ABSTRACT: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents the fifth most common form of cancer worldwide and carries a high mortality rate due to lack of effective treatment. Males are eight times more likely to develop HCC that females, an effect largely driven by sex hormones, albeit through still poorly understood mechanisms. We previously identified TRIM28, a scaffold protein capable of recruiting a number of chromatin modifiers, as a crucial mediator of sexual dimorphism in the liver, with Trim28hep-/- mice displaying sex-specific transcriptional deregulation of a wide range of bile and steroid metabolism genes and development of liver adenomas in males. We now demonstrate that obesity and ageing precipitate alterations of TRIM28-dependent transcriptional dynamics, leading to a metabolic infection state responsible for highly penetrant male-restricted hepatic carcinogenesis. Molecular analyses implicate aberrant androgen receptor stimulation, biliary acid disturbances and altered responses to gut microbiota in the pathogenesis of Trim28hep-/--associated HCC. Correspondingly, androgen deprivation markedly attenuates the frequency and severity of tumors, and raising animals under axenic conditions completely abrogates their abnormal phenotype, even upon high-fat diet challenge. This work underpins how discrete polyphenic traits in epigenetically unstable conditions can contribute to a cancer-prone state, and more broadly provides new evidence linking hormonal imbalances, metabolic disturbances, gut microbiota and cancer.
Project description:Gender bias and the role of sex hormones in autoimmune diseases are well established. In specific-pathogen free (SPF) non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice females have 1.3-4.4 times higher incidence of Type 1 diabetes (T1D). Germ-free (GF) mice lose the gender bias (female/male ratio 1.1-1.2). Gut microbiota differed in males and females, a trend reversed by male castration, confirming that androgens influence gut microbiota. Colonization of GF NOD mice with defined microbiota revealed that some but not all lineages overrepresented in male mice supported a gender bias in T1D, and protection did not correlate with androgen levels. However, hormone-supported selective microbial lineage variation may work as a positive feedback mechanism contributing to the sexual dimorphism of autoimmune diseases. Gene expression analysis suggested pathways involved in protection of males from T1D by microbiota.
Project description:Gender bias and the role of sex hormones in autoimmune diseases are well established. In specific-pathogen free (SPF) non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice females have 1.3-4.4 times higher incidence of Type 1 diabetes (T1D). Germ-free (GF) mice lose the gender bias (female/male ratio 1.1-1.2). Gut microbiota differed in males and females, a trend reversed by male castration, confirming that androgens influence gut microbiota. Colonization of GF NOD mice with defined microbiota revealed that some but not all lineages overrepresented in male mice supported a gender bias in T1D, and protection did not correlate with androgen levels. However, hormone-supported selective microbial lineage variation may work as a positive feedback mechanism contributing to the sexual dimorphism of autoimmune diseases. Gene expression analysis suggested pathways involved in protection of males from T1D by microbiota. We compared gene expression patterns in the pancreatic lymph nodes (PLNs) between four groups of mice (two genders in SPF and GF conditions, respectively). PLNs were isolated from 9-10 week old GF and SPF male and female NOD mice with 3 mice in each group, for a total of 12 samples.
Project description:Males and females exhibit profound differences in immune responses and disease susceptibility. However, the factors responsible for sex differences in tissue immunity remain poorly understood. Here, we uncover a dominant role for type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2) in shaping sexual immune dimorphism within the skin. Mechanistically, negative regulation of ILC2 by androgens leads to a reduction in dendritic cell (DC) accumulation and activation in males, and reduced tissue immunity. Collectively, this work uncovers an androgen-ILC2-DC axis in controlling sexual immune dimorphism. Moreover, this work proposes that tissue immune set-points are defined by the dual action of sex hormones and the microbiota, with sex hormones controlling the strength of local immunity and microbiota calibrating its tone.
Project description:Males and females exhibit profound differences in immune responses and disease susceptibility. However, the factors responsible for sex differences in tissue immunity remain poorly understood. Here, we uncover a dominant role for type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2) in shaping sexual immune dimorphism within the skin. Mechanistically, negative regulation of ILC2 by androgens leads to a reduction in dendritic cell (DC) accumulation and activation in males, and reduced tissue immunity. Collectively, this work uncovers an androgen-ILC2-DC axis in controlling sexual immune dimorphism. Moreover, this work proposes that tissue immune set-points are defined by the dual action of sex hormones and the microbiota, with sex hormones controlling the strength of local immunity and microbiota calibrating its tone.
