Project description:Mx1-Cre/KrasG12D mice were injected with pIpC to induce a myeloproliferative disease resembling human chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML-like MPD). When the disease was fully developed, CD11b-/Ly6G-/c-Kit+ hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) were isolated and subjected to miR-microarray expression profiling. pIpC-injected CD11b-/Ly6G-/c-Kit+ HSPCs of age matched wildytpe control mice were used as controls.
Project description:To investigate the role of SHP2 (Ptpn11) in pancreatic carcinogenesis, murine pancreatic whole tissue RNA samples of 9 week old mice with the genotypes Ptf1a-Cre;LSL-KrasG12D (ID-labels Kxxx) and Ptf1a-Cre;LSL-KrasG12D;Ptpn11fl/fl (ID-labels Mxxxx) were analyzed by microarray.
Project description:Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) is a clonal malignancy characterized by overlapping myeloid dysplasia and proliferation with persisting monocytosis. Characteristic repartitioning of classical monocytes is now a supporting diagnostic criterion (WHO5), though its mechanistic basis remains unknown. While monocytes are the cardinal malignant cell type in CMML, as a stem cell neoplasm the disease clone comprises most lineages and differentiation stages including granulocytes. To investigate the pathogenic contribution of granulocytes in CMML maintenance and progression, we have performed molecular and functional characterization of CMML granulocytes. Compared with healthy age-matched controls, CMML granulocytes exhibited defective maturation with reduced granularity and phagocytic capacity. Transcriptome analysis revealed activation of pathways linked to proliferation, Myc activity and inflammation. Notably, RETN, which encodes inflammatory mediator Resistin, was upregulated 100-fold in CMML granulocytes; but not differentially expressed in CMML PBMNCs, sorted monocytes, or stem and progenitor cells compared to their healthy counterparts. Accordingly, Resistin protein levels were 10-fold higher in plasma from CMML patients and higher plasma Resistin levels correlate with poor overall survival. Remarkably, exposure of healthy monocytes to exogenous recombinant Resistin induced classical monocyte repartition, recapitulating the pattern seen in CMML, and inhibited macrophage differentiation. Transcriptome analysis of Resistin treated monocytes revealed that Resistin induces gene signatures related to immune suppression and myeloid-derived suppressor cell phenotype. We found SEMA4A to be a downstream target of Resisin and is overexpressed in CMML monocytes. Consistent with known roles for SEMA4A, CMML patients displayed higher percentage of T-regs and elevated Th2/Th1 ratio compared with healthy controls, apparently corresponding with associated Resistin levels. Furthermore, we demonstrated that Resistin directly induces the T-reg expansion and skews the Th2/Th1 ratio by binding to monocytes. In conclusion, we showed that immature granulocytes in CMML produce high levels of Resistin, which contributes to classical monocytosis phenotype and immune suppression.
Project description:Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) is an aggressive myeloid neoplasm of older individuals characterized by persistent monocytosis. Somatic mutations in CMML are heterogeneous and only partially explain the variability in clinical outcomes. Recent data suggest that cardiovascular morbidity is increased in CMML and contributes to reduced survival. Clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP), the presence of mutated blood cells in hematologically normal individuals, is a precursor of age-related myeloid neoplasms and associated with increased cardiovascular risk. To isolate CMML-specific alterations from those related to aging, we performed RNA sequencing and DNA methylation profiling on purified monocytes from CMML patients and from age-matched (old) and young healthy controls. We found that the transcriptional signature of CMML monocytes is highly pro-inflammatory, with upregulation of multiple inflammatory pathways, including tumor necrosis factor, IL-6 and IL-17 signaling, while age per se does not significantly contribute to this pattern. We observed no consistent correlations between aberrant gene expression and CpG island methylation, suggesting that pro-inflammatory signaling in CMML monocytes is governed by multiple and complex regulatory mechanisms. We propose that pro-inflammatory monocytes may contribute to cardiovascular morbidity in CMML patients, and promote progression by selection of mutated cell clones. Our data raise questions whether asymptomatic CMML patients may benefit from monocyte-depleting or anti-inflammatory therapies.
Project description:Sexual dimorphisms are well recognized in various cardiac diseases, including myocardial infarction (MI). MI develops later in women, but once established, it contributes more persistent symptoms and higher mortality than in men. Similar observations have been reported in murine model of MI. Although mRNA-level sexual dimorphism of MI have been reported, whether miRNA transcriptome also confers such dimorphism remains unknown. Comprehensive understanding of the mRNA- and miRNA-level genetic programs underlying the heart sexual dimorphisms will expectedly improve clinical outcome by facilitating the development of gender specific treatment strategies. Here, by conducting miRNA microarray analysis of murine MI model samples, we set out to characterize the heart sexual dimorphisms at the level of miRNA transcriptome
Project description:Primary murine pancreatic cancer cells (referred to as NKC cells) derived from transgenic mice with pancreas-specific constitutive activation of NFATc1 and KrasG12D mutation in the presence or absence of NFATc1 expression were analyzed for target gene signatures.
Project description:We used RNA-Seq to profile APCmin, KRASG12D, TP53 murine organoids in the presence and absence of EGFR and additional deletion of SMOC2.