Orofacial clefts (OFCs) are the most frequent craniofacial birth defects. An orofacial cleft (OFC) occurs as a result of deviations in palatogenesis. Cell proliferation, differentiation, adhesion, migration and apoptosis are crucial in palatogenesis. We hypothesized that deregulation of these processes in oral keratinocytes contributes to OFC. We performed microarray expression analysis on palatal keratinocytes from OFC and non-OFC individuals. Principal component analysis showed a clear difference in gene expression with 24 and 17% for the first and second component respectively. In OFC cells, 228 genes were differentially expressed (p<0.001). Gene ontology analysis showed enrichment of genes involved in β1 integrin-mediated adhesion and migration, as well as in P-cadherin expression. A scratch assay demonstrated reduced migration of OFC keratinocytes (343.6 ± 29.62 μm) vs. non-OFC keratinocytes (503.4 ± 41.81 μm, p<0.05). Our results indicate that adhesion and migration are deregulated in OFC keratinocytes, which might contribute to OFC pathogenesis.
Deregulated Adhesion Program in Palatal Keratinocytes of Orofacial Cleft Patients.
Specimen part
View SamplesAffymetrix gene expression AID-GFP-positive vs AID-GFP-negative
The B cell mutator AID promotes B lymphoid blast crisis and drug resistance in chronic myeloid leukemia.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesActivated T cells inhibit neurogenesis in adult animal brain and cultured human fetal neural stem cells (NSC). However, the role of inhibition of neurogenesis in human neuroinflammatory diseases is still uncertain because of the difficulty in obtaining adult NSC from patients. Recent developments in cell reprogramming suggest that NSC may be derived directly from adult fibroblasts. We generated NSC from adult human peripheral CD34+ cells by transfecting the cells with Sendai virus constructs containing Sox-2, Oct3/4, C-MyC and Klf-4. The derived NSC could be differentiated to astroglia and action potential firing neurons. Co-culturing NSC with activated autologous T cells or treatment with recombinant granzyme B caused inhibition of neurogenesis as indicated by decreased NSC proliferation and neuronal differentiation. Thus, we have established a unique autologous in vitro model to study the pathophysiology of neuroinflammatory diseases that has potential for usage in personalized medicine.
Derivation of neural stem cells from human adult peripheral CD34+ cells for an autologous model of neuroinflammation.
Specimen part
View SamplesEpendymal tumors across age groups have been classified and graded solely by histopathology. It is, however, commonly accepted that this classification scheme has limited clinical utility based on its lack of reproducibility in predicting patient outcome. We aimed at establishing a reliable molecular classification using DNA methylation fingerprints and gene expression data of the tumors on a large cohort of 500 tumors. Nine robust molecular subgroups, three in each anatomic compartment of the central nervous system (CNS), were identified.
Molecular Classification of Ependymal Tumors across All CNS Compartments, Histopathological Grades, and Age Groups.
Sex, Specimen part
View SamplesERG overexpression was conducted in stably transfected K562 cell line with a tet-on inducible plasmid habouring ERG3. Prolonged induction of ERG (8 days) produced spindle cell shape changes whereas non-induced cells retained the round morphology. In oder to determine the genes responsible for inducing cell shape changes, a genome wide transcriptional screen was conducted.
ERG induces a mesenchymal-like state associated with chemoresistance in leukemia cells.
Cell line, Treatment
View SamplesThe Philadelphia chromosome (Ph) encoding the oncogenic BCR-ABL1 kinase defines a subset of ALL with a particularly unfavorable prognosis. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cells are derived from B cell precursors in most cases and typically carry rearranged immunglobulin heavy chain (IGH) variable (V) region genes devoid of somatic mutations. Somatic hypermutation is restricted to mature germinal center B cells and depends on activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID). Studying AID expression in 108 cases of ALL, we detected AID mRNA in 24 of 28 Ph-positive ALLs as compared to 6 of 80 Ph-negative ALLs. Forced expression of BCR-ABL1 in Ph-negative ALL cells and inhibition of the BCR-ABL1-kinase showed that aberrant expression of AID depends on BCR-ABL1 kinase activity. Consistent with aberrant AID expression in Ph-positive ALL, IGH V region genes and BCL6 were mutated in many Ph-positive but unmutated in most Ph-negative cases. In addition, AID introduced DNA-single-strand breaks within the tumor suppressor gene CDKN2B in Ph-positive ALL cells, which was sensitive to BCR-ABL1 kinase inhibition and silencing of AID expression by RNA interference. These findings identify AID as a BCR-ABL1-induced mutator in Ph-positive ALL cells, which may be relevant with respect to the particularly unfavorable prognosis of this leukemia subset.