Project description:Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common liver cancer and a highly malignant tumor. The frequent activation of Ras signaling pathway and the male prevalence are the distinct characteristics of HCC though the underlying mechanisms remain elucidated. By exploring a mouse model of HCC induced by hepatocyte-specific expression of the Hras12V oncogene and showed significant male prevalence in hepatic tumorigenesis, we performed a high-throughput comparative proteomic analysis based on tandem-mass-tag (TMT) labeling combined with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) on the protein samples from hepatic tumor tissues (T) and peri-tumor tissues (P) of transgenic males and females and the corresponding normal liver tissues (W) of non-transgenic males and females. In total, 5733 proteins were confidently identified, of which 5193 proteins were quantified. Finally, 1344 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) (quantified in all examined samples; 1.5 ≤ quantitative ratios ≤ 0.67; p ≤ 0.05) were selected for further analysis. Vertical comparison within W, P, T of males and females, respectively, showed that the numbers of DEPs in males were much higher than females. Bioinformatics analyses showed the common and unique cluster enriched items between sexes which indicates the common and gender disparity pathways towards HCC. Further expression change pattern analysis revealed HCC positive/negative-related and Ras oncogene positive/negative-related DEPs. Horizontal comparison between males and females showed that Ras oncogene gradually and significantly reduced the responses to sex hormones from hepatocytes to hepatoma cells and therefore shrunk their gender disparity, which may contribute to the cause of the loss of HCC clinical responses to the therapeutic approaches targeting sex hormone pathways. Additionally, FABP5 was found to be a more sensitive biomarker for clinical diagnose and prognosis prediction of HCC patients comparing to AFP. In conclusion, the present study firstly provided a comprehensive proteome profiles and novel insights in male bias hepatic tumorigenesis induced by H-ras12V oncogene.
Project description:Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a sexually dimorphic disease influenced by dietary factors. Here, we assess the metabolic and hepatic effects of dietary amino acid (AA) source in Western diet (WD)-induced NAFLD in male and female mice. The AA source was either casein or a free AA mixture mimicking the composition of casein. As expected, males fed a casein-based WD displayed glucose intolerance, fasting hyperglycemia, and insulin-resistance and developed NAFLD associated with changes in hepatic gene expression and dysbiosis. In contrast, males fed the AA-based WD showed no steatosis, a similar gene expression profile as males fed a control diet, and a distinct microbiota composition compared to males fed a casein-based WD. Females were protected against WD-induced liver damage, hepatic gene expression, and gut microbiota changes regardless of the AA source. Thus, free dietary AA intake prevents the unhealthy metabolic outcomes of a WD in a sex-specific manner.
Project description:Here we exploited a Han Chinese population-based cohort with extensive host metadata established in the Pinggu (PG) district of Beijing, and investigated gut microbiota from 2,338 adults (26-76 years) by metagenomic sequencing, revealing associations of the gut microbiota with sex, sex hormones, age, and a number of clinical and metabolic parameters.
Project description:This gene set contains skin fibroblasts from either labia majora of 46,XY sex reversed females having complete androgen insensitivity syndrome due to inactivation mutations of the androgen receptor gene and from the scrotum of normal males. Both, labia majora and scrotum origin from the same embryological anlagen, the labioscrotal swellings. The phenotypic difference is due to androgen dependent virilization in males. This is not possible in 46,XY patients with complete androgen insensitivity syndrome because the androgen receptor pathway is knocked out. A cell type comparison design experiment design type compares cells of different type for example different cell lines. Cell Line: genital skin fibroblasts from different locations mutant line: normal 46,XY male and 46,XY sex reversed female due to inactivating mutations of the androgen receptor gene Keywords: cell_type_comparison_design
Project description:Background:
There are about 100 trillion microbial cells in a person s gut. This is called the human gut microbiota. When this is disrupted, it can lead to many diseases. Studies show that the gut microbiota in people with cancer is different than that found in healthy people. Researchers want to study links between the gut microbiota and the immune system in people with a liver disease called hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Objective:
To study links between gut microbiota and the immune system in people with HCC.
Eligibility:
People at least 18 years old with HCC. They must be scheduled to have tumors removed by surgery.
Design:
* People having surgery for primary liver tumors at the Mount Sinai Medical Center will be screened for this study.
* At the initial visit, blood, rectal swabs, urine, and stool will be collected. Participants will answer questions about their medical condition.
* Before surgery, blood, rectal swabs, urine, and stool will be collected. This will be done at a routine visit.
* When they have surgery, a piece of liver tissue with the tumor will be collected. This will be sent to the National Cancer Institute for tests.
* After surgery, blood, rectal swabs, urine, and stool will be collected 3 times. This will be done at routine visits.
Project description:This gene set contains skin fibroblasts from either labia majora of 46,XY sex reversed females having complete androgen insensitivity syndrome due to inactivation mutations of the androgen receptor gene and from the scrotum of normal males. Both, labia majora and scrotum origin from the same embryological anlagen, the labioscrotal swellings. The phenotypic difference is due to androgen dependent virilization in males. This is not possible in 46,XY patients with complete androgen insensitivity syndrome because the androgen receptor pathway is knocked out. A cell type comparison design experiment design type compares cells of different type for example different cell lines. Cell Line: genital skin fibroblasts from different locations mutant line: normal 46,XY male and 46,XY sex reversed female due to inactivating mutations of the androgen receptor gene Computed