Project description:Mitochondrial DNA-depleted human skin fibroblasts (HSF rho0) with suppressed oxidative phosphorylation were characterized by significant changes in the expression of 2100 nuclear genes, encoding numerous protein classes, in NF-kappaB and STAT3 signaling pathways and by decreased activity of the mitochondrial death pathway, compared to the parent rho+ HSF. In contrast, the extrinsic TRAIL/TRAIL-Receptor-mediated death pathway remained highly active, and exogenous TRAIL induced higher levels of apoptosis in rho0 cells compared to rho+ HSF. Global gene expression analysis using microarray and quantitative RT-PCR demonstrated that expression levels of many growth factors and their adaptor proteins (FGF13, HGF, IGFBP4, IGFBP6, IGFL2), cytokines (IL6, IL17B, IL18, IL19, IL28B) and cytokine receptors (IL1R1, IL21R, IL31RA) were substantially decreased after mitochondrial depletion. Some of these genes were targets of NF-kappaB and STAT3, and their protein products could regulate the STAT3 signaling pathway. Alpha-irradiation induced expression of several NF-kappaB/STAT3 target genes, including IL1A, IL1B, IL6, PTGS2/COX2 and MMP12, in rho+ HSF, but this response was substantially decreased in rho0 HSF. Suppression of the IKK-NF-kappaB pathway by the small molecular inhibitor BMS-345541 and of the JAK2-STAT3 pathway by AG490 dramatically increased TRAIL-induced apoptosis in the control and irradiated rho+ HSF. Inhibitory antibodies against IL6, the main activator of JAK2-STAT3 pathway, added into the cell media, also increased TRAIL-induced apoptosis in rho+ HSF. However, NF-kappaB activation was partially lost in mitochondrial DNA-depleted HSF resulting in downregulation of the basal or radiation-induced expression of numerous NF-kappaB targets, further suppressing IL6-JAK2-STAT3, that in concert with NF-kappaB, regulated protection against TRAIL-induced apoptosis. There are 12 total samples, 3 biological replicates each of HSF rho+ and rho0 cells that were not irradiated (control=C) or irradiated (alpha=A). Cells were harvested at 4 hours after treatment.
Project description:Impaired drainage of aqueous humor through the trabecular meshwork (TM) culminating in increased intraocular pressure is a major risk factor for glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness worldwide. Regulation of aqueous humor drainage through the TM, however, is poorly understood. The role of RhoA GTPase-mediated contractile activity, cell adhesive interactions, and gene expression in regulation of aqueous humor outflow was investigated using adenoviral vector-driven expression of constitutively active RhoA (RhoAV14). Organ cultured anterior segments from porcine eyes expressing RhoAV14 exhibited significant reduction of aqueous humor outflow. Cultured TM cells expressing RhoAV14 revealed strong contractile cell morphology, increased actin stress fibers and focal adhesions, along with increased levels of phosphorylated myosin II, and collagen IV, fibronectin and laminin. cDNA microarray analysis of RNA extracted from RhoAV14 expressing human TM cells revealed a significant increase in the expression of genes encoding extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, cytokines, integrins, cytoskeletal proteins and signaling proteins. Conversely, various ECM proteins stimulated robust increases in phosphorylation of myosin II, paxillin and focal adhesion kinase, and activated Rho GTPase and actin stress fiber formation in TM cells, indicating a potential regulatory feedback interaction between ECM-induced mechanical strain and Rho GTPase-induced isometric tension in TM cells. Collectively, these data demonstrate that sustained activation of Rho GTPase signaling in the aqueous humor outflow pathway increases resistance to aqueous humor outflow through the trabecular pathway by influencing the contractile force, cell adhesive interactions, and the expression of ECM proteins and cytokines in TM cells. Keywords: Gene Expression Two condition experiment: Human trabecular mesh work cells infected with Adenivirus expressing GFP Vs Adenovirus expressing GFP and constitutively active RhoAV14
