Resiquimod is a nucleoside analog belonging to the imidazoquinoline family of compounds which is known to signal through Toll-like receptor 7. Resiquimod treatment has been demonstrated to inhibit the development of allergen induced asthma in experimental models. Despite this demonstrated effectiveness, little is known about the molecular events responsible for this effect. The aim of the present study was to elucidate the molecular processes which were altered following resiquimod treatment and antigen challenge in a mouse model of allergic asthma. Employing microarray analysis, we have characterized the asthmatic transcriptome of the murine lung and determined that it includes genes involved in: the control of cell cycle progression, airway remodelling, the complement and coagulation cascades, and chemokine signalling. We have demonstrated that systemic resiquimod administration resulted in the recruitment of NK cells to the lungs of the mice, although no causal relationship between NK cell recruitment and treatment efficacy was found. Furthermore, results of our studies demonstrated that resiquimod treatment resulted in the normalization of the expression of genes involved with airway remodelling and chemokine signalling, and in the modulation of the expression of genes including cytokines and chemokines, adhesion molecules, and B-cell related genes, involved in several aspects of immune function and antigen presentation. Overall, our findings identified several genes, important in the development of asthma pathology, that were normalized following resiquimod treatment thus improving our understanding of the molecular consequences of resiquimod treatment in the lung milieu.
Modulation of the allergic asthma transcriptome following resiquimod treatment.
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View SamplesBalanced immune responses in airways of patients with asthma are crucial to succesful clearance of viral infection and proper asthma control.
Rhinovirus-induced epithelial RIG-I inflammasome suppresses antiviral immunity and promotes inflammation in asthma and COVID-19.
Subject, Time
View SamplesBALB/c mice are susceptible to proteoglycan (PG) aggrecan-induced arthritis (PGIA), and the absence of TSG-6 further increases susceptibility and local inflammatory reactions, including neutrophil invasion into the joints. To gain insight into the mechanisms of TSG-6 action, synovial fibroblasts were isolated from wild-type and TSG-6-KO mice, cultured and exposed to various agents affecting either the TSG-6 expression and/or modify the intracellular function of TSG-6.
TSG-6 protein, a negative regulator of inflammatory arthritis, forms a ternary complex with murine mast cell tryptases and heparin.
Sex, Treatment
View SamplesAffymetrix Mouse Genome 430 2.0 arrays were used to measure genome-wide gene expression levels. The results show that high-risk human papillomavirus oncogenes E6 and E7 reprogram the cervical cancer microenvironment independently of and synergistically with estrogen, a critical co-factor in cervical cancer development and maintenance.
Human papillomavirus oncogenes reprogram the cervical cancer microenvironment independently of and synergistically with estrogen.
Specimen part, Treatment
View SamplesIn order to assess the physiological role of Cop1 in vivo we generated mice that do no longer express the protein. Cop1KO mice die at around E10.5 of embryonic development. In order to gain insights into the molecular mechanisms that cause the embryonic death we compared the genome-wide gene expression profile of E9.5 wild-tytpe and Cop1-null embryos. The data do not support a role for Cop1 in the regulation of the p53 pathway in vivo and highlight a role for Cop1 in cardiovascular development and/or angiogenesis. The abstract of the associated publication is as follows:Biochemical data have suggested conflicting roles for the E3 ubiquitin ligase Cop1 in tumourigenesis. Here we present the first in vivo investigation of the role of Cop1 in cancer aetiology. We used an innovative genetic approach to generate an allelic series of Cop1 and show that Cop1 hypomorphic mice spontaneously develop malignancy at a high frequency in their first year of life and are highly susceptible to radiation-induced lymphomagenesis. Biochemically, we show that Cop1 regulates c-Jun oncoprotein stability and modulates c-Jun/AP1 transcriptional activity in vivo. Cop1-deficiency stimulates cell proliferation in a c-Jun-dependent manner. We conclude that Cop1 is a tumour suppressor that antagonizes c-Jun oncogenic activity in vivo.
Cop1 constitutively regulates c-Jun protein stability and functions as a tumor suppressor in mice.
Specimen part
View SamplesEpithelial tumor cells (E) underwent EMT in vivo in FVB/N mice generating mesenchymal tumors. Mesenchymal cell lines (M1-M4) were each derived from a different mouse. This study compares gene expression between these two different tumor types.
Immune-induced epithelial to mesenchymal transition in vivo generates breast cancer stem cells.
