Project description:To define the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) of beta-cells, we used conditioned media (CM) generated from bleomycin-treated MIN6 cells and from senescent (beta-Gal-positive) primary beta-cells. In order to culture senescent beta-cells, we isolated islet, FACS-sorted them into beta-Gal-positive and negative populations, excluding immune cells through negative selection of CD45-positive and CD11beta-positive cells. For both the MIN6 and primary beta-cell models, we cultured cells in serum-free media to generate CM for proteomic analysis using the aptamer-based SomaScan platform.
Project description:Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) primarily reside in the bone marrow, where they receive external cues from their local microenvironment. The complex milieu of biophysical cues, cellular components, and cell-secreted factors regulates the process by which HSC produce the blood and immune system. We previously showed direct co-culture of primary murine hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells with a population of marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal and progenitor cells (MSPCs) in a methacrylamide-functionalized gelatin (GelMA) hydrogel improves hematopoietic progenitor maintenance. However, the mechanism by which MSPCs influenced HSC fate decisions remained unknown. Herein, we report the use of proteomic analysis to correlate HSC phenotype to a broad candidate pool of 200 soluble factors produced by combined mesenchymal and hematopoietic progeny. Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR), along with an iterative filter method, identified TGFβ-1, MMP-3, c-RP, and TROY as positively correlated with HSC maintenance. Experimentally, we then observe exogenous stimulation of HSC monocultures in GelMA hydrogels with these combined cytokines increases the ratio of hematopoietic progenitors to committed progeny after a 7-day culture 7.52 ± 3.65 fold compared to non-stimulated monocultures. Findings suggest a cocktail of the downselected cytokines amplify hematopoietic maintenance potential of HSCs beyond that of MSPC-secreted factors alone. This work integrates empirical and computation methods to identify cytokine combinations to improve HSC maintenance within an engineered HSC niche, suggesting a route towards identifying feeder-free culture platforms for HSC expansion.
Project description:Endoglin (EDG) is a cell surface protein with an important role in the establishment of neo-angiogenesis and vasculogenic mimicry. EDG is part of the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) family, acting as an important co-receptor. EDG is shed from the cell surface into the extracellular compartment by matrix metalloproteinase 14 (MMP14), in its soluble form (sEDG). Both transmembrane and soluble forms of EDG exert important signaling functions in the development of new blood vessels and tumour progression. To better understand the role of EDG in Ewing sarcoma (ES), a deadly neoplasm of late childhood and adolescence, we test the efficacy of OMTX703, an endoglin-targeting antibody-drug conjugate in ES8 xenograft. Having determined an optimal dose for OMTX703, an additional experiment was conducted to assess the mechanism(s) of OMTX703 action and its potential mechanism(s) of resistance following a 2-week exposure to OMTX703 at 0, 10, 30, and 60 mg/kg; 246 proteins were assessed by reverse-phase protein array (RPPA). Analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson’s correlation as distance metric and Ward’s linkage as the clustering method using a false discovery rate (FDR) of 0.01, identified 60 proteins that discriminated between treatment groups (Matrix#1-Normalized Values). To investigate the proteomic changes associated with the heightened clinical activity of the 60 mg/kg dose, a secondary analysis was performed, which grouped the 10 mg/kg OMTX703 samples and the 10 mg/kg OMTX003 ones with the placebo-treated samples (Matrix#2-Normalized Values). Using a FDR of 0.0001, an absolute log2 fold change of 1.5, Pearson’s correlation as distance metric and Ward’s linkage as the clustering method, 22 proteins were discriminately identified between the 3 treatment groups (Matrix#2-Normalized Values). Notably, a protein regulator of altered metabolism (RPS6) was exclusively upregulated following OMTX703 (60mg/kg), and a second metabolism biomarker (LDHA) was down-expressed in the 30 and 60 mg/kg-treated groups. Conversely, BRD4 was one of about a dozen proteins that were preferentially down-regulated in samples treated only by 60 mg/kg.