Project description:Mitochondrial DNA depleted (ρ(0)) human skin fibroblasts (HSF) with suppressed oxidative phosphorylation were characterized by significant changes in the expression of 2100 nuclear genes, encoding numerous protein classes, in NF-κB and STAT3 signaling pathways, and by decreased activity of mitochondrial death pathway, compared to the parental ρ(+) HSF. In contrast, the extrinsic TRAIL/TRAIL-Receptor mediated death pathway remained highly active, and exogenous TRAIL in a combination with cycloheximide (CHX) induced higher levels of apoptosis in ρ(0) cells compared to ρ(+) HSF. Global gene expression analysis using microarray and qRT-PCR demonstrated that mRNA expression levels of many growth factors and their adaptor proteins (FGF13, HGF, IGFBP4, IGFBP6, and IGFL2), cytokines (IL6, ΙL17Β, ΙL18, ΙL19, and ΙL28Β) and cytokine receptors (IL1R1, IL21R, and IL31RA) were substantially decreased after mitochondrial DNA depletion. Some of these genes were targets of NF-κB and STAT3, and their protein products could regulate the STAT3 signaling pathway. Alpha-irradiation further induced expression of several NF-κB/STAT3 target genes, including IL1A, IL1B, IL6, PTGS2/COX2 and MMP12, in ρ(+) HSF, but this response was substantially decreased in ρ(0) HSF. Suppression of the IKK-NF-κB pathway by the small molecular inhibitor BMS-345541 and of the JAK2-STAT3 pathway by AG490 dramatically increased TRAIL-induced apoptosis in the control and irradiated ρ(+) HSF. Inhibitory antibodies against IL6, the main activator of JAK2-STAT3 pathway, added into the cell media, also increased TRAIL-induced apoptosis in HSF, especially after alpha-irradiation. Collectively, our results indicated that NF-κB activation was partially lost in ρ(0) HSF resulting in downregulation of the basal or radiation-induced expression of numerous NF-κB targets, further suppressing IL6-JAK2-STAT3 that in concert with NF-κB regulated protection against TRAIL-induced apoptosis.
Project description:This is a ordinary differential equation mathematical model describing the Rho GTPase cycle in which Rho GDP-dissociation inhibitors (RhoGDIs) inhibit the regulatory activities of guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) and GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs) by interacting with them directly as well as by sequestering the Rho GTPases. The model was constructed with the intent of analyzing the role of RhoGDIs in Rho GTPase signaling.
Project description:Impaired drainage of aqueous humor through the trabecular meshwork (TM) culminating in increased intraocular pressure is a major risk factor for glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness worldwide. Regulation of aqueous humor drainage through the TM, however, is poorly understood. The role of RhoA GTPase-mediated contractile activity, cell adhesive interactions, and gene expression in regulation of aqueous humor outflow was investigated using adenoviral vector-driven expression of constitutively active RhoA (RhoAV14). Organ cultured anterior segments from porcine eyes expressing RhoAV14 exhibited significant reduction of aqueous humor outflow. Cultured TM cells expressing RhoAV14 revealed strong contractile cell morphology, increased actin stress fibers and focal adhesions, along with increased levels of phosphorylated myosin II, and collagen IV, fibronectin and laminin. cDNA microarray analysis of RNA extracted from RhoAV14 expressing human TM cells revealed a significant increase in the expression of genes encoding extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, cytokines, integrins, cytoskeletal proteins and signaling proteins. Conversely, various ECM proteins stimulated robust increases in phosphorylation of myosin II, paxillin and focal adhesion kinase, and activated Rho GTPase and actin stress fiber formation in TM cells, indicating a potential regulatory feedback interaction between ECM-induced mechanical strain and Rho GTPase-induced isometric tension in TM cells. Collectively, these data demonstrate that sustained activation of Rho GTPase signaling in the aqueous humor outflow pathway increases resistance to aqueous humor outflow through the trabecular pathway by influencing the contractile force, cell adhesive interactions, and the expression of ECM proteins and cytokines in TM cells. Keywords: Gene Expression
Project description:Apigenin regulates multiple pathways related to microvesicle biogenesis without affecting the expression of small Rho GTPase activator guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs). However, apigenin can primarily targets ARHGEF1 protein, a GEF of the small GTPases, thereby inhibiting the activity of small G proteins such as Cdc42, which is essential in regulating the signaling for the release of microvesicles from tumor cells. Targeting ARHGEF1, apigenin effectively prevents tumor cells from releasing microvesicles. This, in turn, inhibits tumor angiogenesis related to VEGF90K transport on microvesicles, ultimately impeding tumor progression.
