In this study, the prognostic properties of miR-205 expression levels are investigated in a well-documented prostate cancer cohort. We show that miR-205 is correlated to shortened overall survival, significantly dividing the PCa patients into high and low risk groups. Furthermore, miR-205 is shown to inversely correlate to occurrence of metastases. In situ hybridization is also performed, demonstrating high miR-205 expression in the basal cells of benign prostate tissue glands. A RIP-Chip assay using an AGO2 antibody was implemented and the miR-205 targets identified were found to be enriched in MAPK/ERK, Toll-like receptor and IL-6 signaling pathways. We also found individual targets involved in cancer and androgen receptor signaling. Ectopic levels of miR-205 are shown to decrease the level of androgen receptor both at the mRNA and protein levels in prostate cancer cell lines. This is further corroborated in the prostate cancer cohort were miR-205 expression levels in the prostatic tissues are found to inversely correlate to assessment of androgen receptor (AR) immunostaining and to serum levels of PSA, a protein regulated by AR signaling. The level of miR-205 is also found to be significantly lower in castration resistant prostate cancer patients than in hormone nave patients. Our data indicates that miR-205 is regulated by androgens and act by different mechanisms in androgen depleted settings, e.g. giving opposite effects on adhesion. Taken together these findings imply that miR-205 might have therapeutic potential especially for the castration resistant and currently untreatable form of prostate cancer.
miR-205 negatively regulates the androgen receptor and is associated with adverse outcome of prostate cancer patients.
Specimen part, Cell line
View SamplesPre-LVAD and explanted ischemic and nonischemic cardiomyopathy and nonfailing hearts all normalized with RMA
Gene expression analysis of ischemic and nonischemic cardiomyopathy: shared and distinct genes in the development of heart failure.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesAs the most widely used mammalian model organism, mice play a critical role in biomedical research for mechanistic study of human development and diseases. Today, functional sequences in the mouse genome are still poorly annotated a decade after its initial sequencing. We report here a map of nearly 300,000 cis-regulatory sequences in the mouse genome, representing active promoters, enhancers and CTCF binding sites in a diverse set of 19 tissues and cell types. This map provides functional annotation to nearly 11% of the genome, and over 70% of conserved, non-coding sequences. We define tissue-specific enhancers and identify potential transcription factors regulating gene expression in each tissue or cell type. Finally, we demonstrate that cis-regulatory sequences are organized into domains of coordinately regulated enhancers and promoters. Our results provide a valuable resource for the annotation of functional elements in the mammalian genome, and study of regulatory mechanisms for tissue-specific gene expression. Overall design: 19 tissues and primary cell types were examined.
A map of the cis-regulatory sequences in the mouse genome.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesNeurospheres generated in vitro were treated with non-epinephrine or potassium chloride. Gene expression analysis was then carried out to identify genes that are up or down regulated due to chemical treatement.
A comparative study of techniques for differential expression analysis on RNA-Seq data.
Sex, Specimen part
View SamplesImplantation of an embryo in the uterus is a multistep process tightly controlled by an intricate regulatory network of interconnected ovarian, uterine, and embryonic factors. Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) ligands and receptors are expressed in the pregnant uterus, and BMP2 has been shown to be a key regulator of implantation. In this study, we investigated the roles of the BMP type 1 receptor, activin-like kinase 2 (ALK2), during mouse pregnancy by producing uterine-specific Alk2 conditional knockout (cKO) mice. In the absence of ALK2, embryos can invade the uterine epithelium and stroma, but stromal cells cannot undergo uterine decidualization, resulting in sterility. Mechanistically, microarray analysis revealed that CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein (Cebpb) expression is suppressed during decidualization in Alk2 cKO females. These findings and the similar phenotypes of Cebpb cKO and Alk2 cKO mice lead to the hypothesis that BMPs act upstream of C/EBP to regulate decidualization. To test this hypothesis, we knocked down ALK2 in human uterine stromal cells (HESC) and discovered that ablation of ALK2 alters HESC decidualization and suppresses CEBPB mRNA and protein levels. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) analysis of decidualizing HESC confirmed that BMP signaling protein, SMAD1, directly regulates expression of CEBPB by binding a distinct regulatory sequence in the CEBPB promoter; C/EBP, in turn, regulates the expression of progesterone receptor (PGR). Our work clarifies the conserved mechanisms through which BMPs regulate embryo implantation in rodents and primates and, for the first time, uncovers a linear pathwayof BMP signaling through ALK2 to regulate CEBPB and, subsequently, PGR during decidualization.
