zif268 in the general DGC population and in 6-week-old adult-born neurons. Finally, we asked whether zif268 suppression varied as a function of age within the DCX+ population, which ranges in age from 0 to approximately 4 weeks. Novel environment exposure had no significant effect on zif268 expression in 2- or 4-week-old BrdU-labeled neurons, but it significantly suppressed zif268 expression in 3-week-old neurons. In summary, behavioral experience transiently activated expression of zif268 in mature DGCs but caused a more long-lasting suppression of zif268 expression in immature, adult-born DGCs. We hypothesize that zif268 suppression inhibits memory-related synaptic plasticity in immature DGCs or mediates learning-induced apoptosis of immature adult

Human thymic epithelial cells express functional HLA-DP molecules

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, A; Röpke, C; Nielsen, M

1996-01-01

T lymphocytes, we examined whether human thymic epithelial cells (TEC) expressed HLA-DP molecules. We present evidence that TEC obtained from short time culture express low but significant levels of HLA-DP molecules. The expression of HLA-DP molecules was comparable to or higher than the expression...... of HLA-DP allospecific primed lymphocyte typing (PLT) CD4 T cell lines. IFN-gamma treatment strongly upregulated the HLA-DP allospecific PLT responses whereas other PLT responses remained largely unchanged. In conclusion, these data indicate that human thymus epithelial cells express significant levels...

Cannabidiol changes P-gp and BCRP expression in trophoblast cell lines

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Valeria Feinshtein

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Objectives. Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug during pregnancy. Due to high lipophilicity, cannabinoids can easily penetrate physiological barriers like the human placenta and jeopardize the developing fetus. We evaluated the impact of cannabidiol (CBD, a major non-psychoactive cannabinoid, on P-glycoprotein (P-gp and Breast Cancer Resistance Protein (BCRP expression, and P-gp function in a placental model, BeWo and Jar choriocarcinoma cell lines (using P-gp induced MCF7 cells (MCF7/P-gp for comparison. Study design. Following the establishment of the basal expression of these transporters in the membrane fraction of all three cell lines, P-gp and BCRP protein and mRNA levels were determined following chronic (24–72 h exposure to CBD, by Western Blot and qPCR. CBD impact on P-gp efflux function was examined by uptake of specific P-gp fluorescent substrates (calcein-AM, DiOC2(3 and rhodamine123(rh123. Cyclosporine A (CsA served as a positive control. Results. Chronic exposure to CBD resulted in significant changes in the protein and mRNA levels of both transporters. While P-gp was down-regulated, BCRP levels were up-regulated in the choriocarcinoma cell lines. CBD had a remarkably different influence on P-gp and BCRP expression in MCF7/P-gp cells, demonstrating that these are cell type specific effects. P-gp dependent efflux (of calcein, DiOC2(3 and rh123 was inhibited upon short-term exposure to CBD. Conclusions. Our study shows that CBD might alter P-gp and BCRP expression in the human placenta, and inhibit P-gp efflux function. We conclude that marijuana use during pregnancy may reduce placental protective functions and change its morphological and physiological characteristics.

Absence of annexin I expression in B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphomas and cell lines

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Gopalakrishnan Velliyur K

2004-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Annexin I, one of the 20 members of the annexin family of calcium and phospholipid-binding proteins, has been implicated in diverse biological processes including signal transduction, mediation of apoptosis and immunosuppression. Previous studies have shown increased annexin I expression in pancreatic and breast cancers, while it is absent in prostate and esophageal cancers. Results Data presented here show that annexin I mRNA and protein are undetectable in 10 out of 12 B-cell lymphoma cell lines examined. Southern blot analysis indicates that the annexin I gene is intact in B-cell lymphoma cell lines. Aberrant methylation was examined as a cause for lack of annexin I expression by treating cells 5-Aza-2-deoxycytidine. Reexpression of annexin I was observed after prolonged treatment with the demethylating agent indicating methylation may be one of the mechanisms of annexin I silencing. Treatment of Raji and OMA-BL-1 cells with lipopolysaccharide, an inflammation inducer, and with hydrogen peroxide, a promoter of oxidative stress, also failed to induce annexin I expression. Annexin I expression was examined in primary lymphoma tissues by immunohistochemistry and presence of annexin I in a subset of normal B-cells and absence of annexin I expression in the lymphoma tissues were observed. These results show that annexin I is expressed in normal B-cells, and its expression is lost in all primary B-cell lymphomas and 10 of 12 B-cell lymphoma cell lines. Conclusions Our results suggest that, similar to prostate and esophageal cancers, annexin I may be an endogenous suppressor of cancer development, and loss of annexin I may contribute to B-cell lymphoma development.

Novel method for isolation of murine clara cell secretory protein-expressing cells with traces of stemness.

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Xiao-Yang Wang

Full Text Available Clara cells are non-ciliated, secretory bronchiolar epithelial cells that serve to detoxify harmful inhaled substances. Clara cells also function as stem/progenitor cells for repair in the bronchioles. Clara cell secretory protein (CCSP is specifically expressed in pulmonary Clara cells and is widely used as a Clara cell marker. In addition CCSP promoter is commonly used to direct gene expression into the lung in transgenic models. The discovery of CCSP immunoreactivity in plasma membranes of airway lining cells prompted us to explore the possibility of enriching Clara cells by flow cytometry. We established a novel and simple method for the isolation of CCSP-expressing cell Clara cells using a combination of mechanical and enzymatic dissociation followed by flow cytometry sorting technology. We showed that ∼25% of dissociated cells from whole lung expressed CCSP. In the resulting preparation, up to 98% of cells expressed CCSP. Notably, we found that several common stem cell markers including CD44, CD133, Sca-1 and Sox2 were expressed in CCSP(+ cells. Moreover, CCSP(+ cells were able to form spheroid colonies in vitro with 0.97‰ efficiency. Parallel studies in vivo confirmed that a small population of CCSP(-expressing cells in mouse airways also demonstrates stem cell-like properties such as label retention and harboring rare bronchioalveolar stem cells (BASCs in terminal bronchioles (TBs. We conclude that CCSP(+ cells exhibit a number of stem cell-like features including stem cell marker expression, bronchosphere colony formation and self-renewal ability. Clara cell isolation by flow cytometry sorting is a useful method for investigating the function of primary Clara cells in stem cell research and mouse models.

Nonlinear observer designs for fuel cell power systems

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Gorgun, Haluk

dynamics, and estimate not only hydrogen but also all other species in its reactors. We design nonlinear observers for the Catalytic Partial Oxidation (CPO), Water Gas Shift (WGS), and Preferential Oxidation (PROX), reactors in the FPS. The observers make use of temperature measurements (and possibly one more variable, such as pressure) to estimate the mole fractions of each species in the reactors. An advantage of these designs is that they are based on reaction invariants and do not rely on knowledge of reaction rate expressions. Finally, in part III, we illustrate how the designs of parts I and II can be incorporated in fault detection and estimation algorithms for common failures encountered in fuel cells, such as the cathode blower failure and the anode valve failure. For this task, we combine geometric tools with our observers.

The Expression of BTS-2 Enhances Cell Growth and Invasiveness in Renal Cell Carcinoma.

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Pham, Quoc Thang; Oue, Naohide; Yamamoto, Yuji; Shigematsu, Yoshinori; Sekino, Yohei; Sakamoto, Naoya; Sentani, Kazuhiro; Uraoka, Naohiro; Tiwari, Mamata; Yasui, Wataru

2017-06-01

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is one of the most common types of cancer in developed countries. Bone marrow stromal cell antigen 2 (BST2) gene, which encodes BST2 transmembrane glycoprotein, is overexpressed in several cancer types. In the present study, we analyzed the expression and function of BST2 in RCC. BST2 expression was analyzed by immunohistochemistry in 123 RCC cases. RNA interference was used to inhibit BST2 expression in a RCC cell line. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that 32% of the 123 RCC cases were positive for BST2. BST2 expression was positively associated with tumour stage. Furthermore, BST2 expression was an independent predictor of survival in patients with RCC. BST2 siRNA-transfected Caki-1 cells displayed significantly reduced cell growth and invasive activity relative to negative control siRNA-transfected cells. These results suggest that BST2 plays an important role in the progression of RCC. Because BST2 is expressed on the cell membrane, BST2 is a good therapeutic target for RCC. Copyright© 2017, International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.

Efflux protein expression in human stem cell-derived retinal pigment epithelial cells.

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Kati Juuti-Uusitalo

Full Text Available Retinal pigment epithelial (RPE cells in the back of the eye nourish photoreceptor cells and form a selective barrier that influences drug transport from the blood to the photoreceptor cells. At the molecular level, ATP-dependent efflux transporters have a major role in drug delivery in human RPE. In this study, we assessed the relative expression of several ATP-dependent efflux transporter genes (MRP1, -2, -3, -4, -5, -6, p-gp, and BCRP, the protein expression and localization of MRP1, MRP4, and MRP5, and the functionality of MRP1 efflux pumps at different maturation stages of undifferentiated human embryonic stem cells (hESC and RPE derived from the hESC (hESC-RPE. Our findings revealed that the gene expression of ATP-dependent efflux transporters MRP1, -3, -4, -5, and p-gp fluctuated during hESC-RPE maturation from undifferentiated hESC to fusiform, epithelioid, and finally to cobblestone hESC-RPE. Epithelioid hESC-RPE had the highest expression of MRP1, -3, -4, and P-gp, whereas the most mature cobblestone hESC-RPE had the highest expression of MRP5 and MRP6. These findings indicate that a similar efflux protein profile is shared between hESC-RPE and the human RPE cell line, ARPE-19, and suggest that hESC-RPE cells are suitable in vitro RPE models for drug transport studies. Embryonic stem cell model might provide a novel tool to study retinal cell differentiation, mechanisms of RPE-derived diseases, drug testing and targeted drug therapy.

Activation of p44/42 in Human Natural Killer Cells Decreases Cell-surface Protein Expression: Relationship to Tributyltin-induced alterations of protein expression

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Dudimah, Fred D.; Abraha, Abraham; Wang, Xiaofei; Whalen, Margaret M.

2010-01-01

Tributyltin (TBT) activates the mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK), p44/42 in human natural killer (NK) cells. TBT also reduces NK cytotoxic function and decreases the expression of several NK-cell proteins. To understand the role that p44/42 activation plays in TBT-induced loss of NK cell function, we have investigated how selective activation of p44/42 by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) affects NK cells. Previously we showed that PMA caused losses of lytic function similar to those seen with TBT exposures. Here we examined activation of p44/42 in the regulation of NK-cell protein expression and how this regulation may explain the protein expression changes seen with TBT exposures. NK cells exposed to PMA were examined for levels of cell-surface proteins, granzyme mRNA, and perforin mRNA expression. The expression of CD11a, CD16, CD18, and CD56 were reduced, perforin mRNA levels were unchanged and granzyme mRNA levels were increased. To verify that activation of p44/42 was responsible for the alterations seen in CD11a, CD16, CD18, and CD56 with PMA, NK cells were treated with the p44/42 pathway inhibitor (PD98059) prior to PMA exposures. In the presence of PD98059, PMA caused no decreases in the expression of the cell-surface proteins. Results of these studies indicate that the activation of p44/42 may lead to the loss of NK cell cytotoxic function by decreasing the expression of CD11a, CD16, CD18, and CD56. Further, activation of p44/42 appears to be at least in part responsible for the TBT-induced decreases in expression of CD16, CD18, and CD56. PMID:20883105

HIV Cell-to-Cell Spread Results in Earlier Onset of Viral Gene Expression by Multiple Infections per Cell.

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Mikaël Boullé

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Cell-to-cell spread of HIV, a directed mode of viral transmission, has been observed to be more rapid than cell-free infection. However, a mechanism for earlier onset of viral gene expression in cell-to-cell spread was previously uncharacterized. Here we used time-lapse microscopy combined with automated image analysis to quantify the timing of the onset of HIV gene expression in a fluorescent reporter cell line, as well as single cell staining for infection over time in primary cells. We compared cell-to-cell spread of HIV to cell-free infection, and limited both types of transmission to a two-hour window to minimize differences due to virus transit time to the cell. The mean time to detectable onset of viral gene expression in cell-to-cell spread was accelerated by 19% in the reporter cell line and by 35% in peripheral blood mononuclear cells relative to cell-free HIV infection. Neither factors secreted by infected cells, nor contact with infected cells in the absence of transmission, detectably changed onset. We recapitulated the earlier onset by infecting with multiple cell-free viruses per cell. Surprisingly, the acceleration in onset of viral gene expression was not explained by cooperativity between infecting virions. Instead, more rapid onset was consistent with a model where the fastest expressing virus out of the infecting virus pool sets the time for infection independently of the other co-infecting viruses.

Polyclonal T-cells express CD1a in Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH lesions.

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Jennifer A West

Full Text Available Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH is a complex and poorly understood disorder that has characteristics of both inflammatory and neoplastic disease. By using eight-colour flow cytometry, we have identified a previously unreported population of CD1a(+/CD3(+ T-cells in LCH lesions. The expression of CD1a is regarded as a hallmark of this disease; however, it has always been presumed that it was only expressed by pathogenic Langerhans cells (LCs. We have now detected CD1a expression by a range of T-cell subsets within all of the LCH lesions that were examined, establishing that CD1a expression in these lesions is no longer restricted to pathogenic LCs. The presence of CD1a(+ T-cells in all of the LCH lesions that we have studied to date warrants further investigation into their biological function to determine whether these cells are important in the pathogenesis of LCH.

Autoimmune Regulator (AIRE) Is Expressed in Spermatogenic Cells, and It Altered the Expression of Several Nucleic-Acid-Binding and Cytoskeletal Proteins in Germ Cell 1 Spermatogonial (GC1-spg) Cells.

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Radhakrishnan, Karthika; Bhagya, Kongattu P; Kumar, Anil Tr; Devi, Anandavalli N; Sengottaiyan, Jeeva; Kumar, Pradeep G

2016-08-01

Autoimmune regulator (AIRE) is a gene associated with autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy (APECED). AIRE is expressed heavily in the thymic epithelial cells and is involved in maintaining self-tolerance through regulating the expression of tissue-specific antigens. The testes are the most predominant extrathymic location where a heavy expression of AIRE is reported. Homozygous Aire-deficient male mice were infertile, possibly due to impaired spermatogenesis, deregulated germ cell apoptosis, or autoimmunity. We report that AIRE is expressed in the testes of neonatal, adolescent, and adult mice. AIRE expression was detected in glial cell derived neurotrophic factor receptor alpha (GFRα)(+) (spermatogonia), GFRα(-)/synaptonemal complex protein (SCP3)(+) (meiotic), and GFRα(-)/Phosphoglycerate kinase 2 (PGK2)(+) (postmeiotic) germ cells in mouse testes. GC1-spg, a germ-cell-derived cell line, did not express AIRE. Retinoic acid induced AIRE expression in GC1-spg cells. Ectopic expression of AIRE in GC1-spg cells using label-free LC-MS/MS identified a total of 371 proteins that were differentially expressed. 100 proteins were up-regulated, and 271 proteins were down-regulated. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD002511. Functional analysis of the differentially expressed proteins showed increased levels of various nucleic-acid-binding proteins and transcription factors and a decreased level of various cytoskeletal and structural proteins in the AIRE overexpressing cells as compared with the empty vector-transfected controls. The transcripts of a select set of the up-regulated proteins were also elevated. However, there was no corresponding decrease in the mRNA levels of the down-regulated set of proteins. Molecular function network analysis indicated that AIRE influenced gene expression in GC1-spg cells by acting at multiple levels, including transcription, translation, RNA processing, protein transport, protein

Exosomes from asbestos-exposed cells modulate gene expression in mesothelial cells.

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Munson, Phillip; Lam, Ying-Wai; Dragon, Julie; MacPherson, Maximilian; Shukla, Arti

2018-03-19

Asbestos exposure is a determinate cause of many diseases, such as mesothelioma, fibrosis, and lung cancer, and poses a major human health hazard. At this time, there are no identified biomarkers to demarcate asbestos exposure before the presentation of disease and symptoms, and there is only limited understanding of the underlying biology that governs asbestos-induced disease. In our study, we used exosomes, 30-140 nm extracellular vesicles, to gain insight into these knowledge gaps. As inhaled asbestos is first encountered by lung epithelial cells and macrophages, we hypothesize that asbestos-exposed cells secrete exosomes with signature proteomic cargo that can alter the gene expression of mesothelial cells, contributing to disease outcomes like mesothelioma. In the present study using lung epithelial cells (BEAS2B) and macrophages (THP-1), we first show that asbestos exposure causes changes in abundance of some proteins in the exosomes secreted from these cells. Furthermore, exposure of human mesothelial cells (HPM3) to these exosomes resulted in gene expression changes related to epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and other cancer-related genes. This is the first report to indicate that asbestos-exposed cells secrete exosomes with differentially abundant proteins and that those exosomes have a gene-altering effect on mesothelial cells.-Munson, P., Lam, Y.-W., Dragon, J. MacPherson, M., Shukla, A. Exosomes from asbestos-exposed cells modulate gene expression in mesothelial cells.

Characterization of TLX expression in neural stem cells and progenitor cells in adult brains.

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Li, Shengxiu; Sun, Guoqiang; Murai, Kiyohito; Ye, Peng; Shi, Yanhong

2012-01-01

TLX has been shown to play an important role in regulating the self-renewal and proliferation of neural stem cells in adult brains. However, the cellular distribution of endogenous TLX protein in adult brains remains to be elucidated. In this study, we used immunostaining with a TLX-specific antibody to show that TLX is expressed in both neural stem cells and transit-amplifying neural progenitor cells in the subventricular zone (SVZ) of adult mouse brains. Then, using a double thymidine analog labeling approach, we showed that almost all of the self-renewing neural stem cells expressed TLX. Interestingly, most of the TLX-positive cells in the SVZ represented the thymidine analog-negative, relatively quiescent neural stem cell population. Using cell type markers and short-term BrdU labeling, we demonstrated that TLX was also expressed in the Mash1+ rapidly dividing type C cells. Furthermore, loss of TLX expression dramatically reduced BrdU label-retaining neural stem cells and the actively dividing neural progenitor cells in the SVZ, but substantially increased GFAP staining and extended GFAP processes. These results suggest that TLX is essential to maintain the self-renewing neural stem cells in the SVZ and that the GFAP+ cells in the SVZ lose neural stem cell property upon loss of TLX expression. Understanding the cellular distribution of TLX and its function in specific cell types may provide insights into the development of therapeutic tools for neurodegenerative diseases by targeting TLX in neural stem/progenitors cells.

Tumour cell expression of C4.4A, a structural homologue of the urokinase receptor, correlates with poor prognosis in non-small cell lung cancer

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Hansen, Line V.; Skov, Birgit G; Ploug, Michael

2007-01-01

expression. In the present study, we therefore explored the possible association between C4.4A expression and prognosis in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Tissue sections from 108 NSCLC patients were subjected to immunohistochemical staining using a polyclonal antibody...

Gene expression of manganese superoxide dismutase in human glioma cells

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Novi S. Hardiany

2010-02-01

Full Text Available Aim This study analyze the MnSOD gene expression as endogenous antioxidant in human glioma cells compared with leucocyte cells as control.Methods MnSOD gene expression of 20 glioma patients was analyzed by measuring the relative expression of mRNA and enzyme activity of MnSOD in brain and leucocyte cells. The relative expression of mRNA MnSOD was determined by using quantitative Real Time RT-PCR and the enzyme activity of MnSOD using biochemical kit assay (xantine oxidase inhibition. Statistic analysis for mRNA and enzyme activity of MnSOD was performed using Kruskal Wallis test.Results mRNA of MnSOD in glioma cells of 70% sample was 0.015–0.627 lower, 10% was 1.002-1.059 and 20% was 1.409-6.915 higher than in leucocyte cells. Also the specific activity of MnSOD enzyme in glioma cells of 80% sample showed 0,064-0,506 lower and 20% sample was 1.249-2.718 higher than in leucocyte cells.Conclusion MnSOD gene expression in human glioma cells are significantly lower than its expression in leucocytes cells. (Med J Indones 2010; 19:21-5Keywords : MnSOD, glioma, gene expression

Analysis of the regulation of fatty acid binding protein 7 expression in human renal carcinoma cell lines

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Sugiyama Takayuki

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Improving the treatment of renal cell carcinoma (RCC will depend on the development of better biomarkers for predicting disease progression and aiding the design of appropriate therapies. One such marker may be fatty acid binding protein 7 (FABP7, also known as B-FABP and BLBP, which is expressed normally in radial glial cells of the developing central nervous system and cells of the mammary gland. Melanomas, glioblastomas, and several types of carcinomas, including RCC, overexpress FABP7. The abundant expression of FABP7 in primary RCCs compared to certain RCC-derived cell lines may allow the definition of the molecular components of FABP7's regulatory system. Results We determined FABP7 mRNA levels in six RCC cell lines. Two were highly expressed, whereas the other and the embryonic kidney cell line (HEK293 were weakly expressed FABP7 transcripts. Western blot analysis of the cell lines detected strong FABP7 expression only in one RCC cell line. Promoter activity in the RCC cell lines was 3- to 21-fold higher than that of HEK293. Deletion analysis demonstrated that three FABP7 promoter regions contributed to upregulated expression in RCC cell lines, but not in the HEK293 cell. Competition analysis of gel shifts indicated that OCT1, OCT6, and nuclear factor I (NFI bound to the FABP7 promoter region. Supershift experiments indicated that BRN2 (POU3F2 and NFI bound to the FABP7 promoter region as well. There was an inverse correlation between FABP7 promoter activity and BRN2 mRNA expression. The FABP7-positive cell line's NFI-DNA complex migrated faster than in other cell lines. Levels of NFIA mRNA were higher in the HEK293 cell line than in any of the six RCC cell lines. In contrast, NFIC mRNA expression was lower in the HEK293 cell line than in the six RCC cell lines. Conclusions Three putative FABP7 promoter regions drive reporter gene expression in RCC cell lines, but not in the HEK293 cell line. BRN2 and NFI may be key

Expression of cadherin and NCAM in human small cell lung cancer cell lines and xenografts

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Rygaard, K; Møller, C; Bock, E

1992-01-01

characterised, the cadherin family and the Ig superfamily member, neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM). We investigated expression of these two adhesion molecule families in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) cell lines and xenografts by immunoblotting. Nineteen tumours established from 15 patients with SCLC were......Tumour cell adhesion, detachment and aggregation seem to play an important part in tumour invasion and metastasis, and numerous cell adhesion molecules are expressed by tumour cells. Several families of cell-cell adhesion molecules have been described, of which two groups are particularly well...... embryonic development, which may play a role in connection with tumour invasion and metastasis, was found in 14/18 NCAM expressing SCLC tumours. Individual tumours grown as cell lines and as nude mouse xenografts showed no qualitative differences in cadherin or NCAM expression....

Soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 1: a biomarker for bacterial meningitis

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Determann, Rogier M.; Weisfelt, Martijn; de Gans, Jan; van der Ende, Arie; Schultz, Marcus J.; van de Beek, Diederik

2006-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 1 (sTREM-1) in CSF can serve as a biomarker for the presence of bacterial meningitis and outcome in patients with this disease. DESIGN: Retrospective study of diagnostic accuracy. SETTING AND PATIENTS: CSF was

Inflammation increases cells expressing ZSCAN4 and progenitor cell markers in the adult pancreas

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Azuma, Sakiko; Yokoyama, Yukihiro; Yamamoto, Akiko; Kyokane, Kazuhiro; Niida, Shumpei; Ishiguro, Hiroshi; Ko, Minoru S. H.

2013-01-01

We have recently identified the zinc finger and SCAN domain containing 4 (Zscan4), which is transiently expressed and regulates telomere elongation and genome stability in mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells. The aim of this study was to examine the expression of ZSCAN4 in the adult pancreas and elucidate the role of ZSCAN4 in tissue inflammation and subsequent regeneration. The expression of ZSCAN4 and other progenitor or differentiated cell markers in the human pancreas was immunohistochemically examined. Pancreas sections of alcoholic or autoimmune pancreatitis patients before and under maintenance corticosteroid treatment were used in this study. In the adult human pancreas a small number of ZSCAN4-positive (ZSCAN4+) cells are present among cells located in the islets of Langerhans, acini, ducts, and oval-shaped cells. These cells not only express differentiated cell markers for each compartment of the pancreas but also express other tissue stem/progenitor cell markers. Furthermore, the number of ZSCAN4+ cells dramatically increased in patients with chronic pancreatitis, especially in the pancreatic tissues of autoimmune pancreatitis actively regenerating under corticosteroid treatment. Interestingly, a number of ZSCAN4+ cells in the pancreas of autoimmune pancreatitis returned to the basal level after 1 yr of maintenance corticosteroid treatment. In conclusion, coexpression of progenitor cell markers and differentiated cell markers with ZSCAN4 in each compartment of the pancreas may indicate the presence of facultative progenitors for both exocrine and endocrine cells in the adult pancreas. PMID:23599043

A population of human brain cells expressing phenotypic markers of more than one lineage can be induced in vitro to differentiate into mesenchymal cells

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Rieske, Piotr; Augelli, Brian J.; Stawski, Robert; Gaughan, John; Azizi, S. Ausim; Krynska, Barbara

2009-01-01

Proliferating astrocytic cells from germinal, as well as mature areas of brain parenchyma, have the characteristics of neural stem/progenitor cells and are capable of generating both neurons and glia. We previously reported that primary fetal human brain cells, designated as Normal Human Astrocytes (NHA), expressed, in addition to GFAP, Vimentin and Nestin, low levels of βIII-Tubulin, an early neuronal marker, and differentiated into neurons and astrocytes in vitro. Here, we showed that primary NHA cells co-express low levels of mesenchymal markers Fibronectin and Collagen-1 in culture. These cells transitioned into mesenchymal-like cells when cultured in adherent conditions in serum containing media. The mesenchymal-like derivatives of these cells were characterized based on their morphological changes, high expression of Vimentin and extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, Collagen-1 and Fibronectin, and decline of neural markers. When incubated in osteogenic and adipogenic induction media, the mesenchymal-like cells differentiated into osteoblasts and adipocytes. Furthermore, NHA cells express markers of neural crest cells, SOX-10 and p75. These data support the idea of ectoderm-derived mesenchymal lineages. These findings suggest that a population of primitive fetal brain cells with neural/neural crest/mesenchymal phenotype, resembles the remarkable phenotypic plasticity of neural crest cells, and differentiates into adipocytes and osteocytes under the influence of environmental factors

Decreased expression of cell adhesion genes in cancer stem-like cells isolated from primary oral squamous cell carcinomas.

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Mishra, Amrendra; Sriram, Harshini; Chandarana, Pinal; Tanavde, Vivek; Kumar, Rekha V; Gopinath, Ashok; Govindarajan, Raman; Ramaswamy, S; Sadasivam, Subhashini

2018-05-01

The goal of this study was to isolate cancer stem-like cells marked by high expression of CD44, a putative cancer stem cell marker, from primary oral squamous cell carcinomas and identify distinctive gene expression patterns in these cells. From 1 October 2013 to 4 September 2015, 76 stage III-IV primary oral squamous cell carcinoma of the gingivobuccal sulcus were resected. In all, 13 tumours were analysed by immunohistochemistry to visualise CD44-expressing cells. Expression of CD44 within The Cancer Genome Atlas-Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma RNA-sequencing data was also assessed. Seventy resected tumours were dissociated into single cells and stained with antibodies to CD44 as well as CD45 and CD31 (together referred as Lineage/Lin). From 45 of these, CD44 + Lin - and CD44 - Lin - subpopulations were successfully isolated using fluorescence-activated cell sorting, and good-quality RNA was obtained from 14 such sorted pairs. Libraries from five pairs were sequenced and the results analysed using bioinformatics tools. Reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction was performed to experimentally validate the differential expression of selected candidate genes identified from the transcriptome sequencing in the same 5 and an additional 9 tumours. CD44 was expressed on the surface of poorly differentiated tumour cells, and within the The Cancer Genome Atlas-Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma samples, its messenger RNA levels were higher in tumours compared to normal. Transcriptomics revealed that 102 genes were upregulated and 85 genes were downregulated in CD44 + Lin - compared to CD44 - Lin - cells in at least 3 of the 5 tumours sequenced. The upregulated genes included those involved in immune regulation, while the downregulated genes were enriched for genes involved in cell adhesion. Decreased expression of PCDH18, MGP, SPARCL1 and KRTDAP was confirmed by reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Lower expression of

Expression of synaptogyrin-1 in T1R2-expressing type II taste cells and type III taste cells of rat circumvallate taste buds.

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Kotani, Takeshi; Toyono, Takashi; Seta, Yuji; Kitou, Ayae; Kataoka, Shinji; Toyoshima, Kuniaki

2013-09-01

Synaptogyrins are conserved components of the exocytic apparatus and function as regulators of Ca(2+)-dependent exocytosis. The synaptogyrin family comprises three isoforms: two neuronal (synaptogyrin-1 and -3) and one ubiquitous (synaptogyrin-2) form. Although the expression patterns of the exocytic proteins synaptotagmin-1, SNAP-25, synaptobrevin-2 and synaptophysin have been elucidated in taste buds, the function and expression pattern of synaptogyrin-1 in rat gustatory tissues have not been determined. Therefore, we examined the expression patterns of synaptogyrin-1 and several cell-specific markers of type II and III cells in rat gustatory tissues. Reverse transcription/polymerase chain reaction assays and immunoblot analysis revealed the expression of synaptogyrin-1 mRNA and its protein in circumvallate papillae. In fungiform, foliate and circumvallate papillae, the antibody against synaptogyrin-1 immunolabeled a subset of taste bud cells and intra- and subgemmal nerve processes. Double-labeling experiments revealed the expression of synaptogyrin-1 in most taste cells immunoreactive for aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase and the neural cell adhesion molecule. A subset of synaptogyrin-1-immunoreactive taste cells also expressed phospholipase Cβ2, gustducin, or sweet taste receptor (T1R2). In addition, most synaptogyrin-1-immunoreactive taste cells expressed synaptobrevin-2. These results suggest that synaptogyrin-1 plays a regulatory role in transmission at the synapses of type III cells and is involved in exocytic function with synaptobrevin-2 in a subset of type II cells in rat taste buds.

Identification of unique expression signatures and therapeutic targets in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

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Yan Wusheng

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC, the predominant histological subtype of esophageal cancer, is characterized by high mortality. Previous work identified important mRNA expression differences between normal and tumor cells; however, to date there are limited ex vivo studies examining expression changes occurring during normal esophageal squamous cell differentiation versus those associated with tumorigenesis. In this study, we used a unique tissue microdissection strategy and microarrays to measure gene expression profiles associated with cell differentiation versus tumorigenesis in twelve cases of patient-matched normal basal squamous epithelial cells (NB, normal differentiated squamous epithelium (ND, and squamous cell cancer. Class comparison and pathway analysis were used to compare NB versus tumor in a search for unique therapeutic targets. Results As a first step towards this goal, gene expression profiles and pathways were evaluated. Overall, ND expression patterns were markedly different from NB and tumor; whereas, tumor and NB were more closely related. Tumor showed a general decrease in differentially expressed genes relative to NB as opposed to ND that exhibited the opposite trend. FSH and IgG networks were most highly dysregulated in normal differentiation and tumorigenesis, respectively. DNA repair pathways were generally elevated in NB and tumor relative to ND indicating involvement in both normal and pathological growth. PDGF signaling pathway and 12 individual genes unique to the tumor/NB comparison were identified as therapeutic targets, and 10 associated ESCC gene-drug pairs were identified. We further examined the protein expression level and the distribution patterns of four genes: ODC1, POSTN, ASPA and IGF2BP3. Ultimately, three genes (ODC1, POSTN, ASPA were verified to be dysregulated in the same pattern at both the mRNA and protein levels. Conclusions These data reveal insight into genes and

Structure-based, rational design of T cell receptors

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Vincent eZoete

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Adoptive cell transfer using engineered T cells is emerging as a promising treatment for metastatic melanoma. Such an approach allows one to introduce TCR modifications that, while maintaining the specificity for the targeted antigen, can enhance the binding and kinetic parameters for the interaction pMHC. Using the well-characterized 2C TCR/SIYR/H-2K(b structure as a model system, we demonstrated that a binding free energy decomposition based on the MM-GBSA approach provides a detailed and reliable description of the TCR/pMHC interactions at the structural and thermodynamic levels. Starting from this result, we developed a new structure-based approach, to rationally design new TCR sequences, and applied it to the BC1 TCR targeting the HLA-A2 restricted NY-ESO-1157-165 cancer-testis epitope. 54% of the designed sequence replacements exhibited improved pMHC-binding as compared to the native TCR, with up to 150 fold increase in affinity, while preserving specificity. Genetically-engineered CD8+ T cells expressing these modified TCRs showed an improved functional activity compared to those expressing BC1 TCR. We measured maximum levels of activities for TCRs within the upper limit of natural affinity. Beyond the affinity threshold at KD < 1 μM we observed an attenuation in cellular function. We have also developed a homology modeling-based approach, TCRep 3D, to obtain accurate structural models of any TCR-pMHC complexes. We have complemented the approach with a simplified rigid method to predict the TCR orientation over pMHC. These methods potentially extend the use of our TCR engineering method to entire TCR repertoires for which no X-ray structure is available. We have also performed a steered molecular dynamics study of the unbinding of the TCR-pMHC complex to get a better understanding of how TCRs interact with pMHCs. This entire rational TCR design pipeline is now being used to produce rationally optimized TCRs for adoptive cell therapies of

Characterization of TLX expression in neural stem cells and progenitor cells in adult brains.

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Shengxiu Li

Full Text Available TLX has been shown to play an important role in regulating the self-renewal and proliferation of neural stem cells in adult brains. However, the cellular distribution of endogenous TLX protein in adult brains remains to be elucidated. In this study, we used immunostaining with a TLX-specific antibody to show that TLX is expressed in both neural stem cells and transit-amplifying neural progenitor cells in the subventricular zone (SVZ of adult mouse brains. Then, using a double thymidine analog labeling approach, we showed that almost all of the self-renewing neural stem cells expressed TLX. Interestingly, most of the TLX-positive cells in the SVZ represented the thymidine analog-negative, relatively quiescent neural stem cell population. Using cell type markers and short-term BrdU labeling, we demonstrated that TLX was also expressed in the Mash1+ rapidly dividing type C cells. Furthermore, loss of TLX expression dramatically reduced BrdU label-retaining neural stem cells and the actively dividing neural progenitor cells in the SVZ, but substantially increased GFAP staining and extended GFAP processes. These results suggest that TLX is essential to maintain the self-renewing neural stem cells in the SVZ and that the GFAP+ cells in the SVZ lose neural stem cell property upon loss of TLX expression. Understanding the cellular distribution of TLX and its function in specific cell types may provide insights into the development of therapeutic tools for neurodegenerative diseases by targeting TLX in neural stem/progenitors cells.

Amniotic Fluid Cells Show Higher Pluripotency-Related Gene Expression Than Allantoic Fluid Cells.

