BMPR2 mutation causes pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH); ACE2 treatment can resolve established BMPR2-mediated PAH. The purpose of this study was to uncover the molecular mechanism behind this.
Cytoskeletal defects in Bmpr2-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Sex, Specimen part, Treatment
View SamplesZebrafish have the remarkable ability to regenerate body parts including the heart, spinal cord and fins by a process referred to as epimorphic regeneration. Recent studies have illustrated that similar to adult zebrafish, early life stage-larvae also possess the ability to regenerate the caudal fin. A comparative genomic analysis was used to determine the degree of conservation in gene expression among the regenerating adult caudal fin, adult heart and larval fin. Results indicate that these tissues respond to amputation/injury with strikingly similar genomic responses. Comparative analysis revealed raldh2, a rate-limiting enzyme for the synthesis of Retinoic acid (RA), as one of the highly induced genes across the three regeneration platforms.
Comparative expression profiling reveals an essential role for raldh2 in epimorphic regeneration.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesSle2c1 is an NZM2410-derived lupus susceptibility locus that induces an expansion of the B1a cell compartment. B1a cells have a repertoire enriched for autoreactivity, and an expansion of this B cell subset occurs in several mouse models of lupus. Here we showed that expression of Sle2c1 enhances NZB cellular phenotypes that have been associated with autoimmune pathogenesis. A combination of genetic mapping and candidate gene analysis presents Cdkn2c, a gene encoding for cyclin kinase inhibitor p18INK4c (p18), as the top candidate gene for inducing the Slec2c1 associated expansion of B1a cells. A novel SNP in the Cdkn2c promoter is associated with a significantly reduced Cdkn2c expression in the splenic B cells and B1a cells from Sle2c1-carrying mice, which leads to defective G1 cell cycle arrest in splenic B cells and increased proliferation of Pc B1a cells. As cell cycle is differentially regulated in B1a and B2 cells, these results suggest that Cdkn2c play a critical role in B1a cell self renewal, and that its impaired expression leads to an accumulation of these cells with high autoreactive potential.
Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor Cdkn2c regulates B cell homeostasis and function in the NZM2410-derived murine lupus susceptibility locus Sle2c1.
Specimen part
View Samplesexpression analysis from a genetically engineered mouse model of osteosarcoma
Conditional mouse osteosarcoma, dependent on p53 loss and potentiated by loss of Rb, mimics the human disease.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesThe adult mammalian brain is composed of distinct regions that have specialized roles. The BF/POA regions are thought to have an important role in the regulation of sleep/wake behavior. However, genetic markers of the responsible cells for the regulation of sleep/wake behavior are largely unknown. To identify the molecular markers of the BF/POA regions, we sampled the BF/POA regions and compared gene expression in the BF/POA regions with those of other brain regions which we previously reported in the BrainStars (B*) project, in which we sampled ~50 small brain regions, including sensory centers and centers for motion, time, memory, fear, and feeding.
Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptors Chrm1 and Chrm3 Are Essential for REM Sleep.
Sex, Specimen part
View SamplesGlioblastoma (GBM) is a highly lethal brain tumor presenting as one of two subtypes with distinct clinical histories and molecular profiles. The primary GBM subtype presents acutely as high-grade disease that typically harbors EGFR, PTEN and Ink4a/Arf mutations, and the secondary GBM subtype evolves from the slow progression of low-grade disease that classically possesses PDGF and p53 events1. Here, we show that concomitant CNS-specific deletion of p53 and Pten in the mouse CNS generates a penetrant acute-onset high-grade malignant glioma phenotype with striking clinical, pathological and molecular resemblance to primary GBM in humans. This genetic observation prompted p53 and PTEN mutational analysis in human primary GBM, demonstrating unexpectedly frequent inactivating mutations of p53 as well the expected PTEN mutations. Integrated transcriptomic profling, in silico promoter analysis and functional studies of murine neural stem cells (NSCs) established that dual, but not singular, inactivation of p53 and Pten promotes an undifferentiated state with high renewal potential and drives elevated c-Myc levels and its associated signature. Functional studies validated increased c-Myc activity as a potent contributor to the impaired differentiation and enhanced renewal of p53-Pten null NSCs as well as tumor neurospheres (TNSs) derived from this model. c-Myc also serves to maintain robust tumorigenic potential of p53-Pten null TNSs. These murine modeling studies, together with confirmatory transcriptomic/promoter studies in human primary GBM, validate a pathogenetic role of a common tumor suppressor mutation profile in human primary GBM and establish c-Myc as a key target for cooperative actions of p53 and Pten in the regulation of normal and malignant stem/progenitor cell differentiation, self-renewal and tumorigenic potential.
