Project description:Androgen-signaling is essential for prostate development. However, how androgen action facilitates prostatic stem/progenitor initiated pubertal prostatic growth remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that androgens regulate Shh-signaling to control the cellular niche in prostatic epithelial development. Selective deletion of androgen receptor (AR) in stromal Shh-responsive cells significantly impedes pubertal prostatic epithelial morphogenesis and growth. Dysregulation of developmental signaling networks revealed in both prostatic stromal and epithelial cells of AR-deficient mice. Specifically, deletion of AR yielded increased Gli1 expression in prostatic stromal cells, elevated Shh expression in adjacent epithelial cells and stark inhibition of prostate cell growth. Trajectory analysis revealed AR deletion induces abnormal differentiation patterns of prostatic epithelia. Recombination of prostatic epithelial cells with AR-deficient stromal Gli1-expressing cells fails to develop normal prostatic epithelia. These data demonstrate the decisive role of stromal AR in interacting with Shh-signaling in the cellular niche to control pubertal prostatic morphogenesis and growth.
Project description:We identify a subset of IL-33 expressing adventitial stromal cells as local regulators of ILC2s Type 2 lymphocytes promote both physiologic tissue remodeling and allergic pathology, yet their physical tissue niches are poorly described. In this study, we used quantitative imaging together with scRNAseq to define tissue niches of group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s), critical instigators of type 2 immunity. We identified a dominant adventitial cuff niche around lung bronchi and larger vessels in multiple tissues, where ILC2s localized with subsets of dendritic and regulatory T cells. However, ILC2s were most intimately associated with adventitial stromal cells (ASC), a mesenchymal fibroblast-like subset that expressed Interleukin-33 (IL-33) and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) and supported ILC2s and tissue-resident Th2 cells.
Project description:We report the application of RNA-sequencing for high-throughput profiling of gene expression in hedgehog-responsive stromal cells in normal mouse prostate and mouse prostate tumors. By using the Gli1-GFP knock-in reporter mouse line, we isolated the subset of mouse prostate stromal cells undergoing hedgehog signaling to compare the transcriptomes between PB-MYC prostate tumor and normal prostate in mice at the age of about 45 weeks.
Project description:In the intestine, Hedgehog (Hh) signalling orchestrates epithelial homeostasis in a bidirectional loop. Differentiated enterocytes secrete the ligand leading to active downstream signaling exclusively in the stroma. In turn, Hh-driven stromal factors contribute to the control of intestinal stem cell numbers and induce epithelial differentiation. To investigate the consequences of stromal Hh activation on the gene expression level, we performed microarray analysis on full-thickness colonic tissue from Col1a2CreER;Ptch1fl/fl mice (C57BL/6 background). Upon Cre-driven recombination, these mice lack the inhibiting Hh receptor Ptch1 specifically in Col1a2 expressing stroma cells, leading to stroma-specific activation of downstream Hh signaling.
Project description:In the intestine, Hedgehog (Hh) signalling orchestrates epithelial homeostasis in a bidirectional loop. Differentiated enterocytes secrete the ligand leading to active downstream signaling exclusively in the stroma. In turn, Hh-driven stromal factors contribute to the control of intestinal stem cell numbers and induce epithelial differentiation. To investigate the consequences of stromal Hh activation on the gene expression level, we performed microarray analysis on full-thickness colonic tissue from Col1a2CreER;Ptch1fl/fl mice (C57BL/6 background). Upon Cre-driven recombination, these mice lack the inhibiting Hh receptor Ptch1 specifically in Col1a2 expressing stroma cells, leading to stroma-specific activation of downstream Hh signaling. RNA was isolated from 1 cm of fresh-frozen whole colonic tissue from Col1a2CreER;Ptch1fl/fl mice (n = 4) and controls (n = 4) starting 1.5 cm from the anus 7 days after administration of 5mg Tamoxifen i.p. to activate Cre. RNA quality was assessed using the Agilent 2200 Tape Station system; RNA integrity numbers (RIN) >8 were considered sufficient. Affymetrix Mouse Gene ST 2.0 arrays were used. Robust multi-array average (RMA) median polish procedures were applied for normalization.
Project description:The morphogen Indian Hedgehog plays a very important role during intestinal embryogenesis, but also maintains homeostasis in the adult gut. Intestinal Hedgehog is expressed by the intestinal epithelium and signals in paracrine manner to fibroblasts in the stromal compartment. We studied the stromal changes upon simultaneous homozygous deletion of Ihh and the tumor-suppressor gene Apc in the colon.
Project description:The morphogen Indian Hedgehog plays a very important role during intestinal embryogenesis, but also maintains homeostasis in the adult gut. Intestinal Hedgehog is expressed by the intestinal epithelium and signals in paracrine manner to fibroblasts in the stromal compartment. We studied the colonic changes upon activation of the Hedgehog pathway by deleting the Hedgehog receptor Patched1 in order to alleviate its repressive function.
Project description:There is a lack of systematic investigations of large-scale transcriptome patterns associated with normal breast development. Herein, we profiled whole-transcriptome (by microarrays) of normal mammary glands in female Sprague-Dawley rats, an animal model widely used in breast cancer research, across six distinctive developmental stages – pre-pubertal, peri-pubertal, pubertal, lactation, and adult parous and age-matched nulliparous.