Project description:Odorant receptors (Ors) are a unique family of ligand-gated ion channels and the primary mechanism by which insects detect volatile chemicals. Here, we describe 57 putative Ors sequenced from an antennal transcriptome of the cerambycid beetle Megacyllene caryae (Gahan). The male beetles produce a pheromone blend of nine compovnents, and we functionally characterized Ors tuned to three of these chemicals: receptor McOr3 is sensitive to (S)-2-methyl-1-butanol; McOr20 is sensitive to (2S,3R)-2,3-hexanediol; and McOr5 is sensitive to 2-phenylethanol. McOr3 and McOr20 are also sensitive to structurally-related chemicals that are pheromones of other cerambycid beetles, suggesting that orthologous receptors may be present across many cerambycid species. These Ors are the first to be functionally characterized from any species of beetle and lay the groundwork for understanding the evolution of pheromones within the Cerambycidae.
Project description:Although KRAS mutation is a hallmark of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA), mutated KRAS remains an intractable pharmacological target. Consequently, an understanding of the RAS effector pathway(s) required for PDA maintenance is critical for improved strategies to treat this disease. Here we demonstrate that expression of BRAFV600E, but not PIK3CAH1047R, in the mouse pancreas led to PanIn lesions. Moreover, concomitant expression of BRAFV600E and TP53R270H resulted in lethal PDA. A large panel of PDA cell line panel was deployed to derive genomic classifiers of MEK inhibitor sensitivity. This classifier correctly predicted survival benefit in two novel in vivo syngeneic, orthotopic models of PDA. Consequently, we conclude that RAF?MEK?ERK signaling is central to the initiation, progression and maintenance of PDA and propose predictive biomarkers of response to MEK inhibition. These data further emphasize the value of leveraging multiple experimental systems to prioritize pathways for intervention in human PDA. RNA was extracted from human PDA cell line samples and hybridized on Affymetrix U133 plus 2.0 microarrays. The CEL files were processed using R based Bioconductor and normalized values were obtained using RMA. RNA was extracted from mouse PDA cell lines and hybridized on Affymetrix Mouse 430a 2.0 microarrays. The CEL files were processed using R based Bioconductor and normalized values were obtained using RMA.
Project description:Our studies indicate that cancer cells of carcinomas are coated with CXCL12 chemokine in covalent conjugation with keratin-19 (KRT19). Murine pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDA) formed with Krt19-edited cancer cells lack the CXCL12-coating and are infiltrated with T cells, compared to tumors formed with control sgScramble PDA cells. To probe the immunological role of this CXCL12-coating thoroughly, bulk RNA sequencing of subcutaneous (s/c) murine sgScramble PDA tumors and Krt19-edited PDA tumors were conducted. As comparison, an immunogenic tumor model was also assessed. To do so, s/c sgScramble PDA tumors and PDA tumors formed with sgScramble cells exppressing doxcycline-inducible ovalbumin (icOVA) were harvested and processed for bulk RNA sequencing.