Activin-like kinase 2 functions in peri-implantation uterine signaling in mice and humans.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesWe performed microarray analysis to evaluate differences in the transcriptome of type 2 diabetic human islets compared to non-diabetic islet samples.
Class II phosphoinositide 3-kinase regulates exocytosis of insulin granules in pancreatic beta cells.
Sex, Age, Specimen part, Disease, Disease stage
View SamplesWhile genetic mutation is a hallmark of cancer, many cancers also acquire epigenetic alterations during tumorigenesis including aberrant DNA hypermethylation of tumor suppressors as well as changes in chromatin modifications as caused by genetic mutations of the chromatin-modifying machinery. However, the extent of epigenetic alterations in cancer cells has not been fully characterized. Here, we describe the first complete methylome maps at single nucleotide resolution of a low-passage breast cancer cell line and primary human mammary epithelial cells. We find widespread DNA hypomethylation in the cancer cell, primarily at partially methylated domains (PMDs) in normal breast cells. Unexpectedly, genes within these regions are largely silenced in cancer cells. The loss of DNA methylation in these regions is accompanied by formation of repressive chromatin, with a significant fraction displaying allelic DNA methylation where one allele is DNA methylated while the other allele is occupied by histone modifications H3K9me3 or H3K27me3. Our results show a mutually exclusive and complementary relationship between DNA methylation and H3K9me3 or H3K27me3. These results suggest that global DNA hypomethylation in breast cancer is tightly linked to the formation of repressive chromatin domains and gene silencing, thus identifying a potential epigenetic pathway for gene regulation in cancer cells and suggesting a possible new approach toward the development of cancer therapeutics. Overall design: mRNA-Seq of polyA-selected RNA from breast cancer HCC1954 and normal breast HMEC. 36 cycles of sequencing on Illumina platform.
Global DNA hypomethylation coupled to repressive chromatin domain formation and gene silencing in breast cancer.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesDM1 and DM2 biopsies from patients were compared to Normal adult individuals
Differences in aberrant expression and splicing of sarcomeric proteins in the myotonic dystrophies DM1 and DM2.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesBackground/Aims: Ribavirin improves treatment response to pegylated-interferon (PEG-IFN) in chronic hepatitis C but the mechanism remains controversial. We studied correlates of response and mechanism of action of ribavirin in treatment of hepatitis C. Methods: 70 treatment-nave patients were randomized to 4 weeks of ribavirin (1000-1200 mg/d) or none, followed by PEG-IFN alfa-2a and ribavirin at standard doses and durations. Patients were randomized to undergo a liver biopsy either 24 hours before, or 6 hours after starting PEG-IFN. Hepatic gene expression was assessed by microarray and interferon-stimulated gene (ISG) expression quantified by the nCounter platform. Temporal changes in ISG expression were assessed by qPCR in peripheral-blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and by serum levels of IP-10. Results: After four weeks of ribavirin monotherapy, HCV levels decreased by 0.50.5 log10 (p=0.009 vs. controls) and ALT by 33% (p<0.001). Ribavirin pretreatment, while modestly augmenting the induction of ISGs by PEG-IFN, did not modify the virological response to subsequent PEG-IFN and ribavirin treatment. However, biochemical, but not virological response to ribavirin monotherapy predicted response to subsequent combination treatment (rapid virological response, 71% in biochemical responders vs. 22% non-responders, p=0.01; early virological response, 100% vs. 68%, p=0.03, sustained virological response 83% vs. 41%, p=0.053). Ribavirin monotherapy lowered serum IP-10 levels but had no effect on ISG expression in PBMC. Conclusion: Ribavirin is a weak antiviral but its clinical effect in combination with PEG-IFN seems to be mediated by a separate, indirect mechanism, which may act to reset the interferon responsiveness in HCV-infected liver. Ribavirin pretreatment does not alter the clinical outcome of subsequent combination therapy.
Effect of ribavirin on viral kinetics and liver gene expression in chronic hepatitis C.
Specimen part, Disease, Disease stage, Treatment
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