SFRP4+IGFBP5hi NKT cells induced neural-like cells differentiation to contribute to adenomyosis pain
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Adenomyosis is an estrogen-dependent gynecological disease. The pathogenesis of chronic pain, the main clinical symptom of adenomyosis, remains undefined. As a combination lymphocyte with both T-cell and NK-cell properties, NKT cells play a role in immune defense against numerous diseases and modulate cell differentiation. This study analyzed tissue-cell samples from adenomyosis with or without pain by single-cell sequencing. We found a specific population of SFRP4+ NKT cells and a large amount of undifferentiated multipotent stem cells in the adenomyosis pain group. We discovered that high expression of IGFBP5 in SFRP4+NKT cells could promote the differentiation of multipotent stem cells into neural-like cells via the single cell trajectory. Verification by sample, the degree of expression of neuronal marker NEFM correlated with duration of pain in adenomyosis patients. The expression of IGFBP5 was positively correlated with the pain scores of adenomyosis patients. Collectively, these findings suggest SFRP4+IGFBP5hi NKT cells were capable of converting part of the stem cells into neurogenic cells and inducing adenomyosis pain.
Project description:The periosteum contains cells which function as a reservoir of stem cells and progenitors and contribute to cortical expansion during growth, cortical bone homeostasis and repair. However, the local or paracrine factors that govern stem cell renewal and differentiation within the periosteal niche remains elusive. Cathepsin K (Ctsk) together with additional cell surface markers marks a subset of stem cells in the periosteum (PSC) which possess self-renewal ability and inducible multipotency. These PSCs produce osteoblasts mediating periosteal bone formation and fracture repair. Sfrp4 is expressed in periosteal Ctsk-lineage cells and using CtskCre mice that are either wild type or Sfrp4-/-, we report here that Sfrp4 deletion decreases the pool of PSCs, impairs their self-renewal, their ability to give rise to their derivatives and their clonal multipotency for differentiation into osteoblasts and chondrocytes in vitro and formation of bone organoids in vivo. Bulk RNA sequencing analysis in Ctsk-lineage PSCs demonstrated that Sfrp4 deletion leads to downregulation of signaling pathways associated with skeletal development, positive regulation of bone mineralization and wound healing. Sfrp4 deletion hampers the Ctsk-lineage PSC response and recruitment after bone injury and leads to an impaired periosteal response. Periosteal Ctsk-lineage cells respond to PTH(1-34) treatment with an increase in the % of PSCs, a response not seen in the absence of Sfrp4. Importantly, bone histomorphometry analysis showed that in the absence of Sfrp4, PTH(1-34)-dependent increase in cortical thickness, periosteal bone formation is markedly impaired.
Project description:Background: Secreted frizzled-related proteins (SFRPs) comprise a family of WNT signaling antagonists whose roles in the ovary are poorly understood. Sfrp4-null mice were previously found to be hyperfertile due to an enhanced granulosa cell response to gonadotropins, leading to decreased antral follicle atresia and enhanced ovulation rates. The present study aimed to elucidate the mechanisms whereby Sfrp4 antagonizes FSH action. Methods: Primary cultures of granulosa cells from wild-type mice were treated with FSH and/or SFRP4, and effects of treatment on gene expression were evaluated by RT-qPCR and RNAseq. Bioinformatic analyses were conducted to analyse the effects of SFRP4 on the transcriptome, and compare them to those of FSH or a constitutively active mutant of FOXO1. Additional granulosa cell cultures from wild-type or Sfrp4-null mice, some pretreated with pharmacologic inhibitors of specific signaling effectors, were used to examine the effects of FSH and/or SFRP4 on signaling pathways, autophagy and apoptosis by western blotting and TUNEL. Results: Treatment of cultured granulosa cells with recombinant SFRP4 was found to decrease basal and FSH-stimulated mRNA levels of FSH target genes. Unexpectedly, this effect was found to occur neither via a canonical (CTNNB1-dependent) nor non-canonical WNT signaling mechanism, but was found to be GSK3β-dependent. Rather, SFRP4 was found to antognize AKT activity via a mechanism involving AMPK. This lead to the hypophosphorylation of FOXO1 and a decrease in the expression of a portion of the FSH and FOXO1 transcriptomes. Conversely, FSH-stimulated AMPK, AKT and FOXO1 phosphorylation levels were found to be increased in the granulosa cells of Sfrp4-null mice relative to wild-type controls. SFRP4 treatement of granulosa cells also induced autophagy, both by signaling via AKT-mTORC1-ULK1 and by transcriptional regulation of autophagy-related genes. SFRP4 further induced granulosa cell apoptosis in an autophagy-independent manner. Conclusions: This study identifies a novel GSK3β-AMPK-AKT signaling mechanism through which SFPR4 antagonizes FSH action, and further identifies SFRP4 as a novel regulator of granulosa cell autophagy. These findings provide a mechanistic basis for the phenotypic changes previously observed in Sfrp4-null mice, and broaden our understanding of the physiological roles of WNT signaling processes in the ovary.
