Project description:In this study, we investigated Mn3+-cycling microbial populations enriched from Lake Matano, Indonesia using metagenomics and metaproteomics. Lake Matano contains an active Mn cycle that links the oxic-anoxic interface with anoxic deep waters that are enriched in iron and manganese, and depleted in sulfate, phosphate, and oxidized nitrogen (Crowe et al., 2008; Jones et al., 2011). Sediments were incubated with sequential transfers for ~1 year with Mn3+ as the sole electron acceptor and methane as organic carbon until achieving sediment-free conditions. Here we investigate this novel species of Dechloromonas (Betaproteobacteria), “Candidatus Dechloromonas occultata,” which was the dominant population in enrichment cultures with active Mn3+ reduction. “Ca. D. occultata” expressed electron conduits related to those involved in Fe2+ oxidation (Mto-like), as well as a novel cytochrome c-rich gene cluster putatively involved in extracellular electron transfer, and an atypical nitrous oxide reductase. According to ribosomal counts, Dechloromonas outnumber Geobacter. In terms of functional genes, Dechloromonas expresses a wider variety and number of genes. Dechloromonas therefore seems to have a (selective?) advantage over Geobacter. Previous experiments revealed that Dechloromonas express nitrogen regulators, reductases and scavenging genes, as well as many carbon central metabolic pathways, and aromatic carbon degradation pathways. Dechloromonas is a beta proteobacteria, and these are "experts" in nitrogen metabolism. Geobacter, on the other hand, is well known for carbon degradation. Our previous experiments lead to our hypothesis that Dechloromonas is more active because they are more successful at acquiring nitrogen, a limiting nutrient for Geobacter. This would further suggest that carbon is not the limiting nutrient. We will test 2 hypotheses with the next suite of experiments 1) pyrophosphate supports the community, by allowing carbon fixation , 2)Dechloromonas has a (selective?) advantage over Geobacter. To test this hypothesis, bioreactors will be used to grow biotriplicate cultures of (1)- CH4 vs. pyrophosphate and (2)-CH4 vs. Mn(III) pyrophosphate. Here we have analyzed whole cell pellets using gas phase fractionations on the Q Exactive. Are Dechloromonas capable of out-competing Geobacter when grown in media with methane as the only carbon source bioreactors because they are capable of acquiring more nitrogen? Source of inoculum. Lake Matano is a metal-rich, ancient ocean analog (Crowe et al. 2011, Jones et al. 2011). Organic carbon in Lake Matano is mostly mineralized via methanogenesis before reaching the iron-rich sediments, limiting organic matter bioavailability for metal-reducers (Kuntz et al. 2015). A 15-cm sediment core from 200 m water depth in Lake Matano, Sulawesi Island, Indonesia (02°26′27.1′′S, 121°15′12.3′′E; in situ sediment temperature ~27°C) was sampled in November 2014 and sub-sampled at 5 cm increments. Sediments were sealed in gas-tight Mylar bags with no headspace (Hansen et al. 2000) and stored at 4°C until incubations began in December 2015.
Project description:An increased serum alkaline phosphatase concentration is known to be associated with a negative prognosis in canine and human osteosarcoma. To expand upon previous studies regarding the biological relevance of increased serum alkaline phosphatase as a negative prognostic factor, xenogeneic heterotopic transplants were performed using six canine primary osteosarcoma cell lines generated from patients with differing serum alkaline phosphatase concentrations (3 normal and 3 increased). Three of the six cell lines were capable of generating tumors and tumor formation was independent of the serum alkaline phosphatase status of the cell line. Microarray analysis identified 379 genes as being differentially-expressed between the tumorigenic and non-tumorigenic cell lines. Frizzled-6 was up-regulated to the greatest extent (7.78 fold) in tumorigenic cell lines compared to non-tumorigenic cell lines. Frizzled-6, a co-receptor for Wnt ligands has been associated with enhanced tumor-initiating cells and poor prognosis for other tumors. The increased expression of frizzled-6 was confirmed by QPCR and Western blot analysis. Additionally, the tumorigenic cell lines also had an increase in the percentage of side population cells compared to non-tumorigenic cell lines (5.89% versus 1.58%, respectively). There were no differences in tumorigenicity, frizzled-6, or percentage of side population cells noted between osteosarcoma cell lines generated from patients of differing serum alkaline phosphatase concentration. However, to our knowledge this is the first study to identified frizzled-6 as a possible marker of osteosarcoma cell populations with enhanced tumorigenicity and side population cells. Future work will focus on defining the role of frizzled-6 in osteosarcoma tumorigenesis and tumor-initiating cells.
