Synovial fibroblasts in persistent inflammatory arthritis have been suggested to have parallels with cancer growth and wound healing, both of which involve a stereotypical serum response program. We tested the hypothesis that a serum response program can be used to classify diseased tissues, and investigated the serum response program in fibroblasts from multiple anatomical sites and two diseases. To test our hypothesis we utilized a bioinformatics approach to explore a publicly available microarray dataset including RA, OA and normal synovial tissue, then extended those findings in a new microarray dataset representing matched synovial, bone marrow and skin fibroblasts cultured from RA and OA patients undergoing arthroplasty. The classical fibroblast serum response program discretely classified RA, OA and normal synovial tissues. Analysis of low and high serum treated fibroblast microarray data revealed a hierarchy of control, with anatomical site the most powerful classifier followed by response to serum and then disease. In contrast to skin and bone marrow fibroblasts, exposure of synovial fibroblasts to serum led to convergence of RA and OA expression profiles. Pathway analysis revealed three inter-linked gene networks characterising OA synovial fibroblasts: Cell remodelling through insulin-like growth factors, differentiation and angiogenesis through 3 integrin, and regulation of apoptosis through CD44. We have demonstrated that Fibroblast serum response signatures define disease at the tissue level, and that an OA specific, serum dependent repression of genes involved in cell adhesion, extracellular matrix remodelling and apoptosis is a critical discriminator between cultured OA and RA synovial fibroblasts.
Stromal transcriptional profiles reveal hierarchies of anatomical site, serum response and disease and identify disease specific pathways.
Specimen part, Disease
View SamplesMultiple myeloma (MM), an incurable plasma cell malignancy, requires localisation within the bone marrow in order to survive and proliferate. Interactions between the malignant plasma cell and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (BMMSC) are thought to be a critical determinant of this requirement, and include both physical and chemical components. There is increasing evidence that the phenotype of the BMMSC is stably altered in patients with MM. More recently, it has been suggested that this phenotypic transformation is also observed in patients with the benign condition known as monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), which almost always precedes MM. In this study, we describe a mechanism by which the peptidyl arginine deiminase 2 (PADI2) enzyme plays an key role in the control of malignant plasma cell phenotype by BMMSCs. PADI enzymes deiminate (citrullinate) peptidyl arginine residues, changing the function or interactions made by the target protein. We identified PADI2 as one of the most highly upregulated transcripts in BMMSCs from both MGUS and MM patients, and that through citrullination of arginine residue 26 of histone H3, it induces the upregulation of interleukin-6 (IL-6) expression. This directly leads to the acquisition of resistance to the chemotherapeutic agent, bortezomib, by malignant plasma cells. We therefore describe a novel mechanism by which BMMSC dysfunction in patients with MGUS and MM directly leads to pro-malignancy signalling through the citrullination of histone H3R26.
Citrullination of histone H3 drives IL-6 production by bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in MGUS and multiple myeloma.
Sex, Age, Specimen part, Disease, Disease stage
View SamplesDouble-stranded RNA (dsRNA) can enter different pathways in mammalian cells, including sequence-specific RNA interference, sequence-independent interferon response and editing by adenosine deaminases. To assess the potential of expressed dsRNA to induce interferon stimulated genes in somatic cells, we performed microarray analysis of HEK293 and HeLa cells transfected with a MosIR plasmid expressing an mRNA with a long inverted repeat structure in its 3UTR (MosIR) or with a parental MosIR plasmid (without inverted repeat) as a control.
dsRNA expression in the mouse elicits RNAi in oocytes and low adenosine deamination in somatic cells.
