An increasing amount of evidence suggests that the small intestine may play an important role in the development of metabolic diseases, such as obesity and insulin resistance. The small intestine provides the first barrier between diet and the body. As a result, dysregulation of biological processes and secretion of signal molecules from the small intestine may be of importance in the regulation and dysregulation of whole body metabolic homeostasis. Changes in gene expression of genes involved in lipid metabolism, cell cycle and immune response may contribute to the aetiology of diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance. In the current study we present a detailed investigation on the effects a chow diet, low fat diet and high fat diet on gene expression along the proximal-to-distal axis of the murine small intestine. The reported results provide a knowledge base for upcoming studies on the role of the small intestine in the aetiology of diet-induced diseases.
Cross-species comparison of genes related to nutrient sensing mechanisms expressed along the intestine.
Sex, Specimen part
View SamplesNormal pregnancy requires adaptations of the maternal vasculature. During preeclampsia these adjustments are not well established, resulting in maternal hypertension and proteinuria. The effects of preeclampsia on the maternal vasculature are not yet fully understood. We aimed to identify gene expression differences in the aorta between non pregnant, healthy pregnant, and experimental preeclamptic rats using a genome wide approach.
Experimental preeclampsia in rats affects vascular gene expression patterns.
Specimen part
View SamplesThe host response in critically ill patients with sepsis, septic shock remains poorly defined. Considerable research has been conducted to accurately distinguish patients with sepsis from those with non-infectious causes of disease. Technological innovations have positioned systems biology at the forefront of biomarker discovery. Analysis of the whole-blood leukocyte transcriptome enables the assessment of thousands of molecular signals beyond simply measuring several proteins in plasma, which for use as biomarkers is important since combinations of biomarkers likely provide more diagnostic accuracy than the measurement of single ones or a few. Evidence suggests that genome-wide transcriptional profiling of blood leukocytes can assist in differentiating between infection and non-infectious causes of severe disease. Of importance, RNA biomarkers have the potential advantage that they can be measured reliably in rapid quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR)-based point of care tests.
A molecular biomarker to diagnose community-acquired pneumonia on intensive care unit admission.
Sex, Age
View SamplesBreast cancer is a genetically and phenotypically complex disease. To understand the role of microRNAs in this molecular complexity, we performed miRNA expression analysis in a cohort of molecularly well-characterized human breast cancer (BC) cell lines to discover miRNAs associated with the most common molecular subtypes and the most frequent genetic aberrations.Using a microarray carrying LNA modified oligonucleotide capture probes (Exiqon), expression levels of 725 human miRNAs were measured in 51 BC cell lines. MiRNA expression was explored by unsupervised cluster analysis and then associated with the molecular subtypes and genetic aberrations commonly present in breast cancer. Unsupervised cluster analysis using the most variably expressed miRNAs divided the 51 BC cell lines into a major and a minor cluster predominantly mirroring the luminal and basal intrinsic subdivision of BC cell lines. One hundred and thirteen miRNAs were differentially expressed between these two main clusters of which half were related to the ER-status of the cell lines. Forty miRNAs were differentially expressed between basal-like and normal-like/claudin-low cell lines. Within the luminal-group of cell lines, 39 miRNAs were associated with ERBB2 overexpression and 24 miRNAs with E-cadherin gene mutations, which are frequent in this subtype of BC cell lines. In contrast, 31 different miRNAs were associated with E-cadherin promoter hypermethylation, which, contrary to E-cadherin mutation, is exclusively observed in BC cell lines that are not of luminal origin. The differential expression of 30 miRNAs were associated with p16INK4 status while only a few differentially expressed miRNAs were associated with BRCA1, or PIK3CA/PTEN, TP53 mutation status of the cell lines (P-value < 0.05). Twelve miRNAs were associated with DNA copy number variation of the respective locus. Luminal-basal and epithelial-mesenchymal associated miRNAs determine the overall subdivision of miRNA transcriptome of BC cell lines. Specific sets of miRNAs were associated with ERBB2 overexpression, p16INK4aor E-cadherin mutation or E-cadherin methylation status, which implies that these miRNAs may contribute to the driver role of the genetic aberrations. Additionally, miRNAs, which are located in a genomic region showing recurrent genetic aberrations, may themselves play a driver role in breast carcinogenesis or contribute to a driver gene in their vicinity. In short, our study provides detailed molecular miRNA portraits of BC cell lines, which can be exploited for functional studies of clinically important miRNAs.
miRNA expression profiling of 51 human breast cancer cell lines reveals subtype and driver mutation-specific miRNAs.
