| 1. |
- Hörnblad, Andreas, 1982-
(författare)
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Imaging the pancreas : new aspects on lobular development and adult constitution
- 2011
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The mouse pancreas is a mixed exocrine and endocrine glandconsisting of three lobular compartments: the splenic, duodenal and gastric lobes. During embryogenesis, the pancreas forms from two progenitor populations located on the dorsal and ventral side of the primitive gut tube. These anlagen are brought in close proximity as the gut elongates and rotates, and fuse to form a single organ. The splenic and duodenal lobes develop from the dorsal and ventral anlagen, respectively. In the adult pancreas, exocrine tissue secretes digestive enzymes intothe gut lumen to support nutrient uptake. The endocrine Islets of Langerhans are scattered throughout the exocrine tissue and aid in regulation of energy homeostasis through the secretion of hormones. One of the key players in energy homeostasis is the pancreatic ß-cell, which is the most abundant cell type of the islets. The β-cells regulates blood glucose levels through the action of insulin. Conditions where this regulation does not function properly are gathered under the common name of Diabetes mellitus. Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is characterized by insulin deficiency due to autoimmune destruction of the ß-cells. Using recently developed protocols for optical projection tomography (OPT) whole-organ imaging, we have revealed new spatial and quantitative aspects on ß-cell mass dynamics and immune infiltration during the course of T1D development in the non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse model. We show that although immune infiltration appears to occur asynchronously throughout the organ, smaller islets, mainly located in the periphery of the organ, preferentially loose their ß-cells during early stages of disease progression. Larger islets appear more resistant to the autoimmune attack and our data indicate the existence of a compensatory proliferative capacity within these islets. We also report the appearance of structures resembling tertiary lymphoid organs (TLOs) in association with the remaining islets during later phases of T1D progression. OPT has already proven to be a useful tool for assessments of ß-cellmass in the adult mouse pancreas. However, as with other techniques, previous protocols have relied on a tedious degree of manual postivacquisition editing. To further refine OPT-based assessment of pancreatic ß-cell mass distribution in the murine pancreas, we implemented a computational statistical approach, Contrast-Limited Adaptive Histogram Normalisation (CLAHE), to the OPT projection data of pancreata from C57Bl/6 mice. This methodology provided increased islet detection sensitivity, improved islet morphology and diminished subjectivity in thresholding for reconstruction and quantification. Using this approach, we could report a substantially higher number of islets than previously described for this strain and provide evidence of significant differences in islet mass distribution between the pancreatic lobes. The gastric lobe stood out in particular and contained a 75% higher islet density as compared to the splenic lobe. Although the development of the early pancreatic buds has been relatively well studied, later morphogenetic events are less clear and information regarding the formation of the gastric lobe has largely been missing. Using OPT we have generated a quantitative three-dimensional road map of pancreatic morphogenesis in the mouse. We show that the gastric lobe forms as a perpendicular outgrowth fromthe stem of the dorsal pancreas at around embryonic day (e) 13.5, which grows into a mesenchymal domain overlaying the pyloric sphincter and proximal part of the glandular stomach. By analyzing mutant mice with aberrant spleen development, we further demonstrate that proper formation of the gastric lobe is dependent on the initial formation of the closely positioned spleen, indicating a close interplay between pancreatic and splenic mesenchyme during development. Additionally, we show that the expression profile of markers for pancreatic multipotent progenitors within the pancreas is heterogenous with regards to lobular origin. Altogether, our studies regarding the morphogenesis and adult constitution of the mouse pancreas recognize lobular heterogeneities that add important information for future interpretations of this organ.
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| 2. |
- Kahsay, Abraha, et al.
(författare)
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Pax3 loss of function delays tumour progression in kRAS-induced zebrafish rhabdomyosarcoma models
- 2022
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 2045-2322. ; 12:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Rhabdomyosarcoma is a soft tissue cancer that arises in skeletal muscle due to mutations in myogenic progenitors that lead to ineffective differentiation and malignant transformation. The transcription factors Pax3 and Pax7 and their downstream target genes are tightly linked with the fusion positive alveolar subtype, whereas the RAS pathway is usually involved in the embryonal, fusion negative variant. Here, we analyse the role of Pax3 in a fusion negative context, by linking alterations in gene expression in pax3a/pax3b double mutant zebrafish with tumour progression in kRAS-induced rhabdomyosarcoma tumours. Several genes in the RAS/MAPK signalling pathway were significantly down-regulated in pax3a/pax3b double mutant zebrafish. Progression of rhabdomyosarcoma tumours was also delayed in the pax3a/pax3b double mutant zebrafish indicating that Pax3 transcription factors have an unappreciated role in mediating malignancy in fusion negative rhabdomyosarcoma.
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| 3. |
- López-Pérez, Ana R., et al.
