Journal: bioRxiv

Article Title: nSMase2-mediated exosome secretion shapes the tumor microenvironment to immunologically support pancreatic cancer

doi: 10.1101/2024.09.23.614610

Figure Lengend Snippet: Smpd3 modulates pancreatic tumor growth. A) Immortalized human pancreatic duct cells (hTERT-HPNE and HPDE6c7), human and murine PDA cell lines, and human patient derived-organoids (PDOs) demonstrate nSMase activity. Values shown are technical replicates of one lysate per cell line. B) SMPD3 expression was analyzed in an existing human pancreas organoid RNA-Seq dataset and is depicted in normal (n=11), primary (n=35), and metastatic (n=9) human organoids. Log of normalized counts of SMPD3 expression are plotted. C) Immunocytochemistry demonstrates nSMase2 expression in two pancreatic metastatic PDOs. Scale bar is 100uM. D) Nanoparticle tracking analysis of CD63 + sEVs upon GW4869 and vehicle treatment is depicted. E) IVIS imaging results at Day 7, 14, and 19 are graphed. Eight animals were injected with each cell line. F) Images depict bioluminescence signal during IVIS imaging at day 19. G) Pancreas weight/body weight at day 19 is graphed. Average values for the KPC scrambled shRNA are 0.04540 ± 0.001635 (n=8) and KPC Smpd3 shRNA 1 are 0.02817 ± 0.0008858 (n=7). H) Rag 1 KO mice injected orthotopically with KPC Smpd3 shRNA1 and KPC Smpd3 shRNA2 cell lines lived significantly longer than Rag1 KO mice injected orthotopically with KPC scrambled shRNA cells ( P =0.0013 using log-rank test and P =0.0001 using log-rank test, respectively). The median survival of Rag 1 KO mice injected orthotopically with KPC scrambled shRNA cells (n=12) is 19 days, KPC Smpd3 shRNA 1 cells (n=6) is 31.50 days, and KPC Smpd3 shRNA 2 cells (n=6) is 36.50 days.

Article Snippet: Removal of the Neomycin and lacZ cassettes in Smpd3 floxed mice was confirmed by genotyping with Transnetyx.

Techniques: Derivative Assay, Activity Assay, Expressing, RNA Sequencing, Immunocytochemistry, Imaging, Injection, shRNA

Journal: bioRxiv

Article Title: nSMase2-mediated exosome secretion shapes the tumor microenvironment to immunologically support pancreatic cancer

doi: 10.1101/2024.09.23.614610

Figure Lengend Snippet: S m pd3 regulates proliferation of PDA cells in vivo . A) SMPD3 is expressed in a panel of human pancreatic duct cells (n=2 cell lines), human PDA cells (n=12 cell lines), and mouse PDA cells (n=3 cell lines). B) qPCR demonstrates a reduction in Smpd3 expression in KPC Smpd3 shRNA 1 LucFlag (n=3) and KPC Smpd3 shRNA 2 LucFlag (n=3) cell lines when compared to the KPC scrambled shRNA LucFlag (n=3) control cell line. C) Mean ± standard deviation for tumor volume of cell lines injected subcutaneously are graphed. Results of an unpaired t test comparing KPC scrambled shRNA and KPC Smpd3 shRNA 2 cell lines at day 17 are depicted on the graph. For all cell lines, N=6 animals. D) Mean ± standard error of the mean for tumor weight at Day 17 of cell lines injected subcutaneously are graphed. For all cell lines, N=6 animals. E) Immunofluorescence images and quantification of epithelial (CK19 + , Vimentin - , Dapi + ), proliferative (Ki67 + ) pancreatic cancer cells are depicted. Average values for tumors generated using the KPC scrambled shRNA LucFlag line (n=4) are 39.33% ± 2.046%, KPC Smpd3 shRNA 1 LucFlag line (n=5) are 28.88% ± 4.096%, and KPC Smpd3 shRNA 2 LucFlag line (n=5) are 15.83% ± 1.960. Scale bar is 50uM. F) Immunofluorescence images and quantification of epithelial (E-cadherin + , Vimentin - , Dapi + ), apoptotic (Cleaved caspase 3 + ) pancreatic cancer cells are depicted. Average values for tumors generated using the KPC scrambled shRNA LucFlag cell line (n=4) are 1.299% ± 0.2075%, KPC Smpd3 shRNA 1 LucFlag cell line (n=5) are 1.082% ± 0.2126%, and KPC Smpd3 shRNA 2 LucFlag cell line (n=5) are 0.9832% ± 0.1307. Scale bar is 50uM. G) CTG assay or colony formation assay results for the indicated cell lines are depicted. H) Reduction of Smpd3 in epithelial pancreatic cancer cells modestly reduces fibrosis. IHC demonstrates loss of nSMase2 in epithelial pancreatic cancer cells in tumors generated using the KPC Smpd3 shRNA 1 LucFlag and KPC Smpd3 shRNA 2 LucFlag cell lines. One scale bar (1000uM) on the picrosirius red image is representative for all picrosirius red and corresponding brightfield images. One scale bar (200uM) on the nSMase2 IHC image is representative for all nSMase2 IHC images. I) Quantification of polarized light using the picrosirius red stained images is depicted. Average values for tumors generated using the KPC scrambled shRNA LucFlag cell line (n=4) are 1.734% ± 0.3760%, KPC Smpd3 shRNA 1 LucFlag cell line (n=5) are 1.319% ± 0.1328%, and KPC Smpd3 shRNA 2 LucFlag cell line (n=4) are 0.9188% ± 0.1124.

