Project description:Primary aldosteronism (PA) is the most frequent form of secondary arterial hypertension. Mutations in different genes increase aldosterone production in PA, but additional mechanisms may contribute to increased cell proliferation and aldosterone producing adenoma (APA) development. We performed transcriptome analysis in APA and identified retinoic acid receptor alpha (RARα) signaling as a central molecular network involved in nodule formation. To understand how RARα modulates adrenal structure and function, we explored the adrenal phenotype of male and female Rarα knockout mice. Inactivation of Rarα in mice led to major structural disorganization of the adrenal cortex in both sexes, with increased adrenal cortex size in female mice and increased cell proliferation in males. Abnormalities of vessel architecture and extracellular matrix were due to decreased Vegfa expression and modifications in extracellular matrix components. On the molecular level, Rarα inactivation leads to inhibition of non-canonical Wnt signaling, without affecting the canonical Wnt pathway nor PKA signaling. Our study suggests that Rarα contributes to the maintenance of normal adrenal cortex structure and cell proliferation, by modulating Wnt signaling. Dysregulation of this interaction may contribute to abnormal cell proliferation, creating a propitious environment for the emergence of specific driver mutations in PA.
Project description:A study of rat femoral fracture healing in young (6 weeks old at fracture), adult (26 weeks old at fracture), and old (52 weeks old at fracture) rats. Samples were collected at time of surgery (intact controls) and at 3 days, 1 week, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 6 weeks after fracture. Samples were the mid third of the femoral length including the external callus, cortical bone and marrow elements. Fracture was stabilized with an intramedullary rod prior to fracture with a Bonnarens and Einhorn device.
Project description:Highly pathogenic influenza virus inhibit Inflammatory Responses in Monocytes via Activation of the Rar-Related Orphan Receptor Alpha (RORalpha). Low (PR8) and high pathogenic influenza viruses (FPV and H5N1) were used.
Project description:Comparison between ChIP-Seq data of RAR? and RAR?, between RAR and RXR, as well as between control and retinoic acid-treatment for each investigated nuclear receptors. Mouse were treated by control diet and RA-diet for 1 days. After treatment, livers were used to do ChIP using antibodies of RXR?, RAR?, and RAR?. An aliquote of total chromatin without pull-down process by any antibodies was used as input control. A single-end read of 35bp sequencing was performed on each of ChIPed DNA and input. Sequencing data of RAR? and RAR? were compared to each other. In addtional, each of RAR? and RAR? data were compared with RXR? data. For each nuclear receptor, ChIP-Seq data prior or after RA-treatment were also compared with each other.
Project description:Highly pathogenic influenza virus inhibit Inflammatory Responses in Monocytes via Activation of the Rar-Related Orphan Receptor Alpha (RORalpha). Low (PR8) and high pathogenic influenza viruses (FPV and H5N1) were used. Monocytes were infected with low (PR8) and high pathogenic influenza viruses (FPV and H5N1)
Project description:This study investigates the effects of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) ligands TCDD and PCB126 on hepatic gene expression in female sprague dawley rats. Rats were treated with toxicological equivalent doses of TCDD (100ng/kg/day) (Toxic equivalence factor (TEF) = 1.0), PCB126 (30ng, 300ng or 1000ng/kg/day) (TEF = 0.1) or a vehicle control of corn oil:acetone (99:1) 5 days a week for 52 weeks.
Project description:As part of collaboration between the X. William Yang Lab at UCLA and CHDI, a list of 52 genes that were implicated in Huntington’s disease (HD) through various computational modeling efforts was compiled, and murine lines with heterozygous knockout of these genes were obtained from public repositories or newly created. Striatum was dissected from 6-month-old mice that were either heterozygous KO for one of 52 genes or the corresponding wildtype (WT) controls. Transcriptomic analysis (RNASeq) was performed.
Project description:Retinoic acid receptor-alpha (RAR alpha) is a known estrogen target gene in breast cancer cells. The consequence of RAR alpha induction by estrogen was previously unknown. We now show that RAR alpha is required for efficient estrogen receptor-alpha (ER)-mediated transcription and cell proliferation. RAR alpha can interact with ER-binding sites, but this occurs in an ER-dependent manner, providing a novel role for RAR alpha that is independent of its classic role. We show, on a genome-wide scale, that RAR alpha and ER can co-occupy regulatory regions together within the chromatin. This transcriptionally active co-occupancy and dependency occurs when exposed to the predominant breast cancer hormone, estrogen--an interaction that is promoted by the estrogen-ER induction of RAR alpha. These findings implicate RAR alpha as an essential component of the ER complex, potentially by maintaining ER-cofactor interactions, and suggest that different nuclear receptors can cooperate for effective transcriptional activity in breast cancer cells. RAR alpha silenced breast cancer MCF-7 cell lines or control siRNA in the presence of estrogen or a vehicle. MCF-7 cells were hormone-depleted for 3 d and treated with 100 nM estrogen for 12 h. There were three biological replicates for each of the four different groups.