Project description:Inflammation has a causal role in many cancers. In prostate cancers, epidemiological data suggest a link between prostatitis and subsequent cancer development, but a proof for this concept in a tumor model has been lacking. A constitutively active version of the IkappaB kinase 2 (IKK2), the molecule activated by a plethora of inflammatory stimuli, was expressed specifically in the prostate epithelium. Signaling of the IKK2/NF-kappaB axis was insufficient for transformation of prostate tissue. However, while PTEN+/- epithelia exhibited intraepithelial neoplasias only recognizable by nuclear alterations, additional IKK2 activation led to an increase in tumor size and formation of cribriform structures and to a fiber increase in the fibroblastic stroma. This phenotype was coupled with inflammation in the prostate gland characterized by infiltration of granulocytes and macrophages. Molecular characterization of the tissues showed a specific loss of smooth muscle markers as well as expression of chemokines attracting immune cells. Isolation of epithelial and stromal cells showed differential chemokine expression by these cells. Correlation studies showed the inflammatory phenotype coupled to loss of smooth muscle in infiltrated glands, but maintenance of the phenotype in glands where inflammation had decreased. Despite the loss of the smooth muscle barrier, tumors were not invasive in a stable genetic background. Data mining revealed that smooth muscle markers are downregulated in human prostate cancers and literature data show that loss of these markers in primary tumors is associated with subsequent metastasis. Our data show that loss of smooth muscle and invasiveness of the tumor are not coupled. Thus, inflammation during early steps of tumorigenesis can lead to increased tumor size and a potential change in the subsequent metastatic potential, but the tumor requires an additional transformation to become a carcinoma. Microarray analysis was used to determine expression differences in lateral prostates from mice with PTEN+/- IKK2ca/ca epithelium (n=3) compared to lateral prostates from mice with PTEN+/- epithelium (n=3).
Project description:Inflammation has a causal role in many cancers. In prostate cancers, epidemiological data suggest a link between prostatitis and subsequent cancer development, but a proof for this concept in a tumor model has been lacking. A constitutively active version of the IkappaB kinase 2 (IKK2), the molecule activated by a plethora of inflammatory stimuli, was expressed specifically in the prostate epithelium. Signaling of the IKK2/NF-kappaB axis was insufficient for transformation of prostate tissue. However, while PTEN+/- epithelia exhibited intraepithelial neoplasias only recognizable by nuclear alterations, additional IKK2 activation led to an increase in tumor size and formation of cribriform structures and to a fiber increase in the fibroblastic stroma. This phenotype was coupled with inflammation in the prostate gland characterized by infiltration of granulocytes and macrophages. Molecular characterization of the tissues showed a specific loss of smooth muscle markers as well as expression of chemokines attracting immune cells. Isolation of epithelial and stromal cells showed differential chemokine expression by these cells. Correlation studies showed the inflammatory phenotype coupled to loss of smooth muscle in infiltrated glands, but maintenance of the phenotype in glands where inflammation had decreased. Despite the loss of the smooth muscle barrier, tumors were not invasive in a stable genetic background. Data mining revealed that smooth muscle markers are downregulated in human prostate cancers and literature data show that loss of these markers in primary tumors is associated with subsequent metastasis. Our data show that loss of smooth muscle and invasiveness of the tumor are not coupled. Thus, inflammation during early steps of tumorigenesis can lead to increased tumor size and a potential change in the subsequent metastatic potential, but the tumor requires an additional transformation to become a carcinoma.
Project description:Selective stimulation of IL-4 receptor on smooth muscle induces airway hyper-responsiveness in mice. Abstract: Production of the cytokines IL-4 and IL-13 is increased in both human asthma and mouse asthma models and Stat6 activation by the common IL-4/IL-13R drives most mouse model pathophysiology, including airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR). However, the precise cellular mechanisms through which IL-4Rα induces AHR remain unclear. Overzealous bronchial smooth muscle constriction is thought to underlie AHR in human asthma, but the smooth muscle contribution to AHR has never been directly assessed. Furthermore, differences in mouse vs. human airway anatomy and observations that selective IL-13 stimulation of Stat6 in airway epithelium induces murine AHR raise questions about the importance of direct IL-4R effects on smooth muscle in murine asthma models and relevance of these models to human asthma. Using transgenic mice in which smooth muscle is the only cell type that expresses or fails to express IL-4Rα, we demonstrate that direct smooth muscle activation by IL-4, IL-13, or allergen is sufficient, but not necessary, to induce AHR and show that 5 genes known to promote smooth muscle migration, proliferation and contractility are activated by IL-13 in smooth muscle in vivo. These observations demonstrate that IL-4Rα promotes AHR through multiple mechanisms and provide a model for testing smooth muscle-directed asthma therapeutics.
Project description:Smooth muscle cell TGFβ signaling is one of the primary drivers of smooth muscle cell maturation. Inhibition of smooth muscle cell TGFβ signaling in hyperlipidemic mice induces vessel wall inflammation and vessel wall dilation/dissection and leads aortic aneurysm. We performed bulk RNAseq method to examine smooth muscle cell gene expression profile using fresh human tissues from normal aortic media smooth muscle cells and aneurysm aortic media smooth muscle cells.
