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Background: The detection and dissection of epidermal subgroups could lead to an improved understanding of skin homeostasis and wound healing. Flow cytometric analysis provides an effective method to detect the surface markers of epidermal cells while producing high-dimensional data files.Methods: A 9-color flow cytometric panel was optimized to reveal the heterogeneous subgroups in the epidermis of human skin. The subsets of epidermal cells were characterized using automated methods based on dimensional reduction approaches (viSNE) and clustering with Spanning-tree Progression Analysis of Density-normalized Events (SPADE).Results: The manual analysis revealed differences in epidermal distribution between body sites based on a series biaxial gating starting with the expression of CD49f and CD29. The computational analysis divided the whole epidermal cell population into 25 clusters according to the surface marker phenotype with SPADE. This automatic analysis delineated the differences between body sites. The consistency of the results was confirmed with PhenoGraph.Conclusion: A multicolor flow cytometry panel with a streamlined computational analysis pipeline is a feasible approach to delineate the heterogeneity of the epidermis in human skin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Clinical observation suggests the atheroprotective effect of chloroquine and its derivatives, while its mechanism remains unclear. This study aimed to observe the protective effect of chloroquine against atherosclerosis and explore the underlying mechanism. Methods Ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) wild-type or haploinsufficient apolipoprotein-E-knockout (ATM+/+ ApoE−/− or ATM+/− ApoE−/−) mice were treated with different dosages of chloroquine. Anti-CD25 antibody was used to deplete natural Tregs in ATM+/+ ApoE−/− mice. The atherosclerotic burden in different groups of mice was comprehensively evaluated by H&E staining and Masson staining. The effect of chloroquine on the regulatory T cells (Tregs) was assessed in vivo and in vitro by flow cytometry and immunohistochemical staining. The expression of related proteins was detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. Results In ATM+/+ ApoE−/− mice, chloroquine alleviated atherosclerotic lesions, stabilized the plaque, and increased Treg counts in the atherosclerotic lesions and spleens. However, in ATM haploinsufficient mice (ATM+/− ApoE−/−), chloroquine no longer prevented atherosclerosis or impacted Treg counts. Abolishing Treg cells using an anti-CD25 antibody in vivo abrogated the atheroprotective effect of chloroquine. In vitro, chloroquine promoted the differentiation of Tregs from naïve T cells, which was accompanied by enhanced ATM/AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activity and reduced downstream mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) activity. Discussion These findings suggest that chloroquine ameliorates atherosclerosis and stabilizes plaque by modulating Tregs differentiation through the regulation of the ATM/AMPK/mTOR pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fibroblasts and myofibroblasts are major mesenchymal cells in the lamina propria of colon mucosa and in colon cancer tissues. Detailed insight into the highly specific populations of fibroblasts and myofibroblasts is required to understand the integrity and homeostasis of human colon mucosa and colon cancer. Based on gene expression profiles of single cells, we identified fibroblast populations that produce extracellular matrix components, Wnt ligand- and BMP-secreting fibroblasts, chemokine- and chemokine ligand-generating fibroblasts, highly activated fibroblasts, immune-modulating fibroblasts, epithelial cell-modulating myofibroblasts, stimuli-responsive myofibroblasts, proliferating myofibroblasts, fibroblast-like myofibroblasts, matrix producing myofibroblasts, and contractile myofibroblasts in human colon mucosa. In colon cancer tissue, the compositions of fibroblasts and myofibroblasts were highly altered, as were the expressing patterns of genes including BMPs, Wnt ligands, chemokines, chemokine ligands, growth factors and extracellular matrix components in fibroblasts and myofibroblasts. Our work expands the working atlas of fibroblasts and myofibroblasts and provides a framework for interrogating the complexity of stromal cells in human healthy colon mucosa and colon cancer tissues. The