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View SamplesHopx appears to be needed for persistence of Th1 effector memory cells. IFN-gamma-producing Th cells are significantly reduced in Hopx-deficient mice compared to Hopx-expressing littermates and Hopx-deficient Th1 cells show a defective persistence upon adoptive transfer. Moreover, Hopx protects Th1 cells from Fas-mediated cell death in vitro. To further dissect the role of Hopx and to identify target genes of Hopx, we have performed transcriptome analysis to compare gene expression in Hopx-deficient versus Hopx-competent Th1 cells. In agreement with the role of Hopx in supporting survival of Th1 effector memory cells, anti-apoptotic cells were up-regulated and pro-apoptotic genes were down-regulated in Hopx-competent compared to Hopx-deficient Th1 cells.
Persistence of effector memory Th1 cells is regulated by Hopx.
Sex, Specimen part
View SamplesTo understand differences between resting and activated memory CD8+ T cells, we compared the global gene expression of ex vivo isolated naive and spleen and BM memory cells to in vitro activated spleen and BM memory cells.
Memory CD8(+) T cells colocalize with IL-7(+) stromal cells in bone marrow and rest in terms of proliferation and transcription.
Sex, Specimen part
View SamplesWe previously observed that formation of aorta and innominate artery atherosclerotic lesions in the intima of hyperlipidemic apoE-deficient mice but not wild-type mice was accompanied by a marked age-dependent adventitial T cell infiltration. As the mice aged, adventitial T cells formed T/T cell-, T/B cell-, and T/B/dendritic cell aggregates adjacent to atherosclerotic lesions. Some of the adventitial infiltrates formed large clusters of various immune cells including T cells, B cells (centrocytes, follicular mantle cells), dendritic cells, follicular dendritic cells, and plasma cells with preferential formation in the suprarenal portion of the abdominal aorta. These data demonstrated that the immune lineage cell composition of atherosclerotic lesions and adventitia were distinct: The macrophage-foam cell-, T cell-, and SMC-dominated cell composition of atherosclerosis lesions versus the presence of immune cells capable of carrying out antigen-dependent T cell-driven humoral immune responses in the adventitia also indicated that immune reactions carried out in lesions or the adventitia are fundamentaly different. To distinguish between immunity-regulating genes in atherosclerosis lesions versus the adventitia, a combination of microarray profiling and laser capture microdissection was used. Stringent filters revealed 1163 differentially up-regulated probesets in apoE-/- mouse aortae at 78 weeks (w) versus 6 w. A fuzzy c-means cluster algorythm identified 2 clusters that significantly differed in their slope angles between time points: An apparent atherosclerosis cluster consisted of 771 probesets and an apparent adventitia cluster consisted of 392 probesets. Up-regulated genes at 32 w mirrored the influx of monocyte/macrophages into intima lesions whereas genes up-regulated between 32-78 w mirrored adventitial inflammation. To segregate both clusters into separate gene ontology (GO) molecular function groups, we determined statistically significant up-regulation (unpaired Student t-test; p < 0.05) between 6-32 w for the atherosclerosis cluster and between 32-78 w for the adventitia cluster. Among others, GO molecular function terms cytokine activity, cytokine binding, and immunoglobulin binding in the atherosclerosis cluster and cytokine activity, chemokine receptor activity, and antigen binding in the ATLO cluster suggested candidate genes in relation to inflammation triggered by macrophages or adventitia infiltration, respectively. Among other prototype atherosclerosis genes such as Itgax (complement receptor 4), Cd68, Lysz (lysozyme), Vcam1, and Icam1, the atherosclerosis cluster showed markedly overrepresented prototype macrophage/foam cell genes regulating inflammation in cytokine activity (GO: 0005125): Spp1 (osteopontin) and Il6; in cytokine binding (GO: 0019955) Cd74, Il10rb, Ccr2, and Ccr5; and in immunoglobulin binding (GO: 00119865) the proinflammatory galactose-binding lectin Lgals3, as well as genes in scavenger receptor activity and lipid transporter activity. By contrast, the adventitia cluster showed overrepresented genes regulating B cell recruitment, B cell maturation, germinal center formation, and autoimmunity in cytokine activity including Cxcl13, Ccl21, and Ltb, in CXC chemokine receptor activity the secondary lymphoid organ counterreceptor of CXCL13 Blr1 (also known as Cxcr5), Cxcr3, and Cxcr6; and in antigen binding several histocompatibility-2 loci and various markedly expressed immunoglobulin genes. As embryonic lymph node development and tertiary lymphoid organ neogenesis share common features signal intensities of genes specifying the GO molecular function term lymph node development (GO: 0048535) were