Project description:Selective stimulation of IL-4 receptor on smooth muscle induces airway hyper-responsiveness in mice. Abstract: Production of the cytokines IL-4 and IL-13 is increased in both human asthma and mouse asthma models and Stat6 activation by the common IL-4/IL-13R drives most mouse model pathophysiology, including airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR). However, the precise cellular mechanisms through which IL-4Rα induces AHR remain unclear. Overzealous bronchial smooth muscle constriction is thought to underlie AHR in human asthma, but the smooth muscle contribution to AHR has never been directly assessed. Furthermore, differences in mouse vs. human airway anatomy and observations that selective IL-13 stimulation of Stat6 in airway epithelium induces murine AHR raise questions about the importance of direct IL-4R effects on smooth muscle in murine asthma models and relevance of these models to human asthma. Using transgenic mice in which smooth muscle is the only cell type that expresses or fails to express IL-4Rα, we demonstrate that direct smooth muscle activation by IL-4, IL-13, or allergen is sufficient, but not necessary, to induce AHR and show that 5 genes known to promote smooth muscle migration, proliferation and contractility are activated by IL-13 in smooth muscle in vivo. These observations demonstrate that IL-4Rα promotes AHR through multiple mechanisms and provide a model for testing smooth muscle-directed asthma therapeutics. For the microarray aspect of of the study, there were three groups of mice: 1. IL4R gene knockout (KO) mice 2. WT mice 3. IL4R KO mice that were also transgenic for a gene construct that expressed IL4R under the control of the smooth muscle-specific promoter from the SMP8 gene All mice were subjected to intratracheal IL13 exposure for 7 days, and whole lung RNA was prepared for microarray analysis 24 hours after the last instillation. Per treatment and genotype: Two RNA pools were made from four mice each. These were labeled and hybridized to make a total of 6 microarrays. RNA was labeled with the standard Affymetrix 3' labeling protocol to make cDNA that was hybridized to Mouse MOE 430 plus 2.0 GeneChips. Gene transcripts were identified that differed in their relative expression as a function of IL4R expression on the smooth muscle cells.
Project description:Smooth muscle cell TGFβ signaling is one of the primary drivers of smooth muscle cell maturation. Inhibition of smooth muscle cell TGFβ signaling in hyperlipidemic mice induces vessel wall inflammation and vessel wall dilation/dissection and leads aortic aneurysm. We performed scRNAseq method to examine smooth muscle cell gene expression profile using Apoe and SMC specific TGFbR2 KO in Apoe background mice.
Project description:Our objective is to identify new miRNAs and their target mRNAs involved in arterial stenosis, especially pathological changes of smooth muscle cells. To this end, the balloon injury model was used to induce the activation of smooth muscle cells by damaging arterial endothelial cells. The balloon-injured rat carotid arteries were isolated and subjected to the RNA-Seq.
Project description:Our objective is to identify new miRNAs and their target mRNAs involved in arterial stenosis, especially pathological changes of smooth muscle cells. To this end, the balloon injury model was used to induce the activation of smooth muscle cells by damaging arterial endothelial cells. The balloon-injured rat carotid arteries were isolated and subjected to the RNA-Seq. Note: Raw sequencing data have been lost for this dataset.
Project description:The T-box transcription factor TBX18 is essential to mesenchymal cell differentiation in several tissues and Tbx18 loss-of-function results in dramatic organ malformations and perinatal lethality. Here we demonstrate for the first time that Tbx18 is required for the normal development of periductal smooth muscle stromal cells in prostate, particularly in the anterior lobe, with a clear impact on prostate health in adult mice. Prostate abnormalities are only subtly apparent in Tbx18 mutants at birth; to examine postnatal prostate development we utilized a relatively long-lived hypomorphic mutant and a novel conditional Tbx18 allele. Similar to the ureter, cells that fail to express Tbx18 do not condense normally into smooth muscle cells of the periductal prostatic stroma. However, in contrast to ureter, the periductal stromal cells in mutant prostate assume a hypertrophic, myofibroblastic state and the adjacent epithelium becomes grossly disorganized. To identify molecular events preceding the onset of this pathology, we compared gene expression in the urogenital sinus (UGS), from which the prostate develops, in Tbx18-null and wild type littermates at two embryonic stages. Genes that regulate cell proliferation, smooth muscle differentiation, prostate epithelium development, and inflammatory response were significantly dysregulated in the mutant urogenital sinus around the time that Tbx18 is first expressed in the wild type UGS, suggesting a direct role in regulating those genes. Together, these results argue that Tbx18 is essential to the differentiation and maintenance of the prostate periurethral mesenchyme and that it indirectly regulates epithelial differentiation through control of stromal-epithelial signaling.
Project description:Chronic inflammation is known to associate with prostate cancer development, but how epithelium-associated cancer initiating events cross-talk to inflammatory cells during prostate cancer initiation and progression is largely unknown. Using the Pten null murine prostate cancer model, we show an expansion of Gr-1+CD11b+ myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) occurring intra-prostatically immediately following epithelium-specific Pten deletion without expansion in hematopoietic tissues. This MDSC expansion is accompanied by sustained immune suppression. Prostatic Gr-1+CD11b+ cells, but not those isolated from the spleen of the same tumor bearing mice, suppress T cell proliferation and express high levels of Arginase 1 and iNOS. Mechanistically, loss of PTEN in the epithelium leads to a significant upregulation of genes within the inflammatory response and cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction pathways, including Csf-1 and IL-1β, two genes known to induce MDSC expansion and immunosuppressive activities. Treating Pten null mice with the selective CSF-1 receptor inhibitor GW2580 decreases MDSC infiltration and relieves the associated immunosuppressive phenotype. Our study indicates that epithelium-associated tumor initiating events trigger the secretion of inflammatory cytokines and promote localized MDSC expansion and immune suppression, thereby promoting tumor progression Custom Agilent 4x44K whole mouse genome expression oligonucleotide microarrays were used to measure transcript levels in murine Pten null prostate cancer cell lines. Benign mouse prostate epithelia as wild type control against cell lines. Each cohort had three biological replicates.