Project description:This is a prospective, multi-centered study to assess whether urine metabolomics can play a role in the screening of colorectal cancer (CRC). Urine samples will be collected from 1000 patients going through an established CRC screening program, and from a further 500 patients who already have a diagnosis of CRC. Using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, the 1H NMR spectrum of urine samples will be analyzed for specific metabolites, and establish the metabolomic signature of colorectal cancer. The results from metabolomic urinalysis of this screening cohort will be compared with results from colonoscopy, histological descriptions, fecal occult blood testing (FOBT), and fecal immune testing (FIT) to assess the accuracy of urine metabolomics in identifying patients with polyps and malignancies. The urine metabolomic results from the colorectal cancer group will be correlated with operative, histological and clinical staging to define the role of urine metabolomics in assessing colorectal cancer type, location and stage. Additionally approximately 300 urine samples from breast cancer patients and 300 from prostate cancer patients will be collected to validate that the colorectal cancer signature is unique.
Project description:Purpose: The goal of this experiment was to use RNA-seq to compare the two commercial cotton species Gossypium hirsutum and Gossypium barbadense and determine what transcripts may account for the better fiber quality in the latter. Methods: RNA was extracted from Gossypium barbadense or Gossypium hirsutum fibers at 10, 15, 18, 21, and 28 days post anthesis. Paired-end, 100-bp RNA-seq was performed on an Illumina HiSeq2000 and the reads were mapped to the Gossypium raimondii genome at www.phytozome.net and non-homologous contig assemblies from Gossypium arboreum. Results from RNA-seq were combined with non-targeted metabolomics. Results: Approximately 38,000 transcripts were expressed (RPKM>2) in each fiber type and approximately 2,000 of these transcripts were differentially expressed in a cross-species comparison at each timepoint. Enriched Gene Ontology biological processes in differentially expressed transcripts suggested that Gh fibers were more stressed. Conclusions: Both metabolomic and transcriptomic data suggest that better mechanisms for managing reactive oxygen species contribute to the increased fiber length in Gossypium barbadense. This appears to result from enhanced ascorbate biosynthesis via gulono-1,4-lactone oxidase and ascorbate recycling via dehydroascorbate reductase.
Project description:Investigation of whole genome gene expression level changes in E. coli O103:H25 in co-culture with Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron CCUG 10774 compared to when E. coli is cultured individually.
Project description:The intermediate filament protein Nestin serves as a biomarker for stem cells and has been used to identify subsets of cancer stem-like cells. However, the mechanistic contributions of Nestin to cancer pathogenesis are not understood. Here we report that Nestin binds the hedgehog pathway transcription factor Gli3 to mediate the development of medulloblastomas of the hedgehog subtype. In a mouse model system, Nestin levels increased progressively during medulloblastoma formation resulting in enhanced tumor growth. Conversely, loss of Nestin dramatically inhibited proliferation and promoted differentiation. Mechanistic investigations revealed that the tumor-promoting effects of Nestin were mediated by binding to Gli3, a zinc finger transcription factor that negatively regulates hedgehog signaling. Nestin binding to Gli3 blocked Gli3 phosphorylation and its subsequent proteolytic processing, thereby abrogating its ability to negatively regulate the hedgehog pathway. Our findings show how Nestin drives hedgehog pathway-driven cancers and uncover in Gli3 a therapeutic target to treat these malignancies. Nestin+ and Nestin- GNPs (granule neuron precursors) were purified from Nestin-CFP/Math1-Cre/Ptch1-loxp cerebella at postnatal day 4 by FACs, and total RNA from these two cell populations were extracted, and then labeled and hybridized to Affymetrix Mouse Genome 430 2.0 arrays.
Project description:Purpose: The goal of this experiment was to use RNA-seq to compare the two commercial cotton species Gossypium hirsutum and Gossypium barbadense and determine what transcripts may account for the better fiber quality in the latter. Methods: RNA was extracted from Gossypium barbadense or Gossypium hirsutum fibers at 10, 15, 18, 21, and 28 days post anthesis. Paired-end, 100-bp RNA-seq was performed on an Illumina HiSeq2000 and the reads were mapped to the Gossypium raimondii genome at www.phytozome.net and non-homologous contig assemblies from Gossypium arboreum. Results from RNA-seq were combined with non-targeted metabolomics. Results: Approximately 38,000 transcripts were expressed (RPKM>2) in each fiber type and approximately 2,000 of these transcripts were differentially expressed in a cross-species comparison at each timepoint. Enriched Gene Ontology biological processes in differentially expressed transcripts suggested that Gh fibers were more stressed. Conclusions: Both metabolomic and transcriptomic data suggest that better mechanisms for managing reactive oxygen species contribute to the increased fiber length in Gossypium barbadense. This appears to result from enhanced ascorbate biosynthesis via gulono-1,4-lactone oxidase and ascorbate recycling via dehydroascorbate reductase. See Bioproject PRJNA263926 and SRA accession SRP049330 for study design and raw sequencing data and Bioproject PRJNA269608 and TSA accession GBYK00000000 for Gossypium arboreum assembled contig sequences used for transcriptome mapping - Cotton fiber mRNA from 10,15,18,21 and 28 day post anthesis fiber from either Gossypium hirusutm or Gossypium barbadense was sequenced and differential gene expression analysis was conducted between species for each timepoint and between adjacent timepoints. Each timepoint was representative of fiber from 9 individual plants processed as 3 biological replicate pools (material from 3 individual plants per pool).