ABSTRACT: Comparison of whole cell lystates of swimming (motile) and adherent (stationary) Crithidia fasciculata. Cf-C1 strain parasites grown in standard Brain-Heart Infusion medium supplemented with Hemin and cultured at 28 ºC.
Project description:To identify proteins interacting with Merlin in response to calcium signaling, Flag-tagged Merlin was stably transduced into LN229 cells. These cells and empty vector-transduced LN229 cells were treated with DMSO or thapsigargin for 15 minutes and subjected to immunoprecipitation followed by Mass Spectrometry.
Project description:In cell senescence, cultured cells cease proliferating and acquire aberrant gene expression patterns. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) modulate gene expression through translational repression or mRNA degradation, and have been implicated in senescence. We have used deep sequencing to carry out a comprehensive survey of miRNA expression and its involvement in cell senescence. Informatic analysis of small RNA sequence datasets from young and senescent IMR90 human fibroblasts identifies many known miRNAs, and a small number of novel miRNAs, that are regulated (either up or down) with cell senescence. Comparison with mRNA expression profiles revealed potential mRNA targets of the senescence-regulated miRNAs. The target mRNAs are enriched for genes involved in biological processes associated with cell senescence. This result greatly extends existing information on the role of miRNAs in cell senescence, and is consistent with miRNAs having a causal role in the process. Comprehensive survey of miRNA from young and senescent IMR90 fibroblasts using deep sequencing
Project description:Activity-based protein profiling is a powerful tool to study target engagement in complex biological environments. XO44, ALX005 and ALX011 are chemical probes based on the scaffold of a promiscuous kinase binder, which covalently reacts with a conserved lysine in the ATP-binding pocket of kinases. Pretreatment of cells with a drug (candidate) results in competition of XO44/ALX005/ALX011 binding, which can be interpreted as in situ target engagement. Here CellEKT is presented, a workflow which is optimized for kinome coverage, reproducibility and data processing. This dataset pertains to the selectivity testing of Dasatinib in MV4-11 cells using a probe cocktail of XO44, ALX005 and ALX011.
Project description:Cytotoxic CD8+ T cells can effectively kill target cells by producing cytokines, chemokines and granzymes. Expression of these effector molecules is however highly divergent, and tools that identify and pre-select potent killer cells are lacking. Human CD8+ T cells can be divided into IFNGand IL-2 producing cells. Unbiased RNA-sequencing and proteomics analysis on cytokine-producing fixed CD8+ T cells revealed that IL-2+ T cells produce helper cytokines, and that IFNG+ T cells produce cytotoxic molecules. IFNG+ cytotoxic T cells expressed the surface marker CD29 already prior to stimulation. CD29 also marked T cells with cytotoxic gene expression from different tissues in single-cell RNA-sequencing data. Notably, the cytotoxic features of CD29+ T cells were maintained during cell culture, suggesting a stable phenotype. Pre-selecting CD29-expressing MART1 TCR-engineered T cells potentiated the killing of target cells. We therefore propose that selecting for CD29+ T cells could boost the anti-tumoral activity of T cell therapeutics.
Project description:Analysis of the ovarian cancer cell line OVCAR-5. A standard trypsin digest was carried out on the OVCAR-5 cell lysates which were then analysed in the un-fractionated and fractionated forms. Fractionation was completed using a peptide IEF separation method. All samples were analysed by nano-LC-ESI-MS/MS using a QTOF.
Project description:The earliest stages of Huntington’s disease are marked by changes in gene expression that are caused in an indirect and poorly understood manner by polyglutamine expansions in the huntingtin protein (HTT). To explore the hypothesis DNA methylation may be altered in cells expressing mutated HTT, we use reduced-representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS) to map sites of DNA methylation in cells carrying either wild-type or mutant HTT. We find that a large fraction of the genes that change in expression in the presence of mutant huntingtin demonstrate significant changes in DNA methylation. Regions with low CpG content, which have previously been shown to undergo methylation changes in response to neuronal activity, are disproportionately affected. Based on the sequence of regions that change in methylation, we identify AP-1 and SOX2 as transcriptional regulators associated with DNA methylation changes, and we confirm these hypotheses using genome-wide chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP-Seq). Our findings suggest new mechanisms for the effects of polyglutamine-expanded HTT. These results also raise important questions about the potential effects of changes in DNA methylation on neurogenesis and at later stages, cognitive decline in Huntington’s patients. mRNA-seq in STHdhQ7/Q7 and STHdhQ111/Q111 cells
Project description:A cascade of histone acetylation events with subsequent incorporation of a histone H2A variant plays an essential part in transcription regulation in various model organisms. A key player in this cascade is the chromatin remodellling complex SWR1, which replaces the canonical histone H2A with its variant H2A.Z. Transcriptional regulation of polycistronic transcription units in the unicellular parasite Trypanosoma brucei has been shown to be highly dependent on acetylation of H2A.Z, which is mediated by the histone-acetyltransferase HAT2. The chromatin remodellling complex, which mediates H2A.Z incorporation is not known and an SWR1 orthologue in trypanosomes has not yet been reported. In this study, we identified and characterised an SWR1-like remodelller complex in T. brucei that is responsible for Pol II-dependent transcriptional regulation. Bioinformatic analysis of potential SNF2 DEAD/Box helicases, the key component of SWR1 complexes, identified a 1211 amino acids-long protein that exhibits key structural characteristics of the SWR1 subfamily. Systematic protein-protein interaction analysis revealed the existence of a novel complex exhibiting key features of an SWR1-like chromatin remodelller. RNAi-mediated depletion of the ATPase subunit of this complex resulted in a significant reduction of H2A.Z incorporation at transcription start sites and a subsequent decrease of steady-state mRNA levels. Furthermore, depletion of SWR1 and RNA-polymerase II (Pol II) caused massive chromatin condensation. The potential function of several proteins associated with the SWR1-like complex and with HAT2, the key factor of H2A.Z incorporation, is discussed.
