ABSTRACT: By transplanting in competition multiple pre-leukemic clones in a cohort of primary recipients, we observed emergence of dominant clones during the development of AML. By sampling “winner” clones at different time points, we could observe the gradual acquisition a of cell-intrinsic growth advantage that was preserved in secondary transplantation, whereas control “loser” clones grew at a significantly lower rate. Functional characterization of the winner clones demonstrated a higher engraftment rate in vivo, whereas the self-renewal potential and growth rate in vitro was similar among winner and loser clones. By comparing the gene expression profile of leukemic stem cells isolated from various clones, we observed that the most aggressive clones share a common signature characterized by activation of multiple metabolic pathways, such as steroid biosynthesis and response to oxidative stress.
Project description:This experiment was performed to investigate the effect of the manipulation of social rank on gene expression. Fire ants newly mated queens were paired and placed in nesting chambers. After emergence of workers, queensM-^R behavior was monitored. Once the behavioral observation revealed the social rank of the two cofoundresses (winners and losers), queens were weighed again and re-paired with a different partner. We created the following three groups of queens: a) winner + winner (similar weight), b) loser + loser (similar weight), and c) winner + loser (different weights). Again, we monitored the behavior until the social rank of the newly coupled specimens was evident and we collected 4 new behavioral phenotypes in the same way as above: a) winners switched into losers (win/los), b) losers switched into winners (los/win), c) continuing winners (win/win) and d) continuing losers (los/los).
Project description:The observation that human Pluripotent Stem Cells (hPSCs) may acquire non-random genetic changes during prolonged culture is a major concern for their use in regenerative medicine and disease modelling. The mechanisms through which genetically variant cells are selected for in culture remain poorly characterized. We have shown that the dominance of variant hPSCs with enhanced growth rates is enhanced through competitive interactions resulting in the elimination of the slower growing loser population. This experiment compares the gene expression of winner (H7v1,12,17q,20q-GFP) and loser (H7v1q) grown either in separate culture or competitively in co-culture together.
Project description:In order to investigate the mechanisms of cell competition, we analyzed the molecular differences between the prospective winner and loser cells in Drosophila wing discs. For this purpose we analyzed RNA-seq profiles generated for wild-type cells (prospective winners) and cells mutant for RpS3 and mahj, genes seemingly functionally unrelated, yet both causing the loser phenotype. As an interesting reference, we also generated data from cells with mutations in RpS15, which, like RpS3, is a ribosomal gene but itself does not trigger cell competition. Through in depth analysis we homed in on the subset of genes misregulated in both prospective loser cells mutants, which defines "the molecular signature of prospective loser cells". Additionally, we provide RNA-seq data for RpS3 mutant discs upon inhibition of the JNK signalling pathway (by overexpression of the pathway inhibitor puckered) and compare this to reference RpS3 mutant cells, hence identifying those genes in RpS3 mutants that are differentially expressed in a JNK-dependent manner.
Project description:Glioblastoma progression remains elusive, especially in its first stages. Here, by simultaneous transfer of PDGFB and genetic barcode in mouse brain, we triggered gliomagenesis in univocally labelled cells in vivo, hence enabling direct tracing of glioblastoma evolution from the earliest possible stage. We observed an unexpectedly high incidence of clonal extinction events and progressive clonal size divergence, even after the acquisition of a malignant phenotype. Computational modelling suggests these dynamics as the consequence of a clonal-based cell-cell competition. Bulk and single-cell transcriptome analyses, coupled to lineage tracing, revealed that the strongest correlation with clonal size unbalancing is shown by Myc transcriptional targets. Additionally, higher levels of Myc signalling discriminate "winner" from "loser" clones in early gliomagenesis. These results agree with recent understanding of the Myc-mediated induction of supercompetitive phenotype in mammalian embryo. Our findings shed light on aspects of glioblastoma evolution inaccessible by conventional retrospective approaches and highlight the potential of the combined use of clonal tracing and transcriptomic analyses in this field.
Project description:Glioblastoma progression remains elusive, especially in its first stages. Here, by simultaneous transfer of PDGFB and genetic barcode in mouse brain, we triggered gliomagenesis in univocally labelled cells in vivo, hence enabling direct tracing of glioblastoma evolution from the earliest possible stage. We observed an unexpectedly high incidence of clonal extinction events and progressive clonal size divergence, even after the acquisition of a malignant phenotype. Computational modelling suggests these dynamics as the consequence of a clonal-based cell-cell competition. Bulk and single-cell transcriptome analyses, coupled to lineage tracing, revealed that the strongest correlation with clonal size unbalancing is shown by Myc transcriptional targets. Additionally, higher levels of Myc signalling discriminate "winner" from "loser" clones in early gliomagenesis. These results agree with recent understanding of the Myc-mediated induction of supercompetitive phenotype in mammalian embryo. Our findings shed light on aspects of glioblastoma evolution inaccessible by conventional retrospective approaches and highlight the potential of the combined use of clonal tracing and transcriptomic analyses in this field.
Project description:Cell competition (CC)—the sensing and elimination of less fit “loser” cells by neighbouring “winner” cells—was first described in Drosophila. Although proposed as a selection mechanism to optimize tissue and organ development, its evolutionary generality remains unclear. Here, by employing live-imaging, lineage-tracing, single cell transcriptomics and genetics, we unearth two intriguing CC mechanisms that sequentially shape and maintain stratified tissue architecture during mouse skin development. Early in embryonic epidermis, winner progenitors within the single-layered epithelium kill and clear neighbouring losers by engulfment. Upon stratification and skin barrier formation, the basal layer instead expels losers through a homeostatic upward flux of differentiating progeny. This CC switch is physiologically relevant, as when it is perturbed, so too is barrier formation. Our findings establish CC as a selective force to optimize function of a vertebrate tissue, but also illuminate how a tissue dynamically adjusts its CC strategies to preserve fitness as it encounters increased architectural complexity during morphogenesis.
Project description:The tracking of leukemic clones in acute myeloid leukemic promisses deeper insights into disease development and therapeutic options. We therefore established a fluorescent genetic barcoding (FGB) labeling approach that allows for flow cytomtric tracking of color-coded clones in vitro and in vivo. In Hoxa9 and Meis1 (H9M) dependent murine AML, we tracked the growth behavior of 24 clones in parallel and enriched for pre-leukemic clones as well as their de novo expanded counterparts and stably expanded clones from leukemic mice by fluorescence-activated cell sorting. These samples were subjected toRNA sequencing for the assessment of transcriptional changes underlying clonal maintenance and expansion.
Project description:YAMC murine colonic epithelial cells were repeatitively treated with commensal bacteria-polarized macrophages or 4-HNE. Following 10 treatments, 25 clones were selected to engraft immunodeficient mice, and 10 out of 25 clones grew tumors in these mice. To explore gene expression associated with cellular transformation, whole-genome profiling was performed on 10 transformed clones and compared with untreated YAMC controls using Illumina Mouse WG-6 v2.0 Expression BeadChip.