Alcohol consumption is known to lead to gene expression changes in the brain. After performing gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) of genome-wide mRNA and microRNA expressions in the Nucleus Accumbens (NAc) from subjects with alcohol dependence (AD) and matched controls six mRNA and three miRNA modules significantly correlated with AD after Bonferroni correction (adj. p 0.05) were identified. Cell-type-specific transcriptome analysis revealed two of the mRNA modules to be enriched for neuronal specific marker genes and downregulated in AD, whereas the remaining four were enriched for astrocyte and microglial specific marker genes and were upregulated in AD. Using gene set enrichment analysis, the neuronal specific modules were enriched for genes involved in oxidative phosphorylation, mitochondrial dysfunction and MAPK signaling, while the glial-specific modules were enriched mostly for genes involved in processes related to immune functions, i.e. reactome cytokine signaling in immune system (all adj. p 0.05). In the mRNA and miRNA modules, 461 and 25 candidate hub genes were identified, respectively. In contrast to the expected miRNAs biological functions, the correlation analyses between mRNA and miRNA hub genes revealed a significantly higher number of positive than negative correlations (chi-square p 0.0001). At FDR 0.1, integration of the mRNA and miRNA hubs genes expression with genome-wide genotypic data identified 591 cis-eQTLs and 62 cis-eQTLs for the mRNA and miRNA hubs, respectively. Adjusting for the number of tests, the mRNA cis-eQTLs were significantly enriched for AD GWAS signals in the Collaborative Study on Genetics of Alcohol (COGA) sample (adj. p=0.024), providing a novel biological role for these association signals. In conclusion, our study identified coordinated mRNA and miRNA co-expression changes in the NAc of AD subjects, and our genetic (cis-eQTL) analysis provides novel insights into the etiological mechanisms of AD.
Integrating mRNA and miRNA Weighted Gene Co-Expression Networks with eQTLs in the Nucleus Accumbens of Subjects with Alcohol Dependence.
Specimen part, Disease
View SamplesMyelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a heterogeneous group of hematopoietic stem cell diseases characterized by dysplasia of one or more hematologic lineages and a high-risk of developing acute myeloid leukemia (AML). MDS patients have recurrent bacterial infections and abnormal expression of CD56 by monocytes. We investigated MDS patients’ bone marrow CD56+/CD56- monocytes and their in vitro derived dendritic cell (DCs) populations in comparison to cells obtained from disease-free subjects. We found that monocytes from MDS patients, irrespective of CD56 expression, have reduced phagocytosis activity and low expression of genes involved in triggering immune responses, regulation of immune and inflammatory response signaling pathways, and in the response to lipopolysaccharide. Dendritic cells (DCs) derived in vitro from MDS monocytes failed to develop dendritic projections and had reduced expression of HLA-DR and CD86 suggesting that antigen processing and T cell activation capabilities are impaired. In conclusion, we identified in both CD56+ and CD56- monocytes from MDS-patients several abnormalities that may be related to the increased susceptibility to infections observed in these patients.
Bone Marrow Monocytes and Derived Dendritic Cells from Myelodysplastic Patients Have Functional Abnormalities Associated with Defective Response to Bacterial Infection.
Specimen part, Disease
View SamplesPrimary tumor growth induces host tissue responses that are believed to support and promote tumor progression. Identification of the molecular characteristics of the tumor microenvironment and elucidation of its crosstalk with tumor cells may therefore be crucial for improving our understanding of the processes implicated in cancer progression, identifying potential therapeutic targets, and uncovering stromal gene expression signatures that may predict clinical outcome. A key issue to resolve, therefore, is whether the stromal response to tumor growth is largely a generic phenomenon, irrespective of the tumor type, or whether the response reflects tumor-specific properties. To address similarity or distinction of stromal gene expression changes during cancer progression, oligonucleotide-based Affymetrix microarray technology was used to compare the transcriptomes of laser-microdissected stromal cells derived from invasive human breast and prostate carcinoma. Invasive breast and prostate cancer-associated stroma was observed to display distinct transcriptomes, with a limited number of shared genes. Interestingly, both breast and prostate tumor-specific dysregulated stromal genes were observed to cluster breast and prostate cancer patients, respectively, into two distinct groups with statistically different clinical outcomes. By contrast, a gene signature that was common to the reactive stroma of both tumor types did not have survival predictive value. Univariate Cox analysis identified genes whose expression level was most strongly associated with patient survival. Taken together, these observations suggest that the tumor microenvironment displays distinct features according to the tumor type that provides survival-predictive value.
Identification of prognostic molecular features in the reactive stroma of human breast and prostate cancer.
Specimen part
View SamplesComparison of gene expression level of 3T3-L1, PMEF and ES cell derived adipocytes to eWAT samples.
Highly efficient differentiation of embryonic stem cells into adipocytes by ascorbic acid.
Specimen part
View SamplesCopper-based chemotherapeutic compounds Casiopeinas, have been presented as able to promote selective programmed cell death in cancer cells, thus being proper candidates for targeted cancer therapy. DNA fragmentation and apoptosis -in a process mediated by reactive oxygen species- for a number of tumor cells, have been argued to be the main mechanisms. However, a detailed functional mechanism (a model) is still to be defined and interrogated for a wide variety of cellular conditions; before establishing settings and parameters needed for their wide clinical application.
Whole genome gene expression analysis reveals casiopeína-induced apoptosis pathways.
Cell line
View SamplesThis SuperSeries is composed of the SubSeries listed below.
The IL-4/STAT6 signaling axis establishes a conserved microRNA signature in human and mouse macrophages regulating cell survival via miR-342-3p.
Specimen part, Cell line
View SamplesRAW264.7 mouse macrophages were transfected with negative control and miR-342-3p mimics and subjected to microarray analysis 18 hours after the transfection.
The IL-4/STAT6 signaling axis establishes a conserved microRNA signature in human and mouse macrophages regulating cell survival via miR-342-3p.
Specimen part, Cell line
View SamplesThis SuperSeries is composed of the SubSeries listed below.
Molecular Aging of Human Liver: An Epigenetic/Transcriptomic Signature.
Sex, Age, Specimen part, Disease
View SamplesGene expression profiling of liver biopsies collected from 33 healthy liver donors ranging from 13 to 90 years old. The Affymetrix HG-U133 Plus 2.0 GeneChip platform was used to evaluate gene-expression.
Molecular Aging of Human Liver: An Epigenetic/Transcriptomic Signature.
Sex, Age, Specimen part, Disease
View SamplesmRNA profiles of thousands of human tumors are available, but methods to deduce oncogenic signaling networks from these data lag behind. It is especially challenging to identify main-regulatory routes, and to generalize conclusions obtained from experimental models. We designed the bioinformatic platform R2 (http://r2.amc.nl) in parallel with a wet-lab approach of neuroblastoma. Here we demonstrate how R2 facilitates an integrated analysis of our neuroblastoma data. Analysis of the MYCN pathway suggested important regulatory connections to the polyamine synthesis route, the Notch pathway and the BMP/TGF pathway. A network of genes emerged connecting major oncogenes in neuroblastoma. Genes in the network carried strong prognostic values and were essential for tumor cell survival.
Deoxyhypusine synthase (DHPS) inhibitor GC7 induces p21/Rb-mediated inhibition of tumor cell growth and DHPS expression correlates with poor prognosis in neuroblastoma patients.
Specimen part, Cell line
View Samples