Project description:Plexiform neurofibroma is a major contributor to morbidity in Neurofibromatosis type I (NF1) patients. Macrophages and mast cells infiltrate neurofibroma, and data from mouse models implicate these leukocytes in neurofibroma development. Anti-inflammatory therapy targeting these cell populations has been suggested as a means to prevent neurofibroma development. Here, we compare gene expression in inflamed nerves from NF1 models which invariably form neurofibroma to those with inflammation driven by EGFR overexpression which rarely progresses to neurofibroma. We find that the chemokine Cxcl10 is uniquely up-regulated in NF1 mice that invariably develop neurofibroma. Global deletion of the Cxcl10 receptor Cxcr3 prevented neurofibroma development in these neurofibroma-prone mice. Cxcr3 expression localized to T cells and dendritic cells (DCs) in both inflamed nerves and neurofibromas. These data support a heretofore unappreciated role for T cells/DCs in neurofibroma initiation.
Project description:Plexiform neurofibroma is a major contributor to morbidity in Neurofibromatosis type I (NF1) patients. Macrophages and mast cells infiltrate neurofibroma, and data from mouse models implicate these leukocytes in neurofibroma development. Anti-inflammatory therapy targeting these cell populations has been suggested as a means to prevent neurofibroma development. Here, we compare gene expression in inflamed nerves from NF1 models which invariably form neurofibroma to those with inflammation driven by EGFR overexpression which rarely progresses to neurofibroma. We find that the chemokine Cxcl10 is uniquely up-regulated in NF1 mice that invariably develop neurofibroma. Global deletion of the CXCL10 receptor, Cxcr3, prevented neurofibroma development in these neurofibroma-prone mice. Cxcr3 expression localized to T cells and dendritic cells (DCs) in both inflamed nerves and neurofibromas. These data support a heretofore unappreciated role for T cells/DCs in neurofibroma initiation.
Project description:Plexiform neurofibroma is a major contributor to morbidity in patients with neurofibromatosis type I (NF1). Macrophages and mast cells infiltrate neurofibroma, and data from mouse models implicate these leukocytes in neurofibroma development. Antiinflammatory therapy targeting these cell populations has been suggested as a means to prevent neurofibroma development. Here, we compare gene expression in Nf1-mutant nerves, which invariably form neurofibroma, and show disruption of neuron-glial cell interactions and immune cell infiltration to mouse models, which rarely progresses to neurofibroma with or without disruption of neuron-glial cell interactions. We find that the chemokine Cxcl10 is uniquely upregulated in NF1 mice that invariably develop neurofibroma. Global deletion of the CXCL10 receptor Cxcr3 prevented neurofibroma development in these neurofibroma-prone mice, and an anti-Cxcr3 antibody somewhat reduced tumor numbers. Cxcr3 expression localized to T cells and DCs in both inflamed nerves and neurofibromas, and Cxcr3 expression was necessary to sustain elevated macrophage numbers in Nf1-mutant nerves. To our knowledge, these data support a heretofore-unappreciated role for T cells and DCs in neurofibroma initiation.
Project description:Coordinated communication among pancreatic islet cells is necessary for the maintenance of glucose homeostasis. In diabetes, chronic exposure to pro-inflammatory cytokines has been shown to perturb β-cell communication and function. Compelling evidence has implicated extracellular vesicles (EVs) in modulating physiological and pathological responses to β-cell stress. We report that pro-inflammatory β-cell small EVs (cytoEV) induce β-cell dysfunction, promote a pro-inflammatory islet transcriptome, and enhance recruitment of CD8+ T-cells and macrophages. Proteomic analysis of cytoEV revealed an enrichment of the chemokine, CXCL10, with surface topological analysis depicting CXCL10 as membrane-bound on cytoEV to facilitate direct binding to CXCR3 receptors on the surface of β-cells. CXCR3 receptor inhibition reduced CXCL10-cytoEV binding and attenuated β-cell dysfunction, inflammatory gene expression, and leukocyte recruitment to islets. Collectively, this work implicates the significant role of pro-inflammatory β-cell derived small EVs in modulating β-cell function, global gene expression, and antigen presentation through activation of the CXCL10/CXCR3 axis.
Project description:Chemokine receptor CXCR3 shapes the intrahepatic tumor microenvironment in a highly dynamic manner. Genetic deletion of Cxcr3 has an impact on the development and differentiation of myeloid cells and improves potentially oncogenic properties of tumor-associated macrophages in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) bearing mice. This ultimately leads to an increased carcinogenesis.
Project description:Schwann cells and macrophages were dissociated from normal DRGs and 1- and 7-month-old neurofibroma. Schwann cells from neurofibroma have Nf1-/- phenotypes. All macrophages have Nf1+/+ phenotypes. We used microarrays (Affymetrix MoGene 2.0 ST GeneChip) to detect transcriptomal changes between 7-month-old neurofibroma Schwann cells (or macrophages) versus 1-month-old wild-type (or neurofibroma) Schwann cells (or macrophages). Expression data of three sets of cells: (1)Schwann cells and macrophages from 1-month-old wild-type mouse dorsal root ganglia, (2) Schwann cells (Nf1-/-) and macrophages (Nf1+/+) from 1-month-old neurofibroma, (3) Schwann cells (Nf1-/-) and macrophages (Nf1+/+) from 7-month-old neurofibroma We chopped mouse DRG/neurofibromas into 1-3 mm^3 pieces and plated them in dissociation medium containing 20mL L-15 (Mediatech), 0.5 mg/mL collagenase type 1 (Worthington; Lakewood, NJ), and 2.5 mg/mL dispase protease type II (Cambrex; East Rutherford, NJ) at 37°C for 4-6 hours with shaking. The dissociation reaction was stopped by adding DMEM +10%FBS. Undigested DRG/tumors were excluded by 100µM cell strainer. Cells were collected by centrifugation. For each microarrays (Schwann cell, macrophage), Affymetrix GeneChip Command Console (v4.0.0) was used to create .chp files. All the probe sets on Affymetrix Mouse Gene 2.0 ST array (Mogene-2_0-st-v1.na33.2.mm10) were summarized by Affymetix Expression Console program using robust multi-chip average (RMA) method . After preprocessing steps, data from two batches were combined and their batch effects were corrected using ComBat method Please note that [1] all MP samples are Nf1+/+ (no mutation on Nf1 gene) and the only difference is their ages (1month, 7month) and [2] the 'nf1' in sample title reperesents "neurofibroma type1 disease", not "Nf1 gene".
Project description:Schwann cells and macrophages were dissociated from normal DRGs and 1- and 7-month-old neurofibroma. Schwann cells from neurofibroma have Nf1-/- phenotypes. All macrophages have Nf1+/+ phenotypes. We used microarrays (Affymetrix MoGene 2.0 ST GeneChip) to detect transcriptomal changes between 7-month-old neurofibroma Schwann cells (or macrophages) versus 1-month-old wild-type (or neurofibroma) Schwann cells (or macrophages).