Project description:In the past decade, the relevance of tumor-induced lymphangiogenesis for the metastatic spread of tumor cells has been demonstrated, thus indicating the potential of targeting tumor lymphangiogenesis to treat cancer. Whereas numerous preclinical studies demonstrated that blocking angiogenesis or lymphangiogenesis could inhibit tumor metastasis, the scarcity of highly selective targeting candidates hampers their translation to the clinic. We employed a new approach consisting of immuno-laser capture microdissection (i-LCM) and transcriptional profiling by means of microarrays in order to identify novel tumor-specific endothelial markers. By using short immunostainings prior to microdissection, specific identification of lymphatic (LECs) and blood (BECs) endothelial cells was allowed. For the subsequent gene expression profiling, a single round of the Ribo-Spia amplification method in combination with the Affymterix microarray platform was used. Comparison of gene expression profiles of tumor-associated and normal LECs resulted in the identification of differentially expressed genes in tumor-associated lymphatic vasculature.
Project description:Introgressed variants from other species can be an important source of genetic variation because they may arise rapidly, can include multiple mutations on a single haplotype, and have often been pretested by selection in the species of origin. Although introgressed alleles are generally deleterious, several studies have reported introgression as the source of adaptive alleles-including the rodenticide-resistant variant of Vkorc1 that introgressed from Mus spretus into European populations of Mus musculus domesticus. Here, we conducted bidirectional genome scans to characterize introgressed regions into one wild population of M. spretus from Spain and three wild populations of M. m. domesticus from France, Germany, and Iran. Despite the fact that these species show considerable intrinsic postzygotic reproductive isolation, introgression was observed in all individuals, including in the M. musculus reference genome (GRCm38). Mus spretus individuals had a greater proportion of introgression compared with M. m. domesticus, and within M. m. domesticus, the proportion of introgression decreased with geographic distance from the area of sympatry. Introgression was observed on all autosomes for both species, but not on the X-chromosome in M. m. domesticus, consistent with known X-linked hybrid sterility and inviability genes that have been mapped to the M. spretus X-chromosome. Tract lengths were generally short with a few outliers of up to 2.7 Mb. Interestingly, the longest introgressed tracts were in olfactory receptor regions, and introgressed tracts were significantly enriched for olfactory receptor genes in both species, suggesting that introgression may be a source of functional novelty even between species with high barriers to gene flow.
Project description:This is an investigation of whole genome gene expression level in tissues of mice stimulated by LPS, FK565 or LPS + FK565 in vivo and ex vivo. We show that parenteral administration of a pure synthetic Nod1 ligand, FK565, induces site-specific vascular inflammation in mice, which is prominent in aortic root including aortic valves, slight in aorta and absent in other arteries. The degree of respective vascular inflammation is associated with persistent high expression of proinflammatory chemokine/cytokine genes in each tissue in vivo by microarray analysis, and not with Nod1 expression levels. The ex vivo production of proinflammatory chemokine/cytokine by Nod1 ligand is higher in aortic root than in other arteries from normal murine vascular tissues, and also higher in human coronary artery endothelial cells (HCAEC) than in human pulmonary artery endothelial cells (HPAEC), suggesting that site-specific vascular inflammation is at least in part ascribed to an intrinsic nature of the vascular tissue/cell itself.
Project description:Trafficking of leukocytes (dendritic cells, memory T cells, neutrophils) and tumor cells through the lymphatic network is a key process in inflammation and immunity and an important mechanism in metastatic spread of human cancers (1-3). Such trafficking involves both communication with and passage across lymphatic endothelium, the distinct endothelium that lines lymphatic vessels within the peripheral tissues and forms the lymphatic sinuses within lymph nodes. However, in comparison with blood vascular endothelium, there is only a rudimentary understanding of the molecular phenotype of lymphatic endothelium, and only a basic knowledge of the glycoconjugates that regulate leukocyte-endothelial and tumor cell-endothelial interactions in the lymphatic compartment. We would anticipate that changes in glycosylation of LEC cell surface proteins following activation might affect important functions associated withy LEC including eg. interactions with leukocytes and/or sequestration of GAG-binding chemokines. We already have shown that ligand binding to the lymphatic endothelial hyaluronan receptor LYVE-1 is reversibly masked by terminal sialation in LEC and that functional regulation of LYVE-1 is likely to be important in inflammation. An advantage of our proposal is that we can routinely isolate primary LEC in relatively large numbers, and have the necessary ethical approval to do so from human tissue. Glycan analysis of primary human lymphatic endothelial cells (LEC) in their resting and activated states, in normal and tumour tissues and a comparison of the LEC glycan structures with those from blood vessel endothelial cells
Project description:SILAC based protein correlation profiling using size exclusion of protein complexes derived from Mus musculus tissues (Heart, Liver, Lung, Kidney, Skeletal Muscle, Thymus)
Project description:SILAC based protein correlation profiling using size exclusion of protein complexes derived from seven Mus musculus tissues (Heart, Brain, Liver, Lung, Kidney, Skeletal Muscle, Thymus)