Embryonic stem (ES) cells can differentiate in vitro to produce the endothelial and hematopoietic precursor, the hemangioblasts, which are derived from the mesoderm germ layer. Differentiation of Bry(GFP/+) ES cell to hemangioblasts can be followed by the expression of the Bry(GFP/+) and Flk1 genes. Proteomic and transcriptomic changes during this differentiation process were analyzed to identify mechanisms for phenotypic change during early differentiation. Three populations of differentiating Bry(GFP) ES cells were obtained by flow cytometric sorting, GFP-Flk1- (epiblast), GFP+Flk1- (mesoderm), and GFP+Flk1+ (hemangioblast). Microarray analyses and relative quantification two-dimensional LCLC-MS/MS on nuclear extracts were performed. We identified and quantified 2389 proteins, 1057 of which were associated to their microarray probe set. These included a variety of low abundance transcription factors, e.g. UTF1, Sox2, Oct4, and E2F4, demonstrating a high level of proteomic penetrance. When paired comparisons of changes in the mRNA and protein expression levels were performed low levels of correlation were found. A strong correlation between isobaric tag-derived relative quantification and Western blot analysis was found for a number of nuclear proteins. Pathway and ontology analysis identified proteins known to be involved in the regulation of stem cell differentiation, and proteins with no described function in early ES cell development were also shown to change markedly at the proteome level only. ES cell development is regulated at the mRNA and protein level.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies comparing quantitative proteomics and microarray data have generally found poor correspondence between the two. We hypothesised that this might in part be because the different assays were targeting different parts of the expressed genome and might therefore be subjected to confounding effects from processes such as alternative splicing. RESULTS: Using a genome database as a platform for integration, we combined quantitative protein mass spectrometry with Affymetrix Exon array data at the level of individual exons. We found significantly higher degrees of correlation than have been previously observed (r = 0.808). The study was performed using cell lines in equilibrium in order to reduce a major potential source of biological variation, thus allowing the analysis to focus on the data integration methods in order to establish their performance. CONCLUSION: We conclude that part of the variation observed when integrating microarray and proteomics data may occur as a consequence both of the data analysis and of the high granularity to which studies have until recently been limited. The approach opens up the possibility for the first time of considering combined microarray and proteomics datasets at the level of individual exons and isoforms, important given the high proportion of alternative splicing observed in the human genome.

Gene expression microarrays allow for the high throughput analysis of huge numbers of gene transcripts and this technology has been widely applied to the molecular and biological classification of cancer patients and in predicting clinical outcome. A potential handicap of such data intensive molecular technologies is the translation to clinical application in routine practice. In using an artificial neural network bioinformatic approach, we have reduced a 70 gene signature to just 9 genes capable of accurately predicting distant metastases in the original dataset. Upon validation in a follow-up cohort, this signature was an independent predictor of metastases free and overall survival in the presence of the 70 gene signature and other factors. Interestingly, the ANN signature and CA9 expression also split the groups defined by the 70 gene signature into prognostically distinct groups. Subsequently, the presence of protein for the principal prognosticator gene was categorically assessed in breast cancer tissue of an experimental and independent validation patient cohort, using immunohistochemistry. Importantly our principal prognosticator, CA9, showed that it is capable of selecting an aggressive subgroup of patients who are known to have poor prognosis.

Quantum dots are photostable fluorescent semiconductor nanocrystals possessing wide excitation and bright narrow, symmetrical, emission spectra. These characteristics have engendered considerable interest in their application in multiplex immunohistochemistry for biomarker quantification and co-localisation in clinical samples. Robust quantitation allows biomarker validation, and there is growing need for multiplex staining due to limited quantity of clinical samples. Most reported multiplexed quantum dot staining used sequential methods that are laborious and impractical in a high-throughput setting. Problems associated with sequential multiplex staining have been investigated and a method developed using QDs conjugated to biotinylated primary antibodies, enabling simultaneous multiplex staining with three antibodies. CD34, Cytokeratin 18 and cleaved Caspase 3 were triplexed in tonsillar tissue using an 8h protocol, each localised to separate cellular compartments. This demonstrates utility of the method for biomarker measurement enabling rapid measurement of multiple co-localised biomarkers on single paraffin tissue sections, of importance for clinical trial studies.