Cell line
View SamplesThe homeostasis of circulating B cell subsets in the peripheral blood of healthy adults is well regulated, but in disease it can be severely disturbed. Thus, a subgroup of patients with common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) presents with an extraordinary expansion of an unusual B cell population characterized by the low expression of CD21. Since these circulating atypical B cells in the blood of CVID patients could not be assigned to any certain B cell differentiation stage in the periphery, they were designated as CD21low B cells. Although, CD21low B cells are polyclonal and unmutated IgM+IgD+ B cells like naive B cells in the peripheral blood, they reveal several distinct phenotypic and functional features.
Circulating CD21low B cells in common variable immunodeficiency resemble tissue homing, innate-like B cells.
Specimen part, Disease
View SamplesTo assess the effect of activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR) in colon cancer cell lines, we treated cells with the AB5 subtilase cytotoxin (SubAB). This proteolytically cleaves the 78-kDa glucose-regulated protein (GRP78; also known as HSPA5 or BiP) inside the endoplasmic reticulum. We find that the WNT signaling pathway is highly affected upon treatment with SubAB.
ER stress causes rapid loss of intestinal epithelial stemness through activation of the unfolded protein response.
Specimen part, Cell line, Treatment
View SamplesTransgenic expression of TLX1 induces T-cell leukemias in mice.
The TLX1 oncogene drives aneuploidy in T cell transformation.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesCap analysis of gene expression (CAGE) and massive parallel sequencing were used to profile the promoterome of aged human brains from five regions, namely: caudate, frontal cortex, hippocampus, putamen and temporal cortex. Overall design: 25 RNA libraries from post-mortem brain tissue (five caudate, five frontal, 5 hippocampus, 5 putamen, five temporal RNA libraries from seven individuals) were processed using CAGE protocol and CAGE tags derived from the 25 libraries were sequenced with Illumina.
Regional differences in gene expression and promoter usage in aged human brains.
Specimen part, Subject
View SamplesIn the intestine, Hedgehog (Hh) signalling orchestrates epithelial homeostasis in a bidirectional loop. Differentiated enterocytes secrete the ligand leading to active downstream signaling exclusively in the stroma. In turn, Hh-driven stromal factors contribute to the control of intestinal stem cell numbers and induce epithelial differentiation.
Stromal Hedgehog signalling is downregulated in colon cancer and its restoration restrains tumour growth.
Sex, Specimen part
View SamplesMammalian epidermal stem cells maintain homeostasis of skin epidermis and contribute to its regeneration throughout adult life. While two-dimensional mouse epidermal stem cell cultures have been established decades ago, a long-term, feeder cell- and serum-free culture system recapitulating murine epidermal architecture has not been available. Here we describe an epidermal organoid culture system that allows long-term, genetically stable expansion of adult epidermal stem cells. Our epidermal expansion media combines atypically high calcium concentrations, activation of cyclic AMP, FGF and R-spondin signaling with inhibition of BMP signaling. Organoids are established robustly from adult mouse skin and expand over at least 6 months, while maintaining the basal-apical organization of the mouse interfollicular epidermis. The system represents a powerful tool to study epidermal homeostasis and disease in vitro. Overall design: We establish an organoid culture system for long-term expansion of mouse epidermal stem cells. Using histological methods as well as low-coverage multiplexed RNA sequencing, we show that cultured organoids resembled interfollicular epidermis. We analyzed a total of 23 samples, including 6 controls that are isolated from the skin of mice. None-passaged as well as cultured organoids were compared with replicates. Differences growth factors and small molecules that allow expansion of organoids were compared with replicates.
Long-term expansion and differentiation of adult murine epidermal stem cells in 3D organoid cultures.
Cell line, Subject
View Samples