Project description:Th2 cells must sense and adapt to the tissue milieu in order to provide protective host immunity and tissue repair. Here, we examined the mechanisms promoting Th2 cell differentiation and function within the small intestinal lamina propria. Single cell RNA-seq analyses of CD4+ T cells from the small intestinal lamina propria of helminth infected mice revealed high expression of the gene Epas1, encoding the transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor 2a (HIF2α). In vitro, exposure to hypoxia or genetic HIF2α activation promoted Th2 cell differentiation, even under non-polarizing conditions. In mice, HIF2α activation in CD4+ T cells promoted intestinal Th2 cell accumulation in the absence of infection, and HIF2α-deficiency impaired CD4+ T cell-mediated host immunity to intestinal helminth infection. Our findings identified hypoxia, and the oxygen-regulated transcription factor Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 2α (HIF2α), as key regulators of Th2 cell differentiation and function within the small intestine.
Project description:Th2 cells must sense and adapt to the tissue milieu in order to provide protective host immunity and tissue repair. Here, we examined the mechanisms promoting Th2 cell differentiation and function within the small intestinal lamina propria. Single cell RNA-seq analyses of CD4+ T cells from the small intestinal lamina propria of helminth infected mice revealed high expression of the gene Epas1, encoding the transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor 2a (HIF2α). In vitro, exposure to hypoxia or genetic HIF2α activation promoted Th2 cell differentiation, even under non-polarizing conditions. In mice, HIF2α activation in CD4+ T cells promoted intestinal Th2 cell accumulation in the absence of infection, and HIF2α-deficiency impaired CD4+ T cell-mediated host immunity to intestinal helminth infection. Our findings identified hypoxia, and the oxygen-regulated transcription factor Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 2α (HIF2α), as key regulators of Th2 cell differentiation and function within the small intestine.
Project description:Gene expression profiling of primary mouse articular chondrocyte infected with recombinant adenovirus expressing the hypoxia inducible factor-2 alpha (HIF-2α) protein. In this study, we have attempted to explore the effects of HIF-2α overexpression on mouse transcriptome and have identified numerous genes which are involved in osteoarthritis pathogenesis.
Project description:Inflammation is a significant risk factor for colon cancer. Recent work has demonstrated essential roles for several infiltrating immune populations in the metaplastic progression following inflammation. Hypoxia and stabilization of hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) are hallmark features of inflammation and solid tumors. Previously, we demonstrated an important role for tumor epithelial HIF-2α in colon tumors; however, the function of epithelial HIF-2α as a critical link in the progression of inflammation to cancer has not been elucidated. In colitis-associated colon cancer models, epithelial HIF-2α was essential in tumor growth. Concurrently, epithelial disruption of HIF-2α significantly decreased neutrophils in the colon tumor microenvironment. Intestinal epithelial HIF-2α-overexpressing mice demonstrated that neutrophil recruitment was a direct response to increased epithelial HIF-2α signaling. High-throughput RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis of HIF-2α-overexpressing mice in conjunction with data mining from the Cancer Genome Atlas showed that the neutrophil chemokine CXCL1 gene was highly upregulated in colon tumor epithelium in a HIF-2α-dependent manner. Using selective peptide inhibitors of the CXCL1-CXCR2 signaling axis identified HIF-2α-dependent neutrophil recruitment as an essential mechanism to increase colon carcinogenesis. These studies demonstrate that HIF-2α is a novel regulator of neutrophil recruitment to colon tumors and that it is essential in shaping the protumorigenic inflammatory microenvironment in colon cancer.
Project description:Growing number of cancer (stem) cells and stem cells were described to accommodate constituent active HIF-2α under normoxia. Previous study of hypoxia effect may have obscured some of normoxic HIF-2α functions as hypoxia inducible features. Our interest in study of protective potential of HIFs in lung cells led us to discover pseudohypoxia functions of HIF-2α under normoxia in human bronchial epithelial cells which exhibit pluripotency related markers and features. Our study provided perspective to pseudohypoxia functions of HIF-2α via enrichment of de novo motifs. In addition to the C-TAD, the N-TAD of HIF-2α was found to contribute to targeting on these non-canonical loci. Further elucidation of pseudohypoxia mechanism could resolve its implication of malignancy or pluripotency.
Project description:The goal of this study was to define the regulation of Tfh cell response during intestinal helminth infection. Using the helminth Trichuris muris, we performed ATAC-seq analysis on Tfh cells that develop during acute vs chronic helminth infection. We found that the epigenetic profile of acute vs chronic induced Tfh cells are distinct by adopting Th2 and Th1 cell phenotypes, respectively. For example, Th2-associated genes such as the Il4 locus was more accessible in acute-induced Tfh cells (and vice versa for Th1-associated genes in chronic-induced Tfh cells).
Project description:The goal of this study was to define the regulation of Tfh cell response during intestinal helminth infection. Using the helminth Trichuris muris, we performed RNA-seq analysis on Tfh cells that develop during acute vs chronic helminth infection. We found that the transcriptomic profile of acute vs chronic induced Tfh cells are distinct and they express Th2/Th1-associated genes, respectively.