Project description:Background: Extra-articular manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), potentially due to systemic inflammation, include cardiovascular disease and sarcopenic obesity. Adiponectin, an adipose-derived cytokine, has been implicated in inflammatory processes in RA, but little is known regarding its association with inflammation in a pre-clinical period. Therefore, we investigated whether adiponectin was associated with inflammatory markers in individuals at risk for RA, and whether RA-related autoimmunity modifies these associations. Methods: We analyzed samples from 144 first-degree relatives (FDRs) of RA probands, of whom 23 were positive for anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody and/or ≥ 2 rheumatoid factor isotypes (IgM, IgG or IgA). We called this phenotype the ‘high risk autoantibody profile (HRP)’ as it has been shown in prior work to be >96% specific for future RA. We measured adiponectin, cytokines/chemokines, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP). Using linear mixed effects models, we evaluated interaction between HRP positivity and adiponectin on inflammatory markers, adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity, body mass index, pack-years smoking, and use of cholesterol-lowering medications. Results: In everyone, adiponectin concentration was inversely associated with hsCRP and IL-1b in adjusted models, where a 1% higher adiponectin was associated with a 26% lower hsCRP (p=0.04) and a 26% lower IL-1b (p=0.04). Significant interactions between HRP and adiponectin for associations with GM-CSF, IL-6, and IL-9 were detected in fully adjusted models (p=0.0006, p=0.006, p=0.01, respectively). In HRP positive FDRs but not HRP negative FDRs, a 1% higher adiponectin was associated with 97% higher GM-CSF, 73% higher IL-6, and 54% higher IL-9 concentrations. Conclusions: Adiponectin associates with inflammatory markers, and these associations differ in individuals with a high-risk autoantibody profile compared with those without. The interaction between adiponectin and autoimmunity may occur systemically, rather than at the joint, which may provide insight into the systemic effects of RA-related autoantibodies and inflammation in the absence of clinically apparent RA.
Project description:Abstract: The essential mammalian enzyme O-GlcNAc Transferase (OGT) is uniquely responsible for transferring N-acetylglucosamine to over a thousand nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins, yet there is no known consensus sequence and it remains unclear how OGT recognizes its substrates. To address this question, we have developed a protein microarray assay that chemoenzymatically labels de novo sites of glycosylation with biotin, allowing us to simultaneously as-sess OGT activity across >6000 human proteins. We used this assay to examine the contribution of a conserved asparagine ladder within the lumen of OGT’s superhelical tetratri-copeptide repeat (TPR) domain to substrate selection. When these residues were mutated, OGT retained full activity against short peptides, but showed low to no activity against most of the OGT substrates on the microarray. O-GlcNAcylation of protein substrates in cell extracts was also greatly attenuated. We conclude that OGT recognizes a majority of its substrates by binding them to the asparagine ladder in the TPR lumen proximal to the catalytic domain. This series contains microarray data both comparing the new chemoenzymatic method to antibody-based detection as well as comparing arrays treated with wild-type OGT, 5N5A mutant OGT, or controls not treated with enzyme. Note: all CTD-stained arrays or control array raw files are contained in GSE107911_RAW.tar
Project description:The aim of the study was to determine the epitope targeted by four different HumAbs and the cross-reactivity to linear peptide epitopes of 10 different Neisserial Heparin Binding Antigen (NHBA) variants. the HumAbs were diluted at 1:60 and incubated on a custom PepStar Peptide Microarray platform printed with 561 different peptides.
Project description:The aim of the study was to determine the epitope targeted by four different HumAbs and the cross-reactivity to linear peptide epitopes of 5 different Neisserial adesin A (NadA) variants. the HumAbs were diluted at 1:200 and incubated on a custom PepStar Peptide Microarray platform printed with 348 different peptides.
Project description:The aim of the study was to determine the epitope targeted by 5 different HumAbs and the cross-reactivity to linear peptide epitopes of 12 different factor H binding protein (fHbp) variants. The HumAbs were diluted at 1:200 and incubated on a custom PepStar Peptide Microarray platform printed with 363 different peptides.
Project description:This study uses proteome microarray technology/data to identify predictive biomarkers of neutralizing antibody response and potential new correlates of protective immunity in rubella virus serology.