Project description:We are presenting here the application of toxicogenomics in the evaluation of the toxic effects of three dioxin-like compounds, two Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), Benzo(a)pyrene, Benzo(k) fluoranthene and b-naphthoflavone on the developing zebrafish embryo. The main goal is to distinguish the pattern of action of the chemical compounds and their needs varying the times of exposure. The results suggest a variety of MoA for different dioxin-like compounds, probably related to the nature and number of benzene rings. About 5% genes were affected by the treatment. Gene ontology (GO) analyses show that these genes are involved in the oxidation-reduction process. Representatives of each GO functional groups were selected and quantified by real-time PCR to validate the microarray data and to differentiate the action of dioxin-like compounds studied.
Project description:The chemical diversification of natural products provides a robust and general method for creation of stereochemically rich and structurally diverse small molecules. The resulting compounds have physicochemical traits different from those in most screening collections, and as such are an excellent source for biological discovery. Herein, we subject the diterpene natural product pleuromutilin to reaction sequences focused on creating ring system diversity in few synthetic steps. This effort resulted in a collection of compounds with previously unreported ring systems, providing a novel set of structurally diverse and highly complex compounds suitable for screening in a variety of different settings. Biological evaluation identified the novel compound ferroptocide, a small molecule that rapidly and robustly induces ferroptotic death of cancer cells. Target identification efforts and CRISPR knockout studies reveal that ferroptocide is an inhibitor of thioredoxin, a key component of the antioxidant system in the cell. Ferroptocide positively modulates the immune system in a murine model of breast cancer and will be a useful tool to study the utility of pro-ferroptotic agents for treatment of cancer.
Project description:High-content screening identified compounds that promote maturation of human neurons derived from pluripotent stem cells. We sequenced total RNA from neurons treated with these drugs to detemrine their effect at the transcriptome level.
Project description:Therapeutic angiogenesis based on gene therapies is a potential peripheral artery disease (PAD) treatment approach. Here, we developed a graphene nanoparticle-based IL-4 plasmid delivery system (GNPs-pIL-4) to reprogram macrophage polarization and activate the OSM/GSNOR/ENG axis to improve angiogenesis and tissue repair in ischemic limbs. Single-cell RNA sequencing analysis revealed that GNPs-pIL-4 treatment significantly enhanced the number and strength of intercellular communications in ischemic tissues, with enrichment of pathways associated with endothelial sprouting and neovascularization.
Project description:The chemical diversification of natural products provides a robust and general method for creation of stereochemically complex and structurally diverse small molecules. The resulting compounds have physicochemical traits different from those in most screening collections, and as such are a rich source for biological discovery. Herein, we subject the terpene natural product pleuromutilin to reaction sequences focused on creating ring system diversity in few synthetic steps. This effort resulted in the synthesis of multiple compounds with previously unreported ring systems, providing a set of novel structurally diverse and highly complex compounds suitable for screening in a variety of different settings. Biological evaluation of these compounds identified the novel compound ferroptocide, a compound that rapidly and robustly induces ferroptotic death of cancer cells. Target identification efforts and CRISPR KO studies reveal that ferroptocide is an inhibitor of thioredoxin, a key component of thioredoxin antioxidant system in the cell. Ferroptocide shows the ability to positively modulate the immune system in a murine model of breast cancer and will be a useful tool to study the ability of pro-ferroptotic agents to synergize with the immune system for treatment of cancer.
Project description:We developed a general approach to small molecule library screening called GE-HTS (Gene Expression-Based High Throughput Screening) in which a gene expression signature is used as a surrogate for cellular states and applied it to the identification of compounds inducing the differentiation of acute myeloid leukemia cells. In screening 1,739 compounds, we identified 8 that reliably induced the differentiation signature, and furthermore yielded functional evidence of bona fide differentiation. This SuperSeries is composed of the following subset Series:; GSE976: Gene Expression-Based High Throughput Screening: APL Treatment with Candidate Compounds; GSE982: Gene Expression-Based High Throughput Screening: HL-60 Cell Treatment with Candidate Compounds; GSE983: Gene Expression-Based High Throughput Screening: Primary Patient AML Blasts, Normal Neutrophils, and Normal Monocytes; GSE985: Gene Expression-Based High Throughput Screening: HL-60 Cells Treated with ATRA and PMA Experiment Overall Design: Refer to individual Series
Project description:We developed a general approach to small molecule library screening called GE-HTS (Gene Expression-Based High Throughput Screening) in which a gene expression signature is used as a surrogate for cellular states and applied it to the identification of compounds inducing the differentiation of acute myeloid leukemia cells. In screening 1,739 compounds, we prioritized 15 candidate compounds (2 were already confirmed in the literature). We next evaluated the 13 remaining compounds. Eight reliably induced the differentiation signature, and furthermore yielded functional evidence of bona fide differentiation. This data set contains HL-60 cells treated in replicates of 3 with the original 13 selected candidates. It also contains 6 untreated, 6 DMSO treated, 3 ATRA treated, 3 PMA treated, and 3 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 treated HL-60 controls. In addition, it contains 3 neutrophil and 3 monocyte samples from distinct normal human donors and 9 primary patient AML samples. This data set was used to evaluate the whole genome effects of the candidate compounds on HL-60 cells. Keywords = AML Keywords = leukemia Keywords = HL-60 Keywords = chemical genomics Keywords: repeat sample
Project description:We developed a general approach to small molecule library screening called GE-HTS (Gene Expression-Based High Throughput Screening) in which a gene expression signature is used as a surrogate for cellular states and applied it to the identification of compounds inducing the differentiation of acute myeloid leukemia cells. In screening 1,739 compounds, we identified 8 that reliably induced the differentiation signature, and furthermore yielded functional evidence of bona fide differentiation. We tested several of these in duplicate replicates in blasts from a patient with APL. Also included in this data set are a collection of 6 primary patient AML cells, 3 normal neutrophils samples, and 3 normal monocyte samples. This data was used to evaluate whole genome effects of the compounds on APL cells in relation to AML versus normal neutrophils and monocytes. Keywords = Leukemia Keywords = APL Keywords = AML Keywords = chemical genomics Keywords: repeat sample
Project description:The intermediate filament protein Nestin serves as a biomarker for stem cells and has been used to identify subsets of cancer stem-like cells. However, the mechanistic contributions of Nestin to cancer pathogenesis are not understood. Here we report that Nestin binds the hedgehog pathway transcription factor Gli3 to mediate the development of medulloblastomas of the hedgehog subtype. In a mouse model system, Nestin levels increased progressively during medulloblastoma formation resulting in enhanced tumor growth. Conversely, loss of Nestin dramatically inhibited proliferation and promoted differentiation. Mechanistic investigations revealed that the tumor-promoting effects of Nestin were mediated by binding to Gli3, a zinc finger transcription factor that negatively regulates hedgehog signaling. Nestin binding to Gli3 blocked Gli3 phosphorylation and its subsequent proteolytic processing, thereby abrogating its ability to negatively regulate the hedgehog pathway. Our findings show how Nestin drives hedgehog pathway-driven cancers and uncover in Gli3 a therapeutic target to treat these malignancies. Nestin+ and Nestin- GNPs (granule neuron precursors) were purified from Nestin-CFP/Math1-Cre/Ptch1-loxp cerebella at postnatal day 4 by FACs, and total RNA from these two cell populations were extracted, and then labeled and hybridized to Affymetrix Mouse Genome 430 2.0 arrays.