This SuperSeries is composed of the SubSeries listed below.
Activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor dampens the severity of inflammatory skin conditions.
Sex, Age, Specimen part, Treatment, Subject
View SamplesEnvironmental stimuli are known to contribute to psoriasis pathogenesis and that of other autoimmune diseases, but the mechanism is unknown. Here we show that the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), a transcription factor that senses environmental stimuli, modulates pathology in psoriasis. AhR-activating ligands reduced inflammation in the lesional skin of psoriasis patients, whereas AhR antagonists upregulated inflammation. Similarly, AhR signaling via the endogenous FICZ ligand reduced the inflammatory response in the imiquimod-induced model of psoriasis and AhR deficient mice exhibited a substantial exacerbation of the disease, compared to AhR sufficient controls. Non-haematopoietic cells, in particular keratinocytes, were responsible for this hyper-inflammatory response, which involved increased reactivity to IL-1beta and upregulation of AP-1 family members of transcription factors. Thus, our data suggest a critical role for AhR in the regulation of inflammatory responses and open the possibility for novel therapeutic strategies in chronic inflammatory disorders.
Activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor dampens the severity of inflammatory skin conditions.
Specimen part
View SamplesCocaine-mediated repression of the histone methyltransferase (HMT) G9a has recently been implicated in transcriptional, morphological, and behavioral responses to chronic cocaine administration. Here, using a ribosomal affinity purification approach, we find that G9a repression by cocaine occurs in both Drd1 (striatonigral)- and Drd2 (striatopallidal)-expressing medium spiny neurons (MSNs). Conditional knockout and overexpression of G9a within these distinct cell types, however, reveals divergent behavioral phenotypes in response to repeated cocaine treatment. Our studies further indicate that such developmental deletion of G9a selectively in Drd2 neurons results in the unsilencing of transcriptional programs normally specific to striatonigral neurons, and the acquisition of Drd1-associated projection and electrophysiological properties. This partial striatopallidal to striatonigral switching phenotype in mice indicates a novel role for G9a in contributing to neuronal subtype identity, and suggests a critical function for cell-type specific histone methylation patterns in the regulation of behavioral responses to environmental stimuli.
G9a influences neuronal subtype specification in striatum.
Sex, Specimen part
View SamplesNormal adult liver is uniquely capable of renewal
Restoration of liver mass after injury requires proliferative and not embryonic transcriptional patterns.
Age
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