Project description:Foreign body reaction (FBR), initiated by adherence of macrophages to biomaterials, is associated with several complications. Searching for mechanisms potentially useful to overcome these complications, we have established the signaling role of macrophages in the development of FBR. This study profiles gene expression of in vitro fibrinogen activated macrophages as well as that of freshly isolated macrophages from 3-days implants, against a background of unactivated macrophages/monocytes.
Project description:Foreign body reaction (FBR), initiated by adherence of macrophages to biomaterials, is associated with several complications. Searching for mechanisms potentially useful to overcome these complications, we have established the signaling role of macrophages in the development of FBR. This study profiles gene expression of in vitro fibrinogen activated macrophages as well as that of freshly isolated macrophages from 3-days implants, against a background of unactivated macrophages/monocytes. Total RNA was isolated from fibrinogen activated macrophages, FBR macrophages and macrophages from blood (control). Samples were processed in triplicate on Rat Genome 230 2.0 Array GeneChips, adding up to 9 arrays in total. Microarray processing was performed at DNAVision (Charleroi, Belgium). The RMA comparisons between macrophases are linked below.
Project description:Aging causes a functional decline in tissues throughout the body that may be delayed by caloric restriction (CR). However, the cellular profiles and signatures of aging, as well as those ameliorated by CR, remain unclear. Here, we built comprehensive single-cell and single-nucleus transcriptomic atlases across various rat tissues undergoing aging and CR. CR attenuated aging-related changes in cell type composition, gene expression, and core transcriptional regulatory networks. Immune cells were increased during aging, and CR favorably reversed the aging-disturbed immune ecosystem. Computational prediction revealed that the abnormal cell-cell communication patterns observed during aging, including the excessive proinflammatory ligand-receptor interplay, were reversed by CR. Our work provides multi-tissue single-cell transcriptional landscapes associated with aging and CR in a mammal, enhances our understanding of the robustness of CR as a geroprotective intervention, and uncovers how metabolic intervention can act upon the immune system to modify the process of aging.
Project description:Transcriptome profiling based study of early gene responses in susceptible and tolerant rat lung tissues during acute hypobaric hypoxia
Project description:Foreign body reaction is one of the most important limiting factors to the clinical translation of implantable bioelectronics. The experiment compares the process of foreign body reaction, following the implantation of a silicon device in a mouse peripheral nerve, to that of peripheral nerve injury, following nerve crushing. Both processes are also compared to a naïve peripheral nerve from an uninjured mouse. The endpoints are day 1, 4, 7, 14 and 28 days.
Project description:Inflammation is a key component of pathological angiogenesis. Here we induce cornea neovascularisation using sutures placed into the cornea, and sutures are removed to induce a regression phase. We used whole transcriptome microarray to monitor gene expression profies of several genes
Project description:Few studies have assessed the patterns of parasite populations of rodents over a longitudinal gradient in Chile. In this work, the gastrointestinal helminthic fauna of invasive rodents in Chile was examined to assess the association between their presence/absence and abundance with latitude, host sex, and host body condition, and to assess the coexistence and correlation of the abundance between parasite species. Rodents were obtained from 20 localities between 33 and 43°S. Helminths were extracted from the gastrointestinal tract and identified morphologically. Overall, 13 helminth taxa were obtained. The most frequently identified parasite species was Heterakis spumosa, and the most abundant was Syphacia muris, while Physaloptera sp. was the most widely distributed. No locality presented with a coexistence that was different from that expected by chance, while the abundance of five helminthic species correlated with the abundance of another in at least one locality, most likely due to co-infection rather than interaction. Host sex was associated with parasite presence or abundance, and female sex-biased parasitism was notably observed in all cases. Body condition and latitude presented either a positive or negative association with the presence or abundance of parasites depending on the species. It is notable that the likely native Physaloptera sp. is widely distributed among invasive rodents. Further, gravid females were found, suggesting spillback of this species to the native fauna. The low frequency and abundance of highly zoonotic hymenolepid species suggest that rodents are of low concern regarding gastrointestinal zoonotic helminths.
Project description:Polypropylene meshes that are commonly used for surgical groin hernia repair may trigger granulomatous foreign body reactions. Here, we show that asymptomatic patients display mesh-associated inflammatory granulomas long after surgery, which are dominated by monocyte-derived macrophages. In mice, subdermal mesh implantation induces a rapid and strong myeloid cell accumulation, without substantial attenuation for up to 90 days. Myeloid cells segregate into distinct macrophage subsets with separate spatial distribution, activation profiles and functional properties. Protein mass spectrometry confirms the inflammatory nature of the foreign body reaction, as characterized by cytokines, complement activation and immunoglobulin deposition.