Project description:We genearted a DNA aptamer against EPX via SELEX protocol using a random DNA library and developed an assay to monitor EPX in patients spitum samples After 15 rounds of selection, the aptamer sequences were obtained by high throughput sequencing
Project description:Sputum eosinophilia has been shown to be a predictor of response to anti-eosinophil therapies in patients with airway diseases. However, quantitative cell counts and differentials of sputum are labor intensive. The objective of this study was to validate a novel ELISA-based assay of eosinophil peroxidase (EPX) in sputum as a rapid and reliable marker of airway eosinophils.The utility of EPX-based ELISA as an eosinophil-specific assay was achieved through comparisons with sputum eosinophil differential counts in freshly prepared and archived patient samples from a variety of clinical settings.EPX levels in sputum correlated with eosinophil percentage (r(s) = 0.84) in asthma patients with varying degrees of airway eosinophilia. Significantly, unlike assays of other eosinophil granule proteins (e.g., ECP and EDN), which often detect the presence of these proteins even in asthma patients with neutrophilic bronchitis, EPX-based ELISA levels are not increased in this subset of asthma patients or in COPD patients lacking evidence of an airway eosinophilia. Moreover, sputum EPX was a surrogate marker of airway eosinophilia in other patient studies (e.g., allergen inhalation and treatment trials the anti-(IL-5) therapeutic Mepolizumabâ„¢). Finally, EPX levels in cytocentrifuged prepared sputum supernatants correlated with those from rapidly prepared noncentrifuged filtrates of sputum (r(s) = 0.94).EPX-based ELISA is a valid, reliable, repeatable, and specific surrogate marker of eosinophils and/or eosinophil degranulation in the sputum of respiratory patients. The novel EPX assay is a valid and reproducible eosinophil-specific assay that can potentially be developed into a point-of-care assessment of eosinophil activity in airway secretions.
Project description:RNA-seq of the 4 eosinophil maturation stages in the murine bone marrow during Interleukin-33 induced eosinophilia combined with Anti-IL5 or Control isotype injections.
Project description:MicroRNA have been implicated in the differentiation and control of eosinophilia in allergic inflammation, however, a detailed investigation of miRNA expression patterns employed during differentiation has not yet been performed [35-37]. The aim of our study is to explore miRNA expression profiling and analysis in silico in order to improve our understanding of the factors and circuits that are involved in the regulation eosinophil growth and differentiation.
Project description:The objective of the study was to compare nasal, pharyngeal, and sputum eosinophil peroxidase (EPX) levels with induced sputum eosinophil percentage in 10 adults with poorly controlled asthma and 10 normal controls. EPX was measured using an ELISA and normalized for grams of protein for nasal and pharynx specimens and for mL-gram of protein for sputum. Sputum EPX levels were statistically different between asthma and control subjects (P = 0.024). EPX levels measured in the nasal and pharyngeal swab samples derived from the same patients were also different between asthma and control subjects, each displaying a high degree of significance (P = 0.002). Spearman's correlation coefficients for nasal EPX and pharyngeal EPX levels compared to induced sputum eosinophil percentage were 0.81 (P = 0.0007) and 0.78 (P = 0.0017), respectively. Thus, there is a strong association in a given patient between both nasal and pharyngeal EPX levels and the eosinophil percentage of induced sputum.
Project description:Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a T helper type 2 (TH2) cytokine-associated disease charaterized by eosinophil infiltration, epithelial cell hyperplasia and tissue remodeling. Recent studies have highlighted a major contribution for IL-13 in EoE pathogenesis. Paired immunoglobulin-like receptor (PIR)-B is a cell surface immune-inhibitory receptor that is expressed by eosinophils and postulated to regulate eosinophil development and migration. We report that Pirb is upregulated in the esophagus after inducible overexpression of IL-13 (CC10-IL13 Tg mice) and is overexpressed by esophageal eosinophils. CC10-IL13Tg/PirB-/- mice displayed increased esophageal eosinophilia and EoE pahtology, including epithelial cell thickening, fibrosis and angiogenesis, compared with CC10-IL13 Tg/PirB+/+ mice. Transcriptome analysis of primary Pirb+/+ and Prib-/- esophageal eosinophils revealed increased expression of transcripts associated with promoting tissue remodeling in Pirb-/- eosinophils including pro-fibrotic genes, genes promoting epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and genes associated with epithelial growth. These data identify PIR-B as a molecular checkpoint in IL-13-induced eosinophil accumulation and activation, which may serve as a novel target for future therapy in EoE.
Project description:The experiments were carried out to map the ligand binding landscape of various DNA and RNA duplexed aptamer families. Duplexed Aptamer (DA) constructs were engineered from (i) natural and synthetic DNA and RNA aptamers and (i) synthetic oligonucleotide aptamer-complementary elements synthesized on custom DNA microarrays. The aptamers tested consist of the ATP DNA aptamer, the ATP RNA aptamer, the cocaine DNA aptamer, the human alpha-thrombin DNA aptamer, and the natural add riboswitch aptamer from the pathogenic bacteria Vibrio vulnificus. Each duplexed aptamer family consists of 1000's of synthetic constructs, each formed by hybridizing the aptamer with an aptamer-complementary element (ACE) - here, ACEs consisted of various DNA oligonucleotides synthesized as a custom DNA microarray.
Project description:The experiments were carried out to map the ligand binding landscape of various DNA and RNA duplexed aptamer families. Duplexed Aptamer (DA) constructs were engineered from (i) natural and synthetic DNA and RNA aptamers and (i) synthetic oligonucleotide aptamer-complementary elements synthesized on custom DNA microarrays. The aptamers tested consist of the ATP DNA aptamer, the ATP RNA aptamer, the cocaine DNA aptamer, the human alpha-thrombin DNA aptamer, and the natural add riboswitch aptamer from the pathogenic bacteria Vibrio vulnificus. Each duplexed aptamer family consists of 1000's of synthetic constructs, each formed by hybridizing the aptamer with an aptamer-complementary element (ACE) - here, ACEs consisted of various DNA oligonucleotides synthesized as a custom DNA microarray.
Project description:The experiments were carried out to map the ligand binding landscape of various DNA and RNA duplexed aptamer families. Duplexed Aptamer (DA) constructs were engineered from (i) natural and synthetic DNA and RNA aptamers and (i) synthetic oligonucleotide aptamer-complementary elements synthesized on custom DNA microarrays. The aptamers tested consist of the ATP DNA aptamer, the ATP RNA aptamer, the cocaine DNA aptamer, the human alpha-thrombin DNA aptamer, and the natural add riboswitch aptamer from the pathogenic bacteria Vibrio vulnificus. Each duplexed aptamer family consists of 1000's of synthetic constructs, each formed by hybridizing the aptamer with an aptamer-complementary element (ACE) - here, ACEs consisted of various DNA oligonucleotides synthesized as a custom DNA microarray.