Article Snippet: Removal of the Neomycin and lacZ cassettes in Smpd3 floxed mice was confirmed by genotyping with Transnetyx.

Techniques: In Vivo, Expressing, shRNA, Control, Standard Deviation, Injection, Immunofluorescence, Generated, CTG Assay, Colony Assay, Staining

Journal: bioRxiv

Article Title: nSMase2-mediated exosome secretion shapes the tumor microenvironment to immunologically support pancreatic cancer

doi: 10.1101/2024.09.23.614610

Figure Lengend Snippet: nSMase2 expression is upregulated in PanIN. A) Schematic details the construct design for the Smpd3 floxed mouse. B-C) For examination of nSMase2 expression in the indicated normal murine pancreatic cell types, nSMase2 IHC sections from 3 C57BL/6J mice were scored. Preneoplasia and neoplasia lesions were scored from KPC mice (n=10 animals scored for acinar-to-ductal metaplasia (ADM), n=12 animals scored for PanIN, n=10 animals scored for primary tumor, and n=4 animals scored for metastasis). Scale bars for IHC images are 40 uM. nSMase2 expression was scored on a scale of 0-3 and is depicted in (C). The scoring system used is 0=absent, 1=low, 2=medium, 3=high. Values depicted are representative for individual animals. D) Subcellular localization of nSMase2 was scored using the same slides and animals used for expression scoring in . Results from Chi-squared tests using a 2 x 3 table are shown. E-F) H&E and IHC for nSMase2 images are displayed for the indicated genotypes.

Article Snippet: Removal of the Neomycin and lacZ cassettes in Smpd3 floxed mice was confirmed by genotyping with Transnetyx.

Techniques: Expressing, Construct

Journal: bioRxiv

Article Title: nSMase2-mediated exosome secretion shapes the tumor microenvironment to immunologically support pancreatic cancer