Project description:Cen3tel cells, obtained by telomerase immortalization of human fibroblasts, gradually underwent neoplastic transformation and became metastatic in immunocompromised mice. Neoplastic transformation was associated with a change in cell morphology (from fibroblastic to polygonal). Tumorigenic cells acquired a clear-cut membrane localization of adhesion molecules, a reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton, increased cell motility and invasiveness. In a 3-dimensional environment, tumorigenic cells showed a spherical morphology with cortical actin rings, suggesting a switch from a mesenchymal to an amoeboid ROCK-dependent movement. Accordingly, cell invasion decreased upon treatment with the ROCK inhibitor Y27632, but not with the matrix protease inhibitor Ro28-2653. The increased invasiveness of tumorigenic cen3tel cells was associated with a reduced expression of RhoE, a cellular inhibitor of ROCK. Ectopic RhoE expression decreased cen3tel invasion capability. These results point to RhoE and ROCK as regulators of invasiveness of mesenchymal tumor cells and indicate ROCK as a possible therapeutic target. The cen3tel telomerase immortalized cell line was obtained from primary cen3 fibroblasts, derived from a centenarian individual, by infection with an hTERT-containing retrovirus (Mondello et al., 2003). Cen3tel cells were used at different steps of propagation, reflecting different phases of transformation (Zongaro et al., 2005) to study variations in the migratory and invasive potential accompanying human fibroblast neoplastic transformation. Raw data files: *NORM.txt test is Cy5 and *DS.txt test is Cy3.
Project description:Patients with the genetic skin blistering disease recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB) develop aggressive cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC). Metastasis leading to mortality is greater in RDEB than in other patient groups with cSCC. Here we investigate the dermal component in RDEB using mRNA expression profiling to compare cultured fibroblasts isolated from individuals without cSCC and directly from tumor matrix in RDEB and non-RDEB samples. While gene expression of RDEB normal skin fibroblasts resembled that of cancer-associated fibroblasts, RDEB cancer-associated fibroblasts exhibited a distinct and divergent gene expression profile, with a large proportion of the differentially expressed genes involved in matrix and cell adhesion. RDEB cancer-associated fibroblasts conferred increased adhesion and invasion to tumor and non-tumor keratinocytes. Reduction of COL7A1, the defective gene in RDEB, in normal dermal fibroblasts led to increased type XII collagen, thrombospondin-1 and Wnt-5A, while re-expression of wild type COL7A1 in RDEB fibroblasts decreased type XII collagen, thrombospondin- 1, and Wnt-5A expression, reduced tumor cell invasion in organotypic culture, and restricted tumor growth in vivo. Overall our findings demonstrate that matrix composition in patients with RDEB is a permissive environment for tumor development, and type VII collagen directly regulates the composition of matrix proteins secreted by dermal and cancer-associated fibroblasts. 16 samples
Project description:Rho family small GTPases serve as molecular switches in the regulation of diverse cellular functions including actin cytoskeleton remodeling, cell migration, gene transcription, and cell proliferation. Importantly, Rho overexpression is frequently seen in many carcinomas. However, published studies have almost invariably utilized immortal or tumorigenic cell lines to study Rho GTPase functions and there are no studies on the potential of Rho small GTPase to overcome senescence checkpoints and induce preneoplastic transformation of human mammary epithelial cells (hMECs). We found that ectopic expression of wild-type RhoA as well as a constitutively-active RhoA mutant (G14V) in primary hMEC strains led to their immortalization and preneoplastic transformation. Significantly, RhoA-T37A mutant, known to be incapable of interacting with many well known Rho-effectors ,was also capable of immortalizing hMECs.Our results demonstrate that RhoA can induce the preneoplastic transformation of hMECs by altering multiple pathways linked cellular transformation and breast cancer. Through microarray analysis, we want to identify genes and pathways linked to RhoA induced hMECs immortalization. Experiment Overall Design: 4 samples, in triplicate analyses per sample.