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Kehl, Debora; Generali, Melanie; Görtz, Sabrina; Geering, Diego; Slamecka, Jaroslav; Hoerstrup, Simon P; Bleul, Ulrich; Weber, Benedikt

2017-10-01

Amniotic fluid represents an abundant source of multipotent stem cells, referred as broadly multipotent given their differentiation potential and expression of pluripotency-related genes. However, the origin of this broadly multipotent cellular fraction is not fully understood. Several sources have been proposed so far, including embryonic and extraembryonic tissues. In this regard, the ovine developmental model uniquely allows for direct comparison of fetal fluid-derived cells from two separate fetal fluid cavities, the allantois and the amnion, over the entire duration of gestation. As allantoic fluid mainly collects fetal urine, cells originating from the efferent urinary tract can directly be compared with cells deriving from the extraembryonic amniotic tissues and the fetus. This study shows isolation of cells from the amniotic [ovine amniotic fluid cells (oAFCs)] and allantoic fluid [ovine allantoic fluid cells (oALCs)] in a strictly paired fashion with oAFCs and oALCs derived from the same fetus. Both cell types showed cellular phenotypes comparable to standard mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), with trilineage differentiation potential, and expression of common ovine MSC markers. However, the expression of MSC markers per single cell was higher in oAFCs as measured by flow cytometry. oAFCs exhibited higher proliferative capacities and showed significantly higher expression of pluripotency-related genes OCT4, STAT3, NANOG, and REX1 by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction compared with paired oALCs. No significant decrease of pluripotency-related gene expression was noted over gestation, implying that cells with high differentiation potential may be isolated at the end of pregnancy. In conclusion, this study suggests that cells with highest stem cell characteristics may originate from the fetus itself or the amniotic fetal adnexa rather than from the efferent urinary tract or the allantoic fetal adnexa.

CD146 Expression Influences Periapical Cyst Mesenchymal Stem Cell Properties.

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Paduano, Francesco; Marrelli, Massimo; Palmieri, Francesca; Tatullo, Marco

2016-10-01

Recent studies have identified a new human dental derived progenitor cell population with multi-lineage differentiation potential referred to as human periapical cyst mesenchymal stem cells (hPCy-MSCs). In the present study, we compared two subpopulations of hPCy-MSCs characterised by the low or high expression of CD146 to establish whether this expression can regulate their stem cell properties. Using flow cytometry, we evaluated the stem cell marker profile of hPCy-MSCs during passaging. Furthermore, CD146 Low and CD146 High cells were sorted by magnetic beads and subsequently both cell populations were evaluated for differences in their proliferation, self-renewal, stem cell surface markers, stemness genes expression and osteogenic differentiation potential.We found that hPCy-MSCs possessed a stable expression of several mesenchymal stem cell surface markers, whereas CD146 expression declined during passaging.In addition, sorted CD146 Low cells proliferated significantly faster, displayed higher colony-forming unit-fibroblast capacity and showed higher expression of Klf4 when compared to the CD146 High subset. Significantly, the osteogenic potential of hPCy-MSCs was greater in the CD146 Low than in CD146 High population. These results demonstrate that CD146 is spontaneously downregulated with passaging at both mRNA and protein levels and that the high expression of CD146 reduces the proliferative, self-renewal and osteogenic differentiation potential of hPCy-MSCs. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that changes in the expression of CD146 can influence the stem cell properties of hPCy-MSCs.

CXCR3 surface expression in human airway epithelial cells: cell cycle dependence and effect on cell proliferation.

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Aksoy, Mark O; Yang, Yi; Ji, Rong; Reddy, P J; Shahabuddin, Syed; Litvin, Judith; Rogers, Thomas J; Kelsen, Steven G

2006-05-01

We recently demonstrated that human bronchial epithelial cells (HBEC) constitutively express the CXC chemokine receptor CXCR3, which when activated, induces directed cell migration. The present study in HBEC examined the relative expression of the CXCR3 splice variants CXCR3-A and -B, cell cycle dependence of CXCR3 expression, and the effects of the CXCR3 ligand, the interferon-gamma-inducible CXC chemokine I-TAC/CXCL11, on DNA synthesis and cell proliferation. Both CXCR3-A and -B mRNA, assessed by real-time RT-PCR, were expressed in normal HBEC (NHBEC) and the HBEC line 16-HBE. However, CXCR3-B mRNA was 39- and 6-fold greater than CXCR3-A mRNA in NHBEC and 16-HBE, respectively. Although most HBEC (>80%) assessed by flow cytometry and immunofluorescence microscopy contained intracellular CXCR3, only a minority (75%) were in the S + G(2)/M phases of the cell cycle. Stimulation of CXCR3 with I-TAC enhanced thymidine incorporation and cell proliferation and increased p38 and ERK1/2 phosphorylation. These data indicate that 1) human airway epithelial cells primarily express CXCR3-B mRNA, 2) surface expression of CXCR3 is largely confined to the S + G(2)/M phases of the cell cycle, and 3) activation of CXCR3 induces DNA synthesis, cell proliferation, and activation of MAPK pathways. We speculate that activation of CXCR3 exerts a mitogenic effect in HBEC, which may be important during airway mucosal injury in obstructive airway diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Correlation of Slug gene expression with lymph node metastasis and invasion molecule expression in oral squamous cell carcinoma tissue

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Shan-Ming Lu

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Objective: To study the correlation of Slug gene expression with lymph node metastasis and invasion molecule expression in oral squamous cell carcinoma tissue. Methods: Oral squamous cell carcinoma tissue surgical removed in Affiliated Stomatological Hospital of Nanjing Medical University between March 2015 and April 2017 was selected and divided into the oral squamous cell carcinoma tissue with neck lymph node metastasis and the oral squamous cell carcinoma tissues without lymph node metastasis according to the condition of lymph node metastasis. The expression of Slug, epithelial-mesenchymal transition molecules and invasion molecules in the oral squamous cell carcinoma tissue were detected. Results: Slug, N-cadherin, Vimentin, CD147, OPN, GRP78, SDF-1 and CXCR4 protein expression in oral squamous cell carcinoma tissue with neck lymph node metastasis were significantly higher than those in oral squamous cell carcinoma tissue without lymph node metastasis while E-cadherin, P120ctn and ZO-1 protein expression were significantly lower than those in oral squamous cell carcinoma tissue without lymph node metastasis; N-cadherin, Vimentin, CD147, OPN, GRP78, SDF-1 and CXCR4 protein expression in oral squamous cell carcinoma tissue with high Slug expression were significantly higher than those in oral squamous cell carcinoma tissue with low Slug expression while E-cadherin, P120ctn and ZO-1 protein expression were significantly lower than those in oral squamous cell carcinoma tissue with low Slug expression. Conclusion: The highly expressed Slug in oral squamous cell carcinoma tissue can promote the epithelial-mesenchymal transition and invasion of the cells to participate in the lymph node metastasis of tumor cells.

The effect of the colostral cells on gene expression of cytokines in cord blood cells.

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Hrdý, Jiří; Novotná, Olga; Kocourková, Ingrid; Prokešová, Ludmila

2017-11-01

Beneficial effect of maternal milk is acknowledged, but there is still question whether maternal milk from allergic mother is as good as from healthy one. In our study, we have assayed the effect of cells from colostrum of healthy and allergic mothers on gene expression of cytokines in cord blood cells of newborns of healthy and allergic mothers. Cytokines typical for Th1 (IL-2, IFN-gamma), Th2 (IL-4, IL-13), Tregs (IL-10, TGF-beta), and IL-8 were followed. We were not able to detect significant influence of colostral cells on gene expression of cytokines in cord blood after 2-day coculture using Transwell system. There was no difference in gene expression of cytokines in nonstimulated cord blood cells of newborns of healthy and allergic mothers, but generally increased gene expression of cytokines except IL-10 and TGF-beta after polyclonal stimulation was detected in cord blood cells of children of allergic mothers. There was no difference in IL-10 expression in stimulated cord blood cells of children of healthy and allergic mothers. Gene expression of TGF-beta was even decreased in stimulated cord blood cells of children of allergic mothers in comparison to healthy ones. We have not observed difference in the capacity of colostral cells of healthy and allergic mothers to influence gene expression of cytokines in cord blood cells, but we have described difference in the reactivity of cord blood cells between children of allergic and healthy mothers.

UV-induced changes in cell cycle and gene expression within rabbit lens epithelial cells

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Sidjanin, D. [Northern Illinois Univ., De Kalb, IL (United States). Dept. of Biological Sciences; Grdina, D. [Argonne National Lab., IL (United States); Woloschak, G.E. [Northern Illinois Univ., De Kalb, IL (United States). Dept. of Biological Sciences

1994-11-01

Damage to lens epithelial cells is a probable initiation process in cataract formation induced by ultraviolet radiation. These experiments investigated the ability of 254 nm radiation on cell cycle progression and gene expression in rabbit lens epithelial cell line N/N1003A. No changes in expression of c-fos, c-jun, alpha- tubulin, or vimentin was observed following UV exposure. Using flow cytometry, an accumulation of cells in G1/S phase of the cell cycle 1 hr following exposure. The observed changes in gene expression, especially the decreased histone transcripts reported here may play a role in UV induced inhibition of cell cycle progression.

Gene expression analysis of embryonic stem cells expressing VE-cadherin (CD144 during endothelial differentiation

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Libermann Towia

2008-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Endothelial differentiation occurs during normal vascular development in the developing embryo. This process is recapitulated in the adult when endothelial progenitor cells are generated in the bone marrow and can contribute to vascular repair or angiogenesis at sites of vascular injury or ischemia. The molecular mechanisms of endothelial differentiation remain incompletely understood. Novel approaches are needed to identify the factors that regulate endothelial differentiation. Methods Mouse embryonic stem (ES cells were used to further define the molecular mechanisms of endothelial differentiation. By flow cytometry a population of VEGF-R2 positive cells was identified as early as 2.5 days after differentiation of ES cells, and a subset of VEGF-R2+ cells, that were CD41 positive at 3.5 days. A separate population of VEGF-R2+ stem cells expressing the endothelial-specific marker CD144 (VE-cadherin was also identified at this same time point. Channels lined by VE-cadherin positive cells developed within the embryoid bodies (EBs formed by differentiating ES cells. VE-cadherin and CD41 expressing cells differentiate in close proximity to each other within the EBs, supporting the concept of a common origin for cells of hematopoietic and endothelial lineages. Results Microarray analysis of >45,000 transcripts was performed on RNA obtained from cells expressing VEGF-R2+, CD41+, and CD144+ and VEGF-R2-, CD41-, and CD144-. All microarray experiments were performed in duplicate using RNA obtained from independent experiments, for each subset of cells. Expression profiling confirmed the role of several genes involved in hematopoiesis, and identified several putative genes involved in endothelial differentiation. Conclusion The isolation of CD144+ cells during ES cell differentiation from embryoid bodies provides an excellent model system and method for identifying genes that are expressed during endothelial differentiation and that

Murine cell glycolipids customization by modular expression of glycosyltransferases.

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Cid, Emili; Yamamoto, Miyako; Buschbeck, Marcus; Yamamoto, Fumiichiro

2013-01-01

Functional analysis of glycolipids has been hampered by their complex nature and combinatorial expression in cells and tissues. We report an efficient and easy method to generate cells with specific glycolipids. In our proof of principle experiments we have demonstrated the customized expression of two relevant glycosphingolipids on murine fibroblasts, stage-specific embryonic antigen 3 (SSEA-3), a marker for stem cells, and Forssman glycolipid, a xenoantigen. Sets of genes encoding glycosyltansferases were transduced by viral infection followed by multi-color cell sorting based on coupled expression of fluorescent proteins.

Expression of uncoupling protein 1 in bovine muscle cells.

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Abd Eldaim, M A; Hashimoto, O; Ohtsuki, H; Yamada, T; Murakami, M; Onda, K; Sato, R; Kanamori, Y; Qiao, Y; Tomonaga, S; Matsui, T; Funaba, M

2016-12-01

Uncoupling protein 1 (Ucp1) is predominantly expressed in brown/beige adipocytes in mammals. Although myogenic cells have been suggested to commit to a brown adipocyte lineage through the induction of Prdm16 expression, Prdm16 is also expressed in skeletal muscle. Thus, we examined expression of Ucp1 in bovine myogenic cells. Considering that Ucp1 is a principle molecule that induces energy expenditure in brown/beige adipocytes, expression of Ucp1 is not preferable in beef cattle because of potential decrease in energy (fattening) efficiency. The RT-PCR analyses revealed the expression of Ucp1 in the skeletal muscle of cattle; expression levels were markedly lower than those in the brown fat of calves. Immunohistochemical analyses showed that Ucp1 surrounded muscle fibers, but not adipocytes residing in skeletal muscle. Myosatellite cells cultured in myogenic medium showed an increase in the expression levels of myogenic regulatory factors ( levels were greater in cells after myogenic culture for 12 d than in those after myogenic culture for 6 d ( bovine skeletal muscle, which suggests the necessity for further studies on Ucp1-mediated energy expenditure in bovine skeletal muscle.

Array design and expression evaluation in POOMA II

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Karmesin, S.; Crotinger, J.; Cummings, J.; Haney, S.; Humphrey, W.; Reynders, J.; Smith, S.; Williams, T.J.

1998-12-31

POOMA is a templated C++ class library for use in the development of large-scale scientific simulations on serial and parallel computers. POOMA II is a new design and implementation of POOMA intended to add richer capabilities and greater flexibility to the framework. The new design employs a generic Array class that acts as an interface to, or view on, a wide variety of data representation objects referred to as engines. This design separates the interface and the representation of multidimensional arrays. The separation is achieved using compile-time techniques rather than virtual functions, and thus code efficiency is maintained. POOMA II uses PETE, the Portable Expression Template Engine, to efficiently represent complex mathematical expressions involving arrays and other objects. The representation of expressions is kept separate from expression evaluation, allowing the use of multiple evaluator mechanisms that can support nested where-block constructs, hardware-specific optimizations and different run-time environments.

Elastin-like polypeptides: the power of design for smart cell encapsulation.

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Bandiera, Antonella

2017-01-01

Cell encapsulation technology is still a challenging issue. Innovative methodologies such as additive manufacturing, and alternative bioprocesses, such as cell therapeutic delivery, where cell encapsulation is a key tool are rapidly gaining importance for their potential in regenerative medicine. Responsive materials such as elastin-based recombinant expression products have features that are particularly attractive for cell encapsulation. They can be designed and tailored to meet desired requirements. Thus, they represent promising candidates for the development of new concept-based materials that can be employed in this field. Areas covered: An overview of the design and employment of elastin-like polypeptides for cell encapsulation is given to outline the state of the art. Special attention is paid to the design of the macromolecule employed as well as to the method of matrix formation and the biological system involved. Expert opinion: As a result of recent progress in regenerative medicine there is a compelling need for materials that provide specific properties and demonstrate defined functional features. Rationally designed materials that may adapt according to applied external stimuli and that are responsive to biological systems, such as elastin-like polypeptides, belong to this class of smart material. A run through the components described to date represents a good starting point for further advancement in this area. Employment of these components in cell encapsulation application will promote its advance toward 'smart cell encapsulation technology'.

Impact of blood processing variations on Natural Killer cell frequency, activation, chemokine receptor expression and function

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Naranbhai, Vivek; Bartman, Pat; Ndlovu, Dudu; Ramkalawon, Pamela; Ndung’u, Thumbi; Wilson, Douglas; Altfeld, Marcus; Carr, William H

2011-01-01

Understanding the role of natural killer (NK) cells in human disease pathogenesis is crucial and necessitates study of patient samples directly ex vivo. Manipulation of whole blood by density gradient centrifugation or delays in sample processing due to shipping, however, may lead to artifactual changes in immune response measures. Here, we assessed the impact of density gradient centrifugation and delayed processing of both whole blood and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) at multiple timepoints (2–24 hrs) on flow cytometric measures of NK cell frequency, activation status, chemokine receptor expression, and effector functions. We found that density gradient centrifugation activated NK cells and modified chemokine receptor expression. Delays in processing beyond 8 hours activated NK cells in PBMC but not in whole blood. Likewise, processing delays decreased chemokine receptor (CCR4 and CCR7) expression in both PBMC and whole blood. Finally, delays in processing PBMC were associated with a decreased ability of NK cells to degranulate (as measured by CD107a expression) or secrete cytokines (IFN-γ and TNF-α). In summary, our findings suggest that density gradient centrifugation and delayed processing of PBMC can alter measures of clinically relevant NK cell characteristics including effector functions; and therefore should be taken into account in designing clinical research studies. PMID:21255578

T-Cadherin Expression in Melanoma Cells Stimulates Stromal Cell Recruitment and Invasion by Regulating the Expression of Chemokines, Integrins and Adhesion Molecules

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Rubina, Kseniya A.; Surkova, Ekaterina I.; Semina, Ekaterina V.; Sysoeva, Veronika Y.; Kalinina, Natalia I.; Poliakov, Alexei A.; Treshalina, Helena M.; Tkachuk, Vsevolod A.

2015-01-01

T-cadherin is a glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchored member of the cadherin superfamily involved in the guidance of migrating cells. We have previously shown that in vivo T-cadherin overexpression leads to increased melanoma primary tumor growth due to the recruitment of mesenchymal stromal cells as well as the enhanced metastasis. Since tumor progression is highly dependent upon cell migration and invasion, the aim of the present study was to elucidate the mechanisms of T-cadherin participation in these processes. Herein we show that T-cadherin expression results in the increased invasive potential due to the upregulated expression of pro-oncogenic integrins, chemokines, adhesion molecules and extracellular matrix components. The detected increase in chemokine expression could be responsible for the stromal cell recruitment. At the same time our previous data demonstrated that T-cadherin expression inhibited neoangiogenesis in the primary tumors. We demonstrate that T-cadherin overexpression leads to the increase in the expression of anti-angiogenic molecules and reduction in pro-angiogenic factors. Thus, T-cadherin plays a dual role in melanoma growth and progression: T-cadherin expression results in anti-angiogenic effects in melanoma, however, this also stimulates transcription of genes responsible for migration and invasion of melanoma cells

T-Cadherin Expression in Melanoma Cells Stimulates Stromal Cell Recruitment and Invasion by Regulating the Expression of Chemokines, Integrins and Adhesion Molecules

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Rubina, Kseniya A., E-mail: rkseniya@mail.ru; Surkova, Ekaterina I.; Semina, Ekaterina V.; Sysoeva, Veronika Y.; Kalinina, Natalia I. [Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Lomonosovsky av., 31/5, Moscow 119192 (Russian Federation); Poliakov, Alexei A. [Division of Developmental Neurobiology, MRC National Institute for Medical Research, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AA (United Kingdom); Treshalina, Helena M. [Federal State Budgetary Scietific Institution «N.N. Blokhin Russian Cancer Research Center» (FSBSI “N.N.Blokhin RCRC”), Kashirskoe Shosse 24, Moscow 115478 (Russian Federation); Tkachuk, Vsevolod A. [Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Lomonosovsky av., 31/5, Moscow 119192 (Russian Federation)

2015-07-21

T-cadherin is a glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchored member of the cadherin superfamily involved in the guidance of migrating cells. We have previously shown that in vivo T-cadherin overexpression leads to increased melanoma primary tumor growth due to the recruitment of mesenchymal stromal cells as well as the enhanced metastasis. Since tumor progression is highly dependent upon cell migration and invasion, the aim of the present study was to elucidate the mechanisms of T-cadherin participation in these processes. Herein we show that T-cadherin expression results in the increased invasive potential due to the upregulated expression of pro-oncogenic integrins, chemokines, adhesion molecules and extracellular matrix components. The detected increase in chemokine expression could be responsible for the stromal cell recruitment. At the same time our previous data demonstrated that T-cadherin expression inhibited neoangiogenesis in the primary tumors. We demonstrate that T-cadherin overexpression leads to the increase in the expression of anti-angiogenic molecules and reduction in pro-angiogenic factors. Thus, T-cadherin plays a dual role in melanoma growth and progression: T-cadherin expression results in anti-angiogenic effects in melanoma, however, this also stimulates transcription of genes responsible for migration and invasion of melanoma cells.

Cyclooxygenase expression in canine platelets and Madin-Darby canine kidney cells.

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Kay-Mugford, P A; Benn, S J; LaMarre, J; Conlon, P D

2000-12-01

To examine cyclooxygenase (COX) expression in canine platelets and Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells in culture. Canine platelets and MDCK cells. Total RNA was recovered from isolated canine platelets and MDCK cells. Northern blot analysis and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), using complementary DNA probes and primers designed from the human COX sequences, were used to determine COX-1 and -2 (cyclooxygenase isoforms 1 and 2) messenger RNA (mRNA) expression. Following northern blot analysis, canine platelets were found to express only the 2.8-kb COX-1 transcript; COX-2 was not detected. Canine MDCK cells expressed the 4.5-kb COX-2 transcript, in addition to the 2.8-kb COX-1 transcript. A single DNA band of 270 base pairs was identified following gel electrophoresis of the product obtained from RT-PCR of mRNA from canine platelets. Sequencing revealed that this PCR product was 90% homologous to a portion of the human COX-1 gene (Genbank M59979). Detection of COX-1 by RT-PCR of RNA obtained from canine platelets is a novel finding. The 90% homology of the PCR product with the human sequence suggests strong conservation between the canine and human COX-1 gene. Cloning and sequencing of the canine gene will be required to fully characterize homologous regions. Because of the importance of COX in the inflammatory process and as a potential target of currently available nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID), a better understanding of canine COX may improve our ability to use NSAID appropriately, achieve efficacy, and avoid potential adverse drug effects in dogs.

Analysis of allelic expression patterns in clonal somatic cells by single-cell RNA-seq.

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Reinius, Björn; Mold, Jeff E; Ramsköld, Daniel; Deng, Qiaolin; Johnsson, Per; Michaëlsson, Jakob; Frisén, Jonas; Sandberg, Rickard

2016-11-01

Cellular heterogeneity can emerge from the expression of only one parental allele. However, it has remained controversial whether, or to what degree, random monoallelic expression of autosomal genes (aRME) is mitotically inherited (clonal) or stochastic (dynamic) in somatic cells, particularly in vivo. Here we used allele-sensitive single-cell RNA-seq on clonal primary mouse fibroblasts and freshly isolated human CD8 + T cells to dissect clonal and dynamic monoallelic expression patterns. Dynamic aRME affected a considerable portion of the cells' transcriptomes, with levels dependent on the cells' transcriptional activity. Notably, clonal aRME was detected, but it was surprisingly scarce (aRME occurs transiently within individual cells, and patterns of aRME are thus primarily scattered throughout somatic cell populations rather than, as previously hypothesized, confined to patches of clonally related cells.

High expression of markers of apoptosis in Langerhans cell histiocytosis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Bodil Laub; Lundegaard, Pia Rengtved; Bank, M I

2003-01-01

53 and the number of cells in apoptosis detected with TUNEL. Langerhans cell histiocytosis cells showed strong expression of p53 and in some cases co-expression of Fas and Fas-L. The expression of Fas-L was significantly higher in infiltrates from patients with single-system disease. The actual...... number of pathological Langerhans cells in apoptosis as estimated by TUNEL was low. CONCLUSIONS: The low number of TUNEL-reactive cells can be explained by the rapid turnover of apoptotic cells in the tissue, not leaving the apoptotic cells long enough in the tissue to be detected. The co......-expression of Fas and Fas-L in some Langerhans cells can lead to an autocrine apoptotic shortcut, mediating the death of the double-positive cells. Our findings suggest that apoptosis mediated through the Fas/Fas-L pathway may contribute to the spontaneous regression of lesions in single-system disease. A delicate...

Ectopic ERK Expression Induces Phenotypic Conversion of C10 Cells and Alters DNA Methyltransferase Expression

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Sontag, Ryan L.; Weber, Thomas J.

2012-05-04

In some model systems constitutive extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK) activation is sufficient to promote an oncogenic phenotype. Here we investigate whether constitutive ERK expression influences phenotypic conversion in murine C10 type II alveolar epithelial cells. C10 cells were stably transduced with an ERK1-green fluorescent protein (ERK1-GFP) chimera or empty vector and ectopic ERK expression was associated with the acquisition of soft agar focus-forming potential in late passage, but not early passage cells. Late passage ERK1-GFP cells exhibited a significant increase in the expression of DNA methyl transferases (DNMT1 and 3b) and a marked increase in sensitivity to 5-azacytidine (5-azaC)-mediated toxicity, relative to early passage ERK1-GFP cells and vector controls. The expression of xeroderma pigmentosum complementation group A (XPA) and DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs) were significantly increased in late passage cells, suggesting enhanced DNA damage recognition and repair activity which we interpret as a reflection of genomic instability. Phospho-ERK levels were dramatically decreased in late passage ERK1-GFP cells, relative to early passage and vector controls, and phospho-ERK levels were restored by treatment with sodium orthovanadate, indicating a role for phosphatase activity in this response. Collectively these observations suggest that ectopic ERK expression promotes phenotypic conversion of C10 cells that is associated with latent effects on epigenetic programming and phosphatase activities.

A rank-based algorithm of differential expression analysis for small cell line data with statistical control.

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Li, Xiangyu; Cai, Hao; Wang, Xianlong; Ao, Lu; Guo, You; He, Jun; Gu, Yunyan; Qi, Lishuang; Guan, Qingzhou; Lin, Xu; Guo, Zheng

2017-10-13

To detect differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in small-scale cell line experiments, usually with only two or three technical replicates for each state, the commonly used statistical methods such as significance analysis of microarrays (SAM), limma and RankProd (RP) lack statistical power, while the fold change method lacks any statistical control. In this study, we demonstrated that the within-sample relative expression orderings (REOs) of gene pairs were highly stable among technical replicates of a cell line but often widely disrupted after certain treatments such like gene knockdown, gene transfection and drug treatment. Based on this finding, we customized the RankComp algorithm, previously designed for individualized differential expression analysis through REO comparison, to identify DEGs with certain statistical control for small-scale cell line data. In both simulated and real data, the new algorithm, named CellComp, exhibited high precision with much higher sensitivity than the original RankComp, SAM, limma and RP methods. Therefore, CellComp provides an efficient tool for analyzing small-scale cell line data. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press.

Freedom of expression: cell-type-specific gene profiling.

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Otsuki, Leo; Cheetham, Seth W; Brand, Andrea H

2014-01-01

Cell fate and behavior are results of differential gene regulation, making techniques to profile gene expression in specific cell types highly desirable. Many methods now enable investigation at the DNA, RNA and protein level. This review introduces the most recent and popular techniques, and discusses key issues influencing the choice between these such as ease, cost and applicability of information gained. Interdisciplinary collaborations will no doubt contribute further advances, including not just in single cell type but single-cell expression profiling. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Docosahexaenoic acid inhibits IL-6 expression via PPARγ-mediated expression of catalase in cerulein-stimulated pancreatic acinar cells.

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Song, Eun Ah; Lim, Joo Weon; Kim, Hyeyoung

2017-07-01

Cerulein pancreatitis mirrors human acute pancreatitis. In pancreatic acinar cells exposed to cerulein, reactive oxygen species (ROS) mediate inflammatory signaling by Janus kinase (JAK) 2/signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) 3, and cytokine induction. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) acts as an agonist of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor γ (PPARγ), which mediates the expression of some antioxidant enzymes. We hypothesized that DHA may induce PPARγ-target catalase expression and reduce ROS levels, leading to the inhibition of JAK2/STAT3 activation and IL-6 expression in cerulein-stimulated acinar cells. Pancreatic acinar AR42J cells were treated with DHA in the presence or absence of the PPARγ antagonist GW9662, or treated with the PPARγ agonist troglitazone, and then stimulated with cerulein. Expression of IL-6 and catalase, ROS levels, JAK2/STAT3 activation, and nuclear translocation of PPARγ were assessed. DHA suppressed the increase in ROS, JAK2/STAT3 activation, and IL-6 expression induced nuclear translocation of PPARγ and catalase expression in cerulein-stimulated AR42J cells. Troglitazone inhibited the cerulein-induced increase in ROS and IL-6 expression, but induced catalase expression similar to DHA in AR42J cells. GW9662 abolished the inhibitory effect of DHA on cerulein-induced increase in ROS and IL-6 expression in AR42J cells. DHA-induced expression of catalase was suppressed by GW9662 in cerulein-stimulated AR42J cells. Thus, DHA induces PPARγ activation and catalase expression, which inhibits ROS-mediated activation of JAK2/STAT3 and IL-6 expression in cerulein-stimulated pancreatic acinar cells. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Cell adhesion signaling regulates RANK expression in osteoclast precursors.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ayako Mochizuki

Full Text Available Cells with monocyte/macrophage lineage expressing receptor activator of NF-κB (RANK differentiate into osteoclasts following stimulation with the RANK ligand (RANKL. Cell adhesion signaling is also required for osteoclast differentiation from precursors. However, details of the mechanism by which cell adhesion signals induce osteoclast differentiation have not been fully elucidated. To investigate the participation of cell adhesion signaling in osteoclast differentiation, mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMMs were used as osteoclast precursors, and cultured on either plastic cell culture dishes (adherent condition or the top surface of semisolid methylcellulose gel loaded in culture tubes (non-adherent condition. BMMs cultured under the adherent condition differentiated into osteoclasts in response to RANKL stimulation. However, under the non-adherent condition, the efficiency of osteoclast differentiation was markedly reduced even in the presence of RANKL. These BMMs retained macrophage characteristics including phagocytic function and gene expression profile. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS and tumor necrosis factor -αTNF-α activated the NF-κB-mediated signaling pathways under both the adherent and non-adherent conditions, while RANKL activated the pathways only under the adherent condition. BMMs highly expressed RANK mRNA and protein under the adherent condition as compared to the non-adherent condition. Also, BMMs transferred from the adherent to non-adherent condition showed downregulated RANK expression within 24 hours. In contrast, transferring those from the non-adherent to adherent condition significantly increased the level of RANK expression. Moreover, interruption of cell adhesion signaling by echistatin, an RGD-containing disintegrin, decreased RANK expression in BMMs, while forced expression of either RANK or TNFR-associated factor 6 (TRAF6 in BMMs induced their differentiation into osteoclasts even under the non

'Fluorescent Cell Chip' for immunotoxicity testing: Development of the c-fos expression reporter cell lines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trzaska, Dominika; Zembek, Patrycja; Olszewski, Maciej; Adamczewska, Violetta; Ulleras, Erik; Dastych, JarosIaw

2005-01-01

The Fluorescent Cell Chip for in vitro immunotoxicity testing employs cell lines derived from lymphocytes, mast cells, and monocytes-macrophages transfected with various EGFP cytokine reporter gene constructs. While cytokine expression is a valid endpoint for in vitro immunotoxicity screening, additional marker for the immediate-early response gene expression level could be of interest for further development and refinement of the Fluorescent Cell Chip. We have used BW.5147.3 murine thymoma transfected with c-fos reporter constructs to obtain reporter cell lines expressing ECFP under the control of murine c-fos promoter. These cells upon serum withdrawal and readdition and incubation with heavy metal compounds showed paralleled induction of c-Fos expression as evidenced by Real-Time PCR and ECFP fluorescence as evidenced by computer-supported fluorescence microscopy. In conclusion, we developed fluorescent reporter cell lines that could be employed in a simple and time-efficient screening assay for possible action of chemicals on c-Fos expression in lymphocytes. The evaluation of usefulness of these cells for the Fluorescent Cell Chip-based detection of immunotoxicity will require additional testing with a larger number of chemicals

Production of pancreatic hormone-expressing endocrine cells from human embryonic stem cells.

Science.gov (United States)

D'Amour, Kevin A; Bang, Anne G; Eliazer, Susan; Kelly, Olivia G; Agulnick, Alan D; Smart, Nora G; Moorman, Mark A; Kroon, Evert; Carpenter, Melissa K; Baetge, Emmanuel E

2006-11-01

Of paramount importance for the development of cell therapies to treat diabetes is the production of sufficient numbers of pancreatic endocrine cells that function similarly to primary islets. We have developed a differentiation process that converts human embryonic stem (hES) cells to endocrine cells capable of synthesizing the pancreatic hormones insulin, glucagon, somatostatin, pancreatic polypeptide and ghrelin. This process mimics in vivo pancreatic organogenesis by directing cells through stages resembling definitive endoderm, gut-tube endoderm, pancreatic endoderm and endocrine precursor--en route to cells that express endocrine hormones. The hES cell-derived insulin-expressing cells have an insulin content approaching that of adult islets. Similar to fetal beta-cells, they release C-peptide in response to multiple secretory stimuli, but only minimally to glucose. Production of these hES cell-derived endocrine cells may represent a critical step in the development of a renewable source of cells for diabetes cell therapy.

Differential expression of the klf6 tumor suppressor gene upon cell damaging treatments in cancer cells

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Gehrau, Ricardo C.; D' Astolfo, Diego S.; Andreoli, Veronica [Centro de Investigaciones en Bioquimica Clinica e Inmunologia (CIBICI-CONICET), Departamento de Bioquimica Clinica, Facultad de Ciencias Quimicas, Universidad Nacional de Cordoba, Haya de la Torre y Medina Allende, Ciudad Universitaria, 5000 Cordoba (Argentina); Bocco, Jose L., E-mail: jbocco@fcq.unc.edu.ar [Centro de Investigaciones en Bioquimica Clinica e Inmunologia (CIBICI-CONICET), Departamento de Bioquimica Clinica, Facultad de Ciencias Quimicas, Universidad Nacional de Cordoba, Haya de la Torre y Medina Allende, Ciudad Universitaria, 5000 Cordoba (Argentina); Koritschoner, Nicolas P. [Centro de Investigaciones en Bioquimica Clinica e Inmunologia (CIBICI-CONICET), Departamento de Bioquimica Clinica, Facultad de Ciencias Quimicas, Universidad Nacional de Cordoba, Haya de la Torre y Medina Allende, Ciudad Universitaria, 5000 Cordoba (Argentina)

2011-02-10

The mammalian Krueppel-like factor 6 (KLF6) is involved in critical roles such as growth-related signal transduction, cell proliferation and differentiation, development, apoptosis and angiogenesis. Also, KLF6 appears to be an emerging key factor during cancer development and progression. Its expression is thoroughly regulated by several cell-damaging stimuli. DNA damaging agents at lethal concentrations induce a p53-independent down-regulation of the klf6 gene. To investigate the impact of external stimuli on human klf6 gene expression, its mRNA level was analyzed using a cancer cell line profiling array system, consisting in an assortment of immobilized cDNAs from multiple cell lines treated with several cell-damaging agents at growth inhibitory concentrations (IC{sub 50}). Cell-damaging agents affected the klf6 expression in 62% of the cDNA samples, though the expression pattern was not dependent on the cell origin type. Interestingly, significant differences (p < 0.0001) in KLF6 mRNA levels were observed depending on the cellular p53 status upon cell damage. KLF6 expression was significantly increased in 63% of p53-deficient cells (122/195). Conversely, KLF6 mRNA level decreased nearly 4 fold in more than 70% of p53+/+ cells. In addition, klf6 gene promoter activity was down-regulated by DNA damaging agents in cells expressing the functional p53 protein whereas it was moderately increased in the absence of functional p53. Consistent results were obtained for the endogenous KLF6 protein level. Results indicate that human klf6 gene expression is responsive to external cell damage mediated by IC{sub 50} concentrations of physical and chemical stimuli in a p53-dependent manner. Most of these agents are frequently used in cancer therapy. Induction of klf6 expression in the absence of functional p53 directly correlates with cell death triggered by these compounds, whereas it is down-regulated in p53+/+ cells. Hence, klf6 expression level could represent a valuable

T-Cadherin Expression in Melanoma Cells Stimulates Stromal Cell Recruitment and Invasion by Regulating the Expression of Chemokines, Integrins and Adhesion Molecules

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Kseniya A. Rubina

2015-07-01

Full Text Available T-cadherin is a glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (GPI anchored member of the cadherin superfamily involved in the guidance of migrating cells. We have previously shown that in vivo T-cadherin overexpression leads to increased melanoma primary tumor growth due to the recruitment of mesenchymal stromal cells as well as the enhanced metastasis. Since tumor progression is highly dependent upon cell migration and invasion, the aim of the present study was to elucidate the mechanisms of T-cadherin participation in these processes. Herein we show that T-cadherin expression results in the increased invasive potential due to the upregulated expression of pro-oncogenic integrins, chemokines, adhesion molecules and extracellular matrix components. The detected increase in chemokine expression could be responsible for the stromal cell recruitment. At the same time our previous data demonstrated that T-cadherin expression inhibited neoangiogenesis in the primary tumors. We demonstrate molecules and reduction in pro-angiogenic factors. Thus, T-cadherin plays a dual role in melanoma growth and progression: T-cadherin expression results in anti-angiogenic effects in melanoma, however, this also stimulates transcription of genes responsible for migration and invasion of melanoma cells.