doi: 10.1101/2024.09.23.614610

Figure Lengend Snippet: Smpd3 ablation reduces formation of neoplasia and prolongs survival of KPC mice. A) KPC; Smpd3 f/f mice lived significantly longer than KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt mice ( P =0.0039 using log-rank (Mantel-Cox) test). The median survival of KPC; Smpd3 f/f mice (n=41) is 23.71 weeks, KPC; Smpd3 f/wt mice is 21.57 weeks (n=45), and KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt mice (n=47) is 20.00 weeks. B) The percentage of animals having PDA at end-stage in addition to the differentiation status of primary pancreatic tumors at end-stage is graphed for KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt mice (n=30), KPC; Smpd3 f/wt mice (n=27), and KPC; Smpd3 f/f mice (n=24). (C) The percentage of animals having macrometastasis at end-stage in addition to the site of macrometastasis at end-stage is depicted for KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt (n=29), KPC; Smpd3 f/wt (n=25), and KPC; Smpd3 f/f (n=22) mice. Using Fisher’s exact tests, no significant differences were observed in the number or site of macrometastatic lesions present at end-stage in KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt , KPC; Smpd3 f/wt , or KPC; Smpd3 f/f mice. If macrometastasis was present, only one site was observed per animal in these cohorts. D-E) Quantification of alcian blue staining demonstrates significantly reduced PanIN lesions in KPC; Smpd3 f/f mice (n=5) when compared to KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt mice (n=9) ( P =0.0154). H&Es used to score edema are depicted. nSMase2 immunohistochemistry depicts loss of nSMase2 in pancreatic epithelium of PanIN-bearing KPC; Smpd3 f/f mice. F) Edema scoring for KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt (n=9), KPC; Smpd3 f/wt (n=7), and KPC; Smpd3 f/f (n=7) mice is depicted. The scoring system used is 1=low, 2=medium, and 3=high. G-H) The percentage of pancreatic area occupied by PDA is significantly higher in KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt mice (74.16 ± 8.705) when compared to KPC; Smpd3 f/f mice (30.51 ± 17.72) ( P =0.0497) at 19-21 weeks of age. Average percent area is graphed in H (n=4 KPC; Smpd3 f/f mice, n=4 KPC; Smpd3 f/wt mice, n=5 KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt mice). Dotted lines show the PDA area in representative images. nSMase2 immunohistochemistry depicts loss of nSMase2 in pancreatic epithelium of PDA-bearing KPC; Smpd3 f/f mice at 19-21 weeks of age.

Article Snippet: Removal of the Neomycin and lacZ cassettes in Smpd3 floxed mice was confirmed by genotyping with Transnetyx.

Techniques: Staining, Immunohistochemistry

Journal: bioRxiv

Article Title: nSMase2-mediated exosome secretion shapes the tumor microenvironment to immunologically support pancreatic cancer

doi: 10.1101/2024.09.23.614610

Figure Lengend Snippet: Characterization of the KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt , KPC; Smpd3 f/wt , KPC; Smpd3 f/f , KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt Mock OE, and KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt Smpd3 OE cell lines. A-F) Western blot depicts nSMase2 expression levels in KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt , KPC; Smpd3 f/wt , KPC; Smpd3 f/f , KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt Mock OE, and KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt Smpd3 OE cell lines. G) Pictures of cell lines taken immediately before RNA isolation for RNA sequencing are shown. Scale bars are 100uM.

Article Snippet: Removal of the Neomycin and lacZ cassettes in Smpd3 floxed mice was confirmed by genotyping with Transnetyx.

Techniques: Western Blot, Expressing, Isolation, RNA Sequencing

Journal: bioRxiv

Article Title: nSMase2-mediated exosome secretion shapes the tumor microenvironment to immunologically support pancreatic cancer