heterogeneity of fibroblasts in normal colon mucosa and colorectal cancer (CRC) is examined using single cell data, showing their potential function in normal gut homeostasis and in CRC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the previous study, we had showed the expression of CD133+ CD54+ CD44+ cellular subpopulation of circulating tumor cells ( CTCs) was significantly associated with liver metastasis of colorectal cancer ( CRC). This study aimed to explore whether this subpopulation of CTCs have a prognostic value in CRC patients. Flow cytometry was used to detect the expression of cellular subpopulations of CTCs with CD133, CD54, and CD44 in 152 CRC patients, between December 2013 and October 2014. The impact of clinicopathological factors and the expression of cellular subpopulations of CTCs on overall survival were then analyzed. CRC patients with liver metastases who underwent resection of the primary tumor accompanied by surgical treatment for metastasis had a better survival than other patients ( P < 0.001). The liver metastatic CRC patients with high expression of CD133+ CD54+ ( P < 0.001), CD133− CD54+ ( P = 0.004), and CD133+ CD44+ CD54+ ( P = 0.003) cellular subpopulations of CTCs had a worse survival than those patients with low expression. Multivariable survival analyses identified carcinoembryonic antigen levels (hazard ratio [ HR] = 3.056; 95% confidence interval [ CI] = 1.354-6.897; P = 0.007), treatment strategy ( HR = 0.212; 95% CI = 0.056-0.808; P = 0.023), and CD133+ CD44+ CD54+ cellular subpopulation of CTCs ( HR = 6.459; 95% CI = 1.461-28.558; P = 0.014) as independent prognostic factors for CRC patients with liver metastasis. CD133+ CD44+ CD54+ cellular subpopulation of CTCs has a prognostic value in CRC patients with liver metastasis, especially in the survival of CRC patients with liver metastasis who did not undergo surgical treatment for metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Metastasis is a leading cause of cancer-related-deaths worldwide. Recently, cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been believed to be responsible for tumor initiation and metastasis, but till now, difference of cellular features and behaviors between CSCs from tumor tissues (TCSCs) and circulation (CCSCs) remains largely unknown, which hinders the progression of targeted therapies for metastasis. Methods and Results: Here, we provide the features of circulating gastric cancer stem cells (CGCSCs) isolated from human gastric adenocarcinoma. The CGCSCs and TGCSCs were culture in a same serum free stem cell culture medium, however the morphology are different with each other. EMT-associated markers were measured by Immunofluorescence, Western Blotting, and RT-PCR methods, and the results indicated that the CGCSCs and TGCSCs carry different epithelial-mesenchymal features. And then, proliferation and apoptosis assays revealed that the CGCSCs exhibited characteristics of higher proliferation and resistance to apoptosis in vitro. Soft agar assay and nude mice tumorigenicity assay displayed strong tumorigenicity of CGCSCs. Finally, Matrigel invasion assays and in vivo experimental metastasis assay were also performed, which demonstrated that CGCSCs carry high invasive and metastatic capabilities than TGCSCs. Conclusions: As expected, the CGCSCs indeed showed extremely invasive and metastatic properties. They also exhibited distinctive mesenchymal phenotypes, high self-renewal, proliferative capabilities, tumor induction and low apoptosis. Interestingly, CGCSCs show small cell-size than TGCSCs (tissue gastric cancer stem cells). The findings might help us to understand the biological characteristic of CGCSCs deeply, and give light to strategies for cancer therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, we have used plasmid-based RNA interference (RNAi) strategy to downregulate the expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in EGFR wild-type (H292) and mutant (H1975) lung tumor models. The targeted knockdown of EGFR by small hairpin RNA not only inhibited growth of H292 xenograft but also inhibited H1975 lung cancer cell and xenograft, which bore L858R/T790M EGFR and was resistant to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors. These data demonstrated that small hairpin RNA was an effective therapy against mutant EGFR-expressing cancer cells and thus considered to be a promising strategy in the treatment of lung cancers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]