Src Induces Podoplanin Expression to Promote Cell Migration*

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Shen, Yongquan; Chen, Chen-Shan; Ichikawa, Hitoshi; Goldberg, Gary S.

2010-01-01

Nontransformed cells can force tumor cells to assume a normal morphology and phenotype by the process of contact normalization. Transformed cells must escape this process to become invasive and malignant. However, mechanisms underlying contact normalization have not been elucidated. Here, we have identified genes that are affected by contact normalization of Src-transformed cells. Tumor cells must migrate to become invasive and malignant. Src must phosphorylate the adaptor protein Cas (Crk-associated substrate) to promote tumor cell motility. We report here that Src utilizes Cas to induce podoplanin (Pdpn) expression to promote tumor cell migration. Pdpn is a membrane-bound extracellular glycoprotein that associates with endogenous ligands to promote tumor cell migration leading to cancer invasion and metastasis. In fact, Pdpn expression accounted for a major part of the increased migration seen in Src-transformed cells. Moreover, nontransformed cells suppressed Pdpn expression in adjacent Src-transformed cells. Of >39,000 genes, Pdpn was one of only 23 genes found to be induced by transforming Src activity and suppressed by contact normalization of Src-transformed cells. In addition, we found 16 genes suppressed by Src and induced by contact normalization. These genes encode growth factor receptors, adaptor proteins, and products that have not yet been annotated and may play important roles in tumor cell growth and migration. PMID:20123990

Expression of GABAergic receptors in mouse taste receptor cells.

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Margaret R Starostik

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Multiple excitatory neurotransmitters have been identified in the mammalian taste transduction, with few studies focused on inhibitory neurotransmitters. Since the synthetic enzyme glutamate decarboxylase (GAD for gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA is expressed in a subset of mouse taste cells, we hypothesized that other components of the GABA signaling pathway are likely expressed in this system. GABA signaling is initiated by the activation of either ionotropic receptors (GABA(A and GABA(C or metabotropic receptors (GABA(B while it is terminated by the re-uptake of GABA through transporters (GATs. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Using reverse transcriptase-PCR (RT-PCR analysis, we investigated the expression of different GABA signaling molecules in the mouse taste system. Taste receptor cells (TRCs in the circumvallate papillae express multiple subunits of the GABA(A and GABA(B receptors as well as multiple GATs. Immunocytochemical analyses examined the distribution of the GABA machinery in the circumvallate papillae. Both GABA(A-and GABA(B- immunoreactivity were detected in the peripheral taste receptor cells. We also used transgenic mice that express green fluorescent protein (GFP in either the Type II taste cells, which can respond to bitter, sweet or umami taste stimuli, or in the Type III GAD67 expressing taste cells. Thus, we were able to identify that GABAergic receptors are expressed in some Type II and Type III taste cells. Mouse GAT4 labeling was concentrated in the cells surrounding the taste buds with a few positively labeled TRCs at the margins of the taste buds. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The presence of GABAergic receptors localized on Type II and Type III taste cells suggests that GABA is likely modulating evoked taste responses in the mouse taste bud.

Lineage relationship of prostate cancer cell types based on gene expression

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Ware Carol B

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Prostate tumor heterogeneity is a major factor in disease management. Heterogeneity could be due to multiple cancer cell types with distinct gene expression. Of clinical importance is the so-called cancer stem cell type. Cell type-specific transcriptomes are used to examine lineage relationship among cancer cell types and their expression similarity to normal cell types including stem/progenitor cells. Methods Transcriptomes were determined by Affymetrix DNA array analysis for the following cell types. Putative prostate progenitor cell populations were characterized and isolated by expression of the membrane transporter ABCG2. Stem cells were represented by embryonic stem and embryonal carcinoma cells. The cancer cell types were Gleason pattern 3 (glandular histomorphology and pattern 4 (aglandular sorted from primary tumors, cultured prostate cancer cell lines originally established from metastatic lesions, xenografts LuCaP 35 (adenocarcinoma phenotype and LuCaP 49 (neuroendocrine/small cell carcinoma grown in mice. No detectable gene expression differences were detected among serial passages of the LuCaP xenografts. Results Based on transcriptomes, the different cancer cell types could be clustered into a luminal-like grouping and a non-luminal-like (also not basal-like grouping. The non-luminal-like types showed expression more similar to that of stem/progenitor cells than the luminal-like types. However, none showed expression of stem cell genes known to maintain stemness. Conclusions Non-luminal-like types are all representatives of aggressive disease, and this could be attributed to the similarity in overall gene expression to stem and progenitor cell types.

Reduced Ang2 expression in aging endothelial cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hohensinner, P.J.; Ebenbauer, B.; Kaun, C.; Maurer, G.; Huber, K.; Wojta, J.

2016-01-01

Aging endothelial cells are characterized by increased cell size, reduced telomere length and increased expression of proinflammatory cytokines. In addition, we describe here that aging reduces the migratory distance of endothelial cells. Furthermore, we observe an increase of the quiescence protein Ang1 and a decrease of the endothelial activation protein Ang2 upon aging. Supplementing Ang2 to aged endothelial cells restored their migratory capacity. We conclude that aging shifts the balance of the Ang1/Ang2 network favouring a quiescent state. Activation of endothelial cells in aging might be necessary to enhance wound healing capacities. -- Highlights: •Endothelial cells display signs of aging before reaching proliferative senescence. •Aging endothelial cells express more angiopoietin 1 and less angiopoietin 2 than young endothelial cells. •Migratory capacity is reduced in aging endothelial cells.

Reduced Ang2 expression in aging endothelial cells

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Hohensinner, P.J., E-mail: philipp.hohensinner@meduniwien.ac.at [Department of Internal Medicine II, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna (Austria); Ebenbauer, B. [Department of Internal Medicine II, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna (Austria); Ludwig Boltzmann Cluster for Cardiovascular Research, Vienna (Austria); Kaun, C.; Maurer, G. [Department of Internal Medicine II, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna (Austria); Huber, K. [Ludwig Boltzmann Cluster for Cardiovascular Research, Vienna (Austria); 3rd Medical Department, Wilhelminenhospital, Vienna (Austria); Sigmund Freud University, Medical Faculty, Vienna (Austria); Wojta, J. [Department of Internal Medicine II, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna (Austria); Ludwig Boltzmann Cluster for Cardiovascular Research, Vienna (Austria); Core Facilities, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna (Austria)

2016-06-03

Aging endothelial cells are characterized by increased cell size, reduced telomere length and increased expression of proinflammatory cytokines. In addition, we describe here that aging reduces the migratory distance of endothelial cells. Furthermore, we observe an increase of the quiescence protein Ang1 and a decrease of the endothelial activation protein Ang2 upon aging. Supplementing Ang2 to aged endothelial cells restored their migratory capacity. We conclude that aging shifts the balance of the Ang1/Ang2 network favouring a quiescent state. Activation of endothelial cells in aging might be necessary to enhance wound healing capacities. -- Highlights: •Endothelial cells display signs of aging before reaching proliferative senescence. •Aging endothelial cells express more angiopoietin 1 and less angiopoietin 2 than young endothelial cells. •Migratory capacity is reduced in aging endothelial cells.

Gene expression profiling of dendritic cells in different physiological stages under Cordyceps sinensis treatment.

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Chia-Yang Li

Full Text Available Cordyceps sinensis (CS has been commonly used as herbal medicine and a health supplement in China for over two thousand years. Although previous studies have demonstrated that CS has benefits in immunoregulation and anti-inflammation, the precise mechanism by which CS affects immunomodulation is still unclear. In this study, we exploited duplicate sets of loop-design microarray experiments to examine two different batches of CS and analyze the effects of CS on dendritic cells (DCs, in different physiology stages: naïve stage and inflammatory stage. Immature DCs were treated with CS, lipopolysaccharide (LPS, or LPS plus CS (LPS/CS for two days, and the gene expression profiles were examined using cDNA microarrays. The results of two loop-design microarray experiments showed good intersection rates. The expression level of common genes found in both loop-design microarray experiments was consistent, and the correlation coefficients (Rs, were higher than 0.96. Through intersection analysis of microarray results, we identified 295 intersecting significantly differentially expressed (SDE genes of the three different treatments (CS, LPS, and LPS/CS, which participated mainly in the adjustment of immune response and the regulation of cell proliferation and death. Genes regulated uniquely by CS treatment were significantly involved in the regulation of focal adhesion pathway, ECM-receptor interaction pathway, and hematopoietic cell lineage pathway. Unique LPS regulated genes were significantly involved in the regulation of Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, systemic lupus erythematosus pathway, and complement and coagulation cascades pathway. Unique LPS/CS regulated genes were significantly involved in the regulation of oxidative phosphorylation pathway. These results could provide useful information in further study of the pharmacological mechanisms of CS. This study also demonstrates that with a rigorous experimental design, the biological effects

Gene expression profiling of dendritic cells in different physiological stages under Cordyceps sinensis treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Chia-Yang; Chiang, Chi-Shiun; Cheng, Wei-Chung; Wang, Shu-Chi; Cheng, Hung-Tsu; Chen, Chaang-Ray; Shu, Wun-Yi; Tsai, Min-Lung; Hseu, Ruey-Shyang; Chang, Cheng-Wei; Huang, Chao-Ying; Fang, Shih-Hua; Hsu, Ian C

2012-01-01

Cordyceps sinensis (CS) has been commonly used as herbal medicine and a health supplement in China for over two thousand years. Although previous studies have demonstrated that CS has benefits in immunoregulation and anti-inflammation, the precise mechanism by which CS affects immunomodulation is still unclear. In this study, we exploited duplicate sets of loop-design microarray experiments to examine two different batches of CS and analyze the effects of CS on dendritic cells (DCs), in different physiology stages: naïve stage and inflammatory stage. Immature DCs were treated with CS, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), or LPS plus CS (LPS/CS) for two days, and the gene expression profiles were examined using cDNA microarrays. The results of two loop-design microarray experiments showed good intersection rates. The expression level of common genes found in both loop-design microarray experiments was consistent, and the correlation coefficients (Rs), were higher than 0.96. Through intersection analysis of microarray results, we identified 295 intersecting significantly differentially expressed (SDE) genes of the three different treatments (CS, LPS, and LPS/CS), which participated mainly in the adjustment of immune response and the regulation of cell proliferation and death. Genes regulated uniquely by CS treatment were significantly involved in the regulation of focal adhesion pathway, ECM-receptor interaction pathway, and hematopoietic cell lineage pathway. Unique LPS regulated genes were significantly involved in the regulation of Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, systemic lupus erythematosus pathway, and complement and coagulation cascades pathway. Unique LPS/CS regulated genes were significantly involved in the regulation of oxidative phosphorylation pathway. These results could provide useful information in further study of the pharmacological mechanisms of CS. This study also demonstrates that with a rigorous experimental design, the biological effects of a complex

Increasing RpoS expression causes cell death in Borrelia burgdorferi.

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Linxu Chen

Full Text Available RpoS, one of the two alternative σ factors in Borrelia burgdorferi, is tightly controlled by multiple regulators and, in turn, determines expression of many critical virulence factors. Here we show that increasing RpoS expression causes cell death. The immediate effect of increasing RpoS expression was to promote bacterial division and as a consequence result in a rapid increase in cell number before causing bacterial death. No DNA fragmentation or degradation was observed during this induced cell death. Cryo-electron microscopy showed induced cells first formed blebs, which were eventually released from dying cells. Apparently blebbing initiated cell disintegration leading to cell death. These findings led us to hypothesize that increasing RpoS expression triggers intracellular programs and/or pathways that cause spirochete death. The potential biological significance of induced cell death may help B. burgdorferi regulate its population to maintain its life cycle in nature.

Chemokine receptor expression by inflammatory T cells in EAE

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mony, Jyothi Thyagabhavan; Khorooshi, Reza; Owens, Trevor

2014-01-01

Chemokines direct cellular infiltration to tissues, and their receptors and signaling pathways represent targets for therapy in diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). The chemokine CCL20 is expressed in choroid plexus, a site of entry of T cells to the central nervous system (CNS). The CCL20...... receptor CCR6 has been reported to be selectively expressed by CD4(+) T cells that produce the cytokine IL-17 (Th17 cells). Th17 cells and interferon-gamma (IFNγ)-producing Th1 cells are implicated in induction of MS and its animal model experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). We have assessed...... whether CCR6 identifies specific inflammatory T cell subsets in EAE. Our approach was to induce EAE, and then examine chemokine receptor expression by cytokine-producing T cells sorted from CNS at peak disease. About 7% of CNS-infiltrating CD4(+) T cells produced IFNγ in flow cytometric cytokine assays...

Expression of inhibitory receptors on intratumoral T cells modulates the activity of a T cell-bispecific antibody targeting folate receptor

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Schreiner, Jens; Thommen, Daniela S.; Herzig, Petra; Bacac, Marina; Klein, Christian; Roller, Andreas; Belousov, Anton; Levitsky, Victor; Savic, Spasenija; Moersig, Wolfgang; Uhlenbrock, Franziska; Heinzelmann-Schwarz, Viola A.; Umana, Pablo; Pisa, Pavel; von Bergwelt-Baildon, M.; Lardinois, Didier; Müller, Philipp; Karanikas, Vaios; Zippelius, Alfred

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT T-cell bispecific antibodies (TCBs) are a novel therapeutic tool designed to selectively recruit T-cells to tumor cells and simultaneously activate them. However, it is currently unknown whether the dysfunctional state of T-cells, embedded into the tumor microenvironment, imprints on the therapeutic activity of TCBs. We performed a comprehensive analysis of activation and effector functions of tumor-infiltrating T-cells (TILs) in different tumor types, upon stimulation by a TCB targeting folate receptor 1 and CD3 (FolR1-TCB). We observed a considerable heterogeneity in T-cell activation, cytokine production and tumor cell killing upon exposure to FolR1-TCB among different FolR1-expressing tumors. Of note, tumors presenting with a high frequency of PD-1hi TILs displayed significantly impaired tumor cell killing and T-cell function. Further characterization of additional T-cell inhibitory receptors revealed that PD-1hi TILs defined a T-cell subset with particularly high levels of multiple inhibitory receptors compared with PD-1int and PD-1neg T-cells. PD-1 blockade could restore cytokine secretion but not cytotoxicity of TILs in a subset of patients with scarce PD-1hi expressing cells; in contrast, patients with abundance of PD-1hi expressing T-cells did not benefit from PD-1 blockade. Our data highlight that FolR1-TCB is a promising novel immunotherapeutic treatment option which is capable of activating intratumoral T-cells in different carcinomas. However, its therapeutic efficacy may be substantially hampered by a pre-existing dysfunctional state of T-cells, reflected by abundance of intratumoral PD-1hi T-cells. These findings present a rationale for combinatorial approaches of TCBs with other therapeutic strategies targeting T-cell dysfunction. PMID:27057429

Association of murine lupus and thymic full-length endogenous retroviral expression maps to a bone marrow stem cell

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krieg, A.M.; Gourley, M.F.; Steinberg, A.D.

1991-01-01

Recent studies of thymic gene expression in murine lupus have demonstrated 8.4-kb (full-length size) modified polytropic (Mpmv) endogenous retroviral RNA. In contrast, normal control mouse strains do not produce detectable amounts of such RNA in their thymuses. Prior studies have attributed a defect in experimental tolerance in murine lupus to a bone marrow stem cell rather than to the thymic epithelium; in contrast, infectious retroviral expression has been associated with the thymic epithelium, rather than with the bone marrow stem cell. The present study was designed to determine whether the abnormal Mpmv expression associated with murine lupus mapped to thymic epithelium or to a marrow precursor. Lethally irradiated control and lupus-prone mice were reconstituted with T cell depleted bone marrow; one month later their thymuses were studied for endogenous retroviral RNA and protein expression. Recipients of bone marrow from nonautoimmune donors expressed neither 8.4-kb Mpmv RNA nor surface MCF gp70 in their thymuses. In contrast, recipients of bone marrow from autoimmune NZB or BXSB donors expressed thymic 8.4-kb Mpmv RNA and mink cell focus-forming gp70. These studies demonstrate that lupus-associated 8.4-kb Mpmv endogenous retroviral expression is determined by bone marrow stem cells

Dissecting stem cell differentiation using single cell expression profiling

OpenAIRE

Moignard, Victoria Rachel; Göttgens, Berthold

2016-01-01

Many assumptions about the way cells behave are based on analyses of populations. However, it is now widely recognized that even apparently pure populations can display a remarkable level of heterogeneity. This is particularly true in stem cell biology where it hinders our understanding of normal development and the development of strategies for regenerative medicine. Over the past decade technologies facilitating gene expression analysis at the single cell level have become widespread, provi...

Ecdysone Receptor-based Singular Gene Switches for Regulated Transgene Expression in Cells and Adult Rodent Tissues

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Seoghyun Lee

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Controlled gene expression is an indispensable technique in biomedical research. Here, we report a convenient, straightforward, and reliable way to induce expression of a gene of interest with negligible background expression compared to the most widely used tetracycline (Tet-regulated system. Exploiting a Drosophila ecdysone receptor (EcR-based gene regulatory system, we generated nonviral and adenoviral singular vectors designated as pEUI(+ and pENTR-EUI, respectively, which contain all the required elements to guarantee regulated transgene expression (GAL4-miniVP16-EcR, termed GvEcR hereafter, and 10 tandem repeats of an upstream activation sequence promoter followed by a multiple cloning site. Through the transient and stable transfection of mammalian cell lines with reporter genes, we validated that tebufenozide, an ecdysone agonist, reversibly induced gene expression, in a dose- and time-dependent manner, with negligible background expression. In addition, we created an adenovirus derived from the pENTR-EUI vector that readily infected not only cultured cells but also rodent tissues and was sensitive to tebufenozide treatment for regulated transgene expression. These results suggest that EcR-based singular gene regulatory switches would be convenient tools for the induction of gene expression in cells and tissues in a tightly controlled fashion.

Cytomegalovirus vector expressing RAE-1γ induces enhanced anti-tumor capacity of murine CD8+ T cells.

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Tršan, Tihana; Vuković, Kristina; Filipović, Petra; Brizić, Ana Lesac; Lemmermann, Niels A W; Schober, Kilian; Busch, Dirk H; Britt, William J; Messerle, Martin; Krmpotić, Astrid; Jonjić, Stipan

2017-08-01

Designing CD8 + T-cell vaccines, which would provide protection against tumors is still considered a great challenge in immunotherapy. Here we show the robust potential of cytomegalovirus (CMV) vector expressing the NKG2D ligand RAE-1γ as CD8 + T cell-based vaccine against malignant tumors. Immunization with the CMV vector expressing RAE-1γ, delayed tumor growth or even provided complete protection against tumor challenge in both prophylactic and therapeutic settings. Moreover, a potent tumor control in mice vaccinated with this vector can be further enhanced by blocking the immune checkpoints TIGIT and PD-1. CMV vector expressing RAE-1γ potentiated expansion of KLRG1 + CD8 + T cells with enhanced effector properties. This vaccination was even more efficient in neonatal mice, resulting in the expansion and long-term maintenance of epitope-specific CD8 + T cells conferring robust resistance against tumor challenge. Our data show that immunomodulation of CD8 + T-cell responses promoted by herpesvirus expressing a ligand for NKG2D receptor can provide a powerful platform for the prevention and treatment of CD8 + T-cell sensitive tumors. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Design, Construction, and Validation of Artificial MicroRNA Vectors Using Agrobacterium-Mediated Transient Expression System.

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Bhagwat, Basdeo; Chi, Ming; Han, Dianwei; Tang, Haifeng; Tang, Guiliang; Xiang, Yu

2016-01-01

Artificial microRNA (amiRNA) technology utilizes microRNA (miRNA) biogenesis pathway to produce artificially selected small RNAs using miRNA gene backbone. It provides a feasible strategy for inducing loss of gene function, and has been applied in functional genomics study, improvement of crop quality and plant virus disease resistance. A big challenge in amiRNA applications is the unpredictability of silencing efficacy of the designed amiRNAs and not all constructed amiRNA candidates would be expressed effectively in plant cells. We and others found that high efficiency and specificity in RNA silencing can be achieved by designing amiRNAs with perfect or almost perfect sequence complementarity to their targets. In addition, we recently demonstrated that Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression system can be used to validate amiRNA constructs, which provides a simple, rapid and effective method to select highly expressible amiRNA candidates for stable genetic transformation. Here, we describe the methods for design of amiRNA candidates with perfect or almost perfect base-pairing to the target gene or gene groups, incorporation of amiRNA candidates in miR168a gene backbone by one step inverse PCR amplification, construction of plant amiRNA expression vectors, and assay of transient expression of amiRNAs in Nicotiana benthamiana through agro-infiltration, small RNA extraction, and amiRNA Northern blot.

Expressive map design: OGC SLD/SE++ extension for expressive map styles

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Christophe, Sidonie; Duménieu, Bertrand; Masse, Antoine; Hoarau, Charlotte; Ory, Jérémie; Brédif, Mathieu; Lecordix, François; Mellado, Nicolas; Turbet, Jérémie; Loi, Hugo; Hurtut, Thomas; Vanderhaeghe, David; Vergne, Romain; Thollot, Joëlle

2018-05-01

In the context of custom map design, handling more artistic and expressive tools has been identified as a carto-graphic need, in order to design stylized and expressive maps. Based on previous works on style formalization, an approach for specifying the map style has been proposed and experimented for particular use cases. A first step deals with the analysis of inspiration sources, in order to extract `what does make the style of the source', i.e. the salient visual characteristics to be automatically reproduced (textures, spatial arrangements, linear stylization, etc.). In a second step, in order to mimic and generate those visual characteristics, existing and innovative rendering techniques have been implemented in our GIS engine, thus extending the capabilities to generate expressive renderings. Therefore, an extension of the existing cartographic pipeline has been proposed based on the following aspects: 1- extension of the symbolization specifications OGC SLD/SE in order to provide a formalism to specify and reference expressive rendering methods; 2- separate the specification of each rendering method and its parameterization, as metadata. The main contribution has been described in (Christophe et al. 2016). In this paper, we focus firstly on the extension of the cartographic pipeline (SLD++ and metadata) and secondly on map design capabilities which have been experimented on various topographic styles: old cartographic styles (Cassini), artistic styles (watercolor, impressionism, Japanese print), hybrid topographic styles (ortho-imagery & vector data) and finally abstract and photo-realist styles for the geovisualization of costal area. The genericity and interoperability of our approach are promising and have already been tested for 3D visualization.

Expression of Cat Podoplanin in Feline Squamous Cell Carcinomas.

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Itai, Shunsuke; Yamada, Shinji; Kaneko, Mika K; Harada, Hiroyuki; Kagawa, Yumiko; Konnai, Satoru; Kato, Yukinari

2017-12-01

Oral squamous cell carcinoma is an aggressive tumor in cats; however, molecular-targeted therapies against this tumor, including antibody therapy, have not been developed. Sensitive and specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against highly expressed membrane proteins are needed to develop antibody therapies. Podoplanin, a type I transmembrane glycoprotein, is expressed in many human malignant tumors, including brain tumor, esophageal cancer, lung cancer, mesothelioma, and oral cancer. Podoplanin binds to C-type lectin-like receptor-2 (CLEC-2) and activates platelet aggregation, which is involved in cancer metastasis. Until now, we have established several mAbs against podoplanin in humans, mice, rats, rabbits, dogs, cattle, and cats. We have reported podoplanin expression in canine melanoma and squamous cell carcinomas using an anti-dog podoplanin mAb PMab-38. In this study, we investigated podoplanin expression in 40 feline squamous cell carcinomas (14 cases of mouth floor, 13 of skin, 9 of ear, and 4 of tongue) by immunohistochemical analysis using an anti-cat podoplanin mAb PMab-52, which we recently developed by cell-based immunization and screening (CBIS) method. Of the total 40 cases, 38 (95%) showed positive staining for PMab-52. In particular, 12 cases (30%) showed a strong membrane-staining pattern of squamous cell carcinoma cells. PMab-52 can be useful for antibody therapy against feline podoplanin-expressing squamous cell carcinomas.

Osteocalcin expression by circulating endothelial progenitor cells in patients with coronary atherosclerosis.

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Gössl, Mario; Mödder, Ulrike I; Atkinson, Elizabeth J; Lerman, Amir; Khosla, Sundeep

2008-10-14

This study was designed to test whether patients with coronary atherosclerosis have increases in circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) expressing an osteogenic phenotype. Increasing evidence indicates a link between bone and the vasculature, and bone marrow and circulating osteogenic cells have been identified by staining for the osteoblastic marker, osteocalcin (OCN). Endothelial progenitor cells contribute to vascular repair, but repair of vascular injury may result in calcification. Using cell surface markers (CD34, CD133, kinase insert domain receptor [KDR]) to identify EPCs, we examined whether patients with coronary atherosclerosis had increases in the percentage of EPCs expressing OCN. We studied 72 patients undergoing invasive coronary assessment: control patients (normal coronary arteries and no endothelial dysfunction, n = 21) versus 2 groups with coronary atherosclerosis-early coronary atherosclerosis (normal coronary arteries but with endothelial dysfunction, n = 22) and late coronary atherosclerosis (severe, multivessel coronary artery disease, n = 29). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were analyzed using flow cytometry. Compared with control patients, patients with early or late coronary atherosclerosis had significant increases (approximately 2-fold) in the percentage of CD34+/KDR+ and CD34+/CD133+/KDR+ cells costaining for OCN. Even larger increases were noted in the early and late coronary atherosclerosis patients in the percentage of CD34+/CD133-/KDR+ cells costaining for OCN (5- and 2-fold, p < 0.001 and 0.05, respectively). A higher percentage of EPCs express OCN in patients with coronary atherosclerosis compared with subjects with normal endothelial function and no structural coronary artery disease. These findings have potential implications for the mechanisms of vascular calcification and for the development of novel markers for coronary atherosclerosis.

Transitional cell carcinoma express vitamin D receptors

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Hermann, G G; Andersen, C B

1997-01-01

Recently, vitamin D analogues have shown antineoplastic effect in several diseases. Vitamin D analogues exert its effect by interacting with the vitamin D receptor (VDR). Studies of VDR in transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) have not been reported. The purpose of the present study was therefore.......05). Similarly, also tumor grade appeared to be related to the number of cells expressing the receptor. Normal urothlium also expressed VDR but only with low intensity. Our study shows that TCC cells possess the VDR receptor which may make them capable to respond to stimulation with vitamin D, but functional...... studies of vitamin D's effect on TCC cells in vitro are necessary before the efficacy of treatment with vitamin D analogues in TCC can be evaluated in patients....

Design parameters to control synthetic gene expression in Escherichia coli.

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Mark Welch

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Production of proteins as therapeutic agents, research reagents and molecular tools frequently depends on expression in heterologous hosts. Synthetic genes are increasingly used for protein production because sequence information is easier to obtain than the corresponding physical DNA. Protein-coding sequences are commonly re-designed to enhance expression, but there are no experimentally supported design principles. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: To identify sequence features that affect protein expression we synthesized and expressed in E. coli two sets of 40 genes encoding two commercially valuable proteins, a DNA polymerase and a single chain antibody. Genes differing only in synonymous codon usage expressed protein at levels ranging from undetectable to 30% of cellular protein. Using partial least squares regression we tested the correlation of protein production levels with parameters that have been reported to affect expression. We found that the amount of protein produced in E. coli was strongly dependent on the codons used to encode a subset of amino acids. Favorable codons were predominantly those read by tRNAs that are most highly charged during amino acid starvation, not codons that are most abundant in highly expressed E. coli proteins. Finally we confirmed the validity of our models by designing, synthesizing and testing new genes using codon biases predicted to perform well. CONCLUSION: The systematic analysis of gene design parameters shown in this study has allowed us to identify codon usage within a gene as a critical determinant of achievable protein expression levels in E. coli. We propose a biochemical basis for this, as well as design algorithms to ensure high protein production from synthetic genes. Replication of this methodology should allow similar design algorithms to be empirically derived for any expression system.

Probe design for expression arrays using OligoWiz

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Wernersson, Rasmus

2014-01-01

Since all measurements from a DNA microarray is dependant on the probes used, a good choice of probes is of vital importa nce when designing custom micro-arrays. This chapter describes how to de sign expression arrays using the “ OligoWiz ” software suite. The general desired features of good...... probes and the issues which probe design must address are introduced and a conceptual (rather than mathematical) description of how OligoWiz scores the quality of th e potential probes is presented. This is followed by a detailed step-by-step guide to designing expression arrays with OligoWiz....

CNPY2 promoted the proliferation of renal cell carcinoma cells and increased the expression of TP53

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taniguchi, Hidefumi; Ito, Saya; Ueda, Takashi; Morioka, Yukako; Kayukawa, Naruhiro; Ueno, Akihisa; Nakagawa, Hideo; Fujihara, Atsuko; Ushijima, So; Kanazawa, Motohiro; Hongo, Fumiya; Ukimura, Osamu

2017-01-01

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common type of kidney cancer. However, the mechanisms underlying the progression of the disease are not well understood. The data in this report suggest that canopy FGF signaling regulator 2 (CNPY2) is a promoter of RCC progression. We found that CNPY2 significantly promoted growth of RCC cells and upregulated TP53 gene expression. Although TP53 is widely known as a tumor suppressor, in RCC TP53 promoted tumor cell growth. A typical p53 target gene, CDKN1A, was upregulated by both p53 and CNPY2 in RCC cells, suggesting that CNPY2 increased the expression level of TP53. Consistent with these results, CNPY2 and TP53 expression levels were positively correlated in RCC patients. These findings suggested that CNPY2 promoted cancer cell growth in RCC through regulating TP53 gene expression. - Highlights: • CNPY2 promoted growth of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) cells. • TP53 expression levels were increased by CNPY2 in RCC cells. • Growth of RCC cells was promoted by TP53. • CNPY2 expression positively correlated with TP53 expression in RCC patients.

Microarray gene expression profiling and analysis in renal cell carcinoma

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Sadhukhan Provash

2004-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Renal cell carcinoma (RCC is the most common cancer in adult kidney. The accuracy of current diagnosis and prognosis of the disease and the effectiveness of the treatment for the disease are limited by the poor understanding of the disease at the molecular level. To better understand the genetics and biology of RCC, we profiled the expression of 7,129 genes in both clear cell RCC tissue and cell lines using oligonucleotide arrays. Methods Total RNAs isolated from renal cell tumors, adjacent normal tissue and metastatic RCC cell lines were hybridized to affymatrix HuFL oligonucleotide arrays. Genes were categorized into different functional groups based on the description of the Gene Ontology Consortium and analyzed based on the gene expression levels. Gene expression profiles of the tissue and cell line samples were visualized and classified by singular value decomposition. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was performed to confirm the expression alterations of selected genes in RCC. Results Selected genes were annotated based on biological processes and clustered into functional groups. The expression levels of genes in each group were also analyzed. Seventy-four commonly differentially expressed genes with more than five-fold changes in RCC tissues were identified. The expression alterations of selected genes from these seventy-four genes were further verified using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR. Detailed comparison of gene expression patterns in RCC tissue and RCC cell lines shows significant differences between the two types of samples, but many important expression patterns were preserved. Conclusions This is one of the initial studies that examine the functional ontology of a large number of genes in RCC. Extensive annotation, clustering and analysis of a large number of genes based on the gene functional ontology revealed many interesting gene expression patterns in RCC. Most

Engineering of red cells of Arabidopsis thaliana and comparative genome-wide gene expression analysis of red cells versus wild-type cells.

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Shi, Ming-Zhu; Xie, De-Yu

2011-04-01

We report metabolic engineering of Arabidopsis red cells and genome-wide gene expression analysis associated with anthocyanin biosynthesis and other metabolic pathways between red cells and wild-type (WT) cells. Red cells of A. thaliana were engineered for the first time from the leaves of production of anthocyanin pigment 1-Dominant (pap1-D). These red cells produced seven anthocyanin molecules including a new one that was characterized by LC-MS analysis. Wild-type cells established as a control did not produce anthocyanins. A genome-wide microarray analysis revealed that nearly 66 and 65% of genes in the genome were expressed in the red cells and wild-type cells, respectively. In comparison with the WT cells, 3.2% of expressed genes in the red cells were differentially expressed. The expression levels of 14 genes involved in the biosynthetic pathway of anthocyanin were significantly higher in the red cells than in the WT cells. Microarray and RT-PCR analyses demonstrated that the TTG1-GL3/TT8-PAP1 complex regulated the biosynthesis of anthocyanins. Furthermore, most of the genes with significant differential expression levels in the red cells versus the WT cells were characterized with diverse biochemical functions, many of which were mapped to different metabolic pathways (e.g., ribosomal protein biosynthesis, photosynthesis, glycolysis, glyoxylate metabolism, and plant secondary metabolisms) or organelles (e.g., chloroplast). We suggest that the difference in gene expression profiles between the two cell lines likely results from cell types, the overexpression of PAP1, and the high metabolic flux toward anthocyanins.

Induced ICER Iγ down-regulates cyclin A expression and cell proliferation in insulin-producing β cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Inada, Akari; Weir, Gordon C.; Bonner-Weir, Susan

2005-01-01

We have previously found that cyclin A expression is markedly reduced in pancreatic β-cells by cell-specific overexpression of repressor inducible cyclic AMP early repressor (ICER Iγ) in transgenic mice. Here we further examined regulatory effects of ICER Iγ on cyclin A gene expression using Min6 cells, an insulin-producing cell line. The cyclin A promoter luciferase assay showed that ICER Iγ directly repressed cyclin A gene transcription. In addition, upon ICER Iγ overexpression, cyclin A mRNA levels markedly decreased, thereby confirming an inhibitory effect of ICER Iγ on cyclin A expression. Suppression of cyclin A results in inhibition of BrdU incorporation. Under normal culture conditions endogenous cyclin A is abundant in these cells, whereas ICER is hardly detectable. However, serum starvation of Min6 cells induces ICER Iγ expression with a concomitant very low expression level of cyclin A. Cyclin A protein is not expressed unless the cells are in active DNA replication. These results indicate a potentially important anti-proliferative effect of ICER Iγ in pancreatic β cells. Since ICER Iγ is greatly increased in diabetes as well as in FFA- or high glucose-treated islets, this effect may in part exacerbate diabetes by limiting β-cell proliferation

Scalable topographies to support proliferation and Oct4 expression by human induced pluripotent stem cells.

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Reimer, Andreas; Vasilevich, Aliaksei; Hulshof, Frits; Viswanathan, Priyalakshmi; van Blitterswijk, Clemens A; de Boer, Jan; Watt, Fiona M

2016-01-13

It is well established that topographical features modulate cell behaviour, including cell morphology, proliferation and differentiation. To define the effects of topography on human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC), we plated cells on a topographical library containing over 1000 different features in medium lacking animal products (xeno-free). Using high content imaging, we determined the effect of each topography on cell proliferation and expression of the pluripotency marker Oct4 24 h after seeding. Features that maintained Oct4 expression also supported proliferation and cell-cell adhesion at 24 h, and by 4 days colonies of Oct4-positive, Sox2-positive cells had formed. Computational analysis revealed that small feature size was the most important determinant of pluripotency, followed by high wave number and high feature density. Using this information we correctly predicted whether any given topography within our library would support the pluripotent state at 24 h. This approach not only facilitates the design of substrates for optimal human iPSC expansion, but also, potentially, identification of topographies with other desirable characteristics, such as promoting differentiation.