Activation-induced cytidine deaminase acts as a mutator in BCR-ABL1-transformed acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesThe significance of cardiac stem cell (CSC) populations for cardiac regeneration remains disputed. Here, we apply the most direct definition of stem cell function (the ability to replace lost tissue through cell division) to interrogate the existence of CSCs. By single-cell mRNA sequencing and genetic lineage tracing using two Ki67 knockin mouse models, we map all proliferating cells and their progeny in homoeostatic and regenerating murine hearts. Cycling cardiomyocytes were only robustly observed in the early postnatal growth phase, while cycling cells in homoeostatic and damaged adult myocardium represented various noncardiomyocyte cell types. Proliferative postdamage fibroblasts expressing follistatin-like protein 1 (FSTL1) closely resemble neonatal cardiac fibroblasts and form the fibrotic scar. Genetic deletion of Fstl1 in cardiac fibroblasts results in postdamage cardiac rupture. We find no evidence for the existence of a quiescent CSC population, for transdifferentiation of other cell types toward cardiomyocytes, or for proliferation of significant numbers of cardiomyocytes in response to cardiac injury. Overall design: We generated transciptome data from proliferative cardiac cells collected from 3, 7 or 14 days following myocardial infarction (MI) or sham surgery. This series includes single-cell transcriptome data from (Ki67-RFP+) cardiac cells collected from neonatal murine hearts, adult homeostatic murine hearts or adult murine hearts collected 14 days following myocardial infarction (MI), ischemic/perfusion (I/R) or sham surgery.
Profiling proliferative cells and their progeny in damaged murine hearts.
Specimen part, Subject, Time
View SamplesPurpose: Identifying target genes of the two human chromatin remodeling enzymes CHD3 and CHD4 Methods: see below in protocols Results: Libraries were sequenced on Illumina HiSeq2000 platform resulting in 37-71 Mio 50 bp paired-end reads per sample. We identified 16 (i) and 115 (ii) distinctly regulated genes when CHD3-GFP (i) or CHD4-GFP (ii) were overexpressed. Nine genes seem to be commonly regulated by CHD3 and CHD4. We successfully validated four genes from our RNA-seq via qPCR with two new (independent from those, used for RNA-seq) biological replicates. Conclusion: CHD3 and CHD4 regulate distinct genes. Overall design: Total RNA was prepared from 24 hours induced (1 ng/µl Dox) and non-induced Flp-In™ T-REx™ 293 cells, expressing GFP, hCHD3-GFP (UniProt: Q12873) or hCHD4-GFP(UniProt Q14839). Library preparation and Illumina Sequencing was perfprmed by EMBL GeneCore facility in Heidelberg (Germany: Dr. Vladimir Benes)
CHD3 and CHD4 form distinct NuRD complexes with different yet overlapping functionality.
Cell line, Subject
View SamplesSurface topography impacts on cell growth and differentiation, but it is not trivial to generate homogeneous surface structures and to define the specific morphological parameters of relevance. In this study, we have compared gene expression profiles of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on nanostructured groove/ridge surfaces. Patterns were generated in polyimide using multi beam laser interference. These structures affected cell size and orientation of human MSCs. Furthermore, the nano-patterns with a periodicity of 650 nm increased differentiation towards osteogenic and adipogenic lineages. However, in absence of differentiation media the surface structures did neither induce differentiation, nor lineage-specific gene expression changes as assessed by genome wide gene expression profiles with Affymetrix microarray technology. Our results demonstrate that grooves and ridges at a periodicity of 650 nm enhance the propensity of MSCs to differentiate towards adipogenic and/or osteogenic lineages but they do not directly govern lineage-specific gene expression changes.
Surface topography enhances differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells towards osteogenic and adipogenic lineages.
Specimen part, Subject
View SamplesEmbryonal Tumors with Multilayered Rosettes (ETMRs) have recently been described as a new entity of rare pediatric brain tumors with fatal outcome. We show here that ETMRs are characterized by a parallel activation of Shh- and Wnt-signaling. Co-activation of these pathways in murine neural precursors is sufficient to induce ETMR-like tumors in vivo that resemble their human counterparts based on histology and global gene expression analyses, and point to apical radial glia cells as the possible tumor cell-of-origin. Overexpression of LIN28A, which is a hallmark of human ETMRs, augments Sonic Hedgehog (Shh)- and Wnt-signaling in these precursor cells through downregulation of let7-miRNA, and LIN28A/let7a interaction with the Shh-pathway was detected at the level of Gli mRNA. Finally, human ETMR cells that were transplanted into immunocompromised host mice were responsive to the Shh-inhibitor Arsenic trioxide (ATO). Our findings provide a novel mouse model to study this tumor type, demonstrate the driving role of Wnt- and Shh-activation in the growth of ETMRs and propose downstream inhibition of Shh-signaling as a therapeutic option for patients with ETMRs.
A mouse model for embryonal tumors with multilayered rosettes uncovers the therapeutic potential of Sonic-hedgehog inhibitors.
Specimen part
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