Project description:In advanced malignancies, cancer cells have acquired capabilities to resist a variety of stress-inducing insults. We show that c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) stress signaling is highly active in cancer cells from patients with late stage breast cancer and promotes tumor growth and metastasis in mouse models. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that JNK activity induces genes associated with extracellular matrix (ECM), wound healing and mammary stem cells. The ECM proteins and niche components osteopontin (SPP1) and tenascin C (TNC) are induced by JNK signaling and promote metastatic colonization of the lungs. Notably, treatment with chemotherapeutic drugs induces JNK activity in breast cancer cells, reinforcing the production of SPP1 and TNC. Inhibition of JNK or reduction of SPP1 or TNC expression sensitizes primary tumors and metastases in mice to chemotherapy. We used Affymetrix microarrays to analyze the transcriptomic output modulated by JNK activity in a lung metastatic derivative of the MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line, MDA231-LM2.
Project description:In advanced malignancies, cancer cells have acquired capabilities to resist a variety of stress-inducing insults. We show that c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) stress signaling is highly active in cancer cells from patients with late stage breast cancer and promotes tumor growth and metastasis in mouse models. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that JNK activity induces genes associated with extracellular matrix (ECM), wound healing and mammary stem cells. The ECM proteins and niche components osteopontin (SPP1) and tenascin C (TNC) are induced by JNK signaling and promote metastatic colonization of the lungs. Notably, treatment with chemotherapeutic drugs induces JNK activity in breast cancer cells, reinforcing the production of SPP1 and TNC. Inhibition of JNK or reduction of SPP1 or TNC expression sensitizes primary tumors and metastases in mice to chemotherapy. In order to investigate cancer cell-response to chemotherapy, we exposed MDA231-LM2 breast cancer cells to the chemotherapeutic agent paclitaxel and performed transcriptomic analysis using Affymetrix microarray.
Project description:Purpose: To identify downstream signaling pathways that mediate functions of GALNT14 Methods: RNAs isolated from MDA231-LM2 cells expressing shCntr or shGALNT14 and MDA231-Par cells expressing pBabe-Hygro control vector or GALNT14 expression vector were analyzed by using an Illumina HiSeq 2500 Conclusions: Our study represents the first transcriptome profile of GALNT14-depleted MDA231-LM2 and GALNT14-overexpressing Par cells.
Project description:Metastasis is the main cause of mortality of breast cancer. To explore the mechanisms of arsenic trioxide (ATO) in inhibition of breast cancer metastasis, ATO regulated genes in breast cancer MDA-MB-231 and LM2-4175 cells were studied. After data analysis, ATO regulated genes were involved in TP53, TGFβ and TNFα signaling pathways. Furthermore, TGFβ and TNFα activated genes in breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells were studied.
Project description:The generation of pancreatic organoids from human pluripotent stem cells represents a major breakthrough for regenerative medicine and the modeling of diseases such as diabetes. However, current approaches remain inefficient due to lengthy multi-step differentiation protocols and limited functional maturity in the organoids. In this study, we overcome these challenges using multi-phase optimization screens to achieve rapid generation of functionally mature pancreatic organoids from a stable endocrine progenitor culture. We conducted stepwise culture condition screens that enabled the stable culture of multiple pancreatic progenitor cell states, including the unprecedented stable propagation of NEUROD1-expressing endocrine progenitor-like cells (EpSCs). Further transcriptomic profiling of EpSC confirmed similarity of that to previously reported endocrine progenitor populations. Using EpSCs, we significantly reduced the number of steps and timing required to generate pancreatic organoids, enabling rapid testing of conditions for organoid maturation. Utilizing this optimized protocol, we further tested conditions to promote pancreatic organoid maturation. We identified that exosome-delivered WNT5B, in combination with RSPO1 (exoW/R), could strongly induce non-canonical WNT/JNK signaling, promoting pancreatic organoid maturation. This combinatorial exosome treatment enhances epithelial organization, reduces immature cell states, and significantly improves glucose responsiveness and insulin secretion. Collectively, our work establishes a robust pancreatic differentiation platform that integrates long-term progenitor expansion with optimized organoid maturation. This system provides a reproducible experimental framework for studying pancreatic development, investigating disease mechanisms, and facilitating future translational applications involving pancreatic organoids.