Project description:The central nervous system (CNS) is a common site of metastatic disease in patients with breast cancer and has few therapeutic options with dismal outcomes. The purpose of our study was to identify common and rare events that underlie breast cancer CNS metastasis. We performed deep genomic profiling, which integrated gene copy number, gene expression and DNA methylation datasets on a collection of breast brain metastases. We identified frequent large chromosomal gains in 1q, 5p, 8q, 11q, and 20q and frequent broad level deletions involving 8p, 17p, 21p and Xq. Frequently amplified and overexpressed genes included ATAD2, BRAF, DERL1, DNMTRB and NEK2A. The ATM, CRYAB and HSPB2 genes were commonly deleted and underexpressed. Knowledge mining revealed enrichment in cell cycle and G2/M transition pathways, which contained AURKA, AURKB and FOXM1. Using the PAM50 breast cancer intrinsic classifier, Luminal B, Her2+/ER negative, and basal-like tumors were identified as the most commonly represented breast cancer subtypes in our CNS metastasis cohort. While overall methylation levels were increased in breast cancer CNS metastasis, basal-like CNS metastases were associated with significantly lower levels of methylation. Integrating DNA methylation data with gene expression revealed defects in cell migration and adhesion due to hypermethylation and downregulation of PENK, EDN3, and ITGAM. Hypomethylation and upregulation of KRT8 likely affects adhesion and permeability. Genomic and epigenomic profiling of breast CNS metastasis has provided insight into the somatic events underlying this disease, which have potential in forming the basis of future therapeutic strategies. Three sample-types: 35 Breast Brain Metastasis samples, 10 Non-Neoplastic Brain samples, and 10 Non-Neoplastic Breast samples.
Project description:Gene expression profiling of immortalized human mesenchymal stem cells with hTERT/E6/E7 transfected MSCs. hTERT may change gene expression in MSCs. Goal was to determine the gene expressions of immortalized MSCs.
Project description:Transcriptional profiling of human mesenchymal stem cells comparing normoxic MSCs cells with hypoxic MSCs cells. Hypoxia may inhibit senescence of MSCs during expansion. Goal was to determine the effects of hypoxia on global MSCs gene expression.
Project description:Beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) is a ketone body synthesized during fasting or strenuous exercise. Our previous study demonstrated that a cyclic ketogenic diet (KD), which induces BHB levels similar to fasting every other week, reduces midlife mortality and improves memory in aging mice. BHB actively regulates gene expression and inflammatory activation through non-energetic signaling pathways. Neither of these activities has been well-characterized in the brain and they may represent mechanisms by which BHB affects brain function during aging. First, we analyzed hepatic gene expression in an aging KD-treated mouse cohort using bulk RNA-seq. In addition to the downregulation of TOR pathway activity, cyclic KD reduces inflammatory gene expression in the liver. We observed via flow cytometry that KD also modulates age-related systemic T cell functions. Next, we investigated whether BHB affects brain cells transcriptionallyin vitro. Gene expression analysis in primary human brain cells (microglia, astrocytes, neurons) using RNA-seq shows that BHB causes a mild level of inflammation in all three cell types. However, BHB inhibits the more pronounced LPS-induced inflammatory gene activation in microglia. Furthermore, we confirmed that BHB similarly reduces LPS-induced inflammation in primary mouse microglia and bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs). BHB is recognized as an inhibitor of histone deacetylase (HDAC), an inhibitor of NLRP3 inflammasome, and an agonist of the GPCR Hcar2. Nevertheless, in microglia, BHB's anti-inflammatory effects are independent of these known mechanisms. Finally, we examined the brain gene expression of 12-month-old male mice fed with one-week and one-year cyclic KD. While a one-week KD increases inflammatory signaling, a one-year cyclic KD reduces neuroinflammation induced by aging. In summary, our findings demonstrate that BHB mitigates the microglial response to inflammatory stimuli, like LPS, possibly leading to decreased chronic inflammation in the brain after long-term KD treatment in aging mice.