Project description:Genome-wide transcriptomics (RNA-seq) data was obtained temporally at 0, 15, 30, 45, 60 and 120 minutes of the infection with phage 18:3 on Cellulophaga baltica strain #18 to analyze, in biological triplicates, the phage and host transcriptional response during their interaction compared to the uninfected control.
Project description:For many breast cancer (BCa) patients, symptomatic bone metastases appear after years or even decades of latency. How metastatic cells disseminate, and how micrometastatic lesions remain dormant and undetectable yet initiate colonization, are major questions in cancer research. Here we identify and functionally analyse a molecular mechanism involved in bone metastatic latency of estrogen receptor–positive (ER)+ BCa. We developed an in vivo loss-of-function, genome-wide shRNA screening to identify genes relevant for long-latent relapse in BCa. This screen revealed the kinase MSK1 as an important regulator of metastatic dormancy. Importantly, low MSK1 expression associates with early metastasis in ER+ BCa patients. Reduced MSK1 levels impaired cellular differentiation and increased the bone homing and growth capacity of metastatic cells. MSK1 modulates chromatin status at promoters to regulate the expression of luminal differentiation genes, including those for the GATA-3 and FOXA1 transcription factors, which prevent the progression of ER+ BCa towards metastasis. Our results identify the regulation of luminal cell differentiation by MSK1 via modulation of chromatin remodelling to be a key mechanism for controlling metastatic dormancy in BCa. We propose that MSK1 could be a useful marker for stratifying BCa patients as high- or low-risk for early relapse, allowing patients to receive appropriate treatments.
Project description:Analysis of alterations in the hippocampus transcriptome caused by deletion of Mitogen Stress activated Kinase 1 (MSK1). MAPK signaling has been implicated in a wide range of neuronal processes, including development, plasticity and viability. One of the principal downstream targets of both the ERK/MAPK pathway and the p38 MAPK pathway is Mitogen Stress activated Kinase 1 (MSK1). Here, we sought to understand the role that MSK1 plays in neuroprotection against excitotoxic stimulation in the hippocampus. To this end, we utilized a MSK1 null mouse line, cell viability assays and array-based profiling approaches. Here we show that MSK1 is broadly expressed within the major neuronal cell layers of the hippocampus and that status epilepticus (SE) drives acute induction of MSK1 activation. In response to the SE paradigm, MSK1 KO mice exhibited a striking increase in vulnerability to pilocarpine-evoked cell death within the CA1 and CA3 cell layers. Further, cultured MSK1 null neurons exhibited a heighted level of NMDA-evoked excitotoxicity relative to WT neurons, as assessed using the LDH assay. Given these findings, we examined the hippocampal transcriptional profile of MSK1 null mice. Affymetrix array profiling revealed that with MSK1 deletion a total of 115 genes showed significant changes (> 1.25-fold) in expression. Notably, functional analysis indicated that a subset of these genes contribute to neuroprotective signaling networks. Together, these data provide important new insights into the mechanism by which the MAPK/MSK1 signaling cassette confers neuroprotection against excitotoxic insults. Approaches designed to upregulate or mimic the functional effects of MSK1 may prove beneficial against an array of degenerative processes resulting from excitotoxic insults. MAPK signaling has been implicated in a wide range of neuronal processes, including development, plasticity and viability. One of the principal downstream targets of both the ERK/MAPK pathway and the p38 MAPK pathway is Mitogen Stress activated Kinase 1 (MSK1). Here, we sought to understand the role that MSK1 plays in neuroprotection against excitotoxic stimulation in the hippocampus. To this end, we utilized a MSK1 null mouse line, cell viability assays and array-based profiling approaches. Here we show that MSK1 is broadly expressed within the major neuronal cell layers of the hippocampus and that status epilepticus (SE) drives acute induction of MSK1 activation. In response to the SE paradigm, MSK1 KO mice exhibited a striking increase in vulnerability to pilocarpine-evoked cell death within the CA1 and CA3 cell layers. Further, cultured MSK1 null neurons exhibited a heighted level of NMDA-evoked excitotoxicity relative to WT neurons, as assessed using the LDH assay. Given these findings, we examined the hippocampal transcriptional profile of MSK1 null mice. Affymetrix array profiling revealed that with MSK1 deletion a total of 115 genes showed significant changes (> 1.25-fold) in expression. Notably, functional analysis indicated that a subset of these genes contribute to neuroprotective signaling networks. Together, these data provide important new insights into the mechanism by which the MAPK/MSK1 signaling cassette confers neuroprotection against excitotoxic insults. Approaches designed to upregulate or mimic the functional effects of MSK1 may prove beneficial against an array of degenerative processes resulting from excitotoxic insults.