Project description:Alcohol is among the most widely consumed dietary substances. While excessive alcohol consumption damages the liver, heart and brain, clinical observations also suggest that alcohol has strong immunoregulatory properties. However, little is known about the mechanistic effects of alcohol on the immune system. In this context, we investigated the effect of acetate, the metabolite of alcohol, on primary mouse T cells, unspecifically activated with dynabeads.
Project description:Mouse spleen B cells were activated with sodium acetate (10 mM) for 5 days and the transcriptome change was determined with microarrays. This experiment determines the effect of acetate on gene expression in B cells.
Project description:We report the genome changes associated with a Zymomonas mobilis sodium acetate-tolerant mutant (AcR). We used comparative genomics, transcriptomics, and genetics to show nhaA over-expression conferred sodium acetate (NaAc) tolerance in Z. mobilis. We observed a synergistic effect for sodium and acetate ions that enhanced toxicity against the wild-type strain (ZM4), which was not observed for similar concentrations of potassium and ammonium acetate under controlled laboratory conditions. We extended our studies and demonstrated that Saccharomyces cerevisiae sodium-proton antiporter genes contribute to NaAc tolerance for this important ethanologen. The application of classical and systems biology tools is a paradigm for industrial strain improvement and combines benefits of few a priori assumptions with detailed, rapid, mechanistic studies. Finally, our studies reinforce the idea that one obtains what one selects for in mutant screens and that a genetic system is important for industrial strain development.
Project description:We report the genome changes associated with a Zymomonas mobilis sodium acetate-tolerant mutant (AcR). We used comparative genomics, transcriptomics, and genetics to show nhaA over-expression conferred sodium acetate (NaAc) tolerance in Z. mobilis. We observed a synergistic effect for sodium and acetate ions that enhanced toxicity against the wild-type strain (ZM4), which was not observed for similar concentrations of potassium and ammonium acetate under controlled laboratory conditions. We extended our studies and demonstrated that Saccharomyces cerevisiae sodium-proton antiporter genes contribute to NaAc tolerance for this important ethanologen. The application of classical and systems biology tools is a paradigm for industrial strain improvement and combines benefits of few a priori assumptions with detailed, rapid, mechanistic studies. Finally, our studies reinforce the idea that one obtains what one selects for in mutant screens and that a genetic system is important for industrial strain development. ZM4_ACr_NaCl_NaAc_study. Whole-genome expression profiles of exponential and stationary phase cells were analyzed for the wild-type Zymomonas mobilis ZM4 and the acetate-tolerant mutant AcR under 12g/L sodium acetate and same molar concentration of sodium chloride (8.55g/L) control conditions.
Project description:In vitro culture of 2 separate sets of naive human T cells (from 2 adult male donors), activated using CD3 and CD28 antibodies. Secretome collection at 48 hours after activation. The same cell cultures not activated and sampled at the exact same time served as 'not-activated control'.
Project description:In vitro culture of 2 separate sets of naive human T cells (from 2 adult male donors), activated using CD3 and CD28 antibodies. Secretome collection at 48 hours after activation. The same cell cultures not activated and sampled at the exact same time served as 'not-activated control'.
Project description:RNA sequencing of the chromatin associated RNA and nucleoplasm associated RNA of Naive CD4+ T cells to identify novel chromatin associated RNAs containing TEs. RNA sequencing of Naive CD4+ T cells or Activated Naive CD4+ T cells treated with Scr or LINE1 antisense oligonucleotides (ASO).
Project description:Regulatory T (Treg) cells play an important role in the induction and maintenance of peripheral tolerance. Treg cells also suppress a variety of other immune responses, including anti-tumor and alloimmune responses. We have previously reported that tumor-activated Treg cells express granzyme B and that granzyme B is important for Treg cell-mediated suppression of anti-tumor immune responses (GSE13409). Here, we report that allogeneic mismatch also induces the expression of granzyme B. Granzyme B-deficient mice challenged with fully mismatched allogeneic P815 mastocytoma cells have markedly improved survival compared to WT and other granzyme- or perforin-deficient mice, suggesting an immunoregulatory role for granzyme B in this setting. Treg cells harvested from the tumor environment of P815-challenged mice express granzyme B. Treg cells also express granzyme B in vitro during mixed lymphocyte reactions and in vivo in a mouse model of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). However, in contrast to findings from our previously published tumor model, granzyme B is not required for the suppression of effector T cell (Teff) proliferation in in vitro Treg suppression assays stimulated by either Concanavalin A or allogeneic antigen presenting cells. Additionally, in an ex vivo assay, sort-purified in vivo-activated CD4+Foxp3+ Treg cells from mice with active GVHD -- under conditions known to induce granzyme B expression in Treg cells -- suppressed Teff cell proliferation in a granzyme B-independent manner. Adoptive transfer of naive granzyme B-deficient CD4+CD25+ Treg cells into a mouse model of GVHD rescued hosts from lethatlity equivalently to naive wild-type Treg cells. Serum analysis of GVHD-associated cytokine production in these recipients also demonstrated that Treg cells suppressed production of IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, GM-CSF, and IFN-gamma in a granzyme B-independent manner. In order to determine whether the context in which Treg cells are activated alters the intrinsic properties of Treg cells, we used Foxp3 reporter mice to obtain gene expression profiles of CD4+Foxp3+ Treg cells purifed from naive resting spleens, spleens from mice with acute GVHD, and from ascites fluid of mice challenged intraperitoneally with allogeneic P815 tumor cells. Unsupervised analyses revealed distinct activation signatures of Treg cells among the 3 experimental groups. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that granzyme B is not required for Treg cell-mediated suppression of GVHD, which is in contrast to what we have previously reported for Treg cell function in the setting of tumor challenge. Cell intrinsic differences could partially account for these differential phenotypes. These data also suggest the therapeutic potential of targeting specific Treg cell suppressive functions in order to segregate GVHD and graft-versus-tumor effector functions. Experiment Overall Design: Six replicates of Naive CD4+Foxp3+ Treg cells were purified from resting spleens, five replicates of allogeneic tumor-activated Treg cells and three samples of GVHD-activated Treg cells. Experiment Overall Design: Naive reps 1-3 are controls for the GVHD-activated samples. Experiment Overall Design: Naive reps 4-6 are controls for the Allogeneic tumor-activated samples.