Specimen part
View SamplesThe identification of lymphocyte subsets with non-overlapping effector functions has been pivotal to the development of targeted therapies in immune mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs). Yet, despite their key role in disease, it remains unclear whether fibroblast subclasses with non-overlapping functions also exist and are responsible for the wide variety of tissue driven pathologies observed in IMIDs such as inflammation and damage . Here we identify and describe the biology of distinct subsets of fibroblasts responsible for mediating either inflammation or tissue damage in arthritis. We show that deletion of FAPa+ synovial cells suppressed both inflammation and bone erosions in murine models of resolving and persistent arthritis. Single cell transcriptional analysis identified two distinct fibroblast subsets: FAPa+ THY1+ immune effector fibroblasts located in the synovial sub-lining, and FAPa+ THY1- destructive fibroblasts restricted to the synovial lining. When adoptively transferred into the joint, FAPa+ THY1- fibroblasts selectively mediate bone and cartilage damage with little effect on inflammation whereas transfer of FAPa+ THY1+ fibroblasts resulted in a more severe and persistent inflammatory arthritis, with minimal effect on bone and cartilage. Our findings describing anatomically discrete, functionally distinct fibroblast subsets with non-overlapping functions have important implications for cell based therapies aimed at modulating inflammation and tissue damage. Overall design: Serum transfer inflammatory arthritis (STIA) was induced by intravenous injection of 100 µl of arthritogenic KRN serum into naive C57BL/6 mice. From these mice, CD45-ve live Podoplanin (PDPN)+ synovial cells from hind limb joints were sort purified at day 9 (n=3 biological replicates, each comprised of cells from the joints of three animals). Individuals subsets of CD45- PDPN+ cells were further sort puified in the following populations FAP?+ THY1- (n=10 mice); FAP?+ THY+ (n=13 mice); FAP?- THY1+ (n=7 mice) and FAP?- THY1- (n=5 mice). Small bulk RNA sequencing was performed on each of these cell populations with each sample representing a biological replicate comprising of cells isolated from the synovial joints of both hind limbs from a single mouse).
Distinct fibroblast subsets drive inflammation and damage in arthritis.
Specimen part, Cell line, Subject
View SamplesThis SuperSeries is composed of the SubSeries listed below.
Functionally distinct disease-associated fibroblast subsets in rheumatoid arthritis.
Sex, Age, Specimen part, Disease, Disease stage, Subject
View SamplesTranscriptomics of distinct subpopulations of synovial fibroblasts from osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis arthroplasty tissues.
Functionally distinct disease-associated fibroblast subsets in rheumatoid arthritis.
Sex, Age, Disease
View SamplesLaser capture microdissection coupled with microarray genes expression analysis were utilized in order to elucidate the regulatory networks active in epithelial cells of the neonatal and adult mouse uterus.
Cell-specific transcriptional profiling reveals candidate mechanisms regulating development and function of uterine epithelia in mice.
Specimen part
View SamplesTo identify genes differentially expressed in the glandless uterus, whole uteri were collected from control (uterine glands present) and PUGKO (no uterine glands) mice at day of pseudopregnancy (DOPP) 3.5 (day DOPP 0.5= vaginal plug). Microarray analysis identified differentially expressed genes in the glandless uteri of PUGKO mice as compared to control mice.
Cell-specific transcriptional profiling reveals candidate mechanisms regulating development and function of uterine epithelia in mice.
Specimen part
View SamplesTo identify candidate genes regulated by forkhead transcription factor box A2 (FOXA2) in the uterus, control and Foxa2-deleted uteri were collected at day of pseudopregnancy (DOPP) 3.5 (DOPP 0.5= vaginal plug). Microarray analysis identified differentially expressed genes in the Foxa2-deleted as compared to control uteri that are candidiate FOXA2-regulated genes in the uterus.
Integrated chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing and microarray analysis identifies FOXA2 target genes in the glands of the mouse uterus.
Specimen part
View SamplesTo identify the genes regulated by androgen receptor (AR), we performed the profiling array analysis on the CWR22Rv1 cells and determined the differentially expressed genes upon the knockdown of AR.
The histone demethylase KDM3A regulates the transcriptional program of the androgen receptor in prostate cancer cells.
Cell line
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