Specific expression patterns and cell distribution of ancient and modern PAG in bovine placenta during pregnancy.

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Touzard, Eve; Reinaud, Pierrette; Dubois, Olivier; Guyader-Joly, Catherine; Humblot, Patrice; Ponsart, Claire; Charpigny, Gilles

2013-10-01

Pregnancy-associated glycoproteins (PAGs) constitute a multigenic family of aspartic proteinases expressed in the trophoblast of the ruminant placenta. In Bos taurus, this family comprises 21 members segregated into ancient and modern phylogenetic groups. Ancient PAGs have been reported to be synthesized throughout the trophoblastic cell layer whereas modern PAGs are produced by binucleate cells of cotyledons. The aim of this study was to investigate modern and ancient PAGs during gestation in cotyledonary and intercotyledonary tissues. To obtain convincing and innovative results despite the high sequence identity shared between PAGs, we designed specific tools such as amplification primers and antibodies. Using real-time RT-PCR, we described the transcript expression of 16 bovine PAGs. Overall, PAGs are characterized by an increase in their expression during gestation. However, we demonstrated a segregation of modern PAGs in cotyledons and of ancient PAGs in the intercotyledonary chorion, except for the ancient PAG2 expressed in cotyledons. By raising specific antibodies against the modern PAG1 and ancient PAG11 and PAG2, we established the expression kinetics of the proteins using western blotting. Immunohistochemistry showed that PAGs were produced by specific cellular populations: PAG1 by binucleate cells in the whole trophoblastic layer, PAG11 was localized in binucleate cells of the intercotyledonary trophoblast and the chorionic plate of the cotyledon, while PAG2 was produced in mononucleate cells of the internal villi of the cotyledon. These results revealed a highly specific regulation of PAG expression and cell localization as a function of their phylogenetic status, suggesting distinct biological functions within placental tissues.

Differential expression of c-Met between primary and metastatic sites in clear-cell renal cell carcinoma and its association with PD-L1 expression.

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Lalani, Aly-Khan A; Gray, Kathryn P; Albiges, Laurence; Callea, Marcella; Pignon, Jean-Christophe; Pal, Soumitro; Gupta, Mamta; Bhatt, Rupal S; McDermott, David F; Atkins, Michael B; Woude, G F Vande; Harshman, Lauren C; Choueiri, Toni K; Signoretti, Sabina

2017-11-28

In preclinical models, c-Met promotes survival of renal cancer cells through the regulation of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1). However, this relationship in human clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is not well characterized. We evaluated c-Met expression in ccRCC patients using paired primary and metastatic samples and assessed the association with PD-L1 expression and other clinical features. Areas with predominant and highest Fuhrman nuclear grade (FNG) were selected. c-Met expression was evaluated by IHC using an anti-Met monoclonal antibody (MET4 Ab) and calculated by a combined score (CS, 0-300): intensity of c-Met staining (0-3) x % of positive cells (0-100). PD-L1 expression in tumor cells was previously assessed by IHC and PD-L1+ was defined as PD-L1 > 0% positive cells. Our cohort consisted of 45 pairs of primary and metastatic ccRCC samples. Overall, c-Met expression was higher in metastatic sites compared to primary sites (average c-Met CS: 55 vs. 28, p = 0.0003). Higher c-Met expression was associated with higher FNG (4 vs. 3) in primary tumors (average c-Met CS: 52 vs. 20, p = 0.04). c-Met expression was numerically greater in PD-L1+ vs. PD-L1- tumors. Higher c-Met expression in metastatic sites compared to primary tumors suggests that testing for biomarkers of response to c-Met inhibitors should be conducted in metastases. While higher c-Met expression in PD-L1+ tumors requires further investigation, it supports exploring these targets in combination clinical trials.

Defining the expression of marker genes in equine mesenchymal stromal cells

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Deborah J Guest

2008-11-01

Full Text Available Deborah J Guest1, Jennifer C Ousey1, Matthew RW Smith21Animal Health Trust, Lanwades Park, Kentford, Newmarket, Suffolk, CB8 7UU; 2Reynolds House Referrals, Greenwood Ellis and Partners, 166 High Street, Newmarket, Suffolk, CB8 9WS, UKAbstract: Mesenchymal stromal (MS cells have been derived from multiple sources in the horse including bone marrow, adipose tissue and umbilical cord blood. To date these cells have been investigated for their differentiation potential and are currently being used to treat damage to horse musculoskeletal tissues. However, no work has been done in horse MS cells to examine the expression profile of proteins and cell surface antigens that are expressed in human MS cells. The identification of such profiles in the horse will allow the comparison of putative MS cells isolated from different laboratories and different tissues. At present it is difficult to ascertain whether equivalent cells are being used in different reports. Here, we report on the expression of a range of markers used to define human MS cells. Using immunocytochemistry we show that horse MS cells homogenously express collagens, alkaline phosphatase activity, CD44, CD90 and CD29. In contrast, CD14, CD79α and the embryonic stem cell markers Oct-4, SSEA (stage specific embryonic antigen -1, -3, -4, TRA (tumor rejection antigen -1–60 and -1–81 are not expressed. The MS cells also express MHC class I antigens but do not express class II antigens, although they are inducible by treatment with interferon gamma (IFN-γ.Keywords: mesenchymal stem cells, equine, gene expression

CD40 expression in Wehi-164 cell line

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Karimi, Mohammad Hossein; Ebadi, Padideh; Pourfathollah, Ali Akbar; Soheili, Zahra Soheila; Moazzeni, Seyed Mohammad

2010-01-01

CD40-CD154 interaction is an important process for cellular and humoral immunity regulation and can be effective in the body’s defense against tumors. In the present study, we evaluated the expression of CD40 in Wehi-164 cell line. CD40 expressions on the cell surface and in the cytoplasm were assessed by flow cytometry and intracellular staining assay, respectively. Also, the mRNA expression was identified by real time-PCR. The obtained results showed the high mRNA and cytoplasmic protein ex...

Lower expression of CADM1 and higher expression of MAL in Merkel cell carcinomas are associated with Merkel cell polyomavirus infection and better prognosis.

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Iwasaki, Takeshi; Matsushita, Michiko; Nonaka, Daisuke; Nagata, Keiko; Kato, Masako; Kuwamoto, Satoshi; Murakami, Ichiro; Hayashi, Kazuhiko

2016-02-01

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a clinically aggressive neuroendocrine skin cancer; 80% of the cases are associated with the Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV). We previously reported that MCPyV-negative MCCs have more irregular nuclei with abundant cytoplasm and significantly unfavorable outcomes than do MCPyV-positive MCCs. These results suggest that some cell adhesion or structural stabilization molecules are differently expressed depending on MCPyV infection status. Thus, we investigated the association of prognosis or MCPyV infection status in MCCs with cell adhesion molecule 1 (CADM1)/differentially expressed in adenocarcinoma of the lung protein 1 (DAL-1)/membrane protein, palmitoylated 3 (MPP3) tripartite complex and mal T-cell differentiation protein (MAL) expression, which play important roles in cell adhesion and oncogenesis and are related to cancer outcomes in various malignancies, to elucidate the role of these molecules. We analyzed the pathological and molecular characteristics of 26 MCPyV-positive and 15 MCPyV-negative MCCs. Univariate Cox regression analysis showed that advanced age (hazard ratio [HR], 8.249; P = .007) and high CADM1 expression (HR, 5.214; P = .012) were significantly unfavorable overall survival parameters, whereas MCPyV infection (HR, 0.043, P Merkel cells expressed DAL-1 and MAL but not CADM1. This study revealed that MCPyV-negative MCCs significantly expressed higher CADM1 and lower MAL than MCPyV-positive MCCs; these expression levels were markedly related to unfavorable outcomes. These data will give us important insights to develop novel molecular target therapies for MCCs. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Expression pattern of matrix metalloproteinases in human gynecological cancer cell lines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schröpfer, Andrea; Kammerer, Ulrike; Kapp, Michaela; Dietl, Johannes; Feix, Sonja; Anacker, Jelena

2010-01-01

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are involved in the degradation of protein components of the extracellular matrix and thus play an important role in tumor invasion and metastasis. Their expression is related to the progression of gynecological cancers (e.g. endometrial, cervical or ovarian carcinoma). In this study we investigated the expression pattern of the 23 MMPs, currently known in humans, in different gynecological cancer cell lines. In total, cell lines from three endometrium carcinomas (Ishikawa, HEC-1-A, AN3 CA), three cervical carcinomas (HeLa, Caski, SiHa), three chorioncarcinomas (JEG, JAR, BeWo), two ovarian cancers (BG-1, OAW-42) and one teratocarcinoma (PA-1) were examined. The expression of MMPs was analyzed by RT-PCR, Western blot and gelatin zymography. We demonstrated that the cell lines examined can constitutively express a wide variety of MMPs on mRNA and protein level. While MMP-2, -11, -14 and -24 were widely expressed, no expression was seen for MMP-12, -16, -20, -25, -26, -27 in any of the cell lines. A broad range of 16 MMPs could be found in the PA1 cells and thus this cell line could be used as a positive control for general MMP experiments. While the three cervical cancer cell lines expressed 10-14 different MMPs, the median expression in endometrial and choriocarcinoma cells was 7 different enzymes. The two investigated ovarian cancer cell lines showed a distinctive difference in the number of expressed MMPs (2 vs. 10). Ishikawa, Caski, OAW-42 and BeWo cell lines could be the best choice for all future experiments on MMP regulation and their role in endometrial, cervical, ovarian or choriocarcinoma development, whereas the teratocarcinoma cell line PA1 could be used as a positive control for general MMP experiments

Differential expression of the klf6 tumor suppressor gene upon cell damaging treatments in cancer cells

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Gehrau, Ricardo C.; D'Astolfo, Diego S.; Andreoli, Veronica; Bocco, Jose L.; Koritschoner, Nicolas P.

2011-01-01

The mammalian Krueppel-like factor 6 (KLF6) is involved in critical roles such as growth-related signal transduction, cell proliferation and differentiation, development, apoptosis and angiogenesis. Also, KLF6 appears to be an emerging key factor during cancer development and progression. Its expression is thoroughly regulated by several cell-damaging stimuli. DNA damaging agents at lethal concentrations induce a p53-independent down-regulation of the klf6 gene. To investigate the impact of external stimuli on human klf6 gene expression, its mRNA level was analyzed using a cancer cell line profiling array system, consisting in an assortment of immobilized cDNAs from multiple cell lines treated with several cell-damaging agents at growth inhibitory concentrations (IC 50 ). Cell-damaging agents affected the klf6 expression in 62% of the cDNA samples, though the expression pattern was not dependent on the cell origin type. Interestingly, significant differences (p 50 concentrations of physical and chemical stimuli in a p53-dependent manner. Most of these agents are frequently used in cancer therapy. Induction of klf6 expression in the absence of functional p53 directly correlates with cell death triggered by these compounds, whereas it is down-regulated in p53+/+ cells. Hence, klf6 expression level could represent a valuable marker for the efficiency of cell death upon cancer treatment.

High epitope expression levels increase competition between T cells.

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Almut Scherer

2006-08-01

Full Text Available Both theoretical predictions and experimental findings suggest that T cell populations can compete with each other. There is some debate on whether T cells compete for aspecific stimuli, such as access to the surface on antigen-presenting cells (APCs or for specific stimuli, such as their cognate epitope ligand. We have developed an individual-based computer simulation model to study T cell competition. Our model shows that the expression level of foreign epitopes per APC determines whether T cell competition is mainly for specific or aspecific stimuli. Under low epitope expression, competition is mainly for the specific epitope stimuli, and, hence, different epitope-specific T cell populations coexist readily. However, if epitope expression levels are high, aspecific competition becomes more important. Such between-specificity competition can lead to competitive exclusion between different epitope-specific T cell populations. Our model allows us to delineate the circumstances that facilitate coexistence of T cells of different epitope specificity. Understanding mechanisms of T cell coexistence has important practical implications for immune therapies that require a broad immune response.

HLA-E-expressing pluripotent stem cells escape allogeneic responses and lysis by NK cells.

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Gornalusse, Germán G; Hirata, Roli K; Funk, Sarah E; Riolobos, Laura; Lopes, Vanda S; Manske, Gabriel; Prunkard, Donna; Colunga, Aric G; Hanafi, Laïla-Aïcha; Clegg, Dennis O; Turtle, Cameron; Russell, David W

2017-08-01

Polymorphisms in the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I genes can cause the rejection of pluripotent stem cell (PSC)-derived products in allogeneic recipients. Disruption of the Beta-2 Microglobulin (B2M) gene eliminates surface expression of all class I molecules, but leaves the cells vulnerable to lysis by natural killer (NK) cells. Here we show that this 'missing-self' response can be prevented by forced expression of minimally polymorphic HLA-E molecules. We use adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated gene editing to knock in HLA-E genes at the B2M locus in human PSCs in a manner that confers inducible, regulated, surface expression of HLA-E single-chain dimers (fused to B2M) or trimers (fused to B2M and a peptide antigen), without surface expression of HLA-A, B or C. These HLA-engineered PSCs and their differentiated derivatives are not recognized as allogeneic by CD8 + T cells, do not bind anti-HLA antibodies and are resistant to NK-mediated lysis. Our approach provides a potential source of universal donor cells for applications where the differentiated derivatives lack HLA class II expression.

HLA-E-expressing pluripotent stem cells escape allogeneic responses and lysis by NK cells

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Gornalusse, Germán G.; Hirata, Roli K.; Funk, Sarah; Riolobos, Laura; Lopes, Vanda S.; Manske, Gabriel; Prunkard, Donna; Colunga, Aric G.; Hanafi, Laïla-Aïcha; Clegg, Dennis O.; Turtle, Cameron; Russell, David W.

2017-01-01

Polymorphisms in the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I genes can cause the rejection of pluripotent stem cell (PSC)-derived products in allogeneic recipients. Disruption of the Beta-2 Microglobulin (B2M) gene eliminates surface expression of all class I molecules, but leaves the cells vulnerable to lysis by natural killer (NK) cells. Here we show that this ‘missing self’ response can be prevented by forced expression of minimally polymorphic HLA-E molecules. We use adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated gene editing to knock in HLA-E genes at the B2M locus in human PSCs in a manner that confers inducible, regulated, surface expression of HLA-E single-chain dimers (fused to B2M) or trimers (fused to B2M and a peptide antigen), without surface expression of HLA-A, B or C. These HLA-engineered PSCs and their differentiated derivatives are not recognized as allogeneic by CD8+ T cells, do not bind anti-HLA antibodies, and are resistant to NK-mediated lysis. Our approach provides a potential source of universal donor cells for applications where the differentiated derivatives lack HLA class II expression. PMID:28504668

Oestradiol and progesterone differentially alter cytoskeletal protein expression and flame cell morphology in Taenia crassiceps.

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Ambrosio, Javier R; Ostoa-Saloma, Pedro; Palacios-Arreola, M Isabel; Ruíz-Rosado, Azucena; Sánchez-Orellana, Pedro L; Reynoso-Ducoing, Olivia; Nava-Castro, Karen E; Martínez-Velázquez, Nancy; Escobedo, Galileo; Ibarra-Coronado, Elizabeth G; Valverde-Islas, Laura; Morales-Montor, Jorge

2014-09-01

We examined the effects of oestradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4) on cytoskeletal protein expression in the helminth Taenia crassiceps - specifically actin, tubulin and myosin. These proteins assemble into flame cells, which constitute the parasite excretory system. Total protein extracts were obtained from E2- and P4-treated T. crassiceps cysticerci and untreated controls, and analysed by one- and two-dimensional protein electrophoresis, flow cytometry, immunofluorescence and videomicroscopy. Exposure of T. crassiceps cysticerci to E2 and P4 induced differential protein expression patterns compared with untreated controls. Changes in actin, tubulin and myosin expression were confirmed by flow cytometry of parasite cells and immunofluorescence. In addition, parasite morphology was altered in response to E2 and P4 versus controls. Flame cells were primarily affected at the level of the ciliary tuft, in association with the changes in actin, tubulin and myosin. We conclude that oestradiol and progesterone act directly on T. crassiceps cysticerci, altering actin, tubulin and myosin expression and thus affecting the assembly and function of flame cells. Our results increase our understanding of several aspects of the molecular crosstalk between host and parasite, which might be useful in designing anthelmintic drugs that exclusively impair parasitic proteins which mediate cell signaling and pathogenic reproduction and establishment. Copyright © 2014 Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Expression of Pluripotency Markers in Nonpluripotent Human Neural Stem and Progenitor Cells.

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Vincent, Per Henrik; Benedikz, Eirikur; Uhlén, Per; Hovatta, Outi; Sundström, Erik

2017-06-15

Nonpluripotent neural progenitor cells (NPCs) derived from the human fetal central nervous system were found to express a number of messenger RNA (mRNA) species associated with pluripotency, such as NANOG, REX1, and OCT4. The expression was restricted to small subpopulations of NPCs. In contrast to pluripotent stem cells, there was no coexpression of the pluripotency-associated genes studied. Although the expression of these genes rapidly declined during the in vitro differentiation of NPCs, we found no evidence that the discrete expression was associated with the markers of multipotent neural stem cells (CD133 + /CD24 lo ), the capacity of sphere formation, or high cell proliferation rates. The rate of cell death among NPCs expressing pluripotency-associated genes was also similar to that of other NPCs. Live cell imaging showed that NANOG- and REX1-expressing NPCs continuously changed morphology, as did the nonexpressing cells. Depletion experiments showed that after the complete removal of the subpopulations of NANOG- and REX1-expressing NPCs, the expression of these genes appeared in other NPCs within a few days. The percentage of NANOG- and REX1-expressing cells returned to that observed before depletion. Our results are best explained by a model in which there is stochastic transient expression of pluripotency-associated genes in proliferating NPCs.

Spatial reconstruction of single-cell gene expression data.

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Satija, Rahul; Farrell, Jeffrey A; Gennert, David; Schier, Alexander F; Regev, Aviv

2015-05-01

Spatial localization is a key determinant of cellular fate and behavior, but methods for spatially resolved, transcriptome-wide gene expression profiling across complex tissues are lacking. RNA staining methods assay only a small number of transcripts, whereas single-cell RNA-seq, which measures global gene expression, separates cells from their native spatial context. Here we present Seurat, a computational strategy to infer cellular localization by integrating single-cell RNA-seq data with in situ RNA patterns. We applied Seurat to spatially map 851 single cells from dissociated zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos and generated a transcriptome-wide map of spatial patterning. We confirmed Seurat's accuracy using several experimental approaches, then used the strategy to identify a set of archetypal expression patterns and spatial markers. Seurat correctly localizes rare subpopulations, accurately mapping both spatially restricted and scattered groups. Seurat will be applicable to mapping cellular localization within complex patterned tissues in diverse systems.

Protein Expression Analyses at the Single Cell Level

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Masae Ohno

2014-09-01

Full Text Available The central dogma of molecular biology explains how genetic information is converted into its end product, proteins, which are responsible for the phenotypic state of the cell. Along with the protein type, the phenotypic state depends on the protein copy number. Therefore, quantification of the protein expression in a single cell is critical for quantitative characterization of the phenotypic states. Protein expression is typically a dynamic and stochastic phenomenon that cannot be well described by standard experimental methods. As an alternative, fluorescence imaging is being explored for the study of protein expression, because of its high sensitivity and high throughput. Here we review key recent progresses in fluorescence imaging-based methods and discuss their application to proteome analysis at the single cell level.

Matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression in folliculostellate cells of rat anterior pituitary gland.

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Ilmiawati, Cimi; Horiguchi, Kotaro; Fujiwara, Ken; Yashiro, Takashi

2012-03-01

Folliculostellate (FS) cells of the anterior pituitary gland express a variety of regulatory molecules. Using transgenic rats that express green fluorescent protein specifically in FS cells, we recently demonstrated that FS cells in vitro showed marked changes in motility, proliferation, and that formation of cellular interconnections in the presence of laminin, a component of the extracellular matrix, closely resembled those observed in vivo. These findings suggested that FS cells express matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), which assists their function on laminin. In the present study, we investigate MMP-9 expression in rat anterior pituitary gland and examine its role in motility and proliferation of FS cells on laminin. Immunohistochemistry, RT-PCR, immunoblotting, and gelatin zymography were performed to assess MMP-9 expression in the anterior pituitary gland and cultured FS cells. Real-time RT-PCR was used to quantify MMP-9 expression in cultured FS cells under different conditions and treatments. MMP-9 expression was inhibited by pharmacological inhibitor or downregulated by siRNA and time-lapse images were acquired. A 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine assay was performed to analyze the proliferation of FS cells. Our results showed that MMP-9 was expressed in FS cells, that this expression was upregulated by laminin, and that laminin induced MMP-9 secretion by FS cells. MMP-9 inhibition and downregulation did not impair FS motility; however, it did impair the capacity of FS cells to form interconnections and it significantly inhibited proliferation of FS cells on laminin. We conclude that MMP-9 is necessary in FS cell interconnection and proliferation in the presence of laminin.

Cholinergic regulation of VIP gene expression in human neuroblastoma cells

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Kristensen, Bo; Georg, Birgitte; Fahrenkrug, Jan

1997-01-01

Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, muscarinic receptor, neuroblastoma cell, mRNA, gene expression, peptide processing......Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, muscarinic receptor, neuroblastoma cell, mRNA, gene expression, peptide processing...

Expression profile of CREB knockdown in myeloid leukemia cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pellegrini, Matteo; Cheng, Jerry C; Voutila, Jon; Judelson, Dejah; Taylor, Julie; Nelson, Stanley F; Sakamoto, Kathleen M

2008-01-01

The cAMP Response Element Binding Protein, CREB, is a transcription factor that regulates cell proliferation, differentiation, and survival in several model systems, including neuronal and hematopoietic cells. We demonstrated that CREB is overexpressed in acute myeloid and leukemia cells compared to normal hematopoietic stem cells. CREB knockdown inhibits leukemic cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo, but does not affect long-term hematopoietic reconstitution. To understand downstream pathways regulating CREB, we performed expression profiling with RNA from the K562 myeloid leukemia cell line transduced with CREB shRNA. By combining our expression data from CREB knockdown cells with prior ChIP data on CREB binding we were able to identify a list of putative CREB regulated genes. We performed extensive analyses on the top genes in this list as high confidence CREB targets. We found that this list is enriched for genes involved in cancer, and unexpectedly, highly enriched for histone genes. Furthermore, histone genes regulated by CREB were more likely to be specifically expressed in hematopoietic lineages. Decreased expression of specific histone genes was validated in K562, TF-1, and primary AML cells transduced with CREB shRNA. We have identified a high confidence list of CREB targets in K562 cells. These genes allow us to begin to understand the mechanisms by which CREB contributes to acute leukemia. We speculate that regulation of histone genes may play an important role by possibly altering the regulation of DNA replication during the cell cycle

Tamoxifen enhances erlotinib-induced cytotoxicity through down-regulating AKT-mediated thymidine phosphorylase expression in human non-small-cell lung cancer cells.

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Ko, Jen-Chung; Chiu, Hsien-Chun; Syu, Jhan-Jhang; Jian, Yi-Jun; Chen, Chien-Yu; Jian, Yun-Ting; Huang, Yi-Jhen; Wo, Ting-Yu; Lin, Yun-Wei

2014-03-01

Tamoxifen is a triphenylethylene nonsteroidal estrogen receptor (ER) antagonist used worldwide as an adjuvant hormone therapeutic agent in the treatment of breast cancer. However, the molecular mechanism of tamoxifen-induced cytotoxicity in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells has not been identified. Thymidine phosphorylase (TP) is an enzyme of the pyrimidine salvage pathway which is upregulated in cancers. In this study, tamoxifen treatment inhibited cell survival in two NSCLC cells, H520 and H1975. Treatment with tamoxifen decreased TP mRNA and protein levels through AKT inactivation. Furthermore, expression of constitutively active AKT (AKT-CA) vectors significantly rescued the decreased TP protein and mRNA levels in tamoxifen-treated NSCLC cells. In contrast, combination treatment with PI3K inhibitors (LY294002 or wortmannin) and tamoxifen further decreased the TP expression and cell viability of NSCLC cells. Knocking down TP expression by transfection with small interfering RNA of TP enhanced the cytotoxicity and cell growth inhibition of tamoxifen. Erlotinib (Tarceva, OSI-774), an orally available small molecular inhibitor of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase, is approved for clinical treatment of NSCLC. Compared to a single agent alone, tamoxifen combined with erlotinib resulted in cytotoxicity and cell growth inhibition synergistically in NSCLC cells, accompanied with reduced activation of phospho-AKT and phospho-ERK1/2, and reduced TP protein levels. These findings may have implications for the rational design of future drug regimens incorporating tamoxifen and erlotinib for the treatment of NSCLC. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ionizing radiation enhances immunogenicity of cells expressing a tumor-specific T-cell epitope

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Ciernik, Ilja F.; Romero, Pedro; Berzofsky, Jay A.; Carbone, David P.

1999-01-01

Background: p53 point mutations represent potential tumor-specific cytolytic T lymphocyte (CTL) epitopes. Whether ionizing radiation (IR) alters the immunological properties of cells expressing mutant p53 in respect of the CTL epitope generated by a defined point mutation has not been evaluated. Methods: Mutant p53-expressing syngeneic, nontumor forming BALB/c 3T3 fibroblasts, tumor forming ras-transfected BALB/c 3T3 sarcomas, and DBA/2-derived P815 mastocytoma cells, which differ at the level of minor histocompatibility antigens, were used as cellular vaccines. Cells were either injected with or without prior IR into naive BALB/c mice. Cellular cytotoxicity was assessed after secondary restimulation of effector spleen cells in vitro. Results: Injection of P815 mastocytoma cells expressing the mutant p53 induced mutation-specific CTL in BALB/c mice irrespective of prior irradiation. However, syngeneic fibroblasts or fibrosarcomas endogenously expressing mutant p53 were able to induce significant mutation-specific CTL only when irradiated prior to injection into BALB/c mice. IR of fibroblasts did not detectably alter the expression of cell surface molecules involved in immune response induction, nor did it alter the short-term in vitro viability of the fibroblasts. Interestingly, radioactively-labeled fibroblasts injected into mice after irradiation showed altered organ distribution, suggesting that the in vivo fate of these cells may play a crucial role in their immunogenicity. Conclusions: These findings indicate that IR can alter the immunogenicity of syngeneic normal as well as tumor forming fibroblasts in vivo, and support the view that ionizing radiation enhances immunogenicity of cellular tumor vaccines

Long-term expression of human adenosine deaminase in mice transplanted with retrovirus-infected hematopoietic stem cells

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Lim, B.; Apperley, J.F.; Orkin, S.H.; Williams, D.A.

1989-01-01

Long-term stable expression of foreign genetic sequences transferred into hematopoietic stem cells by using retroviral vectors constitutes a relevant model for somatic gene therapy. Such stability of expression may depend on vector design, including the presence or absence of specific sequences within the vector, in combination with the nature and efficiency of infection of the hematopoietic target cells. The authors have previously reported successful transfer of human DNA encoding adenosine deaminase (ADA) into CFU-S (colony-forming unit-spleen) stem cells using simplified recombinant retroviral vectors. Human ADA was expressed in CFU-S-derived spleen colonies at levels near to endogenous enzyme. However, because of the lack of an efficient dominant selectable marker and low recombinant viral titers, stability of long-term expression of human ADA was not examined. They report here the development of an efficient method of infection of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) without reliance on in vitro selection. Peripheral blood samples of 100% of mice transplanted with HSC infected by this protocol exhibit expression of human ADA 30 days after transplantation. Some mice (6 of 13) continue to express human ADA in all lineages after complete hematopoietic reconstitution (4 months). The use of recombinant retroviral vectors that efficiently transfer human ADA cDNA into HSC leading to stable expression of functional ADA in reconstituted mice, provides an experimental framework for future development of approaches to somatic gene therapy

Flow cytometric analysis of expression of interleukin-2 receptor beta chain (p70-75) on various leukemic cells

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Hoshino, S.; Oshimi, K.; Tsudo, M.; Miyasaka, M.; Teramura, M.; Masuda, M.; Motoji, T.; Mizoguchi, H.

1990-01-01

We analyzed the expression of the interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R) beta chain (p70-75) on various leukemic cells from 44 patients by flow cytometric analysis using the IL-2R beta chain-specific monoclonal antibody, designated Mik-beta 1. Flow cytometric analysis demonstrated the expression of the IL-2R beta chain on granular lymphocytes (GLs) from all eight patients with granular lymphocyte proliferative disorders (GLPDs), on adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) cells from all three patients with ATL, and on T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) cells from one of three patients with T-ALL. Although GLs from all the GLPD patients expressed the IL-2R beta chain alone and not the IL-2R alpha chain (Tac-antigen: p55), ATL and T-ALL cells expressing the beta chain coexpressed the alpha chain. In two of seven patients with common ALL (cALL) and in both patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia, the leukemic cells expressed the alpha chain alone. Neither the alpha chain nor the beta chain was expressed on leukemic cells from the remaining 28 patients, including all 18 patients with acute nonlymphocytic leukemia, five of seven patients with cALL, all three patients with multiple myeloma, and two of three patients with T-ALL. These results indicate that three different forms of IL-2R chain expression exist on leukemic cells: the alpha chain alone; the beta chain alone; and both the alpha and beta chains. To examine whether the results obtained by flow cytometric analysis actually reflect functional aspects of the expressed IL-2Rs, we studied the specific binding of 125I-labeled IL-2 (125I-IL-2) to leukemic cells in 18 of the 44 patients. In addition, we performed 125I-IL-2 crosslinking studies in seven patients. The results of IL-2R expression of both 125I-IL-2 binding assay and crosslinking studies were in agreement with those obtained by flow cytometric analysis

Chronic In Vivo Interaction of Dendritic Cells Expressing the Ligand Rae-1ε with NK Cells Impacts NKG2D Expression and Function.

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Morvan, Maelig G; Champsaur, Marine; Reizis, Boris; Lanier, Lewis L

2017-05-01

To investigate how dendritic cells (DCs) interact with NK cells in vivo, we developed a novel mouse model in which Rae-1ε, a ligand of the NKG2D receptor, is expressed in cells with high levels of CD11c. In these CD11c-Rae1 mice, expression of Rae-1 was confirmed on all subsets of DCs and a small subset of B and T cells, but not on NK cells. DC numbers and activation status were unchanged, and NK cells in these CD11c-Rae1 mice presented the same Ly49 repertoire and maturation levels as their littermate wildtype controls. Early NK cell activation after mouse CMV infection was slightly lower than in wildtype mice, but NK cell expansion and viral control were comparable. Notably, we demonstrate that chronic interaction of NK cells with NKG2D ligand-expressing DCs leads to a reversible NKG2D down-modulation, as well as impaired NKG2D-dependent NK cell functions, including tumor rejection. In addition to generating a useful mouse model, our studies reveal in vivo the functional importance of the NK cell and DC cross-talk.

Stromal cells expressing hedgehog-interacting protein regulate the proliferation of myeloid neoplasms

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Kobune, M; Iyama, S; Kikuchi, S; Horiguchi, H; Sato, T; Murase, K; Kawano, Y; Takada, K; Ono, K; Kamihara, Y; Hayashi, T; Miyanishi, K; Sato, Y; Takimoto, R; Kato, J

2012-01-01

Aberrant reactivation of hedgehog (Hh) signaling has been described in a wide variety of human cancers including cancer stem cells. However, involvement of the Hh-signaling system in the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment during the development of myeloid neoplasms is unknown. In this study, we assessed the expression of Hh-related genes in primary human CD34 + cells, CD34 + blastic cells and BM stromal cells. Both Indian Hh (Ihh) and its signal transducer, smoothened (SMO), were expressed in CD34 + acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS)-derived cells. However, Ihh expression was relatively low in BM stromal cells. Remarkably, expression of the intrinsic Hh-signaling inhibitor, human Hh-interacting protein (HHIP) in AML/MDS-derived stromal cells was markedly lower than in healthy donor-derived stromal cells. Moreover, HHIP expression levels in BM stromal cells highly correlated with their supporting activity for SMO + leukemic cells. Knockdown of HHIP gene in stromal cells increased their supporting activity although control cells marginally supported SMO + leukemic cell proliferation. The demethylating agent, 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine rescued HHIP expression via demethylation of HHIP gene and reduced the leukemic cell-supporting activity of AML/MDS-derived stromal cells. This indicates that suppression of stromal HHIP could be associated with the proliferation of AML/MDS cells

The Expression Profiles of Lysophospholipid Receptors (LPLRs in Different Endothelial Cells

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Yu-Wei Lee

2006-03-01

Full Text Available Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P and lysophosphatidic acid (LPA are two bioactive lysophospholipids (LPLs, stored primarily in platelets and released during platelet activation. Both LPLs are capable of regulating endothelial cell functions. The physiological functions of S1P and LPA are mediated by interacting with eight different G-protein coupled receptors: S1P1 through 5 and LPA1 through 3, which activate three different heterotrimeric GTP proteins－including Gi、Gq and G(12/13. The expression of LPL receptors in endothelial cells would affect the responses of S1P and LPA to these cells. There is no previous report discussing the expression profiles of LPL receptors in different endothelial cells from various species. In this study, we aim to investigate the expression profiles of S1P and LPA receptors in different endothelial cells isolated from human, rat, mouse and bovine origin. We used RT-PCR to determine LPLs receptors expression profiles in different endothelial cells. Our results indicated that endothelial cells from various species express different LPL receptors. Endothelial cells isolated from the same source of different species also had different LPLs receptors expression profiles. Therefore, different endothelial cells should respond to LPLs in different manners.

Generation of TCR-Expressing Innate Lymphoid-like Helper Cells that Induce Cytotoxic T Cell-Mediated Anti-leukemic Cell Response.

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Ueda, Norihiro; Uemura, Yasushi; Zhang, Rong; Kitayama, Shuichi; Iriguchi, Shoichi; Kawai, Yohei; Yasui, Yutaka; Tatsumi, Minako; Ueda, Tatsuki; Liu, Tian-Yi; Mizoro, Yasutaka; Okada, Chihiro; Watanabe, Akira; Nakanishi, Mahito; Senju, Satoru; Nishimura, Yasuharu; Kuzushima, Kiyotaka; Kiyoi, Hitoshi; Naoe, Tomoki; Kaneko, Shin

2018-06-05

CD4 + T helper (Th) cell activation is essential for inducing cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses against malignancy. We reprogrammed a Th clone specific for chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML)-derived b3a2 peptide to pluripotency and re-differentiated the cells into original TCR-expressing T-lineage cells (iPS-T cells) with gene expression patterns resembling those of group 1 innate lymphoid cells. CD4 gene transduction into iPS-T cells enhanced b3a2 peptide-specific responses via b3a2 peptide-specific TCR. iPS-T cells upregulated CD40 ligand (CD40L) expression in response to interleukin-2 and interleukin-15. In the presence of Wilms tumor 1 (WT1) peptide, antigen-specific dendritic cells (DCs) conditioned by CD4-modified CD40L high iPS-T cells stimulated WT1-specific CTL priming, which eliminated WT1 peptide-expressing CML cells in vitro and in vivo. Thus, CD4 modification of CD40L high iPS-T cells generates innate lymphoid helper-like cells inducing bcr-abl-specific TCR signaling that mediates effectiveanti-leukemic CTL responses via DC maturation, showing potential for adjuvant immunotherapy against leukemia. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Chemokine Expression in Retinal Pigment Epithelial ARPE-19 Cells in Response to Coculture with Activated T Cells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Juel, Helene Bæk; Faber, Carsten; Udsen, Maja

2012-01-01

Purpose. To investigate the effects of T-cell–derived cytokines on gene and protein expression of chemokines in a human RPE cell line (ARPE-19). Methods. We used an in vitro coculture system in which the RPE and CD3/CD28–activated T-cells were separated by a membrane. RPE cell expression of chemo......Purpose. To investigate the effects of T-cell–derived cytokines on gene and protein expression of chemokines in a human RPE cell line (ARPE-19). Methods. We used an in vitro coculture system in which the RPE and CD3/CD28–activated T-cells were separated by a membrane. RPE cell expression...