Project description:An increased serum alkaline phosphatase concentration is known to be associated with a negative prognosis in canine and human osteosarcoma. To expand upon previous studies regarding the biological relevance of increased serum alkaline phosphatase as a negative prognostic factor, xenogeneic heterotopic transplants were performed using six canine primary osteosarcoma cell lines generated from patients with differing serum alkaline phosphatase concentrations (3 normal and 3 increased). Three of the six cell lines were capable of generating tumors and tumor formation was independent of the serum alkaline phosphatase status of the cell line. Microarray analysis identified 379 genes as being differentially-expressed between the tumorigenic and non-tumorigenic cell lines. Frizzled-6 was up-regulated to the greatest extent (7.78 fold) in tumorigenic cell lines compared to non-tumorigenic cell lines. Frizzled-6, a co-receptor for Wnt ligands has been associated with enhanced tumor-initiating cells and poor prognosis for other tumors. The increased expression of frizzled-6 was confirmed by QPCR and Western blot analysis. Additionally, the tumorigenic cell lines also had an increase in the percentage of side population cells compared to non-tumorigenic cell lines (5.89% versus 1.58%, respectively). There were no differences in tumorigenicity, frizzled-6, or percentage of side population cells noted between osteosarcoma cell lines generated from patients of differing serum alkaline phosphatase concentration. However, to our knowledge this is the first study to identified frizzled-6 as a possible marker of osteosarcoma cell populations with enhanced tumorigenicity and side population cells. Future work will focus on defining the role of frizzled-6 in osteosarcoma tumorigenesis and tumor-initiating cells. A total of six canine primary osteosarcoma cell lines were used in this study. Three cell lines were capable of forming tumors when transplanted into mice (tumorigenic) and three cell lines were not capable of forming tumors upon transplant into mice (non-tumorigenic). The gene expression data is from the primary cell lines, not the transplanted cells. There were no reference cell lines or controls used in this study.
Project description:The hit compound promotes expression and acitivity of alkaline phosphatase in murine cells that are bipotential for myogenic and osteoblastogenic differentiaion. RNA sequecing was performed to assess global transcript expression, with particular attention to genes indicative of osteoblast and bone differentiation.
Project description:The consistent cold temperatures and large amount of precipitation in the Olympic and Cascade ranges of Washington State are thought to increase atmospheric deposition of contaminants in these high elevation locations. Total mercury and 28 organochlorine compounds were measured in composite, whole fish samples collected from 14 remote lakes in the Olympic, Mt. Rainer, and North Cascades National Parks. Mercury was detected in fish from all lakes sampled and ranged in concentration from 17 to 262 ug/kg wet weight. Only two organochlorines, total polychlorinated biphenyls (tPCB) and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), were detected in fish tissues (concentrations <25 ug/kg wet weight). No organochlorines were detected in sediments (MRL ≈1-5 ug/kg), while median total and methyl mercury in sediments were 30.4 and 0.34 ug/kg (dry weight), respectively. Using a targeted rainbow trout cDNA microarray with known genes, we detected significant differences in liver transcriptional responses, including metabolic, endocrine, and immune-related genes, in fish collected from a contaminated lake compared to a lake with a lower contaminant load. Overall, our results suggest that local urban areas are contributing to the observed contaminant patterns, while the transcriptional changes point to a biological response associated with exposure to these contaminants in fish. Specifically, the gene expression pattern leads us to hypothesize a role for mercury in disrupting the metabolic and reproductive pathways in fish from high elevation lakes in western Washington. Keywords: High altitude lakes, mercury, salmonids, organochlorines
Project description:Dimitry Y. Sorokin et al., (2021, Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia and Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands) describe the isolation and physiological and genomic properties of a fifth functional group of sulfur-respiring haloarchaea enriched from hypersaline lake sediments with CO as the electron donor. Additional shotgun proteomic profiling of the described strains has been performed.
Project description:Serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) concentration is a prognostic factor for osteosarcoma in multiple studies, though its biological significance remains incompletely understood. To determine whether gene expression patterns differed in osteosarcoma from patients with differing serum ALP concentrations, microarray analysis was performed on 18 primary osteosarcoma samples and six osteosarcoma cell lines from dogs with normal and increased serum ALP concentration. No differences in gene expression patterns were noted between tumors or cell lines with differing serum ALP concentration using a gene-specific two-sample t-test. Using a more sensitive empirical Bayes procedure, DCUN1D1 was increased in both the tissue and cell lines of the normal ALP group. Using QPCR, differences in DCUN1D1 expression between the two groups failed to reach significance. The homogeneity of gene expression patterns of osteosarcoma associated differing serum ALP concentrations are consistent with previous studies suggesting serum ALP concentration is not associated with intrinsic differences of osteosarcoma cells. A total of 18 canine primary osteosarcoma tumor samples were used in this study. 9 tumor samples were from patients having a normal serum alkaline phosphatase concentration. 9 tumor samples were from patients having an increased serum alkaline phosphatase concentration. There were no reference tissues or controls used in this study.