(författare)
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Diet-induced rewiring of the Wnt gene regulatory network connects aberrant splicing to fatty liver and liver cancer in DIAMOND mice
- 2023
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 2045-2322. ; 13:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Several preclinical models have been recently developed for metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) and associated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) but comprehensive analysis of the regulatory and transcriptional landscapes underlying disease in these models are still missing. We investigated the regulatory and transcriptional landscape in fatty livers and liver tumours from DIAMOND mice that faithfully mimic human HCC development in the context of MAFLD. RNA-sequencing and ChIP-sequencing revealed rewiring of the Wnt/β-catenin regulatory network in DIAMOND tumours, as manifested by chromatin remodelling and associated switching in the expression of the canonical TCF/LEF downstream effectors. We identified splicing as a major mechanism leading to constitutive oncogenic activation of β-catenin in a large subset of DIAMOND tumours, a mechanism that is independent on somatic mutations in the locus and that has not been previously shown. Similar splicing events were found in a fraction of human HCC and hepatoblastoma samples.
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| 4. |
- López-Pérez, Ana R., et al.
(författare)
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Pan-AMPK activator O304 prevents gene expression changes and remobilisation of histone marks in islets of diet-induced obese mice
- 2021
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 2045-2322. ; 11:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) has an important role in cellular energy homeostasis and has emerged as a promising target for treatment of Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) due to its beneficial effects on insulin sensitivity and glucose homeostasis. O304 is a pan-AMPK activator that has been shown to improve glucose homeostasis in both mouse models of diabetes and in human T2D subjects. Here, we describe the genome-wide transcriptional profile and chromatin landscape of pancreatic islets following O304 treatment of mice fed high-fat diet (HFD). O304 largely prevented genome-wide gene expression changes associated with HFD feeding in CBA mice and these changes were associated with remodelling of active and repressive chromatin marks. In particular, the increased expression of the β-cell stress marker Aldh1a3 in islets from HFD-mice is completely abrogated following O304 treatment, which is accompanied by loss of active chromatin marks in the promoter as well as distant non-coding regions upstream of the Aldh1a3 gene. Moreover, O304 treatment restored dysfunctional glucose homeostasis as well as expression of key markers associated with β-cell function in mice with already established obesity. Our findings provide preclinical evidence that O304 is a promising therapeutic compound not only for T2D remission but also for restoration of β-cell function following remission of T2D diabetes.
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| 5. |
- Alanentalo, Tomas, et al.
(författare)
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Quantification and 3-D imaging of the insulitis-induced destruction of β-cells in murine type 1 diabetes
- 2010
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Ingår i: Diabetes. - : American Diabetes Association. - 0012-1797 .- 1939-327X. ; 59:7, s. 1756-1764
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: The aim of this study was to refine the information regarding the quantitative and spatial dynamics of infiltrating lymphocytes and remaining beta-cell volume during the progression of type 1 diabetes in the NOD mouse model of the disease.Research design and methods: Using an ex vivo technique, optical projection tomography (OPT), we quantified and assessed the 3D spatial development and progression of insulitis and beta-cell destruction in pancreas from diabetes prone NOD and non-diabetes prone congenic NOD.H-2b mice between 3 and 16 weeks of age.Results: Together with results showing the spatial dynamics of the insulitis process we provide data of beta-cell volume distributions down to the level of the individual islets and throughout the pancreas during the development and progression of type 1 diabetes. Our data provide evidence for a compensatory growth potential of the larger insulin(+) islets during the later stages of the disease around the time point for development of clinical diabetes. This is in contrast to smaller islets, which appear less resistant to the autoimmune attack. We also provide new information on the spatial dynamics of the insulitis process itself, including its apparently random distribution at onset, the local variations during its further development, and the formation of structures resembling tertiary lymphoid organs at later phases of insulitis progression.Conclusions: Our data provides a powerful tool for phenotypic analysis of genetic and environmental effects on type 1 diabetes etiology as well as for evaluating the potential effect of therapeutic regimes.
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| 6. |
- Cheddad, Abbas, et al.
(författare)
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Improving signal detection in emission optical projection tomography via single source multi-exposure image fusion
- 2013
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Ingår i: Optics Express. - : Optical Society of America. - 1094-4087. ; 21:14, s. 16584-16604
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We demonstrate a technique to improve structural data obtained from Optical Projection Tomography (OPT) using Image Fusion (IF) and contrast normalization. This enables the visualization of molecular expression patterns in biological specimens with highly variable contrast values. In the approach, termed IF-OPT, different exposures are fused by assigning weighted contrasts to each. When applied to projection images from mouse organs and digital phantoms our results demonstrate the capability of IF-OPT to reveal high and low signal intensity details in challenging specimens. We further provide measurements to highlight the benefits of the new algorithm in comparison to other similar methods.
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| 7. |
- Eriksson, Anna U., et al.
