Studying dynamic transcripts in single cells (SC) requires large numbers of timed samples. We report an easy to use protocol to stabilize RNA in intact SCs without perturbing transcriptional patterns, and demonstrate its applicability for SC transcriptome assays with cells and tissue. We identify a gene-specific hierarchical pattern of all-or-none transcript induction elicited by different concentrations of pulsatile hormone stimuli in pituitary gonadotropes. Overall design: SC Mini Drop-seq experiments were performed on two samples from dissociated human cortical tissue: one is neocortex from a glioblastoma multiforme (GBM, tumor), the other is normal neocortex adjacent to the tumor.
Single-cell stabilization method identifies gonadotrope transcriptional dynamics and pituitary cell type heterogeneity.
Specimen part, Subject
View SamplesRegulatory T cells (Tregs) expressing the transcription factor Foxp3 have a pivotal role in maintaining immunological self-tolerance1-5; yet, excessive Treg activities suppress anti-tumor immune responses6-8. Compared to resting phenotype Tregs (rTregs) in the secondary lymphoid organs, Tregs in non-lymphoid tissues including solid tumors exhibit an activated Treg (aTreg) phenotype9-11. However, aTreg function and whether its generation can be manipulated to promote tumor immunity without evoking autoimmunity are largely unexplored. Here we show that the transcription factor Foxo1, previously demonstrated to promote Treg suppression of lymphoproliferative diseases12,13, has an unexpected function in inhibiting aTreg-mediated immune tolerance. We found that aTregs turned over at a slower rate than rTregs, but were not locally maintained in tissues. Transcriptome analysis revealed that aTreg differentiation was associated with repression of Foxo1-dependent gene transcription, concomitant with reduced Foxo1 expression, cytoplasmic Foxo1 localization, and enhanced Foxo1 phosphorylation at sites of the Akt kinase. Treg-specific expression of an Akt-insensitive Foxo1 mutant prevented downregulation of lymphoid organ homing molecules, and impeded Treg homing to non-lymphoid organs, causing CD8+ T cell-mediated autoimmune diseases. Compared to Tregs from healthy tissues, tumor-infiltrating Tregs downregulated Foxo1 target genes more substantially. Expression of the Foxo1 mutant at a lower dose was sufficient to deplete tumor-associated Tregs, activate effector CD8+ T cells, and inhibit tumor growth without inflicting autoimmunity. Thus, Foxo1 inactivation is essential for the migration of aTregs that have a crucial function in suppressing CD8+ T cell responses; and the Foxo signaling pathway in Tregs can be titrated to preferentially break tumor immune tolerance. Overall design: Transcriptome of splenic rTreg (CD4+Foxp3+CD62LhiCD44lo) and aTreg (CD4+Foxp3+CD62LhiCD44lo) were compared. Duplicates from biologically independent animials were used.
Graded Foxo1 activity in Treg cells differentiates tumour immunity from spontaneous autoimmunity.
Specimen part, Subject
View SamplesThe Early Growth Response (Egr) family of transcription factors consists of 4 members (Egr1-4) that are expressed in a wide variety of cell types. A large body of evidence point to a role for Egr transcription factors in growth, survival, and differentiation. A major unanswered question is whether Egr transcription factors serve similar functions in diverse cell types by activating a common set of target genes. Signal transduction cascades in neurons and lymphocytes show striking parallels. Activation of either cell type activates the Ras-MAPK pathway and, in parallel, leads to increases in intracellular calcium stimulating the calcineurin-NFAT pathway. In both cell types, the strength of the activation signal affects the cellular outcomes and very strong stimuli lead to cell death. Notably both these pathways converge on the induction of Egr genes. We believe that downstream targets of Egr transcription factors in lymphocytes may also be activated by Egr factors in activated neurons. There is precedence for common target gene activation in these two cell types: apoptosis in both activated T cells and methamphetamine stimulated neurons occurs via FasL induction by NFAT transcription factors. We propose to use developing T lymphocytes (thymocytes) as a model system for discovery of Egr-dependent target genes for several reasons. First, we have observed a prominent survival defect in thymocytes from mice deficient in both Egr1 and Egr3 (1/3 DKO) and a partial differention block in the immature double negative (DN) stage. In addition, thymocytes are an easily manipulatable cell type, and the DN subpopulation affected in 1/3 DKO mice can be isolated to very high purity. We anticipate that 1/3 DKO thymocytes will provide an excellent experimental system that will provide insight into Egr-dependent transcription in neuronal development, activation, and death.
Redundant role for early growth response transcriptional regulators in thymocyte differentiation and survival.
No sample metadata fields
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Comparative Transcriptome Profiling Reveals Coding and Noncoding RNA Differences in NSCLC from African Americans and European Americans.
Sex, Age, Specimen part, Disease, Race, Subject
View SamplesTranslational Relevance
Comparative Transcriptome Profiling Reveals Coding and Noncoding RNA Differences in NSCLC from African Americans and European Americans.