Adult, embryonic and fetal hemoglobin are expressed in human glioblastoma cells.

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Emara, Marwan; Turner, A Robert; Allalunis-Turner, Joan

2014-02-01

Hemoglobin is a hemoprotein, produced mainly in erythrocytes circulating in the blood. However, non-erythroid hemoglobins have been previously reported in other cell types including human and rodent neurons of embryonic and adult brain, but not astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. Human glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most aggressive tumor among gliomas. However, despite extensive basic and clinical research studies on GBM cells, little is known about glial defence mechanisms that allow these cells to survive and resist various types of treatment. We have shown previously that the newest members of vertebrate globin family, neuroglobin (Ngb) and cytoglobin (Cygb), are expressed in human GBM cells. In this study, we sought to determine whether hemoglobin is also expressed in GBM cells. Conventional RT-PCR, DNA sequencing, western blot analysis, mass spectrometry and fluorescence microscopy were used to investigate globin expression in GBM cell lines (M006x, M059J, M059K, M010b, U87R and U87T) that have unique characteristics in terms of tumor invasion and response to radiotherapy and hypoxia. The data showed that α, β, γ, δ, ζ and ε globins are expressed in all tested GBM cell lines. To our knowledge, we are the first to report expression of fetal, embryonic and adult hemoglobin in GBM cells under normal physiological conditions that may suggest an undefined function of those expressed hemoglobins. Together with our previous reports on globins (Ngb and Cygb) expression in GBM cells, the expression of different hemoglobins may constitute a part of series of active defence mechanisms supporting these cells to resist various types of treatments including chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

A small population of resident limb bud mesenchymal cells express few MSC-associated markers, but the expression of these markers is increased immediately after cell culture.

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Marín-Llera, Jessica Cristina; Chimal-Monroy, Jesús

2018-05-01

Skeletal progenitors are derived from resident limb bud mesenchymal cells of the vertebrate embryos. However, it remains poorly understood if they represent stem cells, progenitors, or multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC). Derived-MSC of different adult tissues under in vitro experimental conditions can differentiate into the same cellular lineages that are present in the limb. Here, comparing non-cultured versus cultured mesenchymal limb bud cells, we determined the expression of MSC-associated markers, the in vitro differentiation capacity and their gene expression profile. Results showed that in freshly isolated limb bud mesenchymal cells, the proportion of cells expressing Sca1, CD44, CD105, CD90, and CD73 is very low and a low expression of lineage-specific genes was observed. However, recently seeded limb bud mesenchymal cells acquired Sca1 and CD44 markers and the expression of the key differentiation genes Runx2 and Sox9, while Scx and Pparg genes decreased. Also, their chondrogenic differentiation capacity decreased through cellular passages while the osteogenic increased. Our findings suggest that the modification of the cell adhesion process through the in vitro method changed the limb mesenchymal cell immunophenotype leading to the expression and maintenance of common MSC-associated markers. These findings could have a significant impact on MSC study and isolation strategy because they could explain common variations observed in the MSC immunophenotype in different tissues. © 2018 International Federation for Cell Biology.

Minocycline enhances mitomycin C-induced cytotoxicity through down-regulating ERK1/2-mediated Rad51 expression in human non-small cell lung cancer cells.

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Ko, Jen-Chung; Wang, Tai-Jing; Chang, Po-Yuan; Syu, Jhan-Jhang; Chen, Jyh-Cheng; Chen, Chien-Yu; Jian, Yun-Ting; Jian, Yi-Jun; Zheng, Hao-Yu; Chen, Wen-Ching; Lin, Yun-Wei

2015-10-01

Minocycline is a semisynthetic tetracycline derivative; it has anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects distinct from its antimicrobial function. However, the molecular mechanism of minocycline-induced cytotoxicity in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells has not been identified. Rad51 plays a central role in homologous recombination and high levels of Rad51 expression are observed in chemo- or radioresistant carcinomas. Our previous studies have shown that the MKK1/2-ERK1/2 signal pathway maintains the expression of Rad51 in NSCLC cells. In this study, minocycline treatment inhibited cell viability and proliferation of two NSCLC cells, A549 and H1975. Treatment with minocycline decreased Rad51 mRNA and protein levels through MKK1/2-ERK1/2 inactivation. Furthermore, expression of constitutively active MKK1 (MKK1-CA) vectors significantly rescued the decreased Rad51 protein and mRNA levels in minocycline-treated NSCLC cells. However, combined treatment with MKK1/2 inhibitor U0126 and minocycline further decreased the Rad51 expression and cell viability of NSCLC cells. Knocking down Rad51 expression by transfection with small interfering RNA of Rad51 enhanced the cytotoxicity and cell growth inhibition of minocycline. Mitomycin C (MMC) is typically used as a first or second line regimen to treat NSCLC. Compared to a single agent alone, MMC combined with minocycline resulted in cytotoxicity and cell growth inhibition synergistically in NSCLC cells, accompanied with reduced activation of phospho-ERK1/2, and reduced Rad51 protein levels. Overexpression of MKK1-CA or Flag-tagged Rad51 could reverse the minocycline and MMC-induced synergistic cytotoxicity. These findings may have implications for the rational design of future drug regimens incorporating minocycline and MMC for the treatment of NSCLC. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Podoplanin expression in oral potentially malignant disorders and oral squamous cell carcinoma.

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A G, Deepa; Janardanan-Nair, Bindu; B R, Varun

2017-12-01

Podoplanin is a type I transmembrane sialomucin-like glycoprotein that is specifically expressed in lymphatic endothelial cells. Studies have shown that assessment of podoplanin expression in the epithelial cells can be used to predict the malignant transformation of potentially malignant disorders and the metastatic tendency of primary head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. The aim of our study was to compare the expression of podoplanin in oral leukoplakia, oral submucous fibrosis and oral squamous cell carcinoma with that in normal buccal mucosa by immunohistochemical methods. Immunohistochemical expression of podoplanin was analyzed in 20 cases each of oral leukoplakia, oral submucous fibrosis, oral squamous cell carcinoma and normal buccal mucosa, with monoclonal antibody D2-40. The expression of podoplanin was graded from grade 0-4. There was a statistically significant upregulation of the grades of podoplanin expression in oral squamous cell carcinoma(100%), oral submucous fibrosis (90%) and oral leukoplakia (65%) when compared to that in normal mucosa(35%). Podoplanin expression increased with decrease in grades of differentiation in oral squamous cell carcinoma . Podoplanin expression in the samples of oral submucous fibrosis was higher than that in oral leukoplakia. Evaluation of podoplanin expression in the epithelial cells of oral dysplastic lesions may provide valuable information to predict their risk of malignant transformation. Key words: Immunohistochemistry, Oral leukoplakia, Oral submucous fibrosis, Podoplanin, Squamous cell carcinoma.

Osteoprotegerin expression in triple-negative breast cancer cells promotes metastasis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weichhaus, Michael; Segaran, Prabu; Renaud, Ashleigh; Geerts, Dirk; Connelly, Linda

2014-01-01

Osteoprotegerin (OPG) is a secreted member of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor superfamily that has been well characterized as a negative regulator of bone remodeling. OPG is also expressed in human breast cancer tissues and cell lines. In vitro studies suggest that OPG exerts tumor-promoting effects by binding to TNF-related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL), thereby preventing induction of apoptosis. However, the in vivo effect of OPG expression by primary breast tumors has not been characterized. We knocked down OPG expression in MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-436 human breast cancer cells using shRNA and siRNA to investigate impact on metastasis in the chick embryo model. We observed a reduction in metastasis with OPG knockdown cells. We found that lowering OPG expression did not alter sensitivity to TRAIL-induced apoptosis; however, the OPG knockdown cells had a reduced level of invasion. In association with this we observed reduced expression of the proteases Cathepsin D and Matrix Metalloproteinase-2 upon OPG knockdown, indicating that OPG may promote metastasis via modulation of protease expression and invasion. We conclude that OPG has a metastasis-promoting effect in breast cancer cells

Leukomogenic factors downregulate heparanase expression in acute myeloid leukemia cells

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Eshel, Rinat; Ben-Zaken, Olga; Vainas, Oded; Nadir, Yona; Minucci, Saverio; Polliack, Aaron; Naparstek, Ella; Vlodavsky, Israel; Katz, Ben-Zion

2005-01-01

Heparanase is a heparan sulfate-degrading endoglycosidase expressed by mature monocytes and myeloid cells, but not by immature hematopoietic progenitors. Heparanase gene expression is upregulated during differentiation of immature myeloid cells. PML-RARα and PLZF-RARα fusion gene products associated with acute promyelocytic leukemia abrogate myeloid differentiation and heparanase expression. AML-Eto, a translocation product associated with AML FAB M2, also downregulates heparanase gene expression. The common mechanism that underlines the activity of these three fusion gene products involves the recruitment of histone deacetylase complexes to specific locations within the DNA. We found that retinoic acid that dissociates PML-RARα from the DNA, and which is used to treat acute promyelocytic leukemia patients, restores heparanase expression to normal levels in an acute promyelocytic leukemia cell line. The retinoic acid effects were also observed in primary acute promyelocytic leukemia cells and in a retinoic acid-treated acute promyelocytic leukemia patient. Histone deacetylase inhibitor reverses the downregulation of heparanase expression induced by the AML-Eto fusion gene product in M2 type AML. In summary, we have characterized a link between leukomogenic factors and the downregulation of heparanase in myeloid leukemic cells

SCA-1 Expression Level Identifies Quiescent Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells

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Mina N.F. Morcos

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Blood cell generation depends on continuous cellular output by the sequential hierarchy of hematopoietic stem cell (HSC and progenitor populations that all contain quiescent and actively cycling cells. Hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs express the surface molecule Stem cell antigen 1 (SCA-1/LY6A. Using histone 2B-red fluorescent fusion protein label retention and cell-cycle reporter mice, we demonstrate that high SCA-1 expression (SCA-1hi identifies not only quiescent HSCs but quiescent cells on all hierarchical levels within the lineage−SCA-1+KIT+ (LSK population. Each transplanted SCA-1hi HSPC population also displayed self-renewal potential superior to that of the respective SCA-1lo population. SCA-1 expression is inducible by type I interferon (IFN. We show, however, that quiescence and high self-renewal capacity of cells with brighter SCA-1 expression at steady state were independent of type I IFN signaling. We conclude that SCA-1 expression levels can be used to prospectively isolate functionally heterogeneous HSPC subpopulations.

A versatile system for USER cloning-based assembly of expression vectors for mammalian cell engineering.

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Anne Mathilde Lund

Full Text Available A new versatile mammalian vector system for protein production, cell biology analyses, and cell factory engineering was developed. The vector system applies the ligation-free uracil-excision based technique--USER cloning--to rapidly construct mammalian expression vectors of multiple DNA fragments and with maximum flexibility, both for choice of vector backbone and cargo. The vector system includes a set of basic vectors and a toolbox containing a multitude of DNA building blocks including promoters, terminators, selectable marker- and reporter genes, and sequences encoding an internal ribosome entry site, cellular localization signals and epitope- and purification tags. Building blocks in the toolbox can be easily combined as they contain defined and tested Flexible Assembly Sequence Tags, FASTs. USER cloning with FASTs allows rapid swaps of gene, promoter or selection marker in existing plasmids and simple construction of vectors encoding proteins, which are fused to fluorescence-, purification-, localization-, or epitope tags. The mammalian expression vector assembly platform currently allows for the assembly of up to seven fragments in a single cloning step with correct directionality and with a cloning efficiency above 90%. The functionality of basic vectors for FAST assembly was tested and validated by transient expression of fluorescent model proteins in CHO, U-2-OS and HEK293 cell lines. In this test, we included many of the most common vector elements for heterologous gene expression in mammalian cells, in addition the system is fully extendable by other users. The vector system is designed to facilitate high-throughput genome-scale studies of mammalian cells, such as the newly sequenced CHO cell lines, through the ability to rapidly generate high-fidelity assembly of customizable gene expression vectors.

Langerin-expressing dendritic cells in gut-associated lymphoid tissues.

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Chang, Sun-Young; Kweon, Mi-Na

2010-03-01

Dendritic cells (DCs) are key regulators of the immune system. They act as professional antigen-presenting cells and are capable of activating naive T cells and stimulating the growth and differentiation of B cells. According to their molecular expression, DCs can be divided into several subsets with different functions. We focus on DC subsets expressing langerin, a C-type lectin. Langerin expression is predominant in skin DCs, but langerin-expressing DCs also exist in mucosal tissue and can be induced by immunization and sometimes by nutrient deficiency. Topical transcutaneous immunization induces langerin(+)CD8 alpha(-) DCs in mesenteric lymph nodes (MLNs), which mediate the production of antigen-specific immunoglobulin A antibody in the intestine. Yet, in one recent study, langerin(+) DCs were generated in gut-associated lymphoid tissue and contributed to the suppressive intestinal immune environment in the absence of retinoic acid. In this review, we focus on the phenotypic and functional characteristics of langerin(+) DCs in the mucosal tissues, especially MLNs.

Planar cell polarity gene expression correlates with tumor cell viability and prognostic outcome in neuroblastoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dyberg, Cecilia; Papachristou, Panagiotis; Haug, Bjørn Helge; Lagercrantz, Hugo; Kogner, Per; Ringstedt, Thomas; Wickström, Malin; Johnsen, John Inge

2016-01-01

The non-canonical Wnt/Planar cell polarity (PCP) signaling pathway is a major player in cell migration during embryonal development and has recently been implicated in tumorigenesis. Transfections with cDNA plasmids or siRNA were used to increase and suppress Prickle1 and Vangl2 expression in neuroblastoma cells and in non-tumorigenic cells. Cell viability was measured by trypan blue exclusion and protein expression was determined with western blotting. Transcriptional activity was studied with luciferase reporter assay and mRNA expression with real-time RT-PCR. Immunofluorescence stainings were used to study the effects of Vangl2 overexpression in non-tumorigenic embryonic cells. Statistical significance was tested with t-test or one-way ANOVA. Here we show that high expression of the PCP core genes Prickle1 and Vangl2 is associated with low-risk neuroblastoma, suppression of neuroblastoma cell growth and decreased Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Inhibition of Rho-associated kinases (ROCKs) that are important in mediating non-canonical Wnt signaling resulted in increased expression of Prickle1 and inhibition of β-catenin activity in neuroblastoma cells. In contrast, overexpression of Vangl2 in MYC immortalized neural stem cells induced accumulation of active β-catenin and decreased the neural differentiation marker Tuj1. Similarly, genetically modified mice with forced overexpression of Vangl2 in nestin-positive cells showed decreased Tuj1 differentiation marker during embryonal development. Our experimental data demonstrate that high expression of Prickle1 and Vangl2 reduce the growth of neuroblastoma cells and indicate different roles of PCP proteins in tumorigenic cells compared to normal cells. These results suggest that the activity of the non-canonical Wnt/PCP signaling pathway is important for neuroblastoma development and that manipulation of the Wnt/PCP pathway provides a possible therapy for neuroblastoma. The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s

Genetic analysis of the SARS-coronavirus spike glycoprotein functional domains involved in cell-surface expression and cell-to-cell fusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petit, Chad M.; Melancon, Jeffrey M.; Chouljenko, Vladimir N.; Colgrove, Robin; Farzan, Michael; Knipe, David M.; Kousoulas, K.G.

2005-01-01

The SARS-coronavirus (SARS-CoV) is the etiological agent of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The SARS-CoV spike (S) glycoprotein mediates membrane fusion events during virus entry and virus-induced cell-to-cell fusion. To delineate functional domains of the SARS-CoV S glycoprotein, single point mutations, cluster-to-lysine and cluster-to-alanine mutations, as well as carboxyl-terminal truncations were investigated in transient expression experiments. Mutagenesis of either the coiled-coil domain of the S glycoprotein amino terminal heptad repeat, the predicted fusion peptide, or an adjacent but distinct region, severely compromised S-mediated cell-to-cell fusion, while intracellular transport and cell-surface expression were not adversely affected. Surprisingly, a carboxyl-terminal truncation of 17 amino acids substantially increased S glycoprotein-mediated cell-to-cell fusion suggesting that the terminal 17 amino acids regulated the S fusogenic properties. In contrast, truncation of 26 or 39 amino acids eliminating either one or both of the two endodomain cysteine-rich motifs, respectively, inhibited cell fusion in comparison to the wild-type S. The 17 and 26 amino-acid deletions did not adversely affect S cell-surface expression, while the 39 amino-acid truncation inhibited S cell-surface expression suggesting that the membrane proximal cysteine-rich motif plays an essential role in S cell-surface expression. Mutagenesis of the acidic amino-acid cluster in the carboxyl terminus of the S glycoprotein as well as modification of a predicted phosphorylation site within the acidic cluster revealed that this amino-acid motif may play a functional role in the retention of S at cell surfaces. This genetic analysis reveals that the SARS-CoV S glycoprotein contains extracellular domains that regulate cell fusion as well as distinct endodomains that function in intracellular transport, cell-surface expression, and cell fusion

Zfp206 regulates ES cell gene expression and differentiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Wen; Walker, Emily; Tamplin, Owen J; Rossant, Janet; Stanford, William L; Hughes, Timothy R

2006-01-01

Understanding transcriptional regulation in early developmental stages is fundamental to understanding mammalian development and embryonic stem (ES) cell properties. Expression surveys suggest that the putative SCAN-Zinc finger transcription factor Zfp206 is expressed specifically in ES cells [Zhang,W., Morris,Q.D., Chang,R., Shai,O., Bakowski,M.A., Mitsakakis,N., Mohammad,N., Robinson,M.D., Zirngibl,R., Somogyi,E. et al., (2004) J. Biol., 3, 21; Brandenberger,R., Wei,H., Zhang,S., Lei,S., Murage,J., Fisk,G.J., Li,Y., Xu,C., Fang,R., Guegler,K. et al., (2004) Nat. Biotechnol., 22, 707-716]. Here, we confirm this observation, and we show that ZFP206 expression decreases rapidly upon differentiation of cultured mouse ES cells, and during development of mouse embryos. We find that there are at least six isoforms of the ZFP206 transcript, the longest being predominant. Overexpression and depletion experiments show that Zfp206 promotes formation of undifferentiated ES cell clones, and positively regulates abundance of a very small set of transcripts whose expression is also specific to ES cells and the two- to four-cell stages of preimplantation embryos. This set includes members of the Zscan4, Thoc4, Tcstv1 and eIF-1A gene families, none of which have been functionally characterized in vivo but whose members include apparent transcription factors, RNA-binding proteins and translation factors. Together, these data indicate that Zfp206 is a regulator of ES cell differentiation that controls a set of genes expressed very early in development, most of which themselves appear to be regulators.

Anti-sense suppression of epidermal growth factor receptor expression alters cellular proliferation, cell-adhesion and tumorigenicity in ovarian cancer cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Alper, O; De Santis, M L; Stromberg, K; Hacker, N F; Cho-Chung, Y S; Salomon, D S

2000-11-15

Over-expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in ovarian cancer has been well documented. Human NIH:OVCAR-8 ovarian carcinoma cells were transfected with an expression vector containing the anti-sense orientation of truncated human EGFR cDNA. EGFR anti-sense over-expression resulted in decreased EGFR protein and mRNA expression, cell proliferation and tumor formation in nude mice. In accordance with the reduced levels of EGFR in EGFR anti-sense-expressing cells, tyrosine phosphorylation of EGFR was decreased compared to untransfected parental cells treated with EGF. In EGFR anti-sense-transfected cells, expression of erbB-3, but not erbB-2, was increased. In addition, basal and heregulin-beta 1-stimulated tyrosine phosphorylation of erbB-3 was higher in EGFR anti-sense vector-transfected cells. A morphological alteration in EGFR anti-sense gene-expressing cells was correlated with a decrease in the expression of E-cadherin, alpha-catenin and, to a lesser extent, beta-catenin. Changes in the expression of these proteins were associated with a reduction in complex formation among E-cadherin, beta-catenin and alpha-catenin and between beta-catenin and EGFR in EGFR anti-sense-expressing cells compared to sense-transfected control cells. These results demonstrate that EGFR expression in ovarian carcinoma cells regulates expression of cell adhesion proteins that may enhance cell growth and invasiveness. Copyright 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Progenitor potential of nkx6.1-expressing cells throughout zebrafish life and during beta cell regeneration.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghaye, Aurélie P; Bergemann, David; Tarifeño-Saldivia, Estefania; Flasse, Lydie C; Von Berg, Virginie; Peers, Bernard; Voz, Marianne L; Manfroid, Isabelle

2015-09-02

In contrast to mammals, the zebrafish has the remarkable capacity to regenerate its pancreatic beta cells very efficiently. Understanding the mechanisms of regeneration in the zebrafish and the differences with mammals will be fundamental to discovering molecules able to stimulate the regeneration process in mammals. To identify the pancreatic cells able to give rise to new beta cells in the zebrafish, we generated new transgenic lines allowing the tracing of multipotent pancreatic progenitors and endocrine precursors. Using novel bacterial artificial chromosome transgenic nkx6.1 and ascl1b reporter lines, we established that nkx6.1-positive cells give rise to all the pancreatic cell types and ascl1b-positive cells give rise to all the endocrine cell types in the zebrafish embryo. These two genes are initially co-expressed in the pancreatic primordium and their domains segregate, not as a result of mutual repression, but through the opposite effects of Notch signaling, maintaining nkx6.1 expression while repressing ascl1b in progenitors. In the adult zebrafish, nkx6.1 expression persists exclusively in the ductal tree at the tip of which its expression coincides with Notch active signaling in centroacinar/terminal end duct cells. Tracing these cells reveals that they are able to differentiate into other ductal cells and into insulin-expressing cells in normal (non-diabetic) animals. This capacity of ductal cells to generate endocrine cells is supported by the detection of ascl1b in the nkx6.1:GFP ductal cell transcriptome. This transcriptome also reveals, besides actors of the Notch and Wnt pathways, several novel markers such as id2a. Finally, we show that beta cell ablation in the adult zebrafish triggers proliferation of ductal cells and their differentiation into insulin-expressing cells. We have shown that, in the zebrafish embryo, nkx6.1+ cells are bona fide multipotent pancreatic progenitors, while ascl1b+ cells represent committed endocrine precursors. In

Design for relaxation during milk expression using biofeedback

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Feijs, L.M.G.; Kierkels, J.G.T.; Marcus, A.

2013-01-01

Many women experience difficulty expressing milk using a breast pump. A negative influence upon their success is stress, hampering the milk ejection reflex. We explore biofeedback to enhance relaxation during milk expression. We discuss context, the principles of biofeedback and the design of an

The expression of dominant negative TCF7L2 in pancreatic beta cells during the embryonic stage causes impaired glucose homeostasis.

Science.gov (United States)

Shao, Weijuan; Xiong, Xiaoquan; Ip, Wilfred; Xu, Fenghao; Song, Zhuolun; Zeng, Kejing; Hernandez, Marcela; Liang, Tao; Weng, Jianping; Gaisano, Herbert; Nostro, M Cristina; Jin, Tianru

2015-04-01

Disruption of TCF7L2 in mouse pancreatic β-cells has generated different outcomes in several investigations. Here we aim to clarify role of β-cell TCF7L2 and Wnt signaling using a functional-knockdown approach. Adenovirus-mediated dominant negative TCF7L2 (TCF7L2DN) expression was conducted in Ins-1 cells. The fusion gene in which TCF7L2DN expression is driven by P TRE3G was utilized to generate the transgenic mouse line TCF7L2DN Tet . The double transgenic line was created by mating TCF7L2DN Tet with Ins2-rtTA, designated as βTCFDN. β-cell specific TCF7L2DN expression was induced in βTCFDN by doxycycline feeding. TCF7L2DN expression in Ins-1 cells reduced GSIS, cell proliferation and expression of a battery of genes including incretin receptors and β-cell transcription factors. Inducing TCF7L2DN expression in βTCFDN during adulthood or immediately after weaning generated no or very modest metabolic defect, while its expression during embryonic development by doxycycline feeding in pregnant mothers resulted in significant glucose intolerance associated with altered β-cell gene expression and reduced β-cell mass. Our observations support a cell autonomous role for TCF7L2 in pancreatic β-cells suggested by most, though not all, investigations. βTCFDN is a novel model for further exploring the role of TCF7L2 in β-cell genesis and metabolic homeostasis.

Expression of PML tumor suppressor in A 431 cells reduces cellular growth by inhibiting the epidermal growth factor receptor expression

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vallian, S.; Chang, K.S.

2004-01-01

Our previous studies showed that the promyelocytic leukemia, PML, protein functions as a cellular and growth suppressor. Transient expression of PML was also found to repress the activity of the epidermal growth factor receptor gene promoter. In this study we have examined the effects of PML on A431 cells, which express a high level of + protein. The PML gene was introduced into the cells using the adenovirus-mediated gene transfer system. Western blot analysis on the extracts from the cells expressing PML showed a significant repression in the expression of the epidermal growth factor receptor protein. The cells were examined for growth and DNA synthesis. The data showed a marked reduction in both growth and DNA synthesis rate in the cells expressing PML compared with the control cells. Furthermore, in comparison with the controls, the cells expressing PML were found to be more in G1 phase, fewer in S and about the same number in the G2/M phase. This data clearly demonstrated that the repression of epidermal growth factor receptor expression in A 431 cells by PML was associated with inhibition of cell growth and alteration of the cell cycle distribution, suggesting a novel mechanism for the known growth inhibitory effects of PML

Control of CD56 expression and tumor cell cytotoxicity in human Vγ2Vδ2 T cells

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Focaccetti Chiara

2009-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In lymphocyte subsets, expression of CD56 (neural cell adhesion molecule-1 correlates with cytotoxic effector activity. For cells bearing the Vγ2Vδ2 T cell receptor, isoprenoid pyrophosphate stimulation leads to uniform activation and proliferation, but only a fraction of cells express CD56 and display potent cytotoxic activity against tumor cells. Our goal was to show whether CD56 expression was regulated stochastically, similar to conventional activation antigens, or whether CD56 defined a lineage of cells committed to the cytotoxic phenotype. Results Tracking individual cell clones defined by their Vγ2 chain CDR3 region sequences, we found that CD56 was expressed on precursor cytotoxic T cells already present in the population irrespective of their capacity to proliferate after antigen stimulation. Public T cell receptor sequences found in the CD56+ subset from one individual might appear in the CD56- subset of another donor. The commitment of individual clones to CD56+ or CD56- lineages was stable for each donor over a 1 year interval. Conclusion The ability to express CD56 was not predicted by TCR sequence or by the strength of signal received by the TCR. For γδ T cells, cytotoxic effector function is acquired when cytotoxic precursors within the population are stimulated to proliferate and express CD56. Expression of CD56 defines a committed lineage to the cytotoxic phenotype.

Reduced expression of bax in small cell lung cancer cells is not sufficient to induce cisplatin-resistance

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Biagosch J

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Resistance to cisplatin in the course of chemotherapy contributes to the poor prognosis of small cell lung cancer (SCLC. B cell lymphoma-2 is the founding member of a large family of proteins that either promote or inhibit apoptosis. We aimed at investigating if the pro-apoptotic members Bad, Bax, Bim and Bid are involved in cisplatin-resistance. Cisplatin-resistance in the SCLC cell line H1339 was induced by repetitive exposure to cisplatin. Protein expression was quantified by Western Blot and immuno-fluorescence analysis. Protein expression was altered using siRNA interference. Four "cycles" of 0.5 μg/ml cisplatin led to partial cisplatin-resistance in H1339 cells. The expression of Bad, Bim and Bid was comparable in naïve and resistant cells while the expression of Bax was reduced in the resistant clone. But, reducing Bax expression in naïve cells did not lead to altered cisplatin sensitivity neither in H1339 nor in H187 SCLC cells. We conclude that the reduced Bax expression after exposure to cisplatin is not sufficient to induce cis-platin-resistance in SCLC cells.

Differential expression of the Slc4 bicarbonate transporter family in murine corneal endothelium and cell culture.

Science.gov (United States)

Shei, William; Liu, Jun; Htoon, Hla M; Aung, Tin; Vithana, Eranga N

2013-01-01

To characterize the relative expression levels of all the solute carrier 4 (Slc4) transporter family members (Slc4a1-Slc4a11) in murine corneal endothelium using real-time quantitative (qPCR), to identify further important members besides Slc4a11 and Slc4a4, and to explore how close to the baseline levels the gene expressions remain after cells have been subjected to expansion and culture. Descemet's membrane-endothelial layers of 8-10-week-old C57BL6 mice were stripped from corneas and used for both primary cell culture and direct RNA extraction. Total RNA (from uncultured cells as well as cultured cells at passages 2 and 7) was reverse transcribed, and the cDNA was used for real time qPCR using specific primers for all the Slc4 family members. The geNorm method was applied to determine the most stable housekeeping genes and normalization factor, which was calculated from multiple housekeeping genes for more accurate and robust quantification. qPCR analyses revealed that all Slc4 bicarbonate transporter family members were expressed in mouse corneal endothelium. Slc4a11 showed the highest expression, which was approximately three times higher than that of Slc4a4 (3.4±0.3; p=0.004). All Slc4 genes were also expressed in cultured cells, and interestingly, the expression of Slc4a11 in cultured cells was significantly reduced by approximately 20-fold (0.05±0.001; p=0.000001) in early passage and by approximately sevenfold (0.14±0.002; p=0.000002) in late passage cells. Given the known involvement of SLC4A4 and SLC4A11 in corneal dystrophies, we speculate that the other two highly expressed genes in the uncultured corneal endothelium, SLC4A2 and SLC4A7, are worthy of being considered as potential candidate genes for corneal endothelial diseases. Moreover, as cell culture can affect expression levels of Slc4 genes, caution and careful design of experiments are necessary when undertaking studies of Slc4-mediated ion transport in cultured cells.

Nuclear hormone receptor expression in mouse kidney and renal cell lines.

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Daisuke Ogawa

Full Text Available Nuclear hormone receptors (NHRs are transcription factors that regulate carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, immune responses, and inflammation. Although several NHRs, including peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ and PPARα, demonstrate a renoprotective effect in the context of diabetic nephropathy (DN, the expression and role of other NHRs in the kidney are still unrecognized. To investigate potential roles of NHRs in the biology of the kidney, we used quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction to profile the expression of all 49 members of the mouse NHR superfamily in mouse kidney tissue (C57BL/6 and db/m, and cell lines of mesangial (MES13, podocyte (MPC, proximal tubular epithelial (mProx24 and collecting duct (mIMCD3 origins in both normal and high-glucose conditions. In C57BL/6 mouse kidney cells, hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α, chicken ovalbumin upstream promoter transcription factor II (COUP-TFII and COUP-TFIII were highly expressed. During hyperglycemia, the expression of the NHR 4A subgroup including neuron-derived clone 77 (Nur77, nuclear receptor-related factor 1, and neuron-derived orphan receptor 1 significantly increased in diabetic C57BL/6 and db/db mice. In renal cell lines, PPARδ was highly expressed in mesangial and proximal tubular epithelial cells, while COUP-TFs were highly expressed in podocytes, proximal tubular epithelial cells, and collecting duct cells. High-glucose conditions increased the expression of Nur77 in mesangial and collecting duct cells, and liver x receptor α in podocytes. These data demonstrate NHR expression in mouse kidney cells and cultured renal cell lines and suggest potential therapeutic targets in the kidney for the treatment of DN.

Altered Gene Expressions and Cytogenetic Repair Efficiency in Cells with Suppressed Expression of XPA after Proton Exposure

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Ye; Rohde, Larry H.; Gridley, Daila S.; Mehta, Satish K.; Pierson, Duane L.; Wu, Honglu

2009-01-01

Cellular responses to damages from ionizing radiation (IR) exposure are influenced not only by the genes involved in DNA double strand break (DSB) repair, but also by non- DSB repair genes. We demonstrated previously that suppressed expression of several non-DSB repair genes, such as XPA, elevated IR-induced cytogenetic damages. In the present study, we exposed human fibroblasts that were treated with control or XPA targeting siRNA to 250 MeV protons (0 to 4 Gy), and analyzed chromosome aberrations and expressions of genes involved in DNA repair. As expected, after proton irradiation, cells with suppressed expression of XPA showed a significantly elevated frequency of chromosome aberrations compared with control siRNA treated (CS) cells. Protons caused more severe DNA damages in XPA knock-down cells, as 36% cells contained multiple aberrations compared to 25% in CS cells after 4Gy proton irradiation. Comparison of gene expressions using the real-time PCR array technique revealed that expressions of p53 and its regulated genes in irradiated XPA suppressed cells were altered similarly as in CS cells, suggesting that the impairment of IR induced DNA repair in XPA suppressed cells is p53-independent. Except for XPA, which was more than 2 fold down regulated in XPA suppressed cells, several other DNA damage sensing and repair genes (GTSE1, RBBP8, RAD51, UNG and XRCC2) were shown a more than 1.5 fold difference between XPA knock-down cells and CS cells after proton exposure. The possible involvement of these genes in the impairment of DNA repair in XPA suppressed cells will be further investigated.

Proton receptor GPR68 expression in dendritic-cell-like S100β-positive cells of rat anterior pituitary gland: GPR68 induces interleukin-6 gene expression in extracellular acidification.

Science.gov (United States)

Horiguchi, Kotaro; Higuchi, Masashi; Yoshida, Saishu; Nakakura, Takashi; Tateno, Kozue; Hasegawa, Rumi; Takigami, Shu; Ohsako, Shunji; Kato, Takako; Kato, Yukio

2014-11-01

S100β-positive cells, which do not express the classical pituitary hormones, appear to possess multifunctional properties and are assumed to be heterogeneous in the anterior pituitary gland. The presence of several protein markers has shown that S100β-positive cells are composed of populations such as stem/progenitor cells, epithelial cells, astrocytes and dendritic cells. Recently, we succeeded in separating S100β-positive cells into round-cell (dendritic-cell-like) and process-cell types. We also found the characteristic expression of anti-inflammatory factors (interleukin-6, Il-6) and membrane receptors (integrin β-6) in the round type. Here, we further investigate the function of the subpopulation of S100β-positive cells. Since IL-6 is also a paracrine factor that regulates hormone producing-cells, we examine whether a correlation exists among extracellular acid stress, IL-6 and hormone production by using primary cultures of anterior pituitary cells. Dendritic-cell-like S100β-positive cells notably expressed Gpr68 (proton receptor) and Il-6. Furthermore, the expression of Il-6 and proopiomelanocortin (Pomc) was up-regulated by extracellular acidification. The functional role of IL-6 and GPR68 in the gene expression of Pomc during extracellular acidification was also examined. Small interfering RNA for Il-6 up-regulated Pomc expression and that for Gpr68 reversed the down-regulation of Il-6 and up-regulated Pomc expression by extracellular acidification. Thus, S100β-positive dendritic-like cells can sense an increase in extracellular protons via GPR68 and respond by the production of IL-6 in order to suppress the up-regulation of Pomc expression.