examined in arrays prepared from wild-type and apoE-/- aortae. These results showed that Id2, Nfkb1, and Ltbr were constitutively expressed at significant levels in aortae of both mouse genotypes whereas other genes including Lta, Ltb, Glycam1, and the two lymphorganogenic genes Cxcl13 and Ccl21 were induced at 78 w in apoE-deficient aortae only. Thus, genes expressed by macrophage-foam cells and genes regulating ATLO neogenesis, embryonic lymph node development, or B cell maturation were constitutively expressed in the arterial wall in both genotypes or emerged in a stepwise fashion at 32 w and 78 w. To verify microarray signal intensity data, separate aortae extracts were examined by quantitative RT-PCR (QRT-PCR) analyses of wild-type and apoE-deficient mice at 32 and 78 w. These data showed that array signal values accurately reflected gene transcripts. Cell lineage analyses of the adventitial infiltrate and kinetic aorta microarray- and QRT-PCR analyses thus provided circumstantial evidence that immune responses in atherosclerosis intima lesions and the adventitia were distinct. To examine this possibility further, we selected areas of the abdominal aorta burdened with advanced lesions and separated lesions and corresponding adventitial infiltrates of 78 w old apoE-deficient mice by laser dissection microscopy. In addition, adventitiae of aorta segments that were not associated with adjacent lesions and adventitiae of wild-type mice were prepared. Consistent with the lack of a major adventitial leukocyte infiltration, wild-type adventitiae showed gene expression levels that were similar to lesion-free adventitiae of apoE-deficient mice indicating that atherosclerotic lesions directly affected adventitial inflammation in a segmental fashion. Stringent filter criteria identified genes that were differentially expressed in adventitiae and atherosclerotic lesions. Statistical analyses of overrepresented genes in GO molecular function or biological process groups were particularly instructive in cytokine activity, cytokine binding, antigen processing and presentation as well as in lymph node development. Thus, adventitiae in aorta segments with associated atherosclerotic lesions in cytokine activity showed overrepresentation of genes known to be associated with tertiary lymphoid organ formation including Cxcl13, Ccl21, and Ltb, whereas atherosclerotic lesions showed overrepresentation of prototype atherosclerosis-associated genes Ssp1 (osteopontin), Bmp4 (bone morphogenic protein 4), and Cxc3cl1 (fractalkine); in cytokine binding adventitiae showed overrepresentation of receptors implicated in B cell immunity and autoimmunity including Brl1 (counterreceptor for CXCL13), Ccr7, Tnfrsf4, and Cxcr3 whereas lesions showed overrepresentation of inflammatory mediator receptors including Tnfrs1b, Tgfbr1, and Il7r; moreover, in antigen processing and presentation, adventitiae showed overrepresentation of several histocompatibility loci; additional adventitial gene expression overrepresentations were observed in lymph node development (Fas, SpiB, Ltb, Flt3) whereas lesions showed expression of prototype macrophage genes including Tlr4, Tgfb1, and Tgfb2. These data provide comprehensive topographical transcriptome information in adventitial tissue adjacent to atherosclerotic lesions versus lesions and are expected to form the basis for future cell lineage expression analyses using single cell detection methodology including ISH.
Lymphotoxin beta receptor signaling promotes tertiary lymphoid organogenesis in the aorta adventitia of aged ApoE-/- mice.
Sex, Age, Specimen part
View SamplesThe cancer-risk associated rs6983267 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and the accompanying long non-coding RNA CCAT2 in the highly amplified 8q24.21 region has been implicated in cancer predisposition, though causality has not been established. Here, using allele-specific CCAT2 transgenic mice, we demonstrate that CCAT2 overexpression leads to spontaneous myeloid malignancies. CCAT2 is overexpressed in bone marrow and peripheral blood of myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasms (MDS/MPN) patients. CCAT2 induces global deregulation of gene expression by downregulating EZH2 in vitro and in vivo in an allele-specific manner. We also identified a novel disease-specific RNA mutation (named DNA-to-RNA allelic imbalance, DRAI) at the SNP locus in MDS/MPN patients and CCAT2-transgenic mice. The RNA transcribed from the SNP locus in malignant hematopoietic cells have different allelic composition from the corresponding genomic DNA, a phenomenon rarely observed in normal cells. Our findings provide fundamental insights into the functional role of rs6983267 SNP and CCAT2 in myeloid malignancies.
Cancer-associated rs6983267 SNP and its accompanying long noncoding RNA <i>CCAT2</i> induce myeloid malignancies via unique SNP-specific RNA mutations.
Specimen part
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