Project description:New respiratory diseases in personnel deployed to Southwest Asia after September 11th raise major concerns about the impacts of airborne particulate matter. Although regulations exist, the knowledge about how particulates influence disease states is limited, precluding the appropriate recognition, prevention and treatment of deployment-related lung diseases. We applied two genomics assays, Precision Run-on sequencing (PRO-seq) and the assay for transposase accessible chromatin with sequencing (ATAC-seq), to characterize the small airway epithelial cell response to Afghan desert particulate matter (APM).
Project description:New respiratory diseases in personnel deployed to Southwest Asia after September 11th raise major concerns about the impacts of airborne particulate matter. Although regulations exist, the knowledge about how particulates influence disease states is limited, precluding the appropriate recognition, prevention and treatment of deployment-related lung diseases. We applied two genomics assays, Precision Run-on sequencing (PRO-seq) and the assay for transposase accessible chromatin with sequencing (ATAC-seq), to characterize the small airway epithelial cell response to Afghan desert particulate matter (APM).
Project description:This study aimed to shed light on the gene regulatory networks underlying plant leaf responses to air particulate matter. Our investigation focused on autochthonous shrubs of laurel (Laurus nobilis L.) grown in pots located in two contrasting areas: a highly polluted traffic road and rural countryside within the same town (Altopascio, Lucca, Italy). RNA-seq data were related to leaf morphological traits and air particulate matter, allowing to identify key players in modulating the capabilities of plants to phyllo-remediate high air particulate matter levels in urban environment.
Project description:Here we used next generation sequencing (NGS), to determine the transcriptional profile of blood cells exposed to particulate matter to contribute to the clarification of the importance of deregulated molecules in the molecular pathways involved in the inflammation. For this, blood cells from six adult healthy donors were treated with particulate matter.
Project description:Particulate Matter Triggers Carotid Body Dysfunction, Respiratory Dysynchrony and Cardiac Arrhythmias in Mice with Cardiac Failure; The mechanistic link between human exposure to airborne particulate matter (PM) pollution and the increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality observed in people with congestive heart failure (CHF) is unknown. We now show that exposure of genetically-engineered mice with CHF (expressing a cardiac-specific CREB mutant transcription factor) to ambient PM (collected in Baltimore, mean aerodynamic diameter 1.9 um) unmasks severe autonomic morbidities manifested as significant reductions in heart rate variability, respiratory dysynchrony and increased frequency of serious ventricular arrhythmias, features not observed in PM-challenged wild type mice without CHF. PM exposure in CREB mice with CHF reflexly triggers autonomic dysfunction via heightened carotid body function as evidenced by pronounced afferent nerve responses to hypoxia and marked depression of breathing by hyperoxia challenge. Genomic analyses of lung and ventricular tissues revealed PM-induced molecular signatures of inflammation and oxidative stress. These findings in a murine model of cardiac failure provide the first direct assessment of autonomic function in response to PM challenge and are highly consistent with current epidemiologic findings on cardiovascular morbidity in susceptible PM-exposed human populations. We utilized a murine model of dilated cardiomyopathy to address potential mechanistic links between PM exposure and the development of life-threatening cardiac dysrhythmias. Experiment Overall Design: four group (n=3) of animals were treated by PBS or particulate matter (20mg/kg 1.9µm particulate matter) in Wild type or CD-1 dominate negative mice
Project description:This study aimed to shed light on the gene regulatory networks underlying plant leaf responses to air particulate matter. Our investigation focused on shrubs of Photinia x fraseri grown in pots located in two contrasting areas: a highly polluted traffic road and rural countryside within the same town (Altopascio, Lucca, Italy). RNA-seq data were related to leaf morphological traitsand air particulate matter, allowing to identify key players in modulating the capabilities of plants to phyllo-remediate high air particulate matter levels in urban environment.
Project description:Open tenotomy of the Achilles tendon of 6 rats was performed. The animals were divided into two groups according to exposure of PM2.5 (particulate matter less than 2.5 µm): control group (Non-PM group) or PM exposure group (PM group). After 6 weeks of PM exposure, the tendon RNA was extracted and anlyzed.
Project description:Particulate Matter Triggers Carotid Body Dysfunction, Respiratory Dysynchrony and Cardiac Arrhythmias in Mice with Cardiac Failure The mechanistic link between human exposure to airborne particulate matter (PM) pollution and the increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality observed in people with congestive heart failure (CHF) is unknown. We now show that exposure of genetically-engineered mice with CHF (expressing a cardiac-specific CREB mutant transcription factor) to ambient PM (collected in Baltimore, mean aerodynamic diameter 1.9 um) unmasks severe autonomic morbidities manifested as significant reductions in heart rate variability, respiratory dysynchrony and increased frequency of serious ventricular arrhythmias, features not observed in PM-challenged wild type mice without CHF. PM exposure in CREB mice with CHF reflexly triggers autonomic dysfunction via heightened carotid body function as evidenced by pronounced afferent nerve responses to hypoxia and marked depression of breathing by hyperoxia challenge. Genomic analyses of lung and ventricular tissues revealed PM-induced molecular signatures of inflammation and oxidative stress. These findings in a murine model of cardiac failure provide the first direct assessment of autonomic function in response to PM challenge and are highly consistent with current epidemiologic findings on cardiovascular morbidity in susceptible PM-exposed human populations. We utilized a murine model of dilated cardiomyopathy to address potential mechanistic links between PM exposure and the development of life-threatening cardiac dysrhythmias.