Induction of Ski Protein Expression upon Luteinization in Rat Granulosa Cells

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Hyun Kim

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Ski protein is implicated in proliferation/differentiation in a variety of cells. We had previously reported that Ski protein is present in granulosa cells of atretic follicles, but not in preovulatory follicles, suggesting that Ski has a role in apoptosis of granulosa cells. The alternative fate of granulosa cells other than apoptosis is to differentiate to luteal cells; however, it is unknown whether Ski is expressed and has a role in granulosa cells undergoing luteinization. Thus, the aim of the present study was to locate Ski protein in the rat ovary during luteinizationto predict the possible role of Ski. In order to examine the expression pattern of Ski protein along with the progress of luteinization, follicular growth was induced by administration of equine chorionic gonadtropin to immature female rats, and luteinization was induced by human chorionic gonadtropin treatment to mimic luteinizing hormone (LH surge. While no Ski-positive granulosa cells were present in preovulatory follicle, Ski protein expression was induced in response to LH surge, and was maintained after the formation of the corpus luteum (CL. Though Ski protein is absent in granulosa cells of preovulatory follicle, its mRNA (c-Ski was expressed and the level was unchanged even after LH surge. Taken together, these results demonstrated that Ski protein expression is induced in granulosa cells upon luteinization, and suggests that its expression is regulated post-transcriptionally.

Hypertonic saline impedes tumor cell-endothelial cell interaction by reducing adhesion molecule and laminin expression.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Shields, Conor J

2012-02-03

BACKGROUND: Hypertonic saline infusion dampens inflammatory responses and suppresses neutrophil-endothelial interaction by reducing adhesion molecule expression. This study tested the hypothesis that hypertonic saline attenuates tumor cell adhesion to the endothelium through a similar mechanism. METHODS: Human colon cancer cells (LS174T) were transfected with green fluorescent protein and exposed to lipopolysaccharide, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and interleukin-6 under hypertonic and isotonic conditions for 1 and 4 hours. Confluent human umbilical vein endothelial cells were similarly exposed. Cellular apoptosis and expression of adhesion molecules and laminin were measured by flow cytometry. Tumor cell adhesion to endothelium and laminin was assessed with fluorescence microscopy. Data are represented as mean +\\/- standard error of mean, and an ANOVA test was performed to gauge statistical significance, with P <.05 considered significant. RESULTS: Hypertonic exposure significantly reduced tumor cell adhesion despite the presence of the perioperative cell stressors (42 +\\/- 2.9 vs 172.5 +\\/- 12.4, P <.05), attenuated tumor cell beta-1 integrin (14.43 vs 23.84, P <.05), and endothelial cell laminin expression (22.78 +\\/- 2.2 vs 33.74 +\\/- 2.4, P <.05), but did not significantly alter cell viability. CONCLUSION: Hypertonic saline significantly attenuates tumor cell adhesion to endothelium by inhibiting adhesion molecule and laminin expression. This may halt the metastatic behavior of tumor cells shed at surgery.

Differential expression of nanog1 and nanogp8 in colon cancer cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishiguro, Tatsuya; Sato, Ai; Ohata, Hirokazu; Sakai, Hiroaki; Nakagama, Hitoshi; Okamoto, Koji

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Nanog is expressed in a majority of colon cancer cell lines examined. ► Both nanog1 and nanogp8 are expressed in colon cancer cells with varying ratios. ► Nanog mediates cell proliferation of colon cancer cells. ► Nanog predominantly localizes in cytoplasm of colon cancer cells. -- Abstract: Nanog, a homeodomain transcription factor, is an essential regulator for promotion of self-renewal of embryonic stem cells and inhibition of their differentiation. It has been demonstrated that nanog1 as well as nanogp8, a retrogene of nanog1, is preferentially expressed in advanced stages of several types of cancer, suggesting their involvement during cancer progression. Here, we investigated the expression of Nanog in well-characterized colon cancer cell lines. Expression of Nanog was detectable in 5 (HCT116, HT29, RKO, SW48, SW620) out of seven cell lines examined. RNA expression analyses of nanog1 and nanogp8 indicated that, while nanog1 was a major form in SW620 as well as in teratoma cells Tera-2, nanogp8 was preferentially expressed in HT29 and HCT116. In accordance with this, shRNA-mediated knockdown of nanog1 caused the reduction of Nanog in SW620 but not in HT29. Inhibition of Nanog in SW620 cells negatively affected cell proliferation and tumor formation in mouse xenograft. Biochemical subcellular fractionation and immunostaining analyses revealed predominant localization of Nanog in cytoplasm in SW620 and HT29, while it was mainly localized in nucleus in Tera-2. Our data indicate that nanog1 and nanogp8 are differentially expressed in colon cancer cells, and suggest that their expression contributes to proliferation of colon cancer cells.

Differential expression of nanog1 and nanogp8 in colon cancer cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ishiguro, Tatsuya; Sato, Ai; Ohata, Hirokazu; Sakai, Hiroaki [Division of Cancer Differentiation, National Cancer Center Research Institute, 5-1-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0045 (Japan); Nakagama, Hitoshi, E-mail: hnakagam@ncc.go.jp [Division of Cancer Development System, National Cancer Center Research Institute, 5-1-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0045 (Japan); Okamoto, Koji, E-mail: kojokamo@ncc.go.jo [Division of Cancer Differentiation, National Cancer Center Research Institute, 5-1-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0045 (Japan)

2012-02-10

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Nanog is expressed in a majority of colon cancer cell lines examined. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Both nanog1 and nanogp8 are expressed in colon cancer cells with varying ratios. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Nanog mediates cell proliferation of colon cancer cells. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Nanog predominantly localizes in cytoplasm of colon cancer cells. -- Abstract: Nanog, a homeodomain transcription factor, is an essential regulator for promotion of self-renewal of embryonic stem cells and inhibition of their differentiation. It has been demonstrated that nanog1 as well as nanogp8, a retrogene of nanog1, is preferentially expressed in advanced stages of several types of cancer, suggesting their involvement during cancer progression. Here, we investigated the expression of Nanog in well-characterized colon cancer cell lines. Expression of Nanog was detectable in 5 (HCT116, HT29, RKO, SW48, SW620) out of seven cell lines examined. RNA expression analyses of nanog1 and nanogp8 indicated that, while nanog1 was a major form in SW620 as well as in teratoma cells Tera-2, nanogp8 was preferentially expressed in HT29 and HCT116. In accordance with this, shRNA-mediated knockdown of nanog1 caused the reduction of Nanog in SW620 but not in HT29. Inhibition of Nanog in SW620 cells negatively affected cell proliferation and tumor formation in mouse xenograft. Biochemical subcellular fractionation and immunostaining analyses revealed predominant localization of Nanog in cytoplasm in SW620 and HT29, while it was mainly localized in nucleus in Tera-2. Our data indicate that nanog1 and nanogp8 are differentially expressed in colon cancer cells, and suggest that their expression contributes to proliferation of colon cancer cells.

TALE activators regulate gene expression in a position- and strand-dependent manner in mammalian cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Uhde-Stone, Claudia; Cheung, Edna; Lu, Biao

2014-01-24

Transcription activator-like effectors (TALEs) are a class of transcription factors that are readily programmable to regulate gene expression. Despite their growing popularity, little is known about binding site parameters that influence TALE-mediated gene activation in mammalian cells. We demonstrate that TALE activators modulate gene expression in mammalian cells in a position- and strand-dependent manner. To study the effects of binding site location, we engineered TALEs customized to recognize specific DNA sequences located in either the promoter or the transcribed region of reporter genes. We found that TALE activators robustly activated reporter genes when their binding sites were located within the promoter region. In contrast, TALE activators inhibited the expression of reporter genes when their binding sites were located on the sense strand of the transcribed region. Notably, this repression was independent of the effector domain utilized, suggesting a simple blockage mechanism. We conclude that TALE activators in mammalian cells regulate genes in a position- and strand-dependent manner that is substantially different from gene activation by native TALEs in plants. These findings have implications for optimizing the design of custom TALEs for genetic manipulation in mammalian cells. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Real-Time Gene Expression Profiling of Live Shewanella Oneidensis Cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xiaoliang Sunney Xie

2009-03-30

The overall objective of this proposal is to make real-time observations of gene expression in live Shewanella oneidensis cells with high sensitivity and high throughput. Gene expression, a central process to all life, is stochastic because most genes often exist in one or two copies per cell. Although the central dogma of molecular biology has been proven beyond doubt, due to insufficient sensitivity, stochastic protein production has not been visualized in real time in an individual cell at the single-molecule level. We report the first direct observation of single protein molecules as they are generated, one at a time in a single live E. coli cell, yielding quantitative information about gene expression [Science 2006; 311: 1600-1603]. We demonstrated a general strategy for live-cell single-molecule measurements: detection by localization. It is difficult to detect single fluorescence protein molecules inside cytoplasm - their fluorescence is spread by fast diffusion to the entire cell and overwhelmed by the strong autofluorescence. We achieved single-molecule sensitivity by immobilizing the fluorescence protein on the cell membrane, where the diffusion is much slowed. We learned that under the repressed condition protein molecules are produced in bursts, with each burst originating from a stochastically-transcribed single messenger RNA molecule, and that protein copy numbers in the bursts follow a geometric distribution. We also simultaneously published a paper reporting a different method using β-glactosidase as a reporter [Nature 440, 358 (2006)]. Many important proteins are expressed at low levels, inaccessible by previous proteomic techniques. Both papers allowed quantification of protein expression with unprecedented sensitivity and received overwhelming acclaim from the scientific community. The Nature paper has been identified as one of the most-cited papers in the past year [http://esi-topics.com/]. We have also an analytical framework describing the

[Expression of embryonic markers in pterygium derived mesenchymal cells].

Science.gov (United States)

Pascual, G; Montes, M A; Pérez-Rico, C; Pérez-Kohler, B; Bellón, J M; Buján, J

2010-12-01

Destruction of the limbal epithelium barrier is the most important mechanism of pterygium formation (conjunctiva proliferation, encroaching onto the cornea). It is thought to arise from activated and proliferating limbal epithelial stem cells. The objective of this study is to evaluate the presence of undifferentiated mesenchymal cells (stem cells) in cultured cells extracted from human pterygium. Cells from 6 human pterygium were isolated by explantation and placed in cultures with amniomax medium. Once the monolayer was reached the cells were seeded onto 24 well microplates. The cells were studied in the second sub-culture. The immunohistochemical expression of different embryonic stem cell markers, OCT3/4 and CD9, was analysed. The differentiated phenotypes were characterised with the monoclonal antibodies anti-CD31, α-actin and vimentin. All the cell populations obtained from pterygium showed vimentin expression. Less than 1% of the cells were positive for CD31 and α-actin markers. The majority of the cell population was positive for OCT3/4 and CD9. The cell population obtained from pterygium expressed mesenchymal cell phenotype and embryonic markers, such us OCT3/4 and CD9. This undifferentiated population could be involved in the large recurrence rate of this type of tissue after surgery. Copyright © 2010 Sociedad Española de Oftalmología. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Expression of E-cadherin and vimentin in oral squamous cell carcinoma

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Zhou, Jingping; Tao, Detao; Xu, Qing; Gao, Zhenlin; Tang, Daofang

2015-01-01

The aim of the study is to determine the levels of E-cadherin, vimentin expression in tumor tissues from patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), and the relationship between the expression of E-cadherin, vimentin and epithelial-mesenchymal transition, in order to explore its values for predicting the invasion and metastasis of oral squamous cell carcinoma, short survival of patients in many types of cancer. E-cadherin and vimentin expression of 10 benign and 42 OSCC tumor tissues was examined by immunohistochemical staining. E-cadherin is positively expressed in normal oral mucosa epithelium, but vimentin expression is not found in normal oral mucosa epithelia; the E-cadherin and vimentin were expressed in 26 of 42 (61.9%) and 16 of 42 (38.1%), respectively. No statistically difference was found for E-cadherin and vimentin expression in patients with different age, gender and tumor location, E-cadherin and vimentin expression was significantly associated with lymph node metastasis and tissue location (P oral squamous cell carcinoma for E-cadherin and vimentin positive expression (P oral squamous cell carcinoma. Our study preliminarily confirmed that EMT phenomenon is existed during the development of oral squamous cell carcinoma. Co-evaluation of E-cadherin and vimentin might be a valuable tool for predicting OSCC patient outcome. PMID:26045832

Human cancer cells express Slug-based epithelial-mesenchymal transition gene expression signature obtained in vivo

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anastassiou, Dimitris; Rumjantseva, Viktoria; Cheng, Weiyi; Huang, Jianzhong; Canoll, Peter D; Yamashiro, Darrell J; Kandel, Jessica J

2011-01-01

The biological mechanisms underlying cancer cell motility and invasiveness remain unclear, although it has been hypothesized that they involve some type of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). We used xenograft models of human cancer cells in immunocompromised mice, profiling the harvested tumors separately with species-specific probes and computationally analyzing the results. Here we show that human cancer cells express in vivo a precise multi-cancer invasion-associated gene expression signature that prominently includes many EMT markers, among them the transcription factor Slug, fibronectin, and α-SMA. We found that human, but not mouse, cells express the signature and Slug is the only upregulated EMT-inducing transcription factor. The signature is also present in samples from many publicly available cancer gene expression datasets, suggesting that it is produced by the cancer cells themselves in multiple cancer types, including nonepithelial cancers such as neuroblastoma. Furthermore, we found that the presence of the signature in human xenografted cells was associated with a downregulation of adipocyte markers in the mouse tissue adjacent to the invasive tumor, suggesting that the signature is triggered by contextual microenvironmental interactions when the cancer cells encounter adipocytes, as previously reported. The known, precise and consistent gene composition of this cancer mesenchymal transition signature, particularly when combined with simultaneous analysis of the adjacent microenvironment, provides unique opportunities for shedding light on the underlying mechanisms of cancer invasiveness as well as identifying potential diagnostic markers and targets for metastasis-inhibiting therapeutics

Hyperbaric environment up-regulates CD15s expression on leukocytes, down-regulates CD77 expression on renal cells and up-regulates CD34 expression on pulmonary and cardiac cells in rat

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Danka Đevenica

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Objective(s: The aim of this study was to estimate effects of hyperbaric (HB treatment by determination of CD15s and CD11b leukocyte proinflammatory markers expression.  In addition, this study describes changes in CD77 and CD34 expression on rat endothelial cells in renal, pulmonary and cardiac tissue following exposure to hyperbaric pressure. Materials and Methods:Expression of CD11b and CD15s on leukocytes, as well as CD77 and CD34 expression on endothelial cells in cell suspensions of renal, pulmonary and cardiac tissue in rats after hyperbaric treatment and in control rats were determined by flow cytometry. Results: Hyperbaric treatment significantly increased percentage of leukocytes expressing CD15s+CD11b- (from 1.71±1.11 to 23.42±2.85, P

Cell adhesion molecules expression pattern indicates that somatic cells arbitrate gonadal sex of differentiating bipotential fetal mouse gonad.

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Piprek, Rafal P; Kolasa, Michal; Podkowa, Dagmara; Kloc, Malgorzata; Kubiak, Jacek Z

2017-10-01

Unlike other organ anlagens, the primordial gonad is sexually bipotential in all animals. In mouse, the bipotential gonad differentiates into testis or ovary depending on the genetic sex (XY or XX) of the fetus. During gonad development cells segregate, depending on genetic sex, into distinct compartments: testis cords and interstitium form in XY gonad, and germ cell cysts and stroma in XX gonad. However, our knowledge of mechanisms governing gonadal sex differentiation remains very vague. Because it is known that adhesion molecules (CAMs) play a key role in organogenesis, we suspected that diversified expression of CAMs should also play a crucial role in gonad development. Using microarray analysis we identified 129 CAMs and factors regulating cell adhesion during sexual differentiation of mouse gonad. To identify genes expressed differentially in three cell lines in XY and XX gonads: i) supporting (Sertoli or follicular cells), ii) interstitial or stromal cells, and iii) germ cells, we used transgenic mice expressing EGFP reporter gene and FACS cell sorting. Although a large number of CAMs expressed ubiquitously, expression of certain genes was cell line- and genetic sex-specific. The sets of CAMs differentially expressed in supporting versus interstitial/stromal cells may be responsible for segregation of these two cell lines during gonadal development. There was also a significant difference in CAMs expression pattern between XY supporting (Sertoli) and XX supporting (follicular) cells but not between XY and XX germ cells. This indicates that differential CAMs expression pattern in the somatic cells but not in the germ line arbitrates structural organization of gonadal anlagen into testis or ovary. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

BRCA1-IRIS regulates cyclin D1 expression in breast cancer cells

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Nakuci, Enkeleda; Mahner, Sven; DiRenzo, James; ElShamy, Wael M.

2006-01-01

The regulator of cell cycle progression, cyclin D1, is up-regulated in breast cancer cells; its expression is, in part, dependent on ERα signaling. However, many ERα-negative tumors and tumor cell lines (e.g., SKBR3) also show over-expression of cyclin D1. This suggests that, in addition to ERα signaling, cyclin D1 expression is under the control of other signaling pathways; these pathways may even be over-expressed in the ERα-negative cells. We previously noticed that both ERα-positive and -negative cell lines over-express BRCA1-IRIS mRNA and protein. Furthermore, the level of over-expression of BRCA1-IRIS in ERα-negative cell lines even exceeded its over-expression level in ERα-positive cell lines. In this study, we show that: (1) BRCA1-IRIS forms complex with two of the nuclear receptor co-activators, namely, SRC1 and SRC3 (AIB1) in an ERα-independent manner. (2) BRCA1-IRIS alone, or in connection with co-activators, is recruited to the cyclin D1 promoter through its binding to c-Jun/AP1 complex; this binding activates the cyclin D1 expression. (3) Over-expression of BRCA1-IRIS in breast cells over-activates JNK/c-Jun; this leads to the induction of cyclin D1 expression and cellular proliferation. (4) BRCA1-IRIS activation of JNK/c-Jun/AP1 appears to account for this, because in cells that were depleted from BRCA1-IRIS, JNK remained inactive. However, depletion of SRC1 or SRC3 instead reduced c-Jun expression. Our data suggest that this novel signaling pathway links BRCA1-IRIS to cellular proliferation through c-Jun/AP1 nuclear pathway; finally, this culminates in the increased expression of the cyclin D1 gene

Expression of Pluripotency Markers in Nonpluripotent Human Neural Stem and Progenitor Cells

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Vincent, P.; Benedikz, Eirikur; Uhlén, Per

2017-01-01

Nonpluripotent neural progenitor cells (NPCs) derived from the human fetal central nervous system were found to express a number of messenger RNA (mRNA) species associated with pluripotency, such as NANOG, REX1, and OCT4. The expression was restricted to small subpopulations of NPCs. In contrast...... to pluripotent stem cells, there was no coexpression of the pluripotency-associated genes studied. Although the expression of these genes rapidly declined during the in vitro differentiation of NPCs, we found no evidence that the discrete expression was associated with the markers of multipotent neural stem...... cells (CD133+/CD24lo), the capacity of sphere formation, or high cell proliferation rates. The rate of cell death among NPCs expressing pluripotency-associated genes was also similar to that of other NPCs. Live cell imaging showed that NANOG- and REX1-expressing NPCs continuously changed morphology...

Mechanisms underlying differential expression of interleukin-8 in breast cancer cells

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Freund, Ariane; Jolivel, Valérie; Durand, Sébastien; Kersual, Nathalie; Chalbos, Dany; Chavey, Carine; Vignon, Françoise; Lazennec, Gwendal

2004-01-01

We have recently reported that Interleukin-8 (IL-8) expression was inversely correlated to estrogen-receptor (ER)-status and was overexpressed in invasive breast cancer cells. In the present study, we show that IL-8 overexpression in breast cancer cells involves a higher transcriptional activity of IL-8 gene promoter. Cloning of IL-8 promoter from MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cells expressing high and low levels of IL-8, respectively, shows the integrity of the promoter in both cell lines. Deletion and site-directed mutagenesis of the promoter demonstrate that NF-κB and AP-1 and to a lesser extent C/EBP binding sites play a crucial role in the control of IL-8 promoter activity in MDA-MB-231 cells. Knock-down of NF-κB and AP-1 activities by adenovirus-mediated expression of a NF-κB super-repressor and RNA interference, respectively, decreased IL-8 expression in MDA-MB-231 cells. On the contrary, restoration of Fra-1, Fra-2, c-Jun, p50, p65, C/EBPα and C/EBPβ expression levels in MCF-7 cells led to a promoter activity comparable to that observed in MDA-MB-231 cells. Our data constitute the first extensive study of IL-8 gene overexpression in breast cancer cells and suggest that the high expression of IL-8 in invasive cancer cells requires a complex cooperation between NF-κB, AP-1 and C/EBP transcription factors. PMID:15208657

Distinct gene expression signatures in human embryonic stem cells differentiated towards definitive endoderm at single-cell level

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Norrman, Karin; Strömbeck, Anna; Semb, Henrik

2013-01-01

for the three activin A based protocols applied. Our data provide novel insights in DE gene expression at the cellular level of in vitro differentiated human embryonic stem cells, and illustrate the power of using single-cell gene expression profiling to study differentiation heterogeneity and to characterize...... of anterior definitive endoderm (DE). Here, we differentiated human embryonic stem cells towards DE using three different activin A based treatments. Differentiation efficiencies were evaluated by gene expression profiling over time at cell population level. A panel of key markers was used to study DE...... formation. Final DE differentiation was also analyzed with immunocytochemistry and single-cell gene expression profiling. We found that cells treated with activin A in combination with sodium butyrate and B27 serum-free supplement medium generated the most mature DE cells. Cell population studies were...

Impact of cell culture process changes on endogenous retrovirus expression.

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Brorson, Kurt; De Wit, Christina; Hamilton, Elizabeth; Mustafa, Mehnaz; Swann, Patrick G; Kiss, Robert; Taticek, Ron; Polastri, Gian; Stein, Kathryn E; Xu, Yuan

2002-11-05

Cell culture process changes (e.g., changes in scale, medium formulation, operational conditions) and cell line changes are common during the development life cycle of a therapeutic protein. To ensure that the impact of such process changes on product quality and safety is minimal, it is standard practice to compare critical product quality and safety attributes before and after the changes. One potential concern introduced by cell culture process improvements is the possibility of increased endogenous retrovirus expression to a level above the clearance capability of the subsequent purification process. To address this, retrovirus expression was measured in scaled down and full production scaled Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell cultures of four monoclonal antibodies and one recombinant protein before and after process changes. Two highly sensitive, quantitative (Q)-PCR-based assays were used to measure endogenous retroviruses. It is shown that cell culture process changes that primarily alter media components, nutrient feed volume, seed density, cell bank source (i.e., master cell bank vs. working cell bank), and vial size, or culture scale, singly or in combination, do not impact the rate of retrovirus expression to an extent greater than the variability of the Q-PCR assays (0.2-0.5 log(10)). Cell culture changes that significantly alter the metabolic state of the cells and/or rates of protein expression (e.g., pH and temperature shifts, NaButyrate addition) measurably impact the rate of retrovirus synthesis (up to 2 log(10)). The greatest degree of variation in endogenous retrovirus expression was observed between individual cell lines (up to 3 log(10)). These data support the practice of measuring endogenous retrovirus output for each new cell line introduced into manufacturing or after process changes that significantly increase product-specific productivity or alter the metabolic state, but suggest that reassessment of retrovirus expression after other

PAX2 regulates ADAM10 expression and mediates anchorage-independent cell growth of melanoma cells.

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Sophia Boyoung Lee

Full Text Available PAX transcription factors play an important role during development and carcinogenesis. In this study, we investigated PAX2 protein levels in melanocytes and melanoma cells by Western Blot and immunofluorescence analysis and characterized the role of PAX2 in the pathogenesis of melanoma. In vitro we found weak PAX2 protein expression in keratinocytes and melanocytes. Compared to melanocytes increased PAX2 protein levels were detectable in melanoma cell lines. Interestingly, in tissue sections of melanoma patients nuclear PAX2 expression strongly correlated with nuclear atypia and the degree of prominent nucleoli, indicating an association of PAX2 with a more atypical cellular phenotype. In addition, with chromatin immunoprecipitation assay, PAX2 overexpression and PAX2 siRNA we present compelling evidence that PAX2 can regulate ADAM10 expression, a metalloproteinase known to play important roles in melanoma metastasis. In human tissue samples we found co-expression of PAX2 and ADAM10 in melanocytes of benign nevi and in melanoma cells of patients with malignant melanoma. Importantly, the downregulation of PAX2 by specific siRNA inhibited the anchorage independent cell growth and decreased the migratory and invasive capacity of melanoma cells. Furthermore, the downregulation of PAX2 abrogated the chemoresistance of melanoma cells against cisplatin, indicating that PAX2 expression mediates cell survival and plays important roles during melanoma progression.

Spatial reconstruction of single-cell gene expression

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Satija, Rahul; Farrell, Jeffrey A.; Gennert, David; Schier, Alexander F.; Regev, Aviv

2015-01-01

Spatial localization is a key determinant of cellular fate and behavior, but spatial RNA assays traditionally rely on staining for a limited number of RNA species. In contrast, single-cell RNA-seq allows for deep profiling of cellular gene expression, but established methods separate cells from their native spatial context. Here we present Seurat, a computational strategy to infer cellular localization by integrating single-cell RNA-seq data with in situ RNA patterns. We applied Seurat to spatially map 851 single cells from dissociated zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos, inferring a transcriptome-wide map of spatial patterning. We confirmed Seurat’s accuracy using several experimental approaches, and used it to identify a set of archetypal expression patterns and spatial markers. Additionally, Seurat correctly localizes rare subpopulations, accurately mapping both spatially restricted and scattered groups. Seurat will be applicable to mapping cellular localization within complex patterned tissues in diverse systems. PMID:25867923

Expression of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors on human B-lymphoma cells

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Skok M. V.

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Aim. To find a correlation between the level of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR expression and B lymphocyte differentiation or activation state. Methods. Expression of nAChRs in the REH, Ramos and Daudi cell lines was studied by flow cytometry using nAChR subunit-specific antibodies; cell proliferation was studied by MTT test. Results. It is shown that the level of 42/4 and 7 nAChRs expression increased along with B lymphocyte differentiation (Ramos > REH and activation (Daudi > > Ramos and depended on the antigen-specific receptor expression. The nAChR stimulation/blockade did not influence the intensity of cell proliferation.

Immunohistochemical analysis of Clara cell secretory protein expression in a transgenic model of mouse lung carcinogenesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hicks, Sarah M.; Vassallo, Jeffrey D.; Dieter, Matthew Z.; Lewis, Cindy L.; Whiteley, Laurence O.; Fix, Andrew S.; Lehman-McKeeman, Lois D.

2003-01-01

Immunohistochemical methods have been widely used to determine the histogenesis of spontaneous and chemically-induced mouse lung tumors. Typically, antigens for either alveolar Type II cells or bronchiolar epithelial Clara cells are studied. In the present work, the morphological and immunohistochemical phenotype of a transgenic mouse designed to develop lung tumors arising from Clara cells was evaluated. In this model, Clara cell-specific transformation is accomplished by directed expression of the SV40 large T antigen (TAg) under the mouse Clara cell secretory protein (CC10) promoter. In heterozygous mice, early lesions at 1 month of age consisted of hyperplastic bronchiolar epithelial cells. These progressed to adenoma by 2 months as proliferating epithelium extended into adjacent alveolar spaces. By 4 months, a large portion of the lung parenchyma was composed of tumor masses. Expression of constitutive CC10 was diminished in transgenic animals at all time points. Only the occasional cell or segment of the bronchiolar epithelium stained positively for CC10 by immunohistochemistry, and all tumors were found to be uniformly negative for staining. These results were corroborated by Western blotting, where CC10 was readily detectable in whole lung homogenate from nontransgenic animals, but not detected in lung from transgenic animals at any time point. Tumors were also examined for expression of surfactant apoprotein C (SPC), an alveolar Type II cell-specific marker, and found to be uniformly negative for staining. These results indicate that, in this transgenic model, expression of CC10, which is widely used to determine whether lung tumors arise from Clara cells, was reduced and subsequently lost during Clara cell tumor progression

Resveratrol Represses Pokemon Expression in Human Glioma Cells.

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Yang, Yutao; Cui, Jiajun; Xue, Feng; Overstreet, Anne-Marie; Zhan, Yiping; Shan, Dapeng; Li, Hui; Li, Hui; Wang, Yongjun; Zhang, Mengmeng; Yu, Chunjiang; Xu, Zhi-Qing David

2016-03-01

POK erythroid myeloid ontogenic factor (Pokemon), an important proto-oncoprotein, is a transcriptional repressor that regulates the expression of many genes and plays an important role in tumorigenesis. Resveratrol (RSV), a natural polyphenolic compound, has many beneficial biological effects on health. In this study, we investigated the role of Pokemon in RSV-induced biological effects and the effect of RSV on the expression of Pokemon in glioma cells. We found that overexpression of Pokemon decreased RSV-induced cell apoptosis, senescence, and anti-proliferative effects. Moreover, we showed that RSV could efficiently decrease the activity of the Pokemon promoter and the expression of Pokemon. Meanwhile, RSV also inhibited Sp1 DNA binding activity to the Pokemon promoter; whereas, it did not influence the expression and nuclear translocation of Sp1. In addition, we found that RSV could increase the recruitment of HDAC1, but decreased p300 to the Pokemon promoter. Taken together, all these results extended our understanding on the anti-cancer mechanism of RSV in glioma cells.

Expression of GARP selectively identifies activated human FOXP3+ regulatory T cells.

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Wang, Rui; Kozhaya, Lina; Mercer, Frances; Khaitan, Alka; Fujii, Hodaka; Unutmaz, Derya

2009-08-11

The molecules that define human regulatory T cells (Tregs) phenotypically and functionally remain to be fully characterized. We recently showed that activated human Tregs express mRNA for a transmembrane protein called glycoprotein A repetitions predominant (GARP, or LRRC32). Here, using a GARP-specific mAb, we demonstrate that expression of GARP on activated Tregs correlates with their suppressive capacity. However, GARP was not induced on T cells activated in the presence of TGFbeta, which expressed high levels of FOXP3 and lacked suppressive function. Ectopic expression of FOXP3 in conventional T cells was also insufficient for induction of GARP expression in most donors. Functionally, silencing GARP in Tregs only moderately attenuated their suppressive activity. CD25+ T cells sorted for high GARP expression displayed more potent suppressive activity compared with CD25+GARP- cells. Remarkably, CD25+GARP- T cells expanded in culture contained 3-5 fold higher IL-17-secreting cells compared with either CD25+GARP+ or CD25-GARP- cells, suggesting that high GARP expression can potentially discriminate Tregs from those that have switched to Th17 lineage. We also determined whether GARP expression correlates with FOXP3-expressing T cells in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) -infected subjects. A subset of HIV+ individuals with high percentages of FOXP3+ T cells did not show proportionate increase in GARP+ T cells. This finding suggests that higher FOXP3 levels observed in these HIV+ individuals is possibly due to immune activation rather than to an increase in Tregs. Our findings highlight the significance of GARP both in dissecting duality of Treg/Th17 cell differentiation and as a marker to identify bona fide Tregs during diseases with chronic immune activation.

Dynamic methylation and expression of Oct4 in early neural stem cells.

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Lee, Shih-Han; Jeyapalan, Jennie N; Appleby, Vanessa; Mohamed Noor, Dzul Azri; Sottile, Virginie; Scotting, Paul J

2010-09-01

Neural stem cells are a multipotent population of tissue-specific stem cells with a broad but limited differentiation potential. However, recent studies have shown that over-expression of the pluripotency gene, Oct4, alone is sufficient to initiate a process by which these can form 'induced pluripotent stem cells' (iPS cells) with the same broad potential as embryonic stem cells. This led us to examine the expression of Oct4 in endogenous neural stem cells, as data regarding its expression in neural stem cells in vivo are contradictory and incomplete. In this study we have therefore analysed the expression of Oct4 and other genes associated with pluripotency throughout development of the mouse CNS and in neural stem cells grown in vitro. We find that Oct4 is still expressed in the CNS by E8.5, but that this expression declines rapidly until it is undetectable by E15.5. This decline is coincident with the gradual methylation of the Oct4 promoter and proximal enhancer. Immunostaining suggests that the Oct4 protein is predominantly cytoplasmic in location. We also found that neural stem cells from all ages expressed the pluripotency associated genes, Sox2, c-Myc, Klf4 and Nanog. These data provide an explanation for the varying behaviour of cells from the early neuroepithelium at different stages of development. The expression of these genes also provides an indication of why Oct4 alone is sufficient to induce iPS formation in neural stem cells at later stages.

Human Uterine Leiomyoma Stem/Progenitor Cells Expressing CD34 and CD49b Initiate Tumors In Vivo

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Ono, Masanori; Moravek, Molly B.; Coon, John S.; Navarro, Antonia; Monsivais, Diana; Dyson, Matthew T.; Druschitz, Stacy A.; Malpani, Saurabh S.; Serna, Vanida A.; Qiang, Wenan; Chakravarti, Debabrata; Kim, J. Julie; Bulun, Serdar E.

2015-01-01

Context: Uterine leiomyoma is the most common benign tumor in reproductive-age women. Using a dye-exclusion technique, we previously identified a side population of leiomyoma cells exhibiting stem cell characteristics. However, unless mixed with mature myometrial cells, these leiomyoma side population cells did not survive or grow well in vitro or in vivo. Objective: The objective of this study was to identify cell surface markers to isolate leiomyoma stem/progenitor cells. Design: Real-time PCR screening was used to identify cell surface markers preferentially expressed in leiomyoma side population cells. In vitro colony-formation assay and in vivo tumor-regeneration assay were used to demonstrate functions of leiomyoma stem/progenitor cells. Results: We found significantly elevated CD49b and CD34 gene expression in side population cells compared with main population cells. Leiomyoma cells were sorted into three populations based on the expression of CD34 and CD49b: CD34+/CD49b+, CD34+/CD49b−, and CD34−/CD49b− cells, with the majority of the side population cells residing in the CD34+/CD49b+ fraction. Of these populations, CD34+/CD49b+ cells expressed the lowest levels of estrogen receptor-α, progesterone receptor, and α-smooth muscle actin, but the highest levels of KLF4, NANOG, SOX2, and OCT4, confirming their more undifferentiated status. The stemness of CD34+/CD49b+ cells was also demonstrated by their strongest in vitro colony-formation capacity and in vivo tumor-regeneration ability. Conclusions: CD34 and CD49b are cell surface markers that can be used to enrich a subpopulation of leiomyoma cells possessing stem/progenitor cell properties; this technique will accelerate efforts to develop new therapies for uterine leiomyoma. PMID:25658015

Single-cell real-time imaging of transgene expression upon lipofection

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Fiume, Giuseppe [Center for Nanotechnology Innovation @NEST, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Piazza San Silvestro 12, 56127 Pisa (Italy); Di Rienzo, Carmine [Center for Nanotechnology Innovation @NEST, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Piazza San Silvestro 12, 56127 Pisa (Italy); NEST, Scuola Normale Superiore and Istituto Nanoscienze-CNR, Piazza San Silvestro 12, 56127, Pisa (Italy); Marchetti, Laura [Center for Nanotechnology Innovation @NEST, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Piazza San Silvestro 12, 56127 Pisa (Italy); Pozzi, Daniela; Caracciolo, Giulio [Department of Molecular Medicine, “Sapienza” University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 291, 00161, Rome (Italy); Cardarelli, Francesco, E-mail: francesco.cardarelli@iit.it [Center for Nanotechnology Innovation @NEST, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Piazza San Silvestro 12, 56127 Pisa (Italy)

2016-05-20

Here we address the process of lipofection by quantifying the expression of a genetically-encoded fluorescent reporter at the single-cell level, and in real-time, by confocal imaging in live cells. The Lipofectamine gold-standard formulation is compared to the alternative promising DC-Chol/DOPE formulation. In both cases, we report that only dividing cells are able to produce a detectable amount of the fluorescent reporter protein. Notably, by measuring fluorescence over time in each pair of daughter cells, we find that Lipofectamine-based transfection statistically yields a remarkably higher degree of “symmetry” in protein expression between daughter cells as compared to DC-Chol/DOPE. A model is envisioned in which the degree of symmetry of protein expression is linked to the number of bioavailable DNA copies within the cell before nuclear breakdown. Reported results open new perspectives for the understanding of the lipofection mechanism and define a new experimental platform for the quantitative comparison of transfection reagents. -- Highlights: •The process of lipofection is followed by quantifying the transgene expression in real time. •The Lipofectamine gold-standard is compared to the promising DC-Chol/DOPE formulation. •We report that only dividing cells are able to produce the fluorescent reporter protein. •The degree of symmetry of protein expression in daughter cells is linked to DNA bioavailability. •A new experimental platform for the quantitative comparison of transfection reagents is proposed.

