Project description:Seven-month old tamoxifen-inducible Ghr recombination mice in T-antigen mouse model of prostate cancer (Ghrflox/flox;ROSA26Cre-ERT2+/0;SV40 C3(1) T-antigen+/0) or tamoxifen-control mice (Ghrflox/flox;SV40 C3(1) T-antigen+/0) were treated with 250 mg/kg tamoxifen for five straight days. The dorsolateral prostate of each mouse was collected one month after final treatment and RNA was collected. Samples include
Project description:Two-month old tamoxifen-inducible Ghr recombination mice (Ghrflox/flox;ROSA26Cre-ERT2+/0) or tamoxifen-control mice (Ghrflox/flox) were treated with 250 mg/kg tamoxifen for five straight days. The dorsolateral prostate of each mouse was collected one month after final treatment and RNA was collected. Samples include
Project description:The complement component C3 is a fundamental plasma protein for host defense, produced largely by the liver. However, recent work has demonstrated the critical importance of tissue-specific C3 expression in cell survival. Here we analyzed the effects of local versus peripheral sources of C3 expression in a model of bacterial pneumonia. While mice with global C3 deficiency had severe pneumonia-induced lung injury, those deficient in liver-deficient C3 remain protected, comparable to wildtype mice. Human lung transcriptome analysis showed that secretory epithelial cells, such as club cells, are a major source of C3. Mice with a tamoxifen-induced C3 gene ablation from club cells in the lung had worse pulmonary injury compared to similarly treated controls, despite maintaining normal circulating C3 levels. Finally, in human cellular and mouse pneumonia models, we show that C3 reduces epithelial cell death mediated through the alternative pathway component Factor B, rather than the C3aR. Thus, our findings suggest that a locally-derived C3-Factor B pathway protects the lung mucosal barrier.
Project description:SV40 large T antigen (TAg) contributes to cell transformation, in part, by targeting two well characterized tumor suppressors, pRb and p53. TAg expression affects the transcriptional circuits controlled by Rb and by p53. We have performed a microarray analysis to examine the global change in gene expression induced by wild-type TAg and TAg-mutants, in an effort to link changes in gene expression to specific transforming functions. For this analysis we have used MEFs expressing TAg or infected by SV40. Our analysis indicates that TAg can induce interferon-stimulated genes in MEFs and that this induction depends upon the LXCXE motif and p53 binding.
Project description:We developed a novel, rapidly-progressing, severe murine model of C3G by replacing the mouse C3 gene with the human C3 homologue using Velocigene® technology. We conducted functional, histological, molecular and pharmacologic assays to characterize the presentation of renal disease and useful pharmacologic interventions in the humanized C3 (C3hu/hu) mice.
Project description:SV40 large T antigen (TAg) contributes to cell transformation, in part, by targeting two well characterized tumor suppressors, pRb and p53. TAg expression affects the transcriptional circuits controlled by Rb and by p53. We have performed a microarray analysis to examine the global change in gene expression induced by wild-type TAg and TAg-mutants, in an effort to link changes in gene expression to specific transforming functions. For this analysis we have used MEFs expressing TAg or infected by SV40. Our analysis indicates that TAg can induce interferon-stimulated genes in MEFs and that this induction depends upon the LXCXE motif and p53 binding. Two independent wild-type MEFs and three independent MEF cell lines expressing TAg and the mutants were used. Additionally, three independent mock and SV40 infections were conduted in MEFs. Total RNA was isolated from with the RNeasy kit. Total RNA was processed by the Genomics and Proteomics Core Laboratories at the University of Pittsburgh and hybridized to the Affymetrix GeneChip Mouse Genome 430 2.0 array. MAS 5.0 was used to obtain the present/absent calls and CEL files were normalized by RMA to obtain log2 expression values.