Project description:Background & Aims: MicroRNAs have been shown to offer great potential in the diagnosis of cancer. We aimed to identify microRNAs in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) for diagnosing pancreatic cancer (PC). Methods: PBMCs microRNA expression was investigated in three independent cohorts including 352 participants (healthy, benign pancreatic/peripancreatic diseases (BPD), and PC). First, we used sequencing technology to identify differentially expressed microRNAs in 60 PBMCs samples for diagnosing PC. Quantitative reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction assay was then applied to evaluate the expression of selected microRNAs. A logistic regression model was constructed using an independent cohort. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to evaluate diagnostic accuracy. Results: We found that PBMCs miR-27a-3p could efficiently discriminate PC from BPD (AUC=0.840; 95% CI, 0.787 to 0.885; sensitivity=82.2%, specificity=76.7%). A panel composed of PBMCs miR-27a-3p and serum CA19-9 provided a high diagnostic accuracy in differentiating PC from BPD in the clinical setting (AUC=0.886; 95% CI, 0.837 to 0.923; sensitivity=85.3%, specificity=81.6%). The satisfactory diagnostic performance of the panel persisted regardless of disease status (AUCs for tumour-node-metastasis stages?,?, and ? were 0.881, 0.884, and 0.893, respectively). Conclusion: PBMCs miR-27a-3p could be a potential marker for PC screening. A panel composed of PBMCs miR-27a-3p and serum CA19-9 has considerable clinical value in diagnosing early-stage PC. Therefore, patients who would have otherwise missed the curative treatment window can benefit from optimal therapy. Examination of different MicroRNA profiles in 3 types of PBMCs samples
Project description:The rise of drug resistance and limitations of current antifungal treatments highlight the urgent need for innovative antifungal strategies. Here we present the development of cis-fumaramidmycin-derived analogues as a novel chemotype inhibiting the interactions of ribosome assembly factor Mrt4 with rRNA to combat fungal infections. Through antifungal screening, we identified a promising lead 20 with strong efficacy against various drug-resistant fungi, including notorious super-fungus Candida auris. A comprehensive approach combining active-and-inactive-based protein profiling (AIBPP), chemical-genetic profiling, and fluorescence polarization revealed that the antifungal activity of 20 is primarily due to selectively inhibiting essential CaMrt4-rRNA interaction by conjointly covalent engaging Cys96&Cys189 on CaMrt4 but inactive for HuMrt4-rRNA interaction, thereby disrupting fungal ribosomal assembly. Therapeutic efficacy of 20 in both Galleria mellonella larvae and murine candidiasis models validate this antifungal strategy. Collectively, our studies provide a new and much-need therapeutic strategy to address the rapidly rising burden of drug-resistant fungal infections.
Project description:The rise of drug resistance and limitations of current antifungal treatments highlight the urgent need for innovative antifungal strategies. Here we present the development of cis-fumaramidmycin-derived analogues as a novel chemotype inhibiting the interactions of ribosome assembly factor Mrt4 with rRNA to combat fungal infections. Through antifungal screening, we identified a promising lead 20 with strong efficacy against various drug-resistant fungi, including notorious super-fungus Candida auris. A comprehensive approach combining active-and-inactive-based protein profiling (AIBPP), chemical-genetic profiling, and fluorescence polarization revealed that the antifungal activity of 20 is primarily due to selectively inhibiting essential CaMrt4-rRNA interaction by conjointly covalent engaging C96&C189 on CaMrt4 but inactive for HuMrt4-rRNA interaction, thereby disrupting fungal ribosomal assembly. Therapeutic efficacy of 20 in both Galleria mellonella larvae and murine candidiasis models validate this antifungal strategy. Collectively, our studies provide a new and much-need therapeutic strategy to address the rapidly rising burden of drug-resistant fungal infections.