Single-cell real-time imaging of transgene expression upon lipofection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fiume, Giuseppe; Di Rienzo, Carmine; Marchetti, Laura; Pozzi, Daniela; Caracciolo, Giulio; Cardarelli, Francesco

2016-01-01

Here we address the process of lipofection by quantifying the expression of a genetically-encoded fluorescent reporter at the single-cell level, and in real-time, by confocal imaging in live cells. The Lipofectamine gold-standard formulation is compared to the alternative promising DC-Chol/DOPE formulation. In both cases, we report that only dividing cells are able to produce a detectable amount of the fluorescent reporter protein. Notably, by measuring fluorescence over time in each pair of daughter cells, we find that Lipofectamine-based transfection statistically yields a remarkably higher degree of “symmetry” in protein expression between daughter cells as compared to DC-Chol/DOPE. A model is envisioned in which the degree of symmetry of protein expression is linked to the number of bioavailable DNA copies within the cell before nuclear breakdown. Reported results open new perspectives for the understanding of the lipofection mechanism and define a new experimental platform for the quantitative comparison of transfection reagents. -- Highlights: •The process of lipofection is followed by quantifying the transgene expression in real time. •The Lipofectamine gold-standard is compared to the promising DC-Chol/DOPE formulation. •We report that only dividing cells are able to produce the fluorescent reporter protein. •The degree of symmetry of protein expression in daughter cells is linked to DNA bioavailability. •A new experimental platform for the quantitative comparison of transfection reagents is proposed.

HIV-1 induces DCIR expression in CD4+ T cells.

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Alexandra A Lambert

2010-11-01

Full Text Available The C-type lectin receptor DCIR, which has been shown very recently to act as an attachment factor for HIV-1 in dendritic cells, is expressed predominantly on antigen-presenting cells. However, this concept was recently challenged by the discovery that DCIR can also be detected in CD4(+ T cells found in the synovial tissue from rheumatoid arthritis (RA patients. Given that RA and HIV-1 infections share common features such as a chronic inflammatory condition and polyclonal immune hyperactivation status, we hypothesized that HIV-1 could promote DCIR expression in CD4(+ T cells. We report here that HIV-1 drives DCIR expression in human primary CD4(+ T cells isolated from patients (from both aviremic/treated and viremic/treatment naive persons and cells acutely infected in vitro (seen in both virus-infected and uninfected cells. Soluble factors produced by virus-infected cells are responsible for the noticed DCIR up-regulation on uninfected cells. Infection studies with Vpr- or Nef-deleted viruses revealed that these two viral genes are not contributing to the mechanism of DCIR induction that is seen following acute infection of CD4(+ T cells with HIV-1. Moreover, we report that DCIR is linked to caspase-dependent (induced by a mitochondria-mediated generation of free radicals and -independent intrinsic apoptotic pathways (involving the death effector AIF. Finally, we demonstrate that the higher surface expression of DCIR in CD4(+ T cells is accompanied by an enhancement of virus attachment/entry, replication and transfer. This study shows for the first time that HIV-1 induces DCIR membrane expression in CD4(+ T cells, a process that might promote virus dissemination throughout the infected organism.

E-cadherin expression increases cell proliferation by regulating energy metabolism through nuclear factor-κB in AGS cells.

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Park, Song Yi; Shin, Jee-Hye; Kee, Sun-Ho

2017-09-01

β-Catenin is a central player in Wnt signaling, and activation of Wnt signaling is associated with cancer development. E-cadherin in complex with β-catenin mediates cell-cell adhesion, which suppresses β-catenin-dependent Wnt signaling. Recently, a tumor-suppressive role for E-cadherin has been reconsidered, as re-expression of E-cadherin was reported to enhance the metastatic potential of malignant tumors. To explore the role of E-cadherin, we established an E-cadherin-expressing cell line, EC96, from AGS cells that featured undetectable E-cadherin expression and a high level of Wnt signaling. In EC96 cells, E-cadherin re-expression enhanced cell proliferation, although Wnt signaling activity was reduced. Subsequent analysis revealed that nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) activation and consequent c-myc expression might be involved in E-cadherin expression-mediated cell proliferation. To facilitate rapid proliferation, EC96 cells enhance glucose uptake and produce ATP using both mitochondria oxidative phosphorylation and glycolysis, whereas AGS cells use these mechanisms less efficiently. These events appeared to be mediated by NF-κB activation. Therefore, E-cadherin re-expression and subsequent induction of NF-κB signaling likely enhance energy production and cell proliferation. © 2017 The Authors. Cancer Science published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Japanese Cancer Association.

Cell cycle, differentiation and tissue-independent expression of ribosomal protein L37.

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Su, S; Bird, R C

1995-09-15

A unique human cDNA (hG1.16) that encodes a mRNA of 450 nucleotides was isolated from a subtractive library derived from HeLa cells. The relative expression level of hG1.16 during different cell-cycle phases was determined by Northern-blot analysis of cells synchronized by double-thymidine block and serum deprivation/refeeding. hG1.16 was constitutively expressed during all phases of the cell cycle, including the quiescent phase when even most constitutively expressed genes experience some suppression of expression. The expression level of hG1.16 did not change during terminal differentiation of myoblasts to myotubes, during which cells become permanently post-mitotic. Examination of other tissues revealed that the relative expression level of hG1.16 was constitutive in all embryonic mouse tissues examined, including brain, eye, heart, kidney, liver, lung and skeletal muscle. This was unusual in that expression was not down-modulated during differentiation and did not vary appreciably between tissue types. Analysis by inter-species Northern-blot analysis revealed that hG1.16 was highly conserved among all vertebrates studied (from fish to humans but not in insects). DNA sequence analysis of hG1.16 revealed a high level of similarity to rat ribosomal protein L37, identifying hG1.16 as a new member of this multigene family. The deduced amino acid sequence of hG1.16 was identical to rat ribosomal protein L37 that contained 97 amino acids, many of which are highly positively charged (15 arginine and 14 lysine residues with a predicted M(r) of 11,065). hG1.16 protein has a single C2-C2 zinc-finger-like motif which is also present in rat ribosomal protein L37. Using primers designed from the sequence of hG1.16, unique bovine and rat cDNAs were also isolated by 5'-rapid-amplification of cDNA ends. DNA sequences of bovine and rat G1.16, clones were 92.8% and 92.2% similar to human G1.16 while the deduced amino acid sequences derived from bovine and rat cDNAs each differed

Regulated gene expression in cultured type II cells of adult human lung.

Science.gov (United States)

Ballard, Philip L; Lee, Jae W; Fang, Xiaohui; Chapin, Cheryl; Allen, Lennell; Segal, Mark R; Fischer, Horst; Illek, Beate; Gonzales, Linda W; Kolla, Venkatadri; Matthay, Michael A

2010-07-01

Alveolar type II cells have multiple functions, including surfactant production and fluid clearance, which are critical for lung function. Differentiation of type II cells occurs in cultured fetal lung epithelial cells treated with dexamethasone plus cAMP and isobutylmethylxanthine (DCI) and involves increased expression of 388 genes. In this study, type II cells of human adult lung were isolated at approximately 95% purity, and gene expression was determined (Affymetrix) before and after culturing 5 days on collagen-coated dishes with or without DCI for the final 3 days. In freshly isolated cells, highly expressed genes included SFTPA/B/C, SCGB1A, IL8, CXCL2, and SFN in addition to ubiquitously expressed genes. Transcript abundance was correlated between fetal and adult cells (r = 0.88), with a subset of 187 genes primarily related to inflammation and immunity that were expressed >10-fold higher in adult cells. During control culture, expression increased for 8.1% of expressed genes and decreased for approximately 4% including 118 immune response and 10 surfactant-related genes. DCI treatment promoted lamellar body production and increased expression of approximately 3% of probed genes by > or =1.5-fold; 40% of these were also induced in fetal cells. Highly induced genes (> or =10-fold) included PGC, ZBTB16, DUOX1, PLUNC, CIT, and CRTAC1. Twenty-five induced genes, including six genes related to surfactant (SFTPA/B/C, PGC, CEBPD, and ADFP), also had decreased expression during control culture and thus are candidates for hormonal regulation in vivo. Our results further define the adult human type II cell molecular phenotype and demonstrate that a subset of genes remains hormone responsive in cultured adult cells.

Tumor-Targeted Human T Cells Expressing CD28-Based Chimeric Antigen Receptors Circumvent CTLA-4 Inhibition.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maud Condomines

Full Text Available Adoptive T cell therapy represents a promising treatment for cancer. Human T cells engineered to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR recognize and kill tumor cells in a MHC-unrestricted manner and persist in vivo when the CAR includes a CD28 costimulatory domain. However, the intensity of the CAR-mediated CD28 activation signal and its regulation by the CTLA-4 checkpoint are unknown. We investigated whether T cells expressing an anti-CD19, CD3 zeta and CD28-based CAR (19-28z displayed the same proliferation and anti-tumor abilities than T cells expressing a CD3 zeta-based CAR (19z1 costimulated through the CD80/CD28, ligand/receptor pathway. Repeated in vitro antigen-specific stimulations indicated that 19-28z+ T cells secreted higher levels of Th1 cytokines and showed enhanced proliferation compared to those of 19z1+ or 19z1-CD80+ T cells. In an aggressive pre-B cell leukemia model, mice treated with 19-28z+ T cells had 10-fold reduced tumor progression compared to those treated with 19z1+ or 19z1-CD80+ T cells. shRNA-mediated CTLA-4 down-regulation in 19z1-CD80+ T cells significantly increased their in vivo expansion and anti-tumor properties, but had no effect in 19-28z+ T cells. Our results establish that CTLA-4 down-regulation may benefit human adoptive T cell therapy and demonstrate that CAR design can elude negative checkpoints to better sustain T cell function.

Tracking neuronal marker expression inside living differentiating cells using molecular beacons

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ilieva, Mirolyuba; Della Vedova, Paolo; Hansen, Ole

2013-01-01

and tyrosine hydroxylase mRNAs were expressed 2 and 3 days post induction of differentiation, respectively. Oct 4 was not detected with MB in these cells and signal was not increased over time suggesting that MB are generally stable inside the cells. The gene expression changes measured using MBs were...... confirmed using qRT-PCR. These results suggest that MBs are simple to use sensors inside living cell, and particularly useful for studying dynamic gene expression in heterogeneous cell populations....

STAT3-mediated constitutive expression of SOCS-3 in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brender, C; Nielsen, M; Kaltoft, K

2001-01-01

) obtained from affected skin from a patient with mycosis fungoides (MF) and from peripheral blood from a patient with Sezary syndrome (SS). In contrast, constitutive SOCS-3 expression is not found in the leukemic Jurkat T-cell line, the MOLT-4 acute lymphoblastic leukemia cell line, and the monocytic......, it has been hypothesized that an aberrant SOCS expression plays a role in neoplastic transformation. This study reports on a constitutive SOCS-3 expression in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) cell lines. SOCS-3 protein is constitutively expressed in tumor cell lines (but not in nonmalignant T cells...... leukemic cell line U937. Expression of SOCS-3 coincides with a constitutive activation of STAT3 in CTCL tumor cells, and stable transfection of CTCL tumor cells with a dominant negative STAT3 strongly inhibits SOCS-3 expression, whereas transfection with wild-type STAT3 does not. Moreover, the reduced SOCS...

The regulation of CD5 expression in murine T cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Herzenberg Leonard A

2001-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background CD5 is a pan-T cell surface marker that is also present on a subset of B cells, B-1a cells.Functional and developmental subsets of T cells express characteristic CD5 levels that vary over roughly a 30-fold range. Previous investigators have cloned a 1.7 Kb fragment containing the CD5 promoter and showed that it can confer similar lymphocyte-specific expression pattern as observed for endogenous CD5 expression. Results We further characterize the CD5 promoter and identify minimal and regulatory regions on the CD5 promoter. Using a luciferase reporter system, we show that a 43 bp region on the CD5 promoter regulates CD5 expression in resting mouse thymoma EL4 T cells and that an Ets binding site within the 43 bp region mediates the CD5 expression. In addition, we show that Ets-1, a member of the Ets family of transcription factors, recognizes the Ets binding site in the electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA. This Ets binding site is directly responsible for the increase in reporter activity when co-transfected with increasing amounts of Ets-1 expression plasmid. We also identify two additional evolutionarily-conserved regions in the CD5 promoter (CD5X and CD5Y and demonstrate the respective roles of the each region in the regulation of CD5 transcription. Conclusion Our studies define a minimal and regulatory promoter for CD5 and show that the CD5 expression level in T cells is at least partially dependent on the level of Ets-1 protein. Based on the findings in this report, we propose a model of CD5 transcriptional regulation in T cells.

Rat visceral yolk sac cells: viability and expression of cell markers during maternal diabetes

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Aires, M.B. [Departamento de Morfologia, Universidade Federal de Sergipe, São Cristóvão, SE (Brazil); Santos, J.R.A. [Departamento de Enfermagem, Universidade Federal de Sergipe, São Cristóvão, SE (Brazil); Souza, K.S.; Farias, P.S. [Departamento de Morfologia, Universidade Federal de Sergipe, São Cristóvão, SE (Brazil); Santos, A.C.V. [Departamento de Enfermagem, Universidade Federal de Sergipe, São Cristóvão, SE (Brazil); Fioretto, E.T. [Departamento de Morfologia, Universidade Federal de Sergipe, São Cristóvão, SE (Brazil); Maria, D.A. [Laboratório de Bioquímica e Biofísica, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, SP (Brazil)

2015-07-10

The function of the visceral yolk sac (VYS) is critical for embryo organogenesis until final fetal development in rats, and can be affected by conditions such as diabetes. In view of the importance of diabetes during pregnancy for maternal and neonatal health, the objective of this study was to assess fetal weight, VYS cell markers, and viability in female Wistar rats (200-250 g) with induced diabetes (alloxan, 37 mg/kg) on the 8th gestational day (gd 8). At gd 15, rats from control (n=5) and diabetic (n=5) groups were anesthetized and laparotomized to remove the uterine horns for weighing of fetuses and collecting the VYS. Flow cytometry was used for characterizing VYS cells, and for determining mitochondrial activity, cell proliferation, DNA ploidy, cell cycle phases, and caspase-3 activity. Fetal weight was reduced in the diabetic group. Expression of the cell markers CD34, VEGFR1, CD115, CD117, CD14, CCR2, CD90, CD44, STRO-1, OCT3/4, and Nanog was detected in VYS cells in both groups. In the diabetic group, significantly decreased expression of CD34 (P<0.05), CCR2 (P<0.001), and OCT3/4 (P<0.01), and significantly increased expression of CD90 (P<0.05), CD117 (P<0.01), and CD14 (P<0.05) were observed. VYS cells with inactive mitochondria, activated caspase-3, and low proliferation were present in the rats with diabetes. Severe hyperglycemia caused by maternal diabetes had negative effects on pregnancy, VYS cell viability, and the expression of cell markers.

Rat visceral yolk sac cells: viability and expression of cell markers during maternal diabetes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aires, M.B.; Santos, J.R.A.; Souza, K.S.; Farias, P.S.; Santos, A.C.V.; Fioretto, E.T.; Maria, D.A.

2015-01-01

The function of the visceral yolk sac (VYS) is critical for embryo organogenesis until final fetal development in rats, and can be affected by conditions such as diabetes. In view of the importance of diabetes during pregnancy for maternal and neonatal health, the objective of this study was to assess fetal weight, VYS cell markers, and viability in female Wistar rats (200-250 g) with induced diabetes (alloxan, 37 mg/kg) on the 8th gestational day (gd 8). At gd 15, rats from control (n=5) and diabetic (n=5) groups were anesthetized and laparotomized to remove the uterine horns for weighing of fetuses and collecting the VYS. Flow cytometry was used for characterizing VYS cells, and for determining mitochondrial activity, cell proliferation, DNA ploidy, cell cycle phases, and caspase-3 activity. Fetal weight was reduced in the diabetic group. Expression of the cell markers CD34, VEGFR1, CD115, CD117, CD14, CCR2, CD90, CD44, STRO-1, OCT3/4, and Nanog was detected in VYS cells in both groups. In the diabetic group, significantly decreased expression of CD34 (P<0.05), CCR2 (P<0.001), and OCT3/4 (P<0.01), and significantly increased expression of CD90 (P<0.05), CD117 (P<0.01), and CD14 (P<0.05) were observed. VYS cells with inactive mitochondria, activated caspase-3, and low proliferation were present in the rats with diabetes. Severe hyperglycemia caused by maternal diabetes had negative effects on pregnancy, VYS cell viability, and the expression of cell markers

Fed-batch bioreactor performance and cell line stability evaluation of the artificial chromosome expression technology expressing an IgG1 in Chinese hamster ovary cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Combs, Rodney G; Yu, Erwin; Roe, Susanna; Piatchek, Michele Bailey; Jones, Heather L; Mott, John; Kennard, Malcolm L; Goosney, Danika L; Monteith, Diane

2011-01-01

The artificial chromosome expression (ACE) technology system uses an engineered artificial chromosome containing multiple site-specific recombination acceptor sites for the rapid and efficient construction of stable cell lines. The construction of Chinese hamster ovary(CHO) cell lines expressing an IgG1 monoclonal antibody (MAb) using the ACE system has been previously described (Kennard et al., Biotechnol Bioeng. 2009;104:540-553). To further demonstrate the manufacturing feasibility of the ACE system, four CHO cell lines expressing the human IgG1 MAb 4A1 were evaluated in batch and fed-batch shake flasks and in a 2-L fed-batch bioreactor. The batch shake flasks achieved titers between 0.7 and 1.1 g/L, whereas the fed-batch shake flask process improved titers to 2.5–3.0 g/L. The lead 4A1 ACE cell line achieved titers of 4.0 g/L with an average specific productivity of 40 pg/(cell day) when cultured in a non optimized 2-L fed-batch bioreactor using a completely chemically defined process. Generational stability characterization of the lead 4A1-expressing cell line demonstrated that the cell line was stable for up to 75 days in culture. Product quality attributes of the 4A1 MAb produced by the ACE system during the stability evaluation period were unchanged and also comparable to existing expression technologies such as the CHO-dhfr system. The results of this evaluation demonstrate that a clonal, stable MAb-expressing CHO cell line can be produced using ACE technology that performs competitively using a chemically defined fed-batch bioreactor process with comparable product quality attributes to cell lines generated by existing technologies.

Quantitative rather than qualitative differences in gene expression predominate in intestinal cell maturation along distinct cell lineages

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Velcich, Anna; Corner, Georgia; Paul, Doru; Zhuang Min; Mariadason, John M.; Laboisse, Christian; Augenlicht, Leonard

2005-01-01

Several cell types are present in the intestinal epithelium that likely arise from a common precursor, the stem cell, and each mature cell type expresses a unique set of genes that characterizes its functional phenotype. Although the process of differentiation is intimately linked to the cessation of proliferation, the mechanisms that dictate intestinal cell fate determination are not well characterized. To investigate the reprogramming of gene expression during the cell lineage allocation/differentiation process, we took advantage of a unique system of two clonal derivatives of HT29 cells, Cl16E and Cl19A cells, which spontaneously differentiate as mucus producing goblet and chloride-secreting cells, respectively, as a function of time. By profiling gene expression, we found that these two cell lines show remarkably similar kinetics of change in gene expression and common clusters of coordinately regulated genes. This demonstrates that lineage-specific differentiation of intestinal epithelial cells is characterized overall by the sequential recruitment of functionally similar gene sets independent of the final phenotype of the mature cells

Genetic engineering of human NK cells to express CXCR2 improves migration to renal cell carcinoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Kremer, Veronika; Ligtenberg, Maarten A; Zendehdel, Rosa; Seitz, Christina; Duivenvoorden, Annet; Wennerberg, Erik; Colón, Eugenia; Scherman-Plogell, Ann-Helén; Lundqvist, Andreas

2017-09-19

Adoptive natural killer (NK) cell transfer is being increasingly used as cancer treatment. However, clinical responses have so far been limited to patients with hematological malignancies. A potential limiting factor in patients with solid tumors is defective homing of the infused NK cells to the tumor site. Chemokines regulate the migration of leukocytes expressing corresponding chemokine receptors. Various solid tumors, including renal cell carcinoma (RCC), readily secrete ligands for the chemokine receptor CXCR2. We hypothesize that infusion of NK cells expressing high levels of the CXCR2 chemokine receptor will result in increased influx of the transferred NK cells into tumors, and improved clinical outcome in patients with cancer. Blood and tumor biopsies from 14 primary RCC patients were assessed by flow cytometry and chemokine analysis. Primary NK cells were transduced with human CXCR2 using a retroviral system. CXCR2 receptor functionality was determined by Calcium flux and NK cell migration was evaluated in transwell assays. We detected higher concentrations of CXCR2 ligands in tumors compared with plasma of RCC patients. In addition, CXCL5 levels correlated with the intratumoral infiltration of CXCR2-positive NK cells. However, tumor-infiltrating NK cells from RCC patients expressed lower CXCR2 compared with peripheral blood NK cells. Moreover, healthy donor NK cells rapidly lost their CXCR2 expression upon in vitro culture and expansion. Genetic modification of human primary NK cells to re-express CXCR2 improved their ability to specifically migrate along a chemokine gradient of recombinant CXCR2 ligands or RCC tumor supernatants compared with controls. The enhanced trafficking resulted in increased killing of target cells. In addition, while their functionality remained unchanged compared with control NK cells, CXCR2-transduced NK cells obtained increased adhesion properties and formed more conjugates with target cells. To increase the success of NK

CD200-expressing human basal cell carcinoma cells initiate tumor growth.

Science.gov (United States)

Colmont, Chantal S; Benketah, Antisar; Reed, Simon H; Hawk, Nga V; Telford, William G; Ohyama, Manabu; Udey, Mark C; Yee, Carole L; Vogel, Jonathan C; Patel, Girish K

2013-01-22

Smoothened antagonists directly target the genetic basis of human basal cell carcinoma (BCC), the most common of all cancers. These drugs inhibit BCC growth, but they are not curative. Although BCC cells are monomorphic, immunofluorescence microscopy reveals a complex hierarchical pattern of growth with inward differentiation along hair follicle lineages. Most BCC cells express the transcription factor KLF4 and are committed to terminal differentiation. A small CD200(+) CD45(-) BCC subpopulation that represents 1.63 ± 1.11% of all BCC cells resides in small clusters at the tumor periphery. By using reproducible in vivo xenograft growth assays, we determined that tumor initiating cell frequencies approximate one per 1.5 million unsorted BCC cells. The CD200(+) CD45(-) BCC subpopulation recreated BCC tumor growth in vivo with typical histological architecture and expression of sonic hedgehog-regulated genes. Reproducible in vivo BCC growth was achieved with as few as 10,000 CD200(+) CD45(-) cells, representing ~1,500-fold enrichment. CD200(-) CD45(-) BCC cells were unable to form tumors. These findings establish a platform to study the effects of Smoothened antagonists on BCC tumor initiating cell and also suggest that currently available anti-CD200 therapy be considered, either as monotherapy or an adjunct to Smoothened antagonists, in the treatment of inoperable BCC.

Advanced generation anti-prostate specific membrane antigen designer T cells for prostate cancer immunotherapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Qiangzhong; Gomes, Erica M; Lo, Agnes Shuk-Yee; Junghans, Richard P

2014-02-01

Adoptive immunotherapy by infusion of designer T cells (dTc) engineered with chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) for tumoricidal activity represents a potentially highly specific modality for the treatment of cancer. In this study, 2nd generation (gen) anti-prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) dTc were developed for improving the efficacy of previously developed 1st gen dTc for prostate cancer immunotherapy. The 1st gen dTc are modified with chimeric immunoglobulin-T cell receptor (IgTCR) while the 2nd gen dTc are engineered with an immunoglobulin-CD28-T cell receptor (IgCD28TCR), which incorporates a CD28 costimulatory signal for optimal T cell activation. A 2nd gen anti-PSMA IgCD28TCR CAR was constructed by inserting the CD28 signal domain into the 1st gen CAR. 1st and 2nd gen anti-PSMA dTc were created by transducing human T cells with anti-PSMA CARs and their antitumor efficacy was compared for specific activation on PSMA-expressing tumor contact, cytotoxicity against PSMA-expressing tumor cells in vitro, and suppression of tumor growth in an animal model. The 2nd gen dTc can be optimally activated to secrete larger amounts of cytokines such as IL2 and IFNγ than 1st gen and to proliferate more vigorously on PSMA-expressing tumor contact. More importantly, the 2nd gen dTc preserve the PSMA-specific cytotoxicity in vitro and suppress tumor growth in animal models with significant higher potency. Our results demonstrate that 2nd gen anti-PSMA designer T cells exhibit superior antitumor functions versus 1st gen, providing a rationale for advancing this improved agent toward clinical application in prostate cancer immunotherapy. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Rule-Based Design of Plant Expression Vectors Using GenoCAD.

Science.gov (United States)

Coll, Anna; Wilson, Mandy L; Gruden, Kristina; Peccoud, Jean

2015-01-01

Plant synthetic biology requires software tools to assist on the design of complex multi-genic expression plasmids. Here a vector design strategy to express genes in plants is formalized and implemented as a grammar in GenoCAD, a Computer-Aided Design software for synthetic biology. It includes a library of plant biological parts organized in structural categories and a set of rules describing how to assemble these parts into large constructs. Rules developed here are organized and divided into three main subsections according to the aim of the final construct: protein localization studies, promoter analysis and protein-protein interaction experiments. The GenoCAD plant grammar guides the user through the design while allowing users to customize vectors according to their needs. Therefore the plant grammar implemented in GenoCAD will help plant biologists take advantage of methods from synthetic biology to design expression vectors supporting their research projects.

Nuclear and cellular expression data from the whole 16-cell stage Arabidopsis thaliana embryo and a cell type-specific expression atlas of the early Arabidopsis embryo

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Palovaara, J.P.J.

2017-01-01

SuperSeries contain expression data from the nuclei of cell types involved in patterning events, with focus on root apical stem cell formation, at 16-cell stage, early globular stage and late globular stage in the early Arabidopsis embryo (atlas). Expression data comparing nuclear and cellular RNA

Lack of FasL expression in cultured human retinal pigment epithelial cells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kaestel, C G; Madsen, H O; Prause, J U

2001-01-01

Retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells have been proposed to play a part in maintaining the eye as an immune privileged organ. However, our knowledge of the implicated mechanism is still sparse. Fas ligand (FasL) expression of RPE cells is generally recognized to be essential for the immune...... privilege of the eye, but due to contradictory published results, it is unclear whether RPE cells express this molecule. The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression of FasL in RPE cells in vitro and in vivo. Cultured human fetal and adult RPE cells were examined by flow cytometry, Western...... blotting, RT-PCR and RNase Protection assay for FasL expression. Additionally, sections of ocular tissue were stained for FasL by immunohistochemistry. None of the used methods indicated FasL expression in cultured fetal or adult RPE cells of various passages. However, RPE cells in vivo, as judged from...

Paired Expression Analysis of Tumor Cell Surface Antigens

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Rimas J. Orentas

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Adoptive immunotherapy with antibody-based therapy or with T cells transduced to express chimeric antigen receptors (CARs is useful to the extent that the cell surface membrane protein being targeted is not expressed on normal tissues. The most successful CAR-based (anti-CD19 or antibody-based therapy (anti-CD20 in hematologic malignancies has the side effect of eliminating the normal B cell compartment. Targeting solid tumors may not provide a similar expendable marker. Beyond antibody to Her2/NEU and EGFR, very few antibody-based and no CAR-based therapies have seen broad clinical application for solid tumors. To expand the way in which the surfaceome of solid tumors can be analyzed, we created an algorithm that defines the pairwise relative overexpression of surface antigens. This enables the development of specific immunotherapies that require the expression of two discrete antigens on the surface of the tumor target. This dyad analysis was facilitated by employing the Hotelling’s T-squared test (Hotelling–Lawley multivariate analysis of variance for two independent variables in comparison to a third constant entity (i.e., gene expression levels in normal tissues. We also present a unique consensus scoring mechanism for identifying transcripts that encode cell surface proteins. The unique application of our bioinformatics processing pipeline and statistical tools allowed us to compare the expression of two membrane protein targets as a pair, and to propose a new strategy based on implementing immunotherapies that require both antigens to be expressed on the tumor cell surface to trigger therapeutic effector mechanisms. Specifically, we found that, for MYCN amplified neuroblastoma, pairwise expression of ACVR2B or anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK with GFRA3, GFRA2, Cadherin 24, or with one another provided the strongest hits. For MYCN, non-amplified stage 4 neuroblastoma, neurotrophic tyrosine kinase 1, or ALK paired with GFRA2, GFRA3, SSK

Expression of human adenosine deaminase in mice reconstituted with retrovirus-transduced hematopoietic stem cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilson, J.M.; Danos, O.; Grossman, M.; Raulet, D.H.; Mulligan, R.C.

1990-01-01

Recombinant retroviruses encoding human adenosine deaminase have been used to infect murine hematopoietic stem cells. In bone marrow transplant recipients reconstituted with the genetically modified cells, human ADA was detected in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of the recipients for at least 6 months after transplantation. In animals analyzed in detail 4 months after transplantation, human ADA and proviral sequences were detected in all hematopoietic lineages; in several cases, human ADA activity exceeded the endogenous activity. These studies demonstrate the feasibility of introducing a functional human ADA gene into hematopoietic stem cells and obtaining expression in multiple hematopoietic lineages long after transplantation. This approach should be helpful in designing effective gene therapies for severe combined immunodeficiency syndromes in humans

Expression of the epidermal growth factor receptor in human small cell lung cancer cell lines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Damstrup, L; Rygaard, K; Spang-Thomsen, M

1992-01-01

of EGF receptor mRNA in all 10 cell lines that were found to be EGF receptor-positive and in one cell line that was found to be EGF receptor-negative in the radioreceptor assay and affinity labeling. Our results provide, for the first time, evidence that a large proportion of a broad panel of small cell......Epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor expression was evaluated in a panel of 21 small cell lung cancer cell lines with radioreceptor assay, affinity labeling, and Northern blotting. We found high-affinity receptors to be expressed in 10 cell lines. Scatchard analysis of the binding data...... demonstrated that the cells bound between 3 and 52 fmol/mg protein with a KD ranging from 0.5 x 10(-10) to 2.7 x 10(-10) M. EGF binding to the receptor was confirmed by affinity-labeling EGF to the EGF receptor. The cross-linked complex had a M(r) of 170,000-180,000. Northern blotting showed the expression...

Psoriatic T cells reduce epidermal turnover time and affect cell proliferation contributed from differential gene expression.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Junqin; Li, Xinhua; Hou, Ruixia; Liu, Ruifeng; Zhao, Xincheng; Dong, Feng; Wang, Chunfang; Yin, Guohua; Zhang, Kaiming

2015-09-01

Psoriasis is mediated primarily by T cells, which reduce epidermal turnover time and affect keratinocyte proliferation. We aimed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEG) in T cells from normal, five pairs of monozygotic twins concordant or discordant for psoriasis, to determine whether these DEG may account for the influence to epidermal turnover time and keratinocyte proliferation. The impact of T cells on keratinocyte proliferation and epidermal turnover time were investigated separately by immunohistochemistry and cultured with (3) H-TdR. mRNA expression patterns were investigated by RNA sequencing and verified by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. After co-culture with psoriatic T cells, the expression of Ki-67, c-Myc and p53 increased, while expression of Bcl-2 and epidermal turnover time decreased. There were 14 DEG which were found to participate in the regulation of cell proliferation or differentiation. Psoriatic T cells exhibited the ability to decrease epidermal turnover time and affect keratinocyte proliferation because of the differential expression of PPIL1, HSPH1, SENP3, NUP54, FABP5, PLEKHG3, SLC9A9 and CHCHD4. © 2015 Japanese Dermatological Association.

Methods of expressing and detecting activity of expansin in plant cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hood, Elizabeth E.; Yoon, Sangwoong

2017-10-10

A method of expressing heterologous expansin in a plant cell is provided where a nucleic acid molecule encoding expansin is introduced into the plant cell and in an embodiment is operably linked to a promoter preferentially expressing in the seed tissue of the plant, and in another embodiment is linked to a promoter preferentially expressing in the embryo tissue of the seed. An embodiment provides the nucleic acid molecule is operably linked to a second nucleic acid molecule that directs expression to the endoplasmic reticulum, vacuole or cell wall. Plants and plant parts expressing expansin are provided. An assay for detection of expansin activity is also provided.

Estrogen regulation of TRPM8 expression in breast cancer cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chodon, Dechen; Guilbert, Arnaud; Dhennin-Duthille, Isabelle; Gautier, Mathieu; Telliez, Marie-Sophie; Sevestre, Henri; Ouadid-Ahidouch, Halima

2010-01-01

The calcium-permeable cation channel TRPM8 (melastatin-related transient receptor potential member 8) is over-expressed in several cancers. The present study aimed at investigating the expression, function and potential regulation of TRPM8 channels by ER alpha (estrogen receptor alpha) in breast cancer. RT-PCR, Western blot, immuno-histochemical, and siRNA techniques were used to investigate TRPM8 expression, its regulation by estrogen receptors, and its expression in breast tissue. To investigate the channel activity in MCF-7 cells, we used the whole cell patch clamp and the calcium imaging techniques. TRPM8 channels are expressed at both mRNA and protein levels in the breast cancer cell line MCF-7. Bath application of the potent TRPM8 agonist Icilin (20 μM) induced a strong outwardly rectifying current at depolarizing potentials, which is associated with an elevation of cytosolic calcium concentration, consistent with established TRPM8 channel properties. RT-PCR experiments revealed a decrease in TRPM8 mRNA expression following steroid deprivation for 48 and 72 hours. In steroid deprived medium, addition of 17-beta-estradiol (E 2 , 10 nM) increased both TRPM8 mRNA expression and the number of cells which respond to Icilin, but failed to affect the Ca 2+ entry amplitude. Moreover, silencing ERα mRNA expression with small interfering RNA reduced the expression of TRPM8. Immuno-histochemical examination of the expression of TRPM8 channels in human breast tissues revealed an over-expression of TRPM8 in breast adenocarcinomas, which is correlated with estrogen receptor positive (ER + ) status of the tumours. Taken together, these results show that TRPM8 channels are expressed and functional in breast cancer and that their expression is regulated by ER alpha

p16 expression in follicular dendritic cell sarcoma: a potential mimicker of human papillomavirus-related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Lingxin; Yang, Chen; Lewis, James S; El-Mofty, Samir K; Chernock, Rebecca D

2017-08-01

Follicular dendritic cell sarcoma is a rare mesenchymal neoplasm that most commonly occurs in cervical lymph nodes. It has histologic and clinical overlap with the much more common p16-positive human papillomavirus (HPV)-related squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx, which characteristically has nonkeratinizing morphology and often presents as an isolated neck mass. Not surprisingly, follicular dendritic cell sarcomas are commonly misdiagnosed as squamous cell carcinoma. Immunohistochemistry is helpful in separating the 2 entities. Follicular dendritic cell sarcoma expresses dendritic markers such as CD21 and CD23 and is almost always cytokeratin negative. However, in many cases of HPV-related oropharyngeal carcinoma, only p16 immunohistochemistry as a prognostic and surrogate marker for HPV is performed. p16 expression in follicular dendritic cell sarcoma has not been characterized. Here, we investigate the expression of p16 in follicular dendritic cell sarcoma and correlate it with retinoblastoma protein expression. A pilot study of dendritic marker expression in HPV-related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma was also performed. We found that 4 of 8 sarcomas expressed p16 with strong and diffuse staining in 2 cases. In 2 of the 4 cases, p16 expression corresponded to loss of retinoblastoma protein expression. Dendritic marker expression (CD21 and CD23) was not found in HPV-related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas. As such, positive p16 immunohistochemistry cannot be used as supportive evidence for the diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma as strong and diffuse p16 expression may also occur in follicular dendritic cell sarcoma. Cytokeratins and dendritic markers are critical in separating the two tumor types. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Microarray Gene Expression Analysis to Evaluate Cell Type Specific Expression of Targets Relevant for Immunotherapy of Hematological Malignancies.