Affymetrix exon arrays aim to target every known and predicted exon in the human, mouse or rat genomes, and have reporters that extend beyond protein coding regions to other areas of the transcribed genome. This combination of increased coverage and precision is important because a substantial proportion of protein coding genes are predicted to be alternatively spliced, and because many non-coding genes are known also to be of biological significance. In order to fully exploit these arrays, it is necessary to associate each reporter on the array with the features of the genome it is targeting, and to relate these to gene and genome structure. X:Map is a genome annotation database that provides this information. Data can be browsed using a novel Google-maps based interface, and analysed and further visualized through an associated BioConductor package. The database can be found at http://xmap.picr.man.ac.uk.

The genetic programs that promote retention of self-renewing leukemia stem cells (LSCs) at the apex of cellular hierarchies in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are not known. In a mouse model of human AML, LSCs exhibit variable frequencies that correlate with the initiating MLL oncogene and are maintained in a self-renewing state by a transcriptional subprogram more akin to that of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) than to that of adult stem cells. The transcription/chromatin regulatory factors Myb, Hmgb3, and Cbx5 are critical components of the program and suffice for Hoxa/Meis-independent immortalization of myeloid progenitors when coexpressed, establishing the cooperative and essential role of an ESC-like LSC maintenance program ancillary to the leukemia-initiating MLL/Hox/Meis program. Enriched expression of LSC maintenance and ESC-like program genes in normal myeloid progenitors and poor-prognosis human malignancies links the frequency of aberrantly self-renewing progenitor-like cancer stem cells (CSCs) to prognosis in human cancer.

The association between lung cancer risk and 2 polymorphisms, rs12268840 and rs2308327 (codon K178R), in the DNA repair protein, O(6)-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase, which are associated with interindividual differences in activity, have been investigated in 3 hospital-based case-control studies. Genotyping was carried out on 617 subjects of whom 255 had lung cancer. In 2 of the 3 series, there was a significant inverse association between the 178R allele and case status (p < 0.05). In a meta-analysis, the odds ratio (95% CI) associated with the 178R allele relative to the 178K allele was 0.64 (0.45-0.92, p = 0.01) and 0.51 (0.24-1.11, p = 0.09) in fixed effects and random effects models, respectively. In a pooled analysis, after adjustment for sex, age, pack years and series, the OR (95% CI) for a heterozygote was 0.67 (0.45-1.01) and for a 178R homozygote was 0.10 (0.01-0.94); the trend for a decreased risk with the number of R alleles was significant (p = 0.008). This trend was particularly pronounced in heavy smokers (trend test p = 0.003), but not significant in light smokers (p = 0.73). There was no evidence of an association between rs12268840 and lung cancer risk. These results suggest that the R allele may protect against lung cancer, specifically in heavy smokers, an effect that may result from this polymorphism affecting the function of the MGMT protein and/or levels in MGMT activity.

Reporting in Molecular Cell, Sheridan et al. (2008) and Breckenridge et al. (2008) show that mitochondrial fragmentation is not required to induce cell death. Meanwhile, Yamaguchi et al. show that proapoptotic Bcl-2 family members promote cytochrome c mobilization through Opa1-mediated cristae remodeling. Therefore, the connection between mitochondrial structure and apoptosis is more complex than previously imagined.

The hydroxyl radical (*OH) has detrimental biological activity due to its very high reactivity. Our experiments were designed to determine the effects of equimolar concentrations of glucose, fructose and mannitol and three phosphorylated forms of fructose (fructose-1-phosphate (F1P); fructose-6-phosphate (F6P); and fructose-1,6-bis(phosphate) (F16BP)) on *OH radical production via the Fenton reaction. EPR spectroscopy using spin-trap DEPMPO was applied to detect radical production. We found that the percentage inhibition of *OH radical formation decreased in the order F16BP>F1P>F6P>fructose>mannitol=glucose. As ketoses can sequester redox-active iron thus preventing the Fenton reaction, the Haber-Weiss-like system was also employed to generate *OH, so that the effect of iron sequestration could be distinguished from direct *OH radical scavenging. In the latter system, the rank order of *OH scavenging activity was F16BP>F1P>F6P>fructose=mannitol=glucose. Our results clearly demonstrate that intracellular phosphorylated forms of fructose have more scavenging properties than fructose or glucose, leading us to conclude that the acute administration of fructose could overcome the body's reaction to exogenous antioxidants during appropriate therapy in certain pathophysiological conditions related to oxidative stress, such as sepsis, neurodegenerative diseases, atherosclerosis, malignancy, and some complications of pregnancy.