Project description:In our previous study, mice with pulmonary fibrosis induced by a bleomycin insult in the context of short telomeres develop pulmonary fibrosis. By using AAV9 vectors carrying the telomerase Tert gene to treat those mice, we explore the possibility of telomerase gene therapy as a possible treatment for IPF patients carrying short telomeres. To further understand gene expression changes undergoing in ATII cells upon telomerase activation, we isolated ATII cells from pulmonary fibrosis Tert-treated and empty vector-treated lungs at 1 week after AAV9 inoculation by FACS.
Project description:Background and Aims: Telomere dysfunction can increase tumor initiation by induction of chromosomal instability, but initiated tumor cells need to reactivate telomerase for genome stabilization and tumor progression. However, this concept has not been proven in vivo since appropriate mouse models were lacking. Here, we analyzed hepatocarcinogenesis (i) in a novel mouse model of inducible telomere dysfunction on a telomerase-proficient background, (ii) in telomerase knockout mice with chronic telomere dysfunction (G3 mTerc-/-), and (iii) in wild-type mice with functional telomeres and telomerase. Transient or chronic telomere dysfunction enhanced the rates of chromosomal aberrations during hepatocarcinogenesis, but only telomerase-proficient mice exhibited significantly increased rates of macroscopic tumor formation and cancer cell proliferation in response to telomere dysfunction. In contrast, telomere dysfunction resulted in pronounced accumulation of DNA damage, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in telomerase-deficient liver tumors. Together, these data provide the first in vivo evidence that transient telomere dysfunction during early and late stages of tumorigenesis can promote chromosomal instability and carcinogenesis in telomerase-proficient mice in the absence of additional genetic checkpoint defects at germline level. RNA from liver tumors derived from from DEN treated TTD+ mice TTD- mice and RNA from normal liver 48h-72h after doxycycline induced transient telomere dysfunction in TTD+ and TTD- liver were isolated and RNA was extracted. Agilent Mouse 4x44K v2 arrays were used. DNA from liver tumors and corrresponding kidney as control derived from from DEN treated TTD+ mice, TTD- mice and mTERC-/- G3 mice was isolated and extracted using Phenol/Chloroform. Agilent Mouse 4x44K and Mouse 1x244K arrays were used.
Project description:Background and Aims: Telomere dysfunction can increase tumor initiation by induction of chromosomal instability, but initiated tumor cells need to reactivate telomerase for genome stabilization and tumor progression. However, this concept has not been proven in vivo since appropriate mouse models were lacking. Here, we analyzed hepatocarcinogenesis (i) in a novel mouse model of inducible telomere dysfunction on a telomerase-proficient background, (ii) in telomerase knockout mice with chronic telomere dysfunction (G3 mTerc-/-), and (iii) in wild-type mice with functional telomeres and telomerase. Transient or chronic telomere dysfunction enhanced the rates of chromosomal aberrations during hepatocarcinogenesis, but only telomerase-proficient mice exhibited significantly increased rates of macroscopic tumor formation and cancer cell proliferation in response to telomere dysfunction. In contrast, telomere dysfunction resulted in pronounced accumulation of DNA damage, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in telomerase-deficient liver tumors. Together, these data provide the first in vivo evidence that transient telomere dysfunction during early and late stages of tumorigenesis can promote chromosomal instability and carcinogenesis in telomerase-proficient mice in the absence of additional genetic checkpoint defects at germline level.
Project description:Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) is a frequent complication of Pulmonary Fibrosis (PF). PH can be seen in PF in the abscence of hypoxemia, irrespective of the degree of fibrosis. At the same time, a consistent number of patients with advanced PF never develop PH. The pathogenesis of PH secondary to PF remains unclear. PF patients are often referred to lung transplantation, but they present a higher incidence of pimary graft dysfunction than other diseases. The cause of this is unknown, and the relationship with PH remains unclear. We used microarray to identifiy the gene expression profiles in PF patients with and without PH Fresh frozen lung samples were obtained from the recipients organs of 116 PF patients undergoing lung transplantation. RNA was extracted and hybridized on Affymetrix microarrays. Pulmonary artery pressures were recorded intraoperatively with right heart catheters before starting lung transplantation. Patients were divided in different groups based on the mean pulmonary artery pressure. We compared the gene expression profiles in the group with severe PH (mPAP>40 mmHg, n=17) and in that without PH (mPAP<20 mmHg, n=22)) and obtained a gene signature, which was used for clusterying analysis. The clustering analysis based on the gene signature was then validated in an Intermediate PH group (mPAP 21-39 mmHg, n=45) and in a Validation Set (n=32).
Project description:Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) is a frequent complication of Pulmonary Fibrosis (PF). PH can be seen in PF in the abscence of hypoxemia, irrespective of the degree of fibrosis. At the same time, a consistent number of patients with advanced PF never develop PH. The pathogenesis of PH secondary to PF remains unclear. PF patients are often referred to lung transplantation, but they present a higher incidence of pimary graft dysfunction than other diseases. The cause of this is unknown, and the relationship with PH remains unclear. We used microarray to identifiy the gene expression profiles in PF patients with and without PH
Project description:To investigate the differential genes associated with mitochondria in pulmonary fibrosis mice, we established pulmonary fibrosis mice and applied mitochondrial replenishment therapy.
Project description:Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is associated with many chronic lung diseases including Systemic sclerosis (SSc), Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) and Cystic Fibrosis (CF) which are characterized by the progressive accumulation of mesenchymal cells and formation of scar tissue. Th2 T cell-derived cytokines including IL-4 and IL-13 have been shown to contribute to inflammation and fibrotic remodeling in multiple tissues. Interleukin-31 (IL-31) is a newly identified cytokine that is predominantly produced by CD4 Th2 T cells, but its signaling receptor IL-31RA is primarily expressed by non-hematopoietic cells. However, the potential role of the IL-31-IL31RA axis in pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis has remained largely unknown. To determine the role of IL-31 signaling in pulmonary fibrosis, wildtype, and IL-31RA knockout mice were treated with bleomycin and measured changes in total lung transcripts using RNA-seq. The total lung transcriptome analysis showed a significant reduction in fibrosis-associated gene transcripts including extracellular matrix and epithelial cell-associated gene networks.