Quiescent stem cells are periodically activated to maintain tissue homeostasis or occasionally called into action upon injury. Molecular mechanisms that constitutively maintain stem cell identity or promote stem cell proliferation and differentiation upon activation have been extensively studied. However, it is unclear how quiescent stem cells maintain identity and reinforce quiescence when they transition from quiescence to activation. Here we show mouse hair follicle stem cell compartment induces a transcription factor, Foxc1, when activated. Importantly, deletion of Foxc1 in the activated but not quiescent stem cells compromises stem cell identity, fails to re-establish quiescence and subsequently drives premature stem cell activation.These findings uncover a dynamic, cell-intrinsic mechanism employed by hair follicle stem cells to reinforce stemness in response to activation. Overall design: Poly(A)-enriched transcriptome RNA-seq on HFSCs isolated in WT and K14Cre cKO mice at anagen and early telogen stage of hair cycle.
Foxc1 reinforces quiescence in self-renewing hair follicle stem cells.
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View SamplesThe supply of red blood cells (RBCs) is not sufficient in many developing countries or in developed countries for patients who need chronic transfusion from best-matched donors. Ex vivo expansion and maturation of human erythroid precursor cells (erythroblasts) could represent a potential solution. Proliferating erythroblasts can be expanded from human umbilical cord blood mononuclear cells (CB MNCs) ex vivo for 10^6-10^7 fold (in ~50 days) before undergoing senescence. Here, we report that ectopic expression of three to four genetic factors that have been used for iPS cell derivation enables CB-derived erythroblasts to undergo extended ex vivo expansion (10^51 fold in ~9 months) in a defined suspension culture condition without change of cell identity or function. These vastly expanding erythroblasts maintain homogeneously immature erythroblast phenotypes, a normal diploid karyotype and dependence on specific combination of cytokines and hormone for survival and proliferation throughout the continuous expansion period. When switched to a culture condition for terminal maturation, these immortalized erythroblasts gradually exit cell cycle, decrease cell size, accumulate hemoglobin, condense nuclei and eventually give rise to enucleated hemoglobin-containing erythrocytes. Our result may ultimately lead to the development of unlimited sources of cultured RBCs for optimally-matched or personalized transfusion medicine.
Extensive ex vivo expansion of functional human erythroid precursors established from umbilical cord blood cells by defined factors.
Specimen part
View SamplesTREM-1 is an orphan immunoreceptor expressed on monocytes, macrophages, and neutrophils. TREM-1 associates with and signals via the adapter protein DAP12/TYROBP, which contains an immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif (ITAM). TREM-1 activation by receptor cross-linking is pro-inflammatory, and can amplify cellular responses to Toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands such as bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS). To investigate the cellular consequences of TREM-1 activation, we have characterized global gene expression changes in human monocytes in response to TREM-1 cross-linking in comparison to and combined with LPS. Both TREM-1 activation and LPS up-regulate chemokines, cytokines, matrix metalloproteases, and PTGS/COX2, consistent with a core inflammatory response. However, other immunomodulatory factors are selectively induced, including SPP1 and CSF1 (i.e., M-CSF) by TREM-1 activation and IL-23 and CSF3 (i.e., G-CSF) by LPS. Additionally, cross-talk between TREM-1 activation and LPS occurs on multiple levels. While synergy in GM-CSF protein production is reflected in commensurate mRNA abundance, comparable synergy in IL-1b protein production is not. TREM-1 activation also attenuates the induction of some LPS target genes, including those that encode IL-12 cytokine family subunits. Whereas positive TREM-1 outputs are abolished by the PI3K inhibitor wortmannin, this attenuation is largely PI3K-independent. These experiments provide a detailed analysis of the cellular consequences of TREM-1 activation, and highlight some of the complexity in signal integration between ITAM- and TLR-mediated signaling.
Innate immune responses to TREM-1 activation: overlap, divergence, and positive and negative cross-talk with bacterial lipopolysaccharide.
