ABSTRACT: Human skin-swab samples from acne cohort. Untargeted LC-MS/MS acquisition was performed on a Vanquish UHPLC system coupled to a Q-Exactive Hybrid Quadrupole-Orbitrap.
Project description:The project aimed to characterize the collagen type I (COL1) sequences from various modern, Holocene and Pleistocene bone, antler and skin samples for phylogenetic purposes. All extractions were performed at BioArCh, University of York (UK) or the Department of Human Evolution, MPI-EVA (Germany). Analyses took place on Q-Exactive Hybrid Quadrupole-Orbitrap MS.
Project description:The aim of this project is to promote the breath volatile marker concept for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening by advancing developing the application of a novel hybrid analyzer for the purpose.
The hybrid analyzer concept is expected to benefit of combining metal-oxide (MOX) and infrared spectrum (IR) sensor acquired data. The current study will be the first globally to address this concept in CRC detection. In addition, traditional methods, in particular, gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) will be used to address the biological relevance of the VOCs emission from cancer tissue and will assist in further advances of the hybrid-sensing approach.
Project description:In plastic and reconstructive surgery, mechanical stretch (MS) forces are frequently used to stimulate skin regeneration in order to produce additional skin for repairing tissue defects. Fibroblast activation in response to MS is crucial for skin growth during skin expansion. While its function in skin expansion is unknown, interleukin 11 (IL11) has been described as a cytokine that is increased in response to mechanical stimuli. In this study, we demonstrated that the expression of IL11 and IL11 receptor alpha subunit (IL11RA) was significantly increased in dermal fibroblasts (DFs) of the well-regenerated expanded skins (ESs) in human and mouse samples. However, IL11 was relatively lacking in the poorly-regenerated human ESs. Through the inhibition of IL11 signaling, MS-induced fibroblast proliferation, extracellular matrix (ECM) production, and myofibroblast activation were all inhibited in vitro. Consistently, depletion of IL11 signaling in vivo reduced skin regeneration during skin expansion, as evidenced by decreased dermal thickness and inhibited fibroblast function. Notably, transcriptomic analysis revealed that MS stimulation induced the upregulation of pathways associated with cell proliferation, collagen synthesis, stress response, and cell activation, whereas these pathways were downregulated in the IL11RA knockdown group. Mechanistically, we discovered that WNT5B acts as a downstream regulator of IL11-mediated cell activation in the presence of MS. Finally, the administration of recombinant IL11 via intradermal injection into mice significantly promoted fibroblast activation and halted the reduction in dermal thickness that occurred during skin expansion. In summary, our study demonstrated that IL11 signaling plays a crucial role in the activation of fibroblasts induced by MS, making it a promising target for clinical application in enhancing skin regeneration during skin expansion.
Project description:Untargeted LC-MS/MS acquisition was performed on a Vanquish UHPLC system coupled to a Q-Exactive Hybrid Quadrupole-Orbitrap (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Bremen, Germany).
Project description:Skin bacteria impact melanoma related pathways Melanoma represents the most lethal form of skin cancer, with rising numbers of annual incidences worldwide. In an effort to identify new risk factors that promote melanoma development, the contribution of the skin microbiome gained increasing attention. Previous studies already demonstrated an altered composition of the skin microbiome on melanoma sites. Yet, the underlying mechanisms of the interplay between the microbiome and melanoma progression remain elusive. We established a novel co-culture system capable to study host microbiome interactions during melanoma progression in situ. This system consists of a commercial 3D melanoma skin model colonized with skin bacteria obtained from a skin swab of a healthy volunteer. The models showed a stable co-colonization over a period of 12 days, with Streptococcus being the most abundant genus on the last day of cultivation. Transcriptome profiles revealed significant differences in colonized models compared to control. In particular, pathways involved in melanoma progression, like RAF/MAP and PI3K kinase, were upregulated in colonized models. This correlates with the augmented release of the cytokines VEGF, PIGF, and GM-CSF as well as the typical melanoma markers MIA and S100B. Furthermore, the data were supported by an active epithelial-mesenchymal transition in colonized skin models. Taken together, the bacterial community seems to promote the progression of melanoma in our established system, hence we provide an elegant method to elucidate the microbiome’s impact on cancer development in situ.
Project description:We performed an untargeted metabolomic analysis on surficial human skin samples collected with moistened cotton swabs (water:ethanol, 50:50) using LC-HR-MS/MS. Data-dependent acquisition was employed under positive ion mode. One cohort (five subjects) was recruited and white petrolatum was applied in the dominant hand (dorsal side) of the subjects for 7 days, while the other hand was not treated (non-exposed hand).
Project description:Plasma samples. Untargeted LC-MS/MS acquisition was performed on a Vanquish UHPLC system coupled to a Q-Exactive Hybrid Quadrupole-Orbitrap (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Bremen, Germany).