Project description:To identify genes and molecular pathways involved in colorectal cancer (CRC) that developed in an inflammatory microenvironment, we performed Sleeping Beauty (SB) transposon mutagenesis screening in Dextran Sodium Sulfate treated-mice. We have shown that cell cycle-related genes and TGFb pathway-related genes are frequently mutated in inflammation-related tumors. We have demonstrated that TNFa can promote dedifferentiation of colonic epithelial cells via epigenomic reprogramming, and activate both Cdkn2a-p53 signaling and CycD-Cdk4/6, creating advantageous conditions for selecting cells carrying mutations in the Cdkn2a-p53 pathway genes. We have also showed that Cdk4/6 inhibitors are effective against colorectal tumors in an inflammatory microenvironment using the SB mouse model, presenting a potential new therapeutic strategy. Thus, SB screening is not only powerful in identifying genes involved in cancers that develop in specific microenvironments, but also helpful in validating the efficacy of drugs.
Project description:Seroepidemiological studies imply a correlation between Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) reactivation and the development of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Phorbol esters, butyrates and N-nitroso compounds are known chemical carcinogens in foodstuffs and cigarettes that have been implicated as risk factors contributing to the development of NPC. We have demonstrated previously that low dose N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG, 0.1 microg/ml) had a synergistic effect with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) and sodium butyrate (SB) in enhancing EBV reactivation (Chem Biol Interact 188: 623-634). Since residents of areas with a high risk of NPC are reported to contact with these carcinogens (TPA, SB or nitrosamines) frequently, we sought to determine the consequence of repeated exposure of EBV-harboring nasopharyngeal cells to these carcinogens in a long-term, low dose, repeated manner. An NPC cell line latently infected with EBV, NA, was periodically treated with TPA/SB combined with MNNG for recurrent EBV reactivation. After 10 times of chemically-induced recurrent reactivation of EBV, the expression profile analysis indicates that many carcinogenesis-related genes were altered in recurrent reactivated NA cells when compared to the parental NA cells. The expression profile was analyzed in the recurrent EBV reactivated NA cells and the parental NA cells.
Project description:Influenza A viruses generate annual epidemics and occasional pandemics of respiratory disease with important consequences for human health and economy. Therefore, a large effort has been devoted to the development of new anti-influenza drugs directed to viral targets, as well as to the identification of cellular targets amenable for anti-influenza therapy. Here we describe a new approach to identify such potential cellular targets by screening collections of drugs approved for human use. We reasoned that this would most probably ensure addressing a cellular target and, if successful, the compound would have a well known pharmacological profile. In addition, we reasoned that a screening using a GFP-based recombinant replicon system would address virus trancription/replication and/or gene expression, and hence address a stage in virus infection more useful for inhibition. By using such strategy we identified Montelukast as an inhibitor of virus gene expression, which reduced virus multiplication in virus-infected cells but did not alter virus RNA synthesis in vitro or viral RNA accumulation in vivo. By deep sequencing of RNA isolated from mock- and virus-infected human cells, treated or not with Montelukast, we identified the PERK-mediated unfolded protein response as the pathway responsible for Montelukast action. Accordingly, PERK phosphorylation was inhibited in infected cells but stimulated in Montelukast-treated cells. These results suggest the PERK-mediated unfolded protein response as a potential cellular target to modulate influenza virus infection.
Project description:To identify genes and molecular pathways involved in colorectal cancer (CRC) that developed in an inflammatory microenvironment, we performed Sleeping Beauty (SB) transposon mutagenesis screening in Dextran Sodium Sulfate treated-mice. We have shown that cell cycle-related genes and TGFb pathway-related genes are frequently mutated in inflammation-related tumors. We have demonstrated that TNFa can promote dedifferentiation of colonic epithelial cells via epigenomic reprogramming, and activate both Cdkn2a-p53 signaling and CycD-Cdk4/6, creating advantageous conditions for selecting cells carrying mutations in the Cdkn2a-p53 pathway genes. We have also showed that Cdk4/6 inhibitors are effective against colorectal tumors in an inflammatory microenvironment using the SB mouse model, presenting a potential new therapeutic strategy. Thus, SB screening is not only powerful in identifying genes involved in cancers that develop in specific microenvironments, but also helpful in validating the efficacy of drugs.
Project description:To identify genes and molecular pathways involved in colorectal cancer (CRC) that developed in an inflammatory microenvironment, we performed Sleeping Beauty (SB) transposon mutagenesis screening in Dextran Sodium Sulfate treated-mice. We have shown that cell cycle-related genes and TGFb pathway-related genes are frequently mutated in inflammation-related tumors. We have demonstrated that TNFa can promote dedifferentiation of colonic epithelial cells via epigenomic reprogramming, and activate both Cdkn2a-p53 signaling and CycD-Cdk4/6, creating advantageous conditions for selecting cells carrying mutations in the Cdkn2a-p53 pathway genes. We have also showed that Cdk4/6 inhibitors are effective against colorectal tumors in an inflammatory microenvironment using the SB mouse model, presenting a potential new therapeutic strategy. Thus, SB screening is not only powerful in identifying genes involved in cancers that develop in specific microenvironments, but also helpful in validating the efficacy of drugs.
Project description:U2OS cells were co-transfected with PiggyBac (PB) transposon plasmid pPB-SB-CMV-puro-SD3 and the transposase p-hyPBASE. The modified PiggyBac (PB) transposon, which has a constitutively active CMV promoter which can stimulate or disrupt expression of neighboring genes, depending on insertional orientation. For each library, between 107-108 cells were transfected, cultured with the addition of 2 µg/ml puromycin for one week to select cells that had incorporated the transposon, and then used for screens of virus resistance with minimal further expansion. Mutagenized cells were challenged with replication-competent recombinant EboGP-VSV at MOI of 1 or 10 and propagated for up to 3 weeks with regular media changes to select virus-resistant colonies. After virus resistant cells were selected, genomic DNA (gDNA) was isolated from 5-10 X 106 cells and transposon insertion sites were mapped using high throughput sequencing.
Project description:In the fire ant Solenopsis invicta, a colony queen number is determined by the founding queen's genotypes at the 13 Mb supergene with the non-recombining variants SB and Sb. Single-queen colonies are always headed by SB/SB queens while multiple-queens colonies are always headed by SB/Sb queens. The two variants of the supergene, SB and Sb are completely linked to the two alleles (B and b) of the gene Gp-9. SB/SB and SB/Sb queens differ in many physiological traits including their maturation rate and odor. To explain why SB/SB and SB/Sb queens have different odors, and why SB/SB virgins mature faster and accumulate more fat, we measured expression of ~6000 genes in virgin queens 1 and 11 days after eclosion and in reproductive queens. Keywords: fire ants, Solenopsis invicta, Supergene, queen, Gp-9, social form, maturation, fat storage, queen odor, cuticular hydrocarbon, worker discrimination, monogyne, polygyne, transposon, chemical signaling