Project description:Aging is associated with declining immunity and inflammation as well as alterations in the gut microbiome with a decrease of beneficial microbes and increase in pathogenic ones. The aim of this study was to investigate aging associated gut microbiome in relation to immunologic and metabolic profile in a non-human primate (NHP) model. 12 old (age>18 years) and 4 young (age 3-6 years) Rhesus macaques were included in this study. Immune cell subsets were characterized in PBMC by flow cytometry and plasma cytokines levels were determined by bead based multiplex cytokine analysis. Stool samples were collected by ileal loop and investigated for microbiome analysis by shotgun metagenomics. Serum, gut microbial lysate and microbe-free fecal extract were subjected to metabolomic analysis by mass-spectrometry. Our results showed that the old animals exhibited higher inflammatory biomarkers in plasma and lower CD4 T cells with altered distribution of naïve and memory T cell maturation subsets. The gut microbiome in old animals had higher abundance of Archaeal and Proteobacterial species and lower Firmicutes than the young. Significant enrichment of metabolites that contribute to inflammatory and cytotoxic pathways was observed in serum and feces of old animals compared to the young. We conclude that aging NHP undergo immunosenescence and age associated alterations in the gut microbiome that has a distinct metabolic profile.
Project description:To identify a plasma microRNA panel that could help to distinguish ALK positive with ALK negative NSCLC patients, plasma samples of 3 ALK-positive, 3 ALK-negative NSCLC, and 3 Healthy Subjects were selected for Agilent miRNA microarray analysis to detect differences in the expression levels of circulating miRNAs (n = 2568) between the above cohorts.
Project description:To identify a plasma miRNA panel that could help to separate NSCLC patients with EGFR sensitive mutations and wild-type EGFR, plasma samples of 3 EGFR19DEL, 3 EGFRp.L858R, and 3 EGFRWT patients with NSCLC and 4 HCs were selected for Agilent miRNA microarray analysis to detect differences in the expression levels of circulating miRNAs (n = 2,568) between the above cohorts.
Project description:Prognosis of non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is very poor mainly because it often has metastasized to distant organs already at the time of diagnosis. Therefore biomarkers which can predict metastasis are urgently needed. miRNAs have been shown to play important roles in the regulation of different tumor cell processes including those involved in metastasis. We recently showed that miRNA-214 is linked to a radioresistant phenotype of NSCLC. Interestingly, altered miRNA-214 expression has in breast, cervical and melanoma been linked to metastasis. We therefore examined the role of miRNA-214 in the metastasis of NSCLC cells. We found that down regulation of miRNA-214 increased invasive potential of NSCLC cells and conversely, overexpression of miRNA-214 in NSCLC cells with low endogenous level of miRNA-214, decreased invasiveness. Gene expression analyses of NSCLC cells with low and high levels of miRNA-214, followed by bioinformatics analyses identified a number of target genes which were linked to metastasis including pregnancy associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A), alpha protein kinase 2 (ALPK2), cyclin-dependent kinase 6 (CDK6) and tumor necrosis-factor alpha-induced protein 3 (TNFAIP3). These targets were validated on mRNA and protein level. U-1810 cells with high endogenous level of miRNA-214 were treated with miRNA-214 antagomir (3 biological replicates) or non-targeting antagomir (3 biological replicates) and then RNA was extracted and applied to Affymetrix gene array platform.
Project description:Prognosis of non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is very poor mainly because it often has metastasized to distant organs already at the time of diagnosis. Therefore biomarkers which can predict metastasis are urgently needed. miRNAs have been shown to play important roles in the regulation of different tumor cell processes including those involved in metastasis. We recently showed that miRNA-214 is linked to a radioresistant phenotype of NSCLC. Interestingly, altered miRNA-214 expression has in breast, cervical and melanoma been linked to metastasis. We therefore examined the role of miRNA-214 in the metastasis of NSCLC cells. We found that down regulation of miRNA-214 increased invasive potential of NSCLC cells and conversely, overexpression of miRNA-214 in NSCLC cells with low endogenous level of miRNA-214, decreased invasiveness. Gene expression analyses of NSCLC cells with low and high levels of miRNA-214, followed by bioinformatics analyses identified a number of target genes which were linked to metastasis including pregnancy associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A), alpha protein kinase 2 (ALPK2), cyclin-dependent kinase 6 (CDK6) and tumor necrosis-factor alpha-induced protein 3 (TNFAIP3). These targets were validated on mRNA and protein level.
Project description:Lack of a standard method for stratifying advanced-stage NSCLC patients receiving platinum combination therapy often results in a number of patients that do not derive benefit yet are still exposed to treatment toxicity. We hypothesized that miRNAs in pre-treatment serum and/or plasma could be used to differentiate non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who would have disease progression to first-line carboplatin and gemcitabine chemotherapy at first response assessment. miRNA profiling of mature and precursor miRNAs was performed on total RNA isolated from the pre-treatment serum and plasma of 24 NSCLC patients. Single validated candidates or combinations thereof were selected based on specificity and sensitivity to segregate patients with disease progression at first radiologic response (PD) vs. those without progressed disease (nonPD). Two precursor miRNA were significantly over-expressed in serum (but not plasma) of PD patients: pre-miR-518b and pre-miR-598. Serum miRNAs may serve as a screening tool in predicting chemoresistance to platinum-based combination chemotherapy. miRNA microarray was performed on RNA extracted from matched human serum or plasma obtained from NSCLC patients
Project description:We report the application of small RNA sequencing for high-throughput profiling of circulating tRF in the pre- and post-operation plasma from patients with NSCLC
Project description:Lack of a standard method for stratifying advanced-stage NSCLC patients receiving platinum combination therapy often results in a number of patients that do not derive benefit yet are still exposed to treatment toxicity. We hypothesized that miRNAs in pre-treatment serum and/or plasma could be used to differentiate non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who would have disease progression to first-line carboplatin and gemcitabine chemotherapy at first response assessment. miRNA profiling of mature and precursor miRNAs was performed on total RNA isolated from the pre-treatment serum and plasma of 24 NSCLC patients. Single validated candidates or combinations thereof were selected based on specificity and sensitivity to segregate patients with disease progression at first radiologic response (PD) vs. those without progressed disease (nonPD). Two precursor miRNA were significantly over-expressed in serum (but not plasma) of PD patients: pre-miR-518b and pre-miR-598. Serum miRNAs may serve as a screening tool in predicting chemoresistance to platinum-based combination chemotherapy.