Project description:RNA-sequencing of TGFβ treated empty vector (EV) or Smad4-expressing AKPS lines followed by GSEA revealed a number of gene sets overlapping with those obtained from analyses in reactive cholangiocytes. Hallmark gene sets MYC, E2F, G2M checkpoint, and oxidative phosphorylation were enriched with loss of Smad4, while TGFβ signaling, EMT, and TNFα were enriched with intact Smad4 signaling, suggesting conserved growth suppressive functions of Smad4 in primary cholangiocytes and advanced cancer.
Project description:To understand the processes regulated by Smad4 in reactive cholangiocytes, Ctl and Smad4del mice were provided DDC diet for 2 weeks after which reactive cholangiocytes were isolated from digested injured mouse liver via FACS followed by RNA amplification and sequencing analysis. Gene set enrichment analysis of Smad4-perturbed reactive cholangiocytes implicates Smad4 in proliferative, metabolic, and inflammatory pathways.
Project description:Reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS) on the same TGFβ-treated AKPS lines (with EV or Smad4) revealed that Smad4 impacts DNA methylation (DNAme), with decreases in intergenic DNAme as the most impacted in our CCA models.
Project description:Purpose: To analyze human and bacteria proteomic profiles in bile, exposed to a tumor vs. non-tumor microenvironment, in order to identify differences between these conditions, which may contribute to a better understanding of pancreatic carcinogenesis. Patients and Methods: Using liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry, human and bacteria proteomic profiles of a total of 20 bile samples (7 from gallstone (GS) patients, and 13 from pancreatic head ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients) that were collected during surgery, and taken directly from the gallbladder were compared. g:Profiler and KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) Mapper Reconstruct Pathway was used as the main comparative platform focusing on over-represented biological pathways among human proteins and interaction pathways among bacterial proteins. Results: Three bacterial infection pathways were over-represented in the human PDAC group of proteins. IL-8 is the only human protein that coincides in the three pathways and this protein is only present in the PDAC group. Quantitative and qualitative differences in bacterial proteins suggest a dysbiotic microenvironment in the PDAC group, supported by significant participation of antibiotic biosynthesis enzymes. Prokaryote interaction signaling pathways highlight the presence of zeatin in the GS group and surfactin in the PDAC group, the former in the metabolism of terpenoids and polyketides, and the latter in both metabolisms of terpenoids, polyketides and quorum sensing. Based on our findings, we propose a bacterial-induced carcinogenesis model for the biliary tract. Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge this is the first study with the aim of comparing human and bacteria bile proteins in a tumor vs. non-tumor microenvironment. We proposed a new carcinogenesis model for the biliary tract based on bile metaproteomic findings. Our results suggest that bacteria may be key players in biliary tract carcinogenesis, in a long-lasting dysbiotic and epithelially harmful microenvironment, in which specific bacterial species biofilm formation is of utmost importance. Our finding should be further explored in future using in vitro and in vivo investigations
Project description:Mutations of isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) 1 or 2 occur in 10-30% of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas (ICCs). However, their functional roles in biliary carcinogenesis are still unknown. We used microarrays to investigate how mutant IDH1 affect the gene expression of intrahepatic biliary organoids generated from normal murine liver.