Sex, Age, Race, Subject
View SamplesBackground: Genes upregulated by low oxygen have been suggested as endogenous markers for tumor hypoxia. Yet, most of the genes investigated have shown inconsistent results, which have led to concerns about their ability to be true hypoxia markers. Previous studies have demonstrated that expression of hypoxia induced genes can be affected by extracellular pH (pH e ). Methods: Five different human cell lines (SiHa, FaDu DD, UTSCC5, UTSCC14 and UTSCC15) were exposed to different oxygen concentrations and pH (7.5 or 6.3), and gene expression analyzed with microarray (Affymetrix - Human Genome U133 Plus 2.0 Array). Results: An analysis of two of the cell lines using SAM identified 461 probesets that were able to separate the four groups Normal oxygen, normal pH , Low oxygen, normal pH , Normal oxygen, low pH and Low oxygen, low pH . From here it was possible to identify a fraction of probesets induced at low oxygen independent of pH in these two cell lines, this fraction included HIG2, NDRG1, PAI1 and RORA. Further verifi cation by qPCR highlighted the necessity of using more cell lines to obtain a robust gene expression profi les. To specifi cally select pH independent hypoxia regulated genes across more cell lines, data for FaDu DD, UTSCC5, UTSCC14 and UTSCC15 were analyzed to identify genes that were induced by hypoxia in each cell line, where the induction was not affected by low pH, and where the gene was not signifi cantly induced by low pH alone. Each cell line had 65 122 probesets meeting these criteria. For genes to be considered as target genes (hypoxia inducible pH independent), genes had to be present in three of four cell lines. Conclusion: The result is a robust hypoxia profile unaffected by pH across cell lines consisting of 27 genes. This study demonstrates a way to identify hypoxia markers by microarray, where other factors in the tumor microenvironment are taken into account.
Identifying pH independent hypoxia induced genes in human squamous cell carcinomas in vitro.
Cell line
View SamplesBackground & Aims Hepatocytes differentiated from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) have the potential to overcome the shortage of primary hepatocytes for clinical use and drug development. Many strategies for this process have been reported, but the functionality of the resulting cells is incomplete. We hypothesize that the functionality of hPSC-derived hepatocytes might be improved by making the differentiation method more similar to normal in vivo hepatic development. Methods We tested combinations of growth factors and small molecules targeting candidate signaling pathways culled from the literature to identify optimal conditions for differentiation of hESCs to hepatocytes, using qRT-PCR for stage-specific markers to identify the best conditions. Immunocytochemistry was then used to validate the selected conditions. Finally, induction of expression of metabolic enzymes in terminally differentiated cells was used to assess the functionality of the hESC-derived hepatocytes. Results Optimal differentiation of hESCs was attained using a 5-stage protocol. After initial induction of definitive endoderm (stage 1), we showed that inhibition of the WNT/ß-catenin pathway during the 2nd and 3rd stages of differentiation was required to specify first posterior foregut, and then hepatic gut cells. In contrast, during the 4th stage of differentiation, we found that activation of the WNT/ß-catenin pathway allowed generation of proliferative bipotent hepatoblasts, which then were efficiently differentiated into hepatocytes in the 5th stage by dual inhibition of TGF-ß and NOTCH signaling. Conclusion Here, we show that stage-specific regulation of the WNT/ß-catenin pathway results in improved differentiation of hESCs to functional hepatocytes. Overall design: mRNA profiles of undifferentiated, definitive endoderm, stage 2-5 cell ines were generated by deep sequencing, in duplicate, as well as five liver samples.
Stage-specific regulation of the WNT/β-catenin pathway enhances differentiation of hESCs into hepatocytes.
Specimen part, Subject
View SamplesGene expression in eukaryotes is an essential process that includes transcription, pre-RNA processing and RNA export. All these steps are coupled and normally, any failure in one step affects the other steps and could cause nuclear mRNA retention. One important player in this interface is the poly(A)-RNA binding protein Nab2, which regulates the poly(A)-tail length of mRNAs protecting their 3-ends from a second round of polyadenylation and facilitating their nucleo-cytoplasmic export. Interestingly, here we show that Nab2 has additional roles in mRNA transcription elongation, tRNA metabolism and rRNA export.
Nab2 functions in the metabolism of RNA driven by polymerases II and III.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesGene expression in eukaryotes is an essential process that includes transcription, pre-RNA processing and RNA export. All these steps are coupled and normally, any failure in one step affects the other steps and could cause nuclear mRNA retention. One important player in this interface is the poly(A)-RNA binding protein Nab2, which regulates the poly(A)-tail length of mRNAs protecting their 3-ends from a second round of polyadenylation and facilitating their nucleo-cytoplasmic export. Interestingly, here we show that Nab2 has additional roles in mRNA transcription elongation, tRNA metabolism and rRNA export.
Nab2 functions in the metabolism of RNA driven by polymerases II and III.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesThis SuperSeries is composed of the SubSeries listed below.
Ets transcription factor GABP controls T cell homeostasis and immunity.
Specimen part
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