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M J Pont

Full Text Available Cellular immunotherapy has proven to be effective in the treatment of hematological cancers by donor lymphocyte infusion after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and more recently by targeted therapy with chimeric antigen or T-cell receptor-engineered T cells. However, dependent on the tissue distribution of the antigens that are targeted, anti-tumor responses can be accompanied by undesired side effects. Therefore, detailed tissue distribution analysis is essential to estimate potential efficacy and toxicity of candidate targets for immunotherapy of hematological malignancies. We performed microarray gene expression analysis of hematological malignancies of different origins, healthy hematopoietic cells and various non-hematopoietic cell types from organs that are often targeted in detrimental immune responses after allogeneic stem cell transplantation leading to graft-versus-host disease. Non-hematopoietic cells were also cultured in the presence of IFN-γ to analyze gene expression under inflammatory circumstances. Gene expression was investigated by Illumina HT12.0 microarrays and quality control analysis was performed to confirm the cell-type origin and exclude contamination of non-hematopoietic cell samples with peripheral blood cells. Microarray data were validated by quantitative RT-PCR showing strong correlations between both platforms. Detailed gene expression profiles were generated for various minor histocompatibility antigens and B-cell surface antigens to illustrate the value of the microarray dataset to estimate efficacy and toxicity of candidate targets for immunotherapy. In conclusion, our microarray database provides a relevant platform to analyze and select candidate antigens with hematopoietic (lineage-restricted expression as potential targets for immunotherapy of hematological cancers.

Regulation of endothelial cell adhesion molecule expression by mast cells, macrophages, and neutrophils.

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Jie Zhang

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Leukocyte adhesion to the vascular endothelium and subsequent transendothelial migration play essential roles in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis. The leukocyte adhesion is mediated by localized activation of the endothelium through the action of inflammatory cytokines. The exact proinflammatory factors, however, that activate the endothelium and their cellular sources remain incompletely defined.Using bone marrow-derived mast cells from wild-type, Tnf(-/-, Ifng(-/-, Il6(-/- mice, we demonstrated that all three of these pro-inflammatory cytokines from mast cells induced the expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1, P-selectin, and E-selectin in murine heart endothelial cells (MHEC at both mRNA and protein levels. Compared with TNF-α and IL6, IFN-γ appeared weaker in the induction of the mRNA levels, but at protein levels, both IL6 and IFN-γ were weaker inducers than TNF-α. Under physiological shear flow conditions, mast cell-derived TNF-α and IL6 were more potent than IFN-γ in activating MHEC and in promoting neutrophil adhesion. Similar observations were made when neutrophils or macrophages were used. Neutrophils and macrophages produced the same sets of pro-inflammatory cytokines as did mast cells to induce MHEC adhesion molecule expression, with the exception that macrophage-derived IFN-γ showed negligible effect in inducing VCAM-1 expression in MHEC.Mast cells, neutrophils, and macrophages release pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, IFN-γ, and IL6 that induce expression of adhesion molecules in endothelium and recruit of leukocytes, which is essential to the pathogenesis of vascular inflammatory diseases.

Human amnion epithelial cells expressing HLA-G as novel cell-based treatment for liver disease.

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Strom, Stephen C; Gramignoli, Roberto

2016-09-01

Despite routine liver transplantation and supporting medical therapies, thousands of patients currently wait for an organ and there is an unmet need for more refined and widely available regenerative strategies to treat liver diseases. Cell transplants attempt to maximize the potential for repair and/or regeneration in liver and other organs. Over 40years of laboratory pre-clinical research and 25years of clinical procedures have shown that certain liver diseases can be treated by the infusion of isolated cells (hepatocyte transplant). However, like organ transplants, hepatocyte transplant suffers from a paucity of tissues useful for cell production. Alternative sources have been investigated, yet with limited success. The tumorigenic potential of pluripotent stem cells together with their primitive level of hepatic differentiation, have limited the use of stem cell populations. Stem cell sources from human placenta, and the amnion tissue in particular are receiving renewed interest in the field of regenerative medicine. Unlike pluripotent stem cells, human amnion epithelial (AE) cells are easily available without ethical or religious concerns; they do not express telomerase and are not immortal or tumorigenic when transplanted. In addition, AE cells have been reported to express genes normally expressed in mature liver, when transplanted into the liver. Moreover, because of the possibility of an immune-privileged status related to their expression of HLA-G, it might be possible to transplant human AE cells without immunosuppression of the recipient. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Establishment of a common acute lymphoblastic leukemia cell line (LC4-1) and effects of phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) on the surface antigen expression of the cell line.

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Yoshimura, T; Mayumi, M; Yorifuji, T; Kim, K M; Heike, T; Miyanomae, T; Shinomiya, K; Mikawa, H

1987-09-01

A common acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cell line, designated LC4-1, was established from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of a patient with acute non-T-cell ALL. LC4-1 cells were characteristically positive for Ia, B4, and common ALL antigens (CALLA), but negative for B2, Tac, T3, T4, T8, T11, and M1 antigens and E-rosette formation. Approximately 30% of LC4-1 cells expressed detectable amounts of B1 antigens. LC4-1 cells expressed neither Epstein-Barr-virus-associated nuclear antigen (EBNA), cytoplasmic immunoglobulins (cIg) nor surface immunoglobulins (sIg). Gene rearrangements had already occurred in LC4-1 in the D-J region of immunoglobulin heavy chain genes, but not in T-cell receptor (beta-chain) genes, suggesting that LC4-1 is a progenitor cell line of B-cell lineage earlier than pre-B-cells. The expression of cell surface antigens of LC4-1 was changed by treatment with 4-phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) (0.1 ng/ml) for 2 days. Before treatment with PMA, about 98% of LC4-1 cells were positive for B4, CALLA, and Ia. However, following treatment they lost CALLA expression without any change in expression of Ia and B4. There was no change in B1-positive population. The change in surface antigens on LC4-1 cells seems to be due to differentiation induced in the cells by PMA. These results support the hypothesis that CALLA is a differentiation antigen and suggest one possible differentiation pathway for pre-B-cells.

Expression of the Acyl-Coenzyme A: Cholesterol Acyltransferase GFP Fusion Protein in Sf21 Insect Cells

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Mahtani, H. K.; Richmond, R. C.; Chang, T. Y.; Chang, C. C. Y.; Rose, M. Franklin (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The enzyme acyl-coenzyme A:cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) is an important contributor to the pathological expression of plaque leading to artherosclerosis n a major health problem. Adequate knowledge of the structure of this protein will enable pharmaceutical companies to design drugs specific to the enzyme. ACAT is a membrane protein located in the endoplasmic reticulum.t The protein has never been purified to homogeneity.T.Y. Chang's laboratory at Dartmouth College provided a 4-kb cDNA clone (K1) coding for a structural gene of the protein. We have modified the gene sequence and inserted the cDNA into the BioGreen His Baculovirus transfer vector. This was successfully expressed in Sf2l insect cells as a GFP-labeled ACAT protein. The advantage to this ACAT-GFP fusion protein (abbreviated GCAT) is that one can easily monitor its expression as a function of GFP excitation at 395 nm and emission at 509 nm. Moreover, the fusion protein GCAT can be detected on Western blots with the use of commercially available GFP antibodies. Antibodies against ACAT are not readily available. The presence of the 6xHis tag in the transfer vector facilitates purification of the recombinant protein since 6xHis fusion proteins bind with high affinity to Ni-NTA agarose. Obtaining highly pure protein in large quantities is essential for subsequent crystallization. The purified GCAT fusion protein can readily be cleaved into distinct GFP and ACAT proteins in the presence of thrombin. Thrombin digests the 6xHis tag linking the two protein sequences. Preliminary experiments have indicated that both GCAT and ACAT are expressed as functional proteins. The ultimate aim is to obtain large quantities of the ACAT protein in pure and functional form appropriate for protein crystal growth. Determining protein structure is the key to the design and development of effective drugs. X-ray analysis requires large homogeneous crystals that are difficult to obtain in the gravity environment of earth

Elevated HLA-A expression impairs HIV control through inhibition of NKG2A-expressing cells.

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Ramsuran, Veron; Naranbhai, Vivek; Horowitz, Amir; Qi, Ying; Martin, Maureen P; Yuki, Yuko; Gao, Xiaojiang; Walker-Sperling, Victoria; Del Prete, Gregory Q; Schneider, Douglas K; Lifson, Jeffrey D; Fellay, Jacques; Deeks, Steven G; Martin, Jeffrey N; Goedert, James J; Wolinsky, Steven M; Michael, Nelson L; Kirk, Gregory D; Buchbinder, Susan; Haas, David; Ndung'u, Thumbi; Goulder, Philip; Parham, Peter; Walker, Bruce D; Carlson, Jonathan M; Carrington, Mary

2018-01-05

The highly polymorphic human leukocyte antigen ( HLA ) locus encodes cell surface proteins that are critical for immunity. HLA-A expression levels vary in an allele-dependent manner, diversifying allele-specific effects beyond peptide-binding preference. Analysis of 9763 HIV-infected individuals from 21 cohorts shows that higher HLA-A levels confer poorer control of HIV. Elevated HLA-A expression provides enhanced levels of an HLA-A-derived signal peptide that specifically binds and determines expression levels of HLA-E, the ligand for the inhibitory NKG2A natural killer (NK) cell receptor. HLA-B haplotypes that favor NKG2A-mediated NK cell licensing (i.e., education) exacerbate the deleterious effect of high HLA-A on HIV control, consistent with NKG2A-mediated inhibition impairing NK cell clearance of HIV-infected targets. Therapeutic blockade of HLA-E:NKG2A interaction may yield benefit in HIV disease. Copyright © 2017, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Gene expression profiling of liver cancer stem cells by RNA-sequencing.

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David W Y Ho

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Accumulating evidence supports that tumor growth and cancer relapse are driven by cancer stem cells. Our previous work has demonstrated the existence of CD90(+ liver cancer stem cells (CSCs in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC. Nevertheless, the characteristics of these cells are still poorly understood. In this study, we employed a more sensitive RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq to compare the gene expression profiling of CD90(+ cells sorted from tumor (CD90(+CSCs with parallel non-tumorous liver tissues (CD90(+NTSCs and elucidate the roles of putative target genes in hepatocarcinogenesis. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: CD90(+ cells were sorted respectively from tumor and adjacent non-tumorous human liver tissues using fluorescence-activated cell sorting. The amplified RNAs of CD90(+ cells from 3 HCC patients were subjected to RNA-Seq analysis. A differential gene expression profile was established between CD90(+CSCs and CD90(+NTSCs, and validated by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR on the same set of amplified RNAs, and further confirmed in an independent cohort of 12 HCC patients. Five hundred genes were differentially expressed (119 up-regulated and 381 down-regulated genes between CD90(+CSCs and CD90(+NTSCs. Gene ontology analysis indicated that the over-expressed genes in CD90(+CSCs were associated with inflammation, drug resistance and lipid metabolism. Among the differentially expressed genes, glypican-3 (GPC3, a member of glypican family, was markedly elevated in CD90(+CSCs compared to CD90(+NTSCs. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated that GPC3 was highly expressed in forty-two human liver tumor tissues but absent in adjacent non-tumorous liver tissues. Flow cytometry indicated that GPC3 was highly expressed in liver CD90(+CSCs and mature cancer cells in liver cancer cell lines and human liver tumor tissues. Furthermore, GPC3 expression was positively correlated with the number of CD90(+CSCs in liver tumor tissues. CONCLUSIONS

Gene Expression Profiling of Liver Cancer Stem Cells by RNA-Sequencing

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Lam, Chi Tat; Ng, Michael N. P.; Yu, Wan Ching; Lau, Joyce; Wan, Timothy; Wang, Xiaoqi; Yan, Zhixiang; Liu, Hang; Fan, Sheung Tat

2012-01-01

Background Accumulating evidence supports that tumor growth and cancer relapse are driven by cancer stem cells. Our previous work has demonstrated the existence of CD90+ liver cancer stem cells (CSCs) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Nevertheless, the characteristics of these cells are still poorly understood. In this study, we employed a more sensitive RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq) to compare the gene expression profiling of CD90+ cells sorted from tumor (CD90+CSCs) with parallel non-tumorous liver tissues (CD90+NTSCs) and elucidate the roles of putative target genes in hepatocarcinogenesis. Methodology/Principal Findings CD90+ cells were sorted respectively from tumor and adjacent non-tumorous human liver tissues using fluorescence-activated cell sorting. The amplified RNAs of CD90+ cells from 3 HCC patients were subjected to RNA-Seq analysis. A differential gene expression profile was established between CD90+CSCs and CD90+NTSCs, and validated by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) on the same set of amplified RNAs, and further confirmed in an independent cohort of 12 HCC patients. Five hundred genes were differentially expressed (119 up-regulated and 381 down-regulated genes) between CD90+CSCs and CD90+NTSCs. Gene ontology analysis indicated that the over-expressed genes in CD90+CSCs were associated with inflammation, drug resistance and lipid metabolism. Among the differentially expressed genes, glypican-3 (GPC3), a member of glypican family, was markedly elevated in CD90+CSCs compared to CD90+NTSCs. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated that GPC3 was highly expressed in forty-two human liver tumor tissues but absent in adjacent non-tumorous liver tissues. Flow cytometry indicated that GPC3 was highly expressed in liver CD90+CSCs and mature cancer cells in liver cancer cell lines and human liver tumor tissues. Furthermore, GPC3 expression was positively correlated with the number of CD90+CSCs in liver tumor tissues. Conclusions/Significance The identified genes

Insulin receptor substrate 1 expression enhances the sensitivity of 32D cells to chemotherapy-induced cell death

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Porter, Holly A.; Carey, Gregory B.; Keegan, Achsah D.

2012-01-01

The adapters IRS1 and IRS2 link growth factor receptors to downstream signaling pathways that regulate proliferation and survival. Both suppress factor-withdrawal-induced apoptosis and have been implicated in cancer progression. However, recent studies suggest IRS1 and IRS2 mediate differential functions in cancer pathogenesis. IRS1 promoted breast cancer proliferation, while IRS2 promoted metastasis. The role of IRS1 and IRS2 in controlling cell responses to chemotherapy is unknown. To determine the role of IRS1 and IRS2 in the sensitivity of cells to chemotherapy, we treated 32D cells lacking or expressing IRS proteins with various concentrations of chemotherapeutic agents. We found that expression of IRS1, in contrast to IRS2, enhanced the sensitivity of 32D cells to chemotherapy-induced apoptosis. When IRS2 was expressed with IRS1, the cells no longer showed enhanced sensitivity. Expression of IRS1 did not alter the expression of pro- and anti-apoptotic proteins; however, 32D-IRS1 cells expressed higher levels of Annexin A2. In 32D-IRS1 cells, IRS1 and Annexin A2 were both located in cytoplasmic and membrane fractions. We also found that IRS1 coprecipitated with Annexin A2, while IRS2 did not. Decreasing Annexin A2 levels reduced 32D-IRS1 cell sensitivity to chemotherapy. These results suggest IRS1 enhances sensitivity to chemotherapy in part through Annexin A2. -- Highlights: ► IRS1 enhanced the sensitivity of 32D cells to chemotherapy-induced apoptosis. ► This sensitivity is abrogated by the expression of IRS2. ► Expressing IRS1 in 32D cells increased levels of Annexin A2. ► Both IRS1 and Annexin A2 were located in cytoplasmic and membrane fractions. ► Decreasing Annexin A2 in 32D-IRS1 cells abated their sensitivity to chemotherapy.

Ferritin expression in rat hepatocytes and Kupffer cells after lead nitrate treatment.

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Fan, Yang; Yamada, Toshiyuki; Shimizu, Takeshi; Nanashima, Naoki; Akita, Miki; Suto, Kohji; Tsuchida, Shigeki

2009-02-01

Lead nitrate induces hepatocyte proliferation and subsequent apoptosis in rat livers. Iron is a constituent of heme and is also required for cell proliferation. In this study, the expression of ferritin light-chain (FTL), the major iron storage protein, was investigated in rat livers after a single intravenous injection of lead nitrate. Western blotting and immunohistochemistry revealed that FTL was increased in hepatocytes around the central veins and strongly expressed in nonparenchymal cells. Some FTL-positive nonparenchymal cells were identified as Kupffer cells that were positive for CD68. FTL-positive Kupffer cells occupied about 60% of CD68-positive cells in the periportal and perivenous areas. The relationships between FTL expression and apoptosis induction or the engulfment of apoptotic cells were examined. TUNEL-positive cells were increased in the treatment group, and enhanced expression of milk fat globule EGF-like 8 was demonstrated in some Kupffer cells and hepatocytes, indicating enhanced apoptosis induction and phagocytosis of apoptotic cells. FTL-positive Kupffer cells were not detected without lead nitrate treatment or in rat livers treated with clofibrate, which induces hepatocyte proliferation but not apoptosis. These results suggest that FTL expression in Kupffer cells after lead treatment is dependent on phagocytosis of apoptotic cells.

[Expression of c-MPL in leukemic stem cells from acute myeloid leukemia patients].

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Yu, Pei; Qiu, Shao-Wei; Rao, Qing; Lin, Dong; Xing, Hai-Yan; Tang, Ke-Jing; Tian, Zheng; Wang, Min; Wang, Jian-Xiang

2012-10-01

This study was aimed to investigate the expression of c-MPL in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and the correlation of the c-MPL expression with CD34 and CD38, so as to define the expression of c-MPL in leukemic stem cells. The expression levels of CD34, CD38 and c-MPL were detected by flow cytometry in bone marrow cells from 29 newly diagnosed AML patients. The relationship of c-MPL positive cell ratio with clinical parameters and correlation of c-MPL with CD34 and CD38 expression in AML patients were analyzed. The results showed that expression level of c-MPL in AML patients was significantly higher than that of normal controls (P MPL did not correlate with age, sex, white blood cell count, AML1-ETO fusion gene and remission after chemotherapy, but the expression of c-MPL in M2 and M5 patients was higher than that of normal control (P MPL in CD34 positive AML patients was obviously higher than that in CD34 negative AML patients (P MPL was significantly higher expressed in CD34(+) cells than that in CD34(-) cells (P MPL expression was not significantly different between CD34(+)CD38(-) and CD34(+)CD38(-) cell groups. Positive correlation between c-MPL and CD34 expression was observed (r = 0.380, P = 0.042). It is concluded that expression of c-MPL is higher in AML patients, and positively correlates with the expression level of CD34. The c-MPL expresses in leukemic stem cells.

Construction of rat beta defensin-2 eukaryotic expression vector and expression in the transfected rat corneal epithelial cell

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Jing Dan

2017-03-01

Full Text Available AIM: To construct a recombinant eukaryotic expression vector of rat beta defensin-2(rBD-2, transfect it into the rat corneal epithelial cells with lipofection, determine the expression of target gene in the transfected cells, and discuss the potentiality of recombinant plasmid expressed in corneal epithelial cells, hoping to provide an experimental foundation for further study on the antimicrobial activity of rBD-2 in vitro and in vivo and to assess the probability of defensins as a new application for infectious corneal diseases in the future. METHODS: The synthetic rBD-2 DNA fragment was inserted between the XhoI and BamHI restriction enzyme cutting sites of eukaryotic expression vector pIRES2-ZsGreen1 to construct the recombinant plasmid pIRES2-ZsGreen1-rBD-2, then transformed it into E.coli DH5α, positive clones were screened by kanamycin and identified with restriction endonucleases and sequencing analysis. Transfection into the rat corneal epithelial cells was performed by lipofection. Then the experiment was divided into three groups: rat corneal epithelial cell was transfected with the recombinant plasmid pIRES2- ZsGreen1-rBD-2, rat corneal epithelial cell was transfected with the empty plasmid pIRES2-ZsGreen1 and the non-transfected group. The inverted fluorescence microscope was used to observe the transfection process. At last, the level of rBD-2 mRNA expressed in the transfected cells and the control groups are compared by the real-time fluoresence relative quantitative PCR. RESULTS: The recombinant eukaryotic expression vector of pIRES2-ZsGreen1-rBD-2 was successfully constructed. The level of rBD-2 mRNA in transfected cells was significantly higher than that in control groups through the real-time fluorescence relative quantitative PCR. CONCLUSION: The recombinant eukaryotic expression vector pIRES2-ZsGreen1-rBD-2 could be transfected into rat corneal epithelial cells, and exogenous rBD-2 gene could be transcripted into mRNA in

Enhanced Toxic Metal Accumulation in Engineered Bacterial Cells Expressing Arabidopsis thaliana Phytochelatin Synthase

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Sauge-Merle, Sandrine; Cuiné, Stéphan; Carrier, Patrick; Lecomte-Pradines, Catherine; Luu, Doan-Trung; Peltier, Gilles

2003-01-01

Phytochelatins (PCs) are metal-binding cysteine-rich peptides, enzymatically synthesized in plants and yeasts from glutathione in response to heavy metal stress by PC synthase (EC 2.3.2.15). In an attempt to increase the ability of bacterial cells to accumulate heavy metals, the Arabidopsis thaliana gene encoding PC synthase (AtPCS) was expressed in Escherichia coli. A marked accumulation of PCs was observed in vivo together with a decrease in the glutathione cellular content. When bacterial cells expressing AtPCS were placed in the presence of heavy metals such as cadmium or the metalloid arsenic, cellular metal contents were increased 20- and 50-fold, respectively. We discuss the possibility of using genes of the PC biosynthetic pathway to design bacterial strains or higher plants with increased abilities to accumulate toxic metals, and also arsenic, for use in bioremediation and/or phytoremediation processes. PMID:12514032

Expression of sodium/iodide symporter transgene in neural stem cells

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Kim, Yun Hui; Lee, Dong Soo; Kang, Joo Hyun; Lee, Yong Jin; Chung, June Key; Lee, Myung Chul

2004-01-01

The ability to noninvasively track the migration of neural progenitor cells would have significant clinical and research implications. We generated stably transfected F3 human neural progenitor cells with human sodium/iodide symporter (hNIS) for noninvasively tracking F3. In this study, the expression patterns of hNIS gene in F3-NIS were examined according to the cultured time and the epigenetic modulation. F3 human neural stem cells had been obtained from Dr. Seung U. Kim (Ajou University, Suwon, Korea). hNIS and hygromycin resistance gene were linked with IRES (internal Ribosome Entry Site) under control of CMV promoter. This construct was transfected to F3 with Liposome. To investigate the restoration of hNIS gene expression in F3-NIS, cells were treated with demethylating agent (5-Azacytidine) and Histone deacetylase inhibitor (Trichostatin A: TSA). The expression of hNIS was measured by I-125 uptake assay and RT-PCR analysis. The iodide uptake of the F3-NIS was higher 12.86 times than F3 cell line. According to the cell passage number, hNIS expression in F3-NIS gradually diminished. After treatment of 5-Azacytidine and TSA with serial doses (up to 20μM, up to 62.5nM, respectively) for 24 hours, I-125 uptake and mRNA of hNIS in F3-NIS were increased. These results suggest that hNIS transfected F3 might undergo a change in its biological characters by cell passage. Therefore, the gene expression of exogenous gene transferred human stem cell might be affected to the epigenetic modulation such as promoter methylation and Histone deacetylation and to the cell culture conditions

B7h-expressing dendritic cells and plasma B cells mediate distinct outcomes of ICOS costimulation in T cell-dependent antibody responses

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Larimore Kevin

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The ICOS-B7h costimulatory receptor-ligand pair is required for germinal center formation, the production of isotype-switched antibodies, and antibody affinity maturation in response to T cell-dependent antigens. However, the potentially distinct roles of regulated B7h expression on B cells and dendritic cells in T cell-dependent antibody responses have not been defined. Results We generated transgenic mice with lineage-restricted B7h expression to assess the cell-type specific roles of B7h expression on B cells and dendritic cells in regulating T cell-dependent antibody responses. Our results show that endogenous B7h expression is reduced on B cells after activation in vitro and is also reduced in vivo on antibody-secreting plasma B cells in comparison to both naïve and germinal center B cells from which they are derived. Increasing the level of B7h expression on activated and plasma B cells in B-B7hTg mice led to an increase in the number of antibody-secreting plasma cells generated after immunization and a corresponding increase in the concentration of antigen-specific high affinity serum IgG antibodies of all isotypes, without affecting the number of responding germinal center B cells. In contrast, ICOS costimulation mediated by dendritic cells in DC-B7hTg mice contributed to germinal center formation and selectively increased IgG2a production without affecting the overall magnitude of antibody responses. Conclusions Using transgenic mice with lineage-restricted B7h expression, we have revealed distinct roles of ICOS costimulation mediated by dendritic cells and B cells in the regulation of T cell-dependent antibody responses.

Dendrimer-driven neurotrophin expression differs in temporal patterns between rodent and human stem cells.

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Shakhbazau, Antos; Shcharbin, Dzmitry; Seviaryn, Ihar; Goncharova, Natalya; Kosmacheva, Svetlana; Potapnev, Mihail; Bryszewska, Maria; Kumar, Ranjan; Biernaskie, Jeffrey; Midha, Rajiv

2012-05-07

This study reports the use of a nonviral expression system based on polyamidoamine dendrimers for time-restricted neurotrophin overproduction in mesenchymal stem cells and skin precursor-derived Schwann cells. The dendrimers were used to deliver plasmids for brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) or neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) expression in both rodent and human stem cells, and the timelines of expression were studied. We have found that, despite the fact that transfection efficiencies and protein expression levels were comparable, dendrimer-driven expression in human mesenchymal stem cells was characterized by a more rapid decline compared to rodent cells. Transient expression systems can be beneficial for some neurotrophins, which were earlier reported to cause unwanted side effects in virus-based long-term expression models. Nonviral neurotrophin expression is a biologically safe and accessible alternative to increase the therapeutic potential of autologous adult stem cells and stem cell-derived functional differentiated cells.

SOX2 and OCT4 mRNA-expressing cells, detected by molecular beacons, localize to the center of neurospheres during differentiation.

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Mirolyuba Ilieva

Full Text Available Neurospheres are used as in vitro assay to measure the properties of neural stem cells. To investigate the molecular and phenotypic heterogeneity of neurospheres, molecular beacons (MBs targeted against the stem cell markers OCT4 and SOX2 were designed, and synthesized with a 2'-O-methyl RNA backbone. OCT4 and SOX2 MBs were transfected into human embryonic mesencephalon derived cells, which spontaneously form neurospheres when grown on poly-L-ornitine/fibronectin matrix and medium complemented with bFGF. OCT4 and SOX2 gene expression were tracked in individual cell using the MBs. Quantitative image analysis every day for seven days showed that the OCT4 and SOX2 mRNA-expressing cells clustered in the centre of the neurospheres cultured in differentiation medium. By contrast, cells at the periphery of the differentiating spheres developed neurite outgrowths and expressed the tyrosine hydroxylase protein, indicating terminal differentiation. Neurospheres cultured in growth medium contained OCT4 and SOX2-positive cells distributed throughout the entire sphere, and no differentiating neurones. Gene expression of SOX2 and OCT4 mRNA detected by MBs correlated well with gene and protein expression measured by qRT-PCR and immunostaining, respectively. These experimental data support the theoretical model that stem cells cluster in the centre of neurospheres, and demonstrate the use of MBs for the spatial localization of specific gene-expressing cells within heterogeneous cell populations.

Expression Profile of Drug and Nutrient Absorption Related Genes in Madin-Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK Cells Grown under Differentiation Conditions

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Balvinder S. Vig

2012-06-01

Full Text Available The expression levels of genes involved in drug and nutrient absorption were evaluated in the Madin-Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK in vitro drug absorption model. MDCK cells were grown on plastic surfaces (for 3 days or on Transwell^® membranes (for 3, 5, 7, and 9 days. The expression profile of genes including ABC transporters, SLC transporters, and cytochrome P450 (CYP enzymes was determined using the Affymetrix^® Canine GeneChip^®. Expression of genes whose probe sets passed a stringent confirmation process was examined. Expression of a few transporter (MDR1, PEPT1 and PEPT2 genes in MDCK cells was confirmed by RT-PCR. The overall gene expression profile was strongly influenced by the type of support the cells were grown on. After 3 days of growth, expression of 28% of the genes was statistically different (1.5-fold cutoff, p < 0.05 between the cells grown on plastic and Transwell^® membranes. When cells were differentiated on Transwell^® membranes, large changes in gene expression profile were observed during the early stages, which then stabilized after 5–7 days. Only a small number of genes encoding drug absorption related SLC, ABC, and CYP were detected in MDCK cells, and most of them exhibited low hybridization signals. Results from this study provide valuable reference information on endogenous gene expression in MDCK cells that could assist in design of drug-transporter and/or drug-enzyme interaction studies, and help interpret the contributions of various transporters and metabolic enzymes in studies with MDCK cells.

A balance of FGF and BMP signals regulates cell cycle exit and Equarin expression in lens cells

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Jarrin, Miguel; Pandit, Tanushree; Gunhaga, Lena

2012-01-01

In embryonic and adult lenses, a balance of cell proliferation, cell cycle exit, and differentiation is necessary to maintain physical function. The molecular mechanisms regulating the transition of proliferating lens epithelial cells to differentiated primary lens fiber cells are poorly characterized. To investigate this question, we used gain- and loss-of-function analyses to modulate fibroblast growth factor (FGF) and/or bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signals in chick lens/retina explants. Here we show that FGF activity plays a key role for proliferation independent of BMP signals. Moreover, a balance of FGF and BMP signals regulates cell cycle exit and the expression of Ccdc80 (also called Equarin), which is expressed at sites where differentiation of lens fiber cells occurs. BMP activity promotes cell cycle exit and induces Equarin expression in an FGF-dependent manner. In contrast, FGF activity is required but not sufficient to induce cell cycle exit or Equarin expression. Furthermore, our results show that in the absence of BMP activity, lens cells have increased cell cycle length or are arrested in the cell cycle, which leads to decreased cell cycle exit. Taken together, these findings suggest that proliferation, cell cycle exit, and early differentiation of primary lens fiber cells are regulated by counterbalancing BMP and FGF signals. PMID:22718906

Germ cell development in the Honeybee (Apis mellifera; Vasa and Nanos expression

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Dearden Peter K

2006-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Studies of specification of germ-cells in insect embryos has indicated that in many taxa the germ cells form early in development, and their formation is associated with pole plasm, germ plasm or an organelle called the oosome. None of these morphological features associated with germ cell formation have been identified in the Honeybee Apis mellifera. In this study I report the cloning and expression analysis of Honeybee homologues of vasa and nanos, germ cell markers in insects and other animals. Results Apis vasa and nanos RNAs are present in early honeybee embryos, but the RNAs clear rapidly, without any cells expressing these germ cell markers past stage 2. These genes are then only expressed in a line of cells in the abdomen from stage 9 onwards. These cells are the developing germ cells that are moved dorsally by dorsal closure and are placed in the genital ridge. Conclusion This study of the expression of germ cell markers in the honeybee implies that in this species either germ cells are formed by an inductive event, late in embryogenesis, or they are formed early in development in the absence of vasa and nanos expression. This contrasts with germ cell development in other members of the Hymenoptera, Diptera and Lepidoptera.

Expression of caspase-3 gene in apoptotic HL-60 cell and different human tumor cell lines

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Li Xiaoming; Song Tianbao

1999-01-01

Objective: To research the expression of caspase-3 gene in the apoptotic and the control HL-60 cells and in the different human tumor cell lines. Methods: Caspase-3 mRNA in the control and γ-radiation-induced apoptotic HL-60 cells, and in the 6 types of human tumor cell lines, was analysed by Northern blot. Results: The caspase-3 gene transcript was more highly expressed in leukemia cells HL-60, CEM, K562 and neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y than in cervical adenocarcinoma HeLa and breast carcinoma MCF7, and more highly in the radiation-induced apoptotic HL-60 than in the control HL-60 cells. Conclusion: The high level of expression of caspase-3 may aid the efforts to understand the tumor cell sensitivity to radiation, apoptosis and its inherent ability to survive

Transient GFP expression in Nicotiana plumbaginifolia suspension cells: the role of gene silencing, cell death and T-DNA loss.

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Weld, R; Heinemann, J; Eady, C

2001-03-01

The transient nature of T-DNA expression was studied with a gfp reporter gene transferred to Nicotiana plumbaginifolia suspension cells from Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Individual GFP-expressing protoplasts were isolated after 4 days' co-cultivation. The protoplasts were cultured without selection and 4 weeks later the surviving proto-calluses were again screened for GFP expression. Of the proto-calluses initially expressing GFP, 50% had lost detectable GFP activity during the first 4 weeks of culture. Multiple T-DNA copies of the gfp gene were detected in 10 of 17 proto-calluses lacking visible GFP activity. The remaining 7 cell lines contained no gfp sequences. Our results confirm that transiently expressed T-DNAs can be lost during growth of somatic cells and demonstrate that transiently expressing cells frequently integrate multiple T-DNAs that become silenced. In cells competent for DNA uptake, cell death and gene silencing were more important barriers to the recovery of stably expressing transformants than lack of T-DNA integration.

SATB2 expression increased anchorage-independent growth and cell migration in human bronchial epithelial cells

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Wu, Feng; Jordan, Ashley; Kluz, Thomas [Department of Environmental Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, 57 Old Forge Road, Tuxedo, NY 10987 (United States); Shen, Steven [Center for Health Informatics and Bioinformatics, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016 (United States); Sun, Hong; Cartularo, Laura A. [Department of Environmental Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, 57 Old Forge Road, Tuxedo, NY 10987 (United States); Costa, Max, E-mail: Max.Costa@nyumc.org [Department of Environmental Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, 57 Old Forge Road, Tuxedo, NY 10987 (United States)

2016-02-15

The special AT-rich sequence-binding protein 2 (SATB2) is a protein that binds to the nuclear matrix attachment region of the cell and regulates gene expression by altering chromatin structure. In our previous study, we reported that SATB2 gene expression was induced in human bronchial epithelial BEAS-2B cells transformed by arsenic, chromium, nickel and vanadium. In this study, we show that ectopic expression of SATB2 in the normal human bronchial epithelial cell-line BEAS-2B increased anchorage-independent growth and cell migration, meanwhile, shRNA-mediated knockdown of SATB2 significantly decreased anchorage-independent growth in Ni transformed BEAS-2B cells. RNA sequencing analyses of SATB2 regulated genes revealed the enrichment of those involved in cytoskeleton, cell adhesion and cell-movement pathways. Our evidence supports the hypothesis that SATB2 plays an important role in BEAS-2B cell transformation. - Highlights: • We performed SATB2 overexpression in the BEAS-2B cell line. • We performed SATB2 knockdown in a Ni transformed BEAS-2B cell line. • SATB2 induced anchorage-independent growth and increased cell migration. • SATB2 knockdown significantly decreased anchorage-independent growth. • We identified alterations in gene involved in cytoskeleton, cell adhesion.