Project description:The primary aim of this study is to study the molecular changes in the endometrium of women with diffuse adenomyosis at baseline and after treatment with six months of vaginal bromocriptine, as a secondary outcome of a clinical trial. Pictorial Blood Loss Assessment Chart (PBLAC) was used to assess the amount of menstrual bleeding. The results suggest an anti-proliferative effect of bromocriptine in the endometrium in women with adenomyosis achieved by regulating genes associated with glucose metabolism. We speculate that the above mechanism could explain the reduced bleeding and pain observed in women with adenomyosis after bromocriptine treatment.
Project description:Objective: Bromocriptine treatment has been shown to reduce menstrual bleeding and pain in women with adenomyosis in a pilot clinical trial. The underlying mechanism contributing to the treatment effect is however unknown. This study was to explore the effect of bromocriptine on the proliferation and migration properties of the endometrium in women with adenomyosis, by assessing cellular and molecular changes after six months of vaginal bromocriptine treatment. Methods: Endometrial specimens were collected during the proliferative phase from women with adenomyosis (n=6) before (baseline) and after six months of vaginal bromocriptine treatment. Immunohistochemistry was used to determine changes in the protein expression of Ki67 in the endometrium. Primary endometrial stromal cells isolated at baseline were expanded in vitro and exposed to different doses of bromocriptine to determine the optimal half-maximum inhibitory concentration (IC50) using CellTiter-Blue® Cell Viability Assay. Cell proliferation was assessed by bromodeoxyuridine ELISA assay and Ki67 gene expression was checked by real-time PCR. The migratory ability of endometrial stromal cells was determined by wound healing and transwell migration assays. Small RNA sequencing was applied on tissues collected from women with adenomyosis before and after bromocriptine treatment to identify differentially expressed micro RNAs. Bioinformatic methods were used for target gene prediction and the identification of biological pathways. Results: Vaginal bromocriptine treatment reduced the Ki67 protein expression in the endometrium of women with adenomyosis and did not change the prolactin mRNA expression and protein concentration of prolactin in endometrial tissues. Bromocriptine significantly inhibited the proliferative and migrative abilities of endometrial stromal cells derived from women with adenomyosis in vitro. Moreover, small RNA sequencing revealed 27 differentially expressed micro RNAs (miRNAs) between the endometrium of women with adenomyosis before and after six months of vaginal bromocriptine treatment. KEGG pathway analysis on targeted genes of 27 miRNAs showed that several signaling pathways associated with cell proliferation and apoptosis were enriched after treatment. Conclusion: Bromocriptine treatment exhibits an anti-proliferative effect in the endometrium of women with adenomyosis in vivo and in vitro. Bromocriptine might inhibit the proliferation of endometrial tissue in adenomyosis in part through the regulation of dysregulated microRNAs and proliferation-associated signaling pathways.
