Project description:Corneal epithelial stem cells reside in the limbus that is the transitional zone between the cornea and conjunctiva, and are essential to maintain the homeostasis of corneal epithelium. However, their characterization is poorly understood. Therefore, we constructed gene expression profiles of limbal epithelial SP and non-SP cell using RNA-sequencing. As a result, limbal epithelial SP cells have immature cell phenotypes with endothelial/mesenchymal cell markers, while limbal epithelial non-SP cells have epithelial progenitor cell markers.
Project description:Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici is the cause of wheat stem rust. A microarray was designed from genes predicted from the P. graminis f. sp. tritici genome assembly, and gene expression measured for four conditions which include wheat or barley infecting growth stages initiated by urediniospores. mRNA was prepared from fresh urediniospores, uredinospores germinated for 24 hr, wheat seedlings infected with urediniospores for 8 days, and barley seedlings infected with urediniospores for 8 days. The asexual uredinial infection cycle on wheat produces additional urediniospores, which can start new cycles of wheat infection and are readily spread by aerial transport. This expression data is further described in Duplessis et al, Obligate Biotrophy Features Unraveled by the Genomic Analysis of the Rust Fungi, Melampsora larici-populina and Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici
Project description:In previous work in our group, shotgun genome sequencing of Arthrobacter sp. revealed potential new P450 monooxygenases and many other oxidoreductases with putative hydroxylation activity. A targeted approach to identify enzymes involved in the degradation of certain molecules is proteomic analysis. In the case of growth on certain substances, enzymes like P450s, which are responsible for the observed organism’s capabilities, might be overexpressed or initially induced.
Project description:Targeted therapies against cancer stem cells which are enriched in side populations (SP) involves interruption of Wnt-signalling. Furthermore, EpCAM is a SP marker and modulator of Wnt-signalling. Therefore, the effects of an anti-EpCAM treatment on SP-cells and WNT/β-catenin signalling was studied. SP of the human lung adenocarcinoma cell line A549 was obtained by fluorescence activated cell sorting and whole genome scans helped to define their molecular phenotype after anti-EpCAM antibody treatment.