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View SamplesPurpose:Heart disease is the number one killer of men and women, but not much is known about baseline differences in the heart between males and females Method: Adult rat ventricular myocytes (ARVMs) were isolated from male and female rats and then RNA was isolated and RNA sequencing was performed. Results: We identified ~ 600 transcripts that were differentially expressed in cardiac myocytes from either sex. We also observed that enriched pathways from this data set were sexually dimorphic Overall design: ARVMs were isolated, plated for 45 minutes and then frozen with liquid nitrogen. We had at least 5 biological replicates for each sex; n=6 males and n=5 females
Transcriptome and Functional Profile of Cardiac Myocytes Is Influenced by Biological Sex.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesThe Structural Maintenance of Chromosomes (SMC) complexes regulate the chromosome structures essential for proper genome regulation and cell viability. In mammals, the coordinated actions of the SMC complexes condensin I, condensin II and cohesin regulate dynamic chromosome structures throughout the cell cycle, but it is not clear how these complexes are positioned across the genome. We report here that condensin I, condensin II and cohesin occupy active euchromatic regions of the embryonic stem cell genome, but not heterochromatic regions. Like cohesin, we find that condensin II is deposited at active genes by the SMC loading factor Nipbl. The recruitment of Condensin II to active genes is dependent on their transcriptional activation. Subsequent transcriptional elongation by RNA polymerase II distributes condensin II across gene bodies. During mitosis, condensin I occupies the same set of active genes occupied by condensin II during interphase. Thus, SMC complexes are positioned in the genome by transcription-dependent processes, indicating that condensin-dependent condensation mechanisms are preferentially utilized in euchromatic regions. Overall design: RNA-seq in mES cells after known-down of Smc1, CapH2 or Smc2.
Multiple structural maintenance of chromosome complexes at transcriptional regulatory elements.
Specimen part, Subject
View SamplesIntroduction: There is increasing evidence that consumption of cocoa products have a beneficial effect on cardio-metabolic health, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Cocoa contains a complex mixture of flavan-3-ols. Epicatechin, a major monomeric flavan-3-ol, is considered to contribute to the cardio-protective effects of cocoa. We investigated effects of pure epicatechin supplementation on whole genome gene expression profiles of circulating immune cells. Methods: In a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled cross-over trial, 37 (pre)hypertensive (40-80y) subjects received two 4-week interventions; epicatechin (100mg/day) or placebo with a wash-out period of 4-week between both interventions. Whole genome gene expression profiles of peripheral blood mononuclear cells were determined before and after both interventions. Results: After epicatechin supplementation 1180 genes were significantly regulated, of which 234 were also significantly regulated compared to placebo. Epicatechin supplementation up-regulated gene sets involved in transcription/translation and tubulin folding and down-regulated gene sets involved in inflammation. Only a few genes within these regulated gene sets were actually significantly changed upon epicatechin supplementation. Upstream regulators that were shown to be inhibited were classified as cytokine or inflammatory type molecules. Conclusion: Pure epicatechin supplementation modestly reduced gene expression related to inflammation signalling routes in circulating immune cells. These routes are known to play a role in cardiovascular health
Pure flavonoid epicatechin and whole genome gene expression profiles in circulating immune cells in adults with elevated blood pressure: A randomised double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial.
Treatment, Subject
View SamplesCortistatin A (CA) is a highly selective inhibitor of the Mediator kinases CDK8 and CDK19. Using CA, we report here the first large-scale identification of Mediator kinase substrates in human cells (HCT116). Among over 16,000 quantified phosphosites, we identified 78 high-confidence Mediator kinase targets within 64 proteins, including DNA-binding transcription factors and proteins associated with chromatin, DNA repair, and RNA polymerase II. Although RNA-Seq data correlated with Mediator kinase targets, CA effects on gene expression were limited and distinct from CDK8 or CDK19 knockdown. Quantitative proteome analyses, which tracked about 7,000 proteins across six time points (0 – 24h), revealed that CA selectively affected pathways implicated in inflammation, growth, and metabolic regulation; contrary to expectations, increased turnover of Mediator kinase targets was not generally observed. Collectively, these data support Mediator kinases as regulators of chromatin and RNA polymerase II activity and suggest cellular roles beyond transcription, including metabolism and DNA repair. Overall design: HCT116 cells were treated with either 100nM CA or DMSO in biological triplicate for each population (6 samples total). Treatment was for 24h for compound and vehicle.
Identification of Mediator Kinase Substrates in Human Cells using Cortistatin A and Quantitative Phosphoproteomics.
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View SamplesTo define the contribution of CDK8 versus CDK19 to gene expression control, we performed a series of microarray assays for cells where each kinase was stably knocked down.
HIF1A employs CDK8-mediator to stimulate RNAPII elongation in response to hypoxia.
Cell line, Treatment
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Global analysis of p53-regulated transcription identifies its direct targets and unexpected regulatory mechanisms.
Cell line, Treatment
View SamplesHCT116 microarray done 12 hours after treatment with DMSO (control) or Nutlin
Global analysis of p53-regulated transcription identifies its direct targets and unexpected regulatory mechanisms.
Cell line, Treatment
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