Project description:Neuroblastoma (NB) is a common pediatric malignancy tumor with poor outcome. Recent studies show that MDM2 protein inhibitors are promising anti-cancer agents. MI-773 is a novel and specific antagonist of MDM2 and the molecular mechanisms of MI-773 in neuroblastoma are still unclear. In this study, we used microarrays to analyze the global change in gene expression as a result of MI-773 treatment in the human neuroblastoma cell line SH-SY5Y.
Project description:Recent development of new immune checkpoint inhibitors has been particularly successfully in cancer treatment, but still the majority patients fail to benefit. Converting resistant tumors to immunotherapy sensitivity will provide a significant improvement in patient outcome. Here we identify Mi-2β as a key melanoma-intrinsic effector regulating the adaptive anti-tumor immune response. Genetically engineered mouse melanoma studies indicate that loss of Mi-2β rescued the immune response to immunotherapy in vivo. Mechanistically, ATAC-seq indicate that Mi-2β controlled the accessibility of IFN-γ-stimulated genes (ISGs). Mi-2β bound to EZH2 and promote K510 methylation of EZH2 and subsequently activate the trimethylation of H3K27 to inhibit the transcription of ISGs. Finally, we develop an Mi-2β-targeted inhibitor, Z36-MP5, which targeted inhibition of Mi-2β ATPase activity and recovered ISG transcription. Consequently, Z36-MP5 efficiently induce a response to immunotherapy in otherwise resistant melanomas. Our work provides a potential therapeutic strategy to convert immunotherapy resistant melanomas to sensitive ones.
Project description:In this study, we used a cardiac-specific, inducible expression system to activate YAP in adult mouse heart. Activation of YAP in adult heart promoted cardiomyocyte proliferation and did not deleteriously affect heart function. Furthermore, YAP activation after myocardial infarction (MI) preserved heart function and reduced infarct size. Using adeno-associated virus subtype 9 (AAV9) as a delivery vector, we expressed human YAP in the murine myocardium immediately after MI. We found that AAV9:hYAP significantly improved cardiac function and mouse survival. AAV9:hYAP did not exert its salutary effects by reducing cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Rather, we found that AAV9:hYAP stimulated adult cardiomyocyte proliferation. Gene expression profiling indicated that AAV9:hYAP stimulated cell cycle gene expression, enhanced TGFβ-signaling, and activated of components of the inflammatory response.Cardiac specific YAP activation after MI mitigated myocardial injury after MI, improved cardiac function and mouse survival. These findings suggest that therapeutic activation of hYAP or its downstream targets, potentially through AAV-mediated gene therapy, may be a strategy to improve outcome after MI. Three groups were involved in this study: sham group, AAV9:Luci+MI group and AAV9-YAP+MI group. Each group contained three biological replicates. The sham group had neither myocardial infarction nor AAV injection. The AAV9:Luci +MI(L for brief) group had myocardial infarction and injected with AAV9:Luic. The AAV9:hYAP+MI(YAP for brief) group had myocardial infarction and injected with AAV9:hYAP. 5 days after MI and AAV injection, the heart apexes were collected and the total RNA were isolated for microarray analysis.
Project description:Male C57Bl/6 mice were randomized to undergo 5 days of i) a shiftwork protocol (10-hour light: 10-hour dark cycle) before myocardial infarction (MI) surgery, ii) a normal 12-hour light: 12-hour dark environment before MI surgery, iii) a normal 12-hour light: 12-hour dark environment and used as sham controls, or iv) a shiftwork protocol (10-hour light: 10-hour dark cycle) and used as sham controls. MI surgery was performed on the 5th day, after which all mice were returned to a normal 12-hour light: 12-hour dark cycle. Hearts were collected 24-hours post-MI at ZT06. The microarray approach allows the investigation of transcriptome-wide gene expression changes in hearts from mice on a shiftwork cycle or on a regular light:dark cycle before MI.
Project description:In this study, we used a cardiac-specific, inducible expression system to activate YAP in adult mouse heart. Activation of YAP in adult heart promoted cardiomyocyte proliferation and did not deleteriously affect heart function. Furthermore, YAP activation after myocardial infarction (MI) preserved heart function and reduced infarct size. Using adeno-associated virus subtype 9 (AAV9) as a delivery vector, we expressed human YAP in the murine myocardium immediately after MI. We found that AAV9:hYAP significantly improved cardiac function and mouse survival. AAV9:hYAP did not exert its salutary effects by reducing cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Rather, we found that AAV9:hYAP stimulated adult cardiomyocyte proliferation. Gene expression profiling indicated that AAV9:hYAP stimulated cell cycle gene expression, enhanced TGFβ-signaling, and activated of components of the inflammatory response.Cardiac specific YAP activation after MI mitigated myocardial injury after MI, improved cardiac function and mouse survival. These findings suggest that therapeutic activation of hYAP or its downstream targets, potentially through AAV-mediated gene therapy, may be a strategy to improve outcome after MI.
Project description:Myocardial infarction (MI), an undesirable clinical outcome of coronary artery disease (CAD), triggers a potent inflammatory response via the release of circulatory mediators, including extracellular vesicles (EVs) by damaged cardiac cells, which is necessary for myocardial healing. However, when in excess, causes pathological tissue remodeling and eventual heart failure. Timely repression of MI-induced inflammatory response are critical to prevent and minimize cardiac tissue injuries, nonetheless, progression in this aspect remains clinically challenging. The well documentation on the ability of EVs to trigger a functional response with the delivery of bioactive cargos carried within, have made them clinically attractive as diagnostic biomarkers and drug vectors for therapeutic interventions. Using label-free quantitative proteomics approach, we compared the protein cargo of plasma EVs between patients with (MI) and from control patients with stable angina (NMI). We report, for the first time, the expression proteomics profiling on 252 plasma EV proteins that were modulated with >1.2-fold in myocardial injury. We identified a panel of six strongly up-regulated biomarkers with significant potential for clinical applications; these reflected post-infarct pathways of complement activation (Complement C1q subcomponent subunit A [C1QA], ~3.23-fold change, p = 0.012; Complement C5 [C5], ~1.27-fold change, p = 0.087), lipoprotein metabolism (Apoliporotein D [APOD], ~1.86-fold change, p = 0.033; Apolipoprotein C-III [APOCC3], ~2.63-fold change, p = 0.029) and platelet activation (Platelet glycoprotein Ib alpha chain [GP1BA], ~9.18-fold change, p < 0.0001; Platelet basic protein [PPBP], ~4.72-fold change, p = 0.027). The data have been deposited to the ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD002950. This novel biomarker panel was successfully validated in a separate cohort of 43 individual angina patients using Luminex analysis of the representative EV proteins C1QA (p = 0.005) and C5 (p = 0.0021), which act as critical regulators of complement activity in MI. We further present that all EV-derived fibrinogen components detected were paradoxically down-regulated in MI, suggesting that a compensatory mechanism may suppress post-infarct coagulation pathways, and indicating potential for therapeutic targeting of this mechanism in MI. Taken together, these data urge the further development of novel EV-based diagnostic and therapeutic strategies to benefit patients with CAD.