p53 and Pten control neural and glioma stem/progenitor cell renewal and differentiation.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesWe used microarrays to detail the global gene expression and identified differentially expressed gene list between wild-type anterior prostates and Ptenpc-/- anterior prostates, Ptenpc-/-Smad4pc-/- and Ptenpc-/- anterior prostates, Ptenpc-/-p53pc-/- and Ptenpc-/- anterior prostates at 15 weeks of age.
SMAD4-dependent barrier constrains prostate cancer growth and metastatic progression.
Age, Specimen part
View SamplesAlmost all human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDACs) are driven by oncogenic Kras and the progression of the disease is characterized by the serial appearance of certain genetic lesions. Mouse models have convincingly shown that Kras mutation induces classical PanIN lesions that can progress to PDAC in the appropriate tumor suppressor background. However, the cooperative mechanism between mutant Kras-dependent signaling surrogates and other oncogenic pathways remains to be fully elucidated in order to devise better therapeutic strategy. Mounting evidence PTEN/PI3K perturbation on PDAC tumorigenesis, we observed frequent PTEN inactivation at both genomic and histopathological levels in primary human PDAC samples. The importance of PTEN/PI3K pathway during the development of PDAC was further supported by genetic studies demonstrating that Pten deficiency in cooperation with Kras activation accelerated the formation of invasive PDAC. Mechanistically, combined Kras mutation and Pten inactivation leads to NFkB activation and subsequent induction of cytokine pathways, accompanied with strong stromal activation and immune cell infiltration. Therefore, PTEN/PI3K pathway dictates the activity of NFkB network and serves as a major surrogate during Kras-mediated pancreatic tumorigenesis.
PTEN is a major tumor suppressor in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and regulates an NF-κB-cytokine network.
Specimen part
View SamplesThe maintenance of advanced malignancies relies on continued activity of driver oncogenes, although their rate-limiting role is highly context-dependent with respect to tumor types and associated genetic alterations. Oncogenic Kras mutation is the signature event in human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), serving a critical role in tumor initiation. Here, an inducible KrasG12D-driven p53 mutant PDAC mouse model establishes that advanced PDAC remains strictly dependent on continued KrasG12D expression and that KrasG12D serves a vital role in the control of tumor metabolism, through stimulation of glucose uptake and channeling of glucose intermediates through the hexosamine biosynthesis pathway (HBP) and the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP). Notably, these studies reveal that oncogenic Kras regulates ribose biogenesis. Unlike canonical models of PPP-mediated ribose biogenesis, we demonstrate that oncogenic Kras drives intermediates from enhanced glycolytic flux into the non-oxidative arm of the PPP, thereby decoupling ribose biogenesis from NADPNADPH-mediated redox control. Together, this work provides in vivo mechanistic insights into how oncogenic Kras promotes metabolic reprogramming in native tumors and illuminates potential metabolic targets that can be exploited for therapeutic benefit in Kras-driven PDAC.
Oncogenic Kras maintains pancreatic tumors through regulation of anabolic glucose metabolism.
Specimen part, Treatment
View SamplesDuring embryogenesis, the endothelial and the hematopoietic lineages first appear during gastrulation in the blood island of the yolk sac. We have previously reported that an Ets variant gene 2 (Etv2/ER71) mutant embryo lacks hematopoietic and endothelial lineages, however, the precise roles of Etv2 in yolk sac development remains unclear.
Etv2 is expressed in the yolk sac hematopoietic and endothelial progenitors and regulates Lmo2 gene expression.
Cell line
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