Project description:We performed spatial transcriptomics of a tumor section from a patient post-treatment with adenoid cystic carcinoma of the lacrimal gland.
Project description:To identify the transcriptomic signature of adenoid cystic carcinoma of the lacrimal gland (LGACC), we performed RNA sequencing on LGACC tumor samples and normal lacrimal gland samples.
Project description:Salivary gland adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is a rare malignancy amongst head and neck tumors that is poorly understood on a molecular level. We sought to perform a comprehensive approach for novel oncogene candidate screening under the control of promoter methylation in order to learn more about the molecular basis of this unusual disease.
Project description:Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is one of the most common malignancies that arise in the salivary glands, with an incidence of 4.5 per 1,000,000. It can also arise in glandular tissue closely related to salivary glands in the lacrimal gland, nasal passages and tracheobronchial tree, as well as in glands of the breast and vulva. At all of these sites, it is characterized by a distinctive histology of basaloid epithelial cells arranged in cribriform or tubular patterns, usually demonstrating abundant hyaline extracellular matrix secretion and some degree of myoepithelial differentiation. ACC is generally a slow-growing tumor characterized by a protracted clinical course, usually well over 5 years in duration, marked by regional recurrence, distant metastasis and/or spread along peripheral nerves. A recurrent chromosomal translocation, t(6;9)(q23;p21), has been identified in ACC, and recently it has been discovered that in a majority of ACC the MYB gene on chromosome 6 is fused to the 3’ terminus of the NFIB gene on chromosome 9, creating a fusion gene product resulting in increased MYB-related transcriptional activation. Recently it has been determined that most cell lines with attribution of ACC derivation are either contaminants of other cell lines or do not have the characteristic MYB-NFIB translocation. Also, there are no animal models of this histologically and genetically defined tumor type. To address the paucity of experimental and pre-clinical models systems of ACC, we have for several years been establishing xenograft tumor lines from clinical samples of ACC. We describe our experience with these models and their characterization here. Analysis of 12 xenografts of human adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) along with 10 samples of ACC directly from humans. Note, that 12 of these samples are paired primary ACC & xenograft ACC from the same individual (6 pairs in total).
Project description:Background: The study of human lacrimal gland biology and development is limited. Lacrimal gland tissue is damaged or poorly functional in a number of disease states including dry eye disease. Development of cell based therapies for lacrimal gland diseases requires a better understanding of the gene expression and signaling pathways in lacrimal gland. Differential gene expression analysis between lacrimal gland and other embryologically similar tissues may be helpful in furthering our understanding of lacrimal gland development. Methods: We performed global gene expression analysis of human lacrimal gland tissue using Affymetrix ® gene expression arrays. Primary data from our laboratory was compared with datasets available in the NLM GEO database for other surface ectodermal tissues including salivary gland, skin, conjunctiva and corneal epithelium. Results: The analysis revealed statistically significant difference in the gene expression of lacrimal gland tissue compared to other ectodermal tissues. The lacrimal gland specific, cell surface secretory protein encoding genes and critical signaling pathways which distinguish lacrimal gland from other ectodermal tissues are described. Conclusions: Differential gene expression in human lacrimal gland compared with other ectodermal tissue types revealed interesting patterns which may serve as the basis for future studies in directed differentiation among other areas.
Project description:Salivary gland adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is a rare malignancy amongst head and neck tumors that is poorly understood on a molecular level. We sought to perform a comprehensive approach for novel oncogene candidate screening under the control of promoter methylation in order to learn more about the molecular basis of this unusual disease. We performed global demethylation of normal salivary gland cell strains using 5-aza-deoxycytidine (5-Aza dC) and trichostatin (TSA). Expression arrays were performed, and the profiles of treated and untreated cells compared. We then used expression microarray analysis of primary ACC and normal salivary gland samples to generate ACC-specific expression profiling. Next, we integrated the two profiles to identify a subset of genes for further validation of decreased methylation in the promoter region in ACC vs normals. Finally, only genes that showed decreased methylation in ACC compared to normal were further validated for mRNA, protein, and promoter methylation levels in a larger ACC cohort.