(författare)
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Near infrared optical projection tomography for assessments of beta-cell mass distribution in diabetes research
- 2013
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Ingår i: Journal of Visualized Experiments. - : MyJove Corporation. - 1940-087X. ; 71
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- By adapting OPT to include the capability of imaging in the near infrared (NIR) spectrum, we here illustrate the possibility to image larger bodies of pancreatic tissue, such as the rat pancreas, and to increase the number of channels (cell types) that may be studied in a single specimen. We further describe the implementation of a number of computational tools that provide: 1/ accurate positioning of a specimen's (in our case the pancreas) centre of mass (COM) at the axis of rotation (AR)2; 2/ improved algorithms for post-alignment tuning which prevents geometric distortions during the tomographic reconstruction2 and 3/ a protocol for intensity equalization to increase signal to noise ratios in OPT-based BCM determinations3. In addition, we describe a sample holder that minimizes the risk for unintentional movements of the specimen during image acquisition. Together, these protocols enable assessments of BCM distribution and other features, to be performed throughout the volume of intact pancreata or other organs (e.g. in studies of islet transplantation), with a resolution down to the level of individual islets of Langerhans.
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| 8. |
- Hörnblad, Andreas, 1982-, et al.
(författare)
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An improved protocol for optical projection tomography imaging reveals lobular heterogeneities in pancreatic islet and β-cell mass distribution
- 2011
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Ingår i: Islets. - Austin : Landes Bioscience. - 1938-2014 .- 1938-2022. ; 3:4, s. 204-208
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Optical projection tomography (OPT) imaging is a powerful tool for three-dimensional imaging of gene and protein distribution patterns in biomedical specimens. We have previously demonstrated the possibility, by this technique, to extract information of the spatial and quantitative distribution of the islets of Langerhans in the intact mouse pancreas. In order to further increase the sensitivity of OPT imaging for this type of assessment, we have developed a protocol implementing a computational statistical approach: contrast limited adaptive histogram equalization (CLAHE). We demonstrate that this protocol significantly increases the sensitivity of OPT imaging for islet detection, helps preserve islet morphology and diminish subjectivity in thresholding for tomographic reconstruction. When applied to studies of the pancreas from healthy C57BL/6 mice, our data reveal that, at least in this strain, the pancreas harbors substantially more islets than has previously been reported. Further, we provide evidence that the gastric, duodenal and splenic lobes of the pancreas display dramatic differences in total and relative islet and β-cell mass distribution. This includes a 75% higher islet density in the gastric lobe as compared to the splenic lobe and a higher relative volume of insulin producing cells in the duodenal lobe as compared to the other lobes. Altogether, our data show that CLAHE substantially improves OPT based assessments of the islets of Langerhans and that lobular origin must be taken into careful consideration in quantitative and spatial assessments of the pancreas.
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| 9. |
- Hörnblad, Andreas, et al.
(författare)
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Epigenetics, Enhancer Function and 3D Chromatin Organization in Reprogramming to Pluripotency
- 2022
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Ingår i: Cells. - : MDPI. - 2073-4409. ; 11:9
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Genome architecture, epigenetics and enhancer function control the fate and identity of cells. Reprogramming to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) changes the transcriptional profile and chromatin landscape of the starting somatic cell to that of the pluripotent cell in a stepwise manner. Changes in the regulatory networks are tightly regulated during normal embryonic development to determine cell fate, and similarly need to function in cell fate control during reprogramming. Switching off the somatic program and turning on the pluripotent program involves a dynamic reorganization of the epigenetic landscape, enhancer function, chromatin accessibility and 3D chromatin topology. Within this context, we will review here the current knowledge on the processes that control the establishment and maintenance of pluripotency during somatic cell reprogramming.
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| 10. |
- Hörnblad, Andreas, 1982-, et al.
(författare)
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Impaired spleen formation perturbs morphogenesis of the gastric lobe of the pancreas
- 2011
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - San Francisco, CA : Public Library of Science. - 1932-6203. ; 6:6, s. e21753-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Despite the extensive use of the mouse as a model for studies of pancreas development and disease, the development of the gastric pancreatic lobe has been largely overlooked. In this study we use optical projection tomography to provide a detailed three-dimensional and quantitative description of pancreatic growth dynamics in the mouse. Hereby, we describe the epithelial and mesenchymal events leading to the formation of the gastric lobe of the pancreas. We show that this structure forms by perpendicular growth from the dorsal pancreatic epithelium into a distinct lateral domain of the dorsal pancreatic mesenchyme. Our data support a role for spleen organogenesis in the establishment of this mesenchymal domain and in mice displaying perturbed spleen development, including Dh +/-, Bapx1-/- and Sox11-/-, gastric lobe development is disturbed. We further show that the expression profile of markers for multipotent progenitors is delayed in the gastric lobe as compared to the splenic and duodenal pancreatic lobes. Altogether, this study provides new information regarding the developmental dynamics underlying the formation of the gastric lobe of the pancreas and recognizes lobular heterogeneities regarding the time course of pancreatic cellular differentiation. Collectively, these data are likely to constitute important elements in future interpretations of the developing and/or diseased pancreas.
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