Project description:High grade prostate intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN) is a precursor lesion for prostate cancer. The APT121 mouse is a model of early stage prostate cancer that develops PIN lesions that progress to adenocarcinoma over a period of 6 months. At 12 wks of age APT121 mouse prostate contains mostly high grade PIN lesions. We compared the transcript profile of RNA from the anterior prostate of age- and genetic background matched wild type and APT121 mice using Affymetric microarrays.
Project description:Gain of MYC combined with biallelic PTEN loss strongly predicts prostate cancer mortality. Prior studies have shown that combined MYC overexpression and Pten loss resulted in the development of mouse prostatic intraepithelial neoplastic (PIN) precursor lesions that progress to invasive and metastatic disease (BMPC mice). Yet, single gene alterations in these mice result only in PIN. Herein, we performed transcriptomic profiling of PIN lesions from mouse prostates with MYC overexpression, loss of Pten, and the combination thereof in BMPC mice.
Project description:Many human cancers present as multi-focal lesions. Understanding the clonal origin of multi-focal cancers is of both etiological and clinical importance. The molecular basis of multi-focal prostate cancer has previously been explored using only a limited number of isolated markers and, although independent origin is widely believed, the clonal origin of multi-focal prostate cancer is still debatable. We attempted to address clonal origin using a genome-wide copy-number analysis of individual cancer and high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN) lesions. Using Affymetrix array 6.0 copy-number analysis, we compared the genomic changes detected in 54 individual cancer and HGPIN lesions, isolated from 20 clinically localized prostate cancer cases. Identical genomic copy-number changes, shared by all same-case cancer foci, were detected in all 16 informative multi-tumor cases. In addition, both HGPIN lesions in the two multi-HGPIN cases available shared identical genomic changes. Commonly known genomic alterations, including losses at 6q15, 8p21.3-8p21.2, 10q23.2-10q23.31, 13q21.31-13q21.32, 16q22.3, 16q23.2-16q23.3 and 21q22.2-21q22.3 regions and gain of 8q24.3 were the most frequently detected changes in this multi-focal prostate cancer study, occurring in all same-case foci in at least one case. Microarray data were confirmed by fluorescence in situ hybridization in selected foci. Our high-resolution genome-wide copy-number data suggest that many multi-focal cases derive from a single prostate cancer precursor clone and that this precursor may give rise to separate HGPIN foci, which through clonal expansion may progress to multi-focal invasive prostate cancer. These findings, which demonstrate the monoclonal origin of multi-focal prostate cancer, should significantly enhance our understanding of prostate carcinogenesis and potentially improve clinical management of the disease. Copy number analysis of Affymetrix SNP 6.0 array was performed for a total of 48 cancer and HGPIN lesions from 18 prostate cancer cases. All samples have case-matched normal controls. PL = high grade PIN from left side, PR = high grade PIN from right side, PM = high grade PIN from middle of the tissue, TL = tumour from left side, TR = tumour from right side.
Project description:PURPOSE: To provide a detailed gene expression profile of the normal postnatal mouse cornea. METHODS: Serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) was performed on postnatal day (PN)9 and adult mouse (6 week) total corneas. The expression of selected genes was analyzed by in situ hybridization. RESULTS: A total of 64,272 PN9 and 62,206 adult tags were sequenced. Mouse corneal transcriptomes are composed of at least 19,544 and 18,509 unique mRNAs, respectively. One third of the unique tags were expressed at both stages, whereas a third was identified exclusively in PN9 or adult corneas. Three hundred thirty-four PN9 and 339 adult tags were enriched more than fivefold over other published nonocular libraries. Abundant transcripts were associated with metabolic functions, redox activities, and barrier integrity. Three members of the Ly-6/uPAR family whose functions are unknown in the cornea constitute more than 1% of the total mRNA. Aquaporin 5, epithelial membrane protein and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) omega-1, and GST alpha-4 mRNAs were preferentially expressed in distinct corneal epithelial layers, providing new markers for stratification. More than 200 tags were differentially expressed, of which 25 mediate transcription. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to providing a detailed profile of expressed genes in the PN9 and mature mouse cornea, the present SAGE data demonstrate dynamic changes in gene expression after eye opening and provide new probes for exploring corneal epithelial cell stratification, development, and function and for exploring the intricate relationship between programmed and environmentally induced gene expression in the cornea. Keywords: other
Project description:The fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) and canonical Wnt signaling pathways are important regulators of carcinogenesis; however, the interaction between these two pathways in the context of prostate cancer (PCa) has not been fully elucidated. Using novel transgenic mouse models, we describe Wnt-induced synergistic acceleration of FGFR1-driven adenocarcinoma; largely due to pronounced fibroblastic reactive stroma (RS) activation surrounding prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) lesions in endogenous and reconstitution assays. Finally, both mouse and human RS are characterized by increases in TGF-β signaling heterogeneity immediately adjacent to PIN lesions; however, heterogeneity is lost during later stages of progression, likely contributing to tissue invasion. These studies confirm the importance of the FGFR1-Wnt-TGF-β signaling axes as driving forces behind reactive stroma and aggressive adenocarcinoma.
Project description:Analysis of the transcriptome of mouse models of prostate cancer to assemble a mouse prostate cancer interactome. To assemble the mouse prostate cancer interactome, we collected 13 distinct mice or genetically-engineered mouse models (GEMMs), which together represent the full spectrum of prostate cancer phenotypes including: normal epithelium (i.e., wild-type), low-grade PIN (i.e., Nkx3.1 and APT), high-grade PIN and adenocarcinoma (i.e., APT-P; APC; Myc; NP; Erg-P; and NP53), castration-resistant prostate cancer (i.e., NP-AI), and metastatic prostate cancer (i.e., NPB; NPK; and TRAMP). To further enhance the heterogeneity afforded by this diversity of mouse models, we pharmacologically perturbed each GEMM using 13 different drugs (or appropriate vehicle). The resulting mouse prostate tissue/tumor dataset encompassed 384 expression profiles