Project description:We report the global gene expression effects in TSC-deficient and TSC wild type cells after treatemnet with. CDK7 inhibitor(THZ1), we performed RNA-Seq on TSC1-null HCV.29 cells and TSC1-intact HCV.29 cells treated with 30nM THZ1, and with 100nM THZ1, for 6 hours. Many genes showed marked changes in expression in comparison with control untreated cells. Furthermore, 1128 genes showed > 5-fold lower expression in 30nM THZ1-treated TSC1-null HCV.29 cells compared with 30nM THZ1-treated TSC1-intact HCV.29 cells.
Project description:Patients with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) develop hamartomas containing biallelic inactivating mutations in either TSC1 or TSC2, resulting in mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) activation. Hamartomas overgrow epithelial and mesenchymal cells in TSC skin. The pathogenetic mechanisms for these changes had not been investigated, and the existence or location of cells with biallelic mutations (âtwo-hitâ cells) that resulted in mTOR activation was unclear. We compared TSC skin hamartomas (facial angiofibromas and periungual fibromas) to normal-appearing skin of the same patient, and observed more proliferation and mTOR activation in hamartoma epidermis. âTwo-hitâ cells were not detected in the epidermis. Fibroblast-like cells in the dermis, however, exhibited allelic deletion of TSC2, in both touch preparations of fresh tumor samples and cells grown from TSC skin tumors, suggesting that increased epidermal proliferation and mTOR activation were not caused by second-hit mutations in the keratinocytes but by mesenchymal-epithelial interactions. Gene expression arrays, used to identify potential paracrine factors released by mesenchymal cells, revealed more epiregulin mRNA in fibroblast-like angiofibroma and periungual fibroma cells than in fibroblasts from normal-appearing skin of the same patient. Elevation of epiregulin mRNA was confirmed using real-time PCR, and increased amounts of epiregulin protein were demonstrated using immunoprecipitation and ELISA. Epiregulin stimulated keratinocyte proliferation and phosphorylation of ribosomal protein S6 in vitro. These results suggest that hamartomatous TSC skin tumors are induced by paracrine factors released by âtwo-hitâ cells in the dermis, and that proliferation with mTOR activation of the overlying epidermis is an effect of epiregulin. Experiment Overall Design: The study is of case/control design with biological replication. Tumor (case) and normal (control) fibroblast cells were isolated from each of four patients (biological replicates).
Project description:Patients with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) develop hamartomas containing biallelic inactivating mutations in either TSC1 or TSC2, resulting in mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) activation. Hamartomas overgrow epithelial and mesenchymal cells in TSC skin. The pathogenetic mechanisms for these changes had not been investigated, and the existence or location of cells with biallelic mutations (“two-hit” cells) that resulted in mTOR activation was unclear. We compared TSC skin hamartomas (facial angiofibromas and periungual fibromas) to normal-appearing skin of the same patient, and observed more proliferation and mTOR activation in hamartoma epidermis. “Two-hit” cells were not detected in the epidermis. Fibroblast-like cells in the dermis, however, exhibited allelic deletion of TSC2, in both touch preparations of fresh tumor samples and cells grown from TSC skin tumors, suggesting that increased epidermal proliferation and mTOR activation were not caused by second-hit mutations in the keratinocytes but by mesenchymal-epithelial interactions. Gene expression arrays, used to identify potential paracrine factors released by mesenchymal cells, revealed more epiregulin mRNA in fibroblast-like angiofibroma and periungual fibroma cells than in fibroblasts from normal-appearing skin of the same patient. Elevation of epiregulin mRNA was confirmed using real-time PCR, and increased amounts of epiregulin protein were demonstrated using immunoprecipitation and ELISA. Epiregulin stimulated keratinocyte proliferation and phosphorylation of ribosomal protein S6 in vitro. These results suggest that hamartomatous TSC skin tumors are induced by paracrine factors released by “two-hit” cells in the dermis, and that proliferation with mTOR activation of the overlying epidermis is an effect of epiregulin. Keywords: Disease state analysis
Project description:Chromatin organisation of trophoblast stem cells (TSC) were compared with that of embryonic stem cells (ESC). The method enriches Hi-C libraries, to detect promoter interactions at restriction fragment level. We prepared Hi-C libraries from TSC and ESC (serum grown) samples and enriched them with a promoter capture bait system that captures ~22.000 promoters. Promoter interactions were then analysed using the GOTHiC pipeline.
Project description:If the genome contains outlier sequences extraordinarily sensitive to environmental agents, these would be sentinels for monitoring personal carcinogen exposure and might drive direct changes in cell physiology rather than acting through rare mutations. New methods, adductSeq and freqSeq, provided statistical resolution to quantify rare lesions at single-base resolution across the genome. Primary human melanocytes, but not fibroblasts, carried spontaneous apurinic sites and TG sequence lesions more frequently than UV-induced cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs). UV exposure revealed hyperhotspots acquiring CPDs up to 170 fold more frequently than the genomic average; these sites were more prevalent in melanocytes. Hyperhotspots were disproportionately located near genes, particularly for RNA-binding proteins, with the most-recurrent hyperhotspots at a fixed position within two motifs: one occurring at ETS1 transcription factor binding sites, known to be UV targets, and at sites of mTOR/TOP-tract translation regulation; the second occurring at A2-15TTCTY, which developed "dark CPDs" after UV exposure, repaired CPDs slowly, and had accumulated CPDs prior to the experiment. Motif locations active as hyperhotspots differed between cell types. Melanocyte CPD hyperhotspots aligned precisely with recurrent UV signature mutations in individual gene promoters of melanomas and with known cancer drivers. At sunburn levels of UV exposure, every cell would have a hyperhotspot CPD in each of the ~20 targeted cell pathways, making hyperhotspots act as epigenetic marks. Purpose: These experiments searched for genomic sites in human primary fibroblasts and melanocytes that are extraordinarily sensitive to DNA damage, primarily cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) induced by UVC or UVB radiation. They separately detected abasic sites and other spontaneous DNA damage when present.