Project description:We found that the germline transcription factor double homeobox 4 (DUX4) is upregulated upon infection with wild-type herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1). The goal of this experiment was to compare the cellular transcriptome of HEK293T cells that were infected with HSV-1 (KOS strain), or transfected with a plasmid encoding human DUX4.
Project description:DUX4 is known to be crucial for TEs induction during zygotic genome activation in early embryonic development. In adults, DUX4 is usually silenced and we previously showed that DUX4 expression is induced by infection with various DNA viruses. We demonstrate binding of DUX4 to TEs upon herpesviral infection and analysis of genes adjacent to TEs shows pathways that are known to be crucial for tumor development. Overexpression of DUX4 significantly induced TEs expression, while its knockout (KO) diminished TEs expression upon HSV-1 infection, underscoring the essential role of DUX4 in TEs activation.
Project description:Asthma is a chronic inflammatory airway disease characterized by airway inflammation and remodeling. The role of 15-oxo-5Z,8Z,11Z,13E-eicosatetraenoic acid (15-oxoETE), a 15-HETE metabolite catalyzed by 15-prostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH), has been relatively unexplored in asthma. In this study, we used RNA-seq to explore the effect of 15-KETE on the transcriptome of airway epithelial cells, aiming to identify its potential downstream targets and mechanisms of action.
Project description:We show strong activation of TEs in the context of DNA virus infection and investigate the molecular mechanisms of how TEs are induced. We demonstrate that herpesvirus infection leads to a robust expression of the MLT and THE1-class of LTR containing retrotransposons as well as a subset of long-interspersed nuclear elements-1 (LINEs), Alu-elements and some HERVs. Mechanistically we demonstrate that this TEs upregulation is induced by two pathways that act synergistically: de-repression of KAP1/TRIM28 mediated by phosphorylation and expression of the pioneer factor double-homeobox 4 (DUX4). Here, we show changes in H3K9me3, H3K14ac and H3K27me3 during two HSV-1 infection timepoints (6h and 14h).
Project description:Analysis of ex vivo isolated lymphatic endothelial cells from the dermis of patients to define type 2 diabetes-induced changes. Results preveal aberrant dermal lymphangiogenesis and provide insight into its role in the pathogenesis of persistent skin inflammation in type 2 diabetes. The ex vivo dLEC transcriptome reveals a dramatic influence of the T2D environment on multiple molecular and cellular processes, mirroring the phenotypic changes seen in T2D affected skin. The positively and negatively correlated dLEC transcripts directly cohere to prolonged inflammatory periods and reduced infectious resistance of patients´ skin. Further, lymphatic vessels might be involved in tissue remodeling processes during T2D induced skin alterations associated with impaired wound healing and altered dermal architecture. Hence, dermal lymphatic vessels might be directly associated with T2D disease promotion.