Project description:In this study, a series of 102 cartilage tumors was used to uncover the molecular diversity of chondrosarcomas through the profiling of mRNA, miRNA, DNA methylation, DNA copy number aberrations and point mutations. An integrated classification using multiple molecular dimensions revealed three major molecular features unraveling the diversity in clinical outcome of chondrosarcoma: a high mitotic state, regional 14q32 loss of expression and IDH mutations leading to genome-wide hypermethylation. These three robust and simple molecular features classify chondrosarcoma in subtypes with superior clinical value as compared to the current grading system.
Project description:We generated large-scale proteome data for 65 human breast tumors and 53 paired adjacent non-cancerous tissue and performed an integrated proteotranscriptomic characterization. To our best knowledge, the study is one of the largest quantitative proteomic study of human breast tissues, including the analysis of 118 tissue samples from 65 patients with long-term survival outcomes. Our data show that protein expression describes a tumor biology that is only partly captured by the transcriptome, with mRNA abundance incompletely predicting protein abundance in tumors, and even less so in non-cancerous tissue. Furthermore, the tumor proteome described disease pathways and subgroups that were only partially captured by the tumor transcriptome.
Project description:Directed differentiation of stem cells toward chondrogenesis in vitro and in situ to regenerate cartilage suffers from off-target differentiation and hypertrophic tendency. Here, we generated a cartilaginous organoid system from human expanded pluripotent stem cells (hEPSCs) carrying a COL2A1mCherry and COL10A1eGFP double reporter, enabling real-time monitoring of chondrogenesis and hypertrophy. After screening 2,040 FDA-approved drugs, we found that α-adrenergic receptor (α-AR) antagonists, especially phentolamine, stimulated chondrogenesis but repressed hypertrophy, while α2-AR agonists reduced chondrogenesis and induced hypertrophy. Phentolamine prevented cartilage degeneration in hEPSC cartilaginous organoid and human cartilage explant models and stimulated microfracture-activated endogenous skeletal stem cells toward hyaline-like cartilage regeneration without fibrotic degeneration in situ. Mechanistically, α2-AR signaling induced hypertrophic degeneration via cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP)-dependent secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI) production. SLPI-deleted cartilaginous organoid was degeneration resistant, facilitating large cartilage defect healing. Ultimately, targeting α2-AR/SLPI was a promising and clinically feasible strategy to regenerate cartilage via promoting chondrogenesis and repressing hypertrophy.
Project description:Directed differentiation of stem cells toward chondrogenesis in vitro and in situ to regenerate cartilage suffers from off-target differentiation and hypertrophic tendency. Here, we generated a cartilaginous organoid system from human expanded pluripotent stem cells (hEPSCs) carrying a COL2A1mCherry and COL10A1eGFP double reporter, enabling real-time monitoring of chondrogenesis and hypertrophy. After screening 2,040 FDA-approved drugs, we found that α-adrenergic receptor (α-AR) antagonists, especially phentolamine, stimulated chondrogenesis but repressed hypertrophy, while α2-AR agonists reduced chondrogenesis and induced hypertrophy. Phentolamine prevented cartilage degeneration in hEPSC cartilaginous organoid and human cartilage explant models and stimulated microfracture-activated endogenous skeletal stem cells toward hyaline-like cartilage regeneration without fibrotic degeneration in situ. Mechanistically, α2-AR signaling induced hypertrophic degeneration via cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP)-dependent secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI) production. SLPI-deleted cartilaginous organoid was degeneration resistant, facilitating large cartilage defect healing. Ultimately, targeting α2-AR/SLPI was a promising and clinically feasible strategy to regenerate cartilage via promoting chondrogenesis and repressing hypertrophy.
Project description:In this study, a series of 102 cartilage tumors was used to uncover the molecular diversity of chondrosarcomas through the profiling of mRNA, miRNA, DNA methylation, DNA copy number aberrations and point mutations. An integrated classification using multiple molecular dimensions revealed three major molecular features unraveling the diversity in clinical outcome of chondrosarcoma: a high mitotic state, regional 14q32 loss of expression and IDH mutations leading to genome-wide hypermethylation. These three robust and simple molecular features classify chondrosarcoma in subtypes with superior clinical value as compared to the current grading system.