Project description:IGFBP5, a critical regulators of insulin-like growth factors, has been reported to be involved in many kinds of carcinogenesis and cancer metastases. The role of IGFBP5 in human malignant melanoma (MM), however, remains largely unknown. In this study, we demonstrated that IGFBP5 was aberrantly expressed in human melanoma cells and cancer tissues. Overexpression of IGFBP5 dramatically inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of human melanoma cells, whereas knockdown of IGFBP5 by shRNA resulted in the opposite effects, enhanced the cell proliferation, migration and metastasis. In addition, IGFBP5 overexpression suppressed the growth and metastasis of melanoma xenograft tumor in vivo and IGFBP5 overexpression inhibited epithelialâmesenchymal transition (EMT) phenotype and stem cell property of tumor cell, with decreased expression of HIF1α, E-cadherin and stem cell markers NANOG, SOX2, OCT4, KLF4 and CD133. Moreover, IGFBP5 exhibited its growth inhibitory activity through inhibition of extracellular signal-regulated Kinase (ERK) and P38-MAPK signaling pathway. Taken together, our findings indicate that IGFBP5 acts as tumor suppressor roles in MM through the modulation of ERK1/2 and P38-MAPK signaling pathway as well as EMT procession and cell stemness, suggesting IGFBP5 as a novel target for human melanoma diagnosis and therapy. mRNA profiles of IGFBP5 over expression (OE) in A375 and A375 cell line were generated using Ion torrent
Project description:IGFBP5, a critical regulators of insulin-like growth factors, has been reported to be involved in many kinds of carcinogenesis and cancer metastases. The role of IGFBP5 in human malignant melanoma (MM), however, remains largely unknown. In this study, we demonstrated that IGFBP5 was aberrantly expressed in human melanoma cells and cancer tissues. Overexpression of IGFBP5 dramatically inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of human melanoma cells, whereas knockdown of IGFBP5 by shRNA resulted in the opposite effects, enhanced the cell proliferation, migration and metastasis. In addition, IGFBP5 overexpression suppressed the growth and metastasis of melanoma xenograft tumor in vivo and IGFBP5 overexpression inhibited epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) phenotype and stem cell property of tumor cell, with decreased expression of HIF1α, E-cadherin and stem cell markers NANOG, SOX2, OCT4, KLF4 and CD133. Moreover, IGFBP5 exhibited its growth inhibitory activity through inhibition of extracellular signal-regulated Kinase (ERK) and P38-MAPK signaling pathway. Taken together, our findings indicate that IGFBP5 acts as tumor suppressor roles in MM through the modulation of ERK1/2 and P38-MAPK signaling pathway as well as EMT procession and cell stemness, suggesting IGFBP5 as a novel target for human melanoma diagnosis and therapy.
Project description:Semi-invariant natural killer T (NKT) cells are thymus-derived innate lymphocytes that modulate microbial and tumour immunity as well as autoimmune diseases. These immunoregulatory properties of NKT cells are acquired during their development. Much has been learnt regarding the molecular and cellular cues that promote NKT cell development, yet how these cells are maintained in the thymus and the periphery and how they acquire functional competence are incompletely understood. We found that IL-15 induced several Bcl-2 family survival factors in thymic and splenic NKT cells in vitro. Yet, IL15-mediated thymic and peripheral NKT cell survival critically depended on Bcl-xL expression. Additionally, IL-15 regulated thymic developmental stage 2 (ST2) to ST3 lineage progression and terminal NKT cell differentiation. Global gene expression analyses and validation revealed that IL-15 regulated Tbx21 (T-bet) expression in thymic ST3 NKT cells. The loss of IL15-dependent T-bet expression resulted in poor expression of IFN-γ and several NK cell receptors in NKT cells. Taken together, our findings reveal a critical role for IL-15 in NKT cell survival, which is mediated by Bcl-xL, and effector differentiation, which is regulated by T-bet. Gene expression was measured in NKT cells sorted from pooled thymi of wild-type (3 replicates) or IL-15 deficient (2 replicates) mice.