doi: 10.1101/2024.09.23.614610

Figure Lengend Snippet: RNA sequencing demonstrates a role for Smpd3 in modulation of cellular pathways and regulation of PDA subtype. A) Average luminescence values from 3-5 independent experiments per cell line are graphed. Average values for primary PDA cell lines generated from KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt mice (n=17 cell lines) are 98,614 ± 5,684, KPC; Smpd3 f/wt mice (n=14 cell lines) are 106,061 ± 6,699, and KPC; Smpd3 f/f mice (n=15 cell lines) are 88,460 ± 6,672. B) Average number of colonies from at least 3 independent colony formation assays per cell line are depicted. Average values from KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt mice (n=14 cell lines) are 26.02 ± 3.652, KPC; Smpd3 f/wt mice (n=14 cell lines) are 24.16 ± 2.519, and KPC; Smpd3 f/f mice (n=13 cell lines) are 21.34 ± 4.872. C) Heat maps depict expression of significantly deregulated molecules in Tumor Microenvironment Pathway and Hepatic Fibrosis Signaling Pathway in all three PPT cell lines. Molecules shown in heat maps include those molecules within the Ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA) pathway that were significantly deregulated in any comparison between PPT groups. D) IPA results show a bubble category chart of significantly deregulated pathways when comparing KPC; Smpd3 f/f PPT and KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt PPT cell lines. A positive z-score represents upregulation, and a negative z-score indicates downregulation of a pathway in KPC; Smpd3 f/f PPT when compared to KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt PPT cell lines. A gray circle depicts significant overrepresentation of a pathway, the direction of which cannot yet be determined. Select pathways are annotated. E) Picrosirius red stained images are shown for KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt (n=6), KPC; Smpd3 f/wt (n=5), and KPC; Smpd3 f/f (n=6) mice at 10-11 weeks of age. The small piece of intestine in the lower left corner of the KPC; Smpd3 f/wt image was excluded from the quantification. Scale bar is 1000uM. Inset shows brightfield image. F) Transcriptional subtyping of end-stage pancreatic tumor cell lines generated from KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt (PPT and MPT), KPC; Smpd3 f/wt (PPT), KPC; Smpd3 f/f (PPT and MPT) as well as KPC Mock OE and KPC Smpd3 OE lines is depicted. Genes used to identify subtypes according to the Moffitt classification are shown. G) Pie charts depict the number of cell lines with the classical and basal-like Moffitt subtypes. When comparing KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt PPT vs KPC; Smpd3 f/f PPT using Moffitt classification and Chi square test, p-value=0.0339.

Article Snippet: Removal of the Neomycin and lacZ cassettes in Smpd3 floxed mice was confirmed by genotyping with Transnetyx.

Techniques: RNA Sequencing, Generated, Expressing, Comparison, Staining

Journal: bioRxiv

Article Title: nSMase2-mediated exosome secretion shapes the tumor microenvironment to immunologically support pancreatic cancer

doi: 10.1101/2024.09.23.614610

Figure Lengend Snippet: Analysis of RNA sequencing data from murine polyclonal pancreatic cancer cell lines. A) Heat map showing Integrin Signaling in all three PPT cell lines. B) Estimated counts for select genes identified from Sleuth comparison of polyclonal cell lines from end-stage PPTs of KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt (n=8), KPC; Smpd3 f/wt (n=7), and KPC; Smpd3 f/f (n=10) mice are graphed. Each box plot represents the distribution of estimated counts quantified by kallisto with 100 bootstrap samples. For each gene, the most significant protein-coding isoforms are shown. C) The top twenty pathways from IPA comparing KPC; Smpd3 f/f MPT vs KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt MPT are shown. D) A heat map including significantly differentially regulated molecules in the Pentose Phosphate Pathway are shown for KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt MPT and KPC; Smpd3 f/f MPT groups. E) The six differentially regulated pathways when comparing KPC Smpd3 OE vs KPC Mock OE are shown. F) Log of transcript per million (TPM) values for Smpd3 gene are graphed for KPC Mock OE and KPC Smpd3 OE sequenced cell lines.

Article Snippet: Removal of the Neomycin and lacZ cassettes in Smpd3 floxed mice was confirmed by genotyping with Transnetyx.

Techniques: RNA Sequencing, Comparison

Journal: bioRxiv

Article Title: nSMase2-mediated exosome secretion shapes the tumor microenvironment to immunologically support pancreatic cancer

doi: 10.1101/2024.09.23.614610

Figure Lengend Snippet: K P C ; Smpd3 f/f pancreata display significantly fewer activated stellate cells and fibroblasts when compared to both KPC; Smpd3 f/wt and KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt pancreata. A) Immunofluorescence images depict co-labeling with alpha SMA, Gfap, Desmin, and Dapi in the pancreas of 10–11-week-old mice. For KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt , n=6 animals, KPC; Smpd3 f/wt , n=5 animals, and KPC; Smpd3 f/f , n=5 animals. Yellow arrows in insets point to examples of quadruple positive cells that were quantified in Panel C. Scale bar is 20uM. B) Immunofluorescence images depict co-labeling with alpha SMA, Fap, Vimentin, and Dapi in the pancreas of 10–11-week-old mice. Yellow arrows in insets point to examples of quadruple positive cells that were quantified in Panel D. For KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt , n=5 animals, KPC; Smpd3 f/wt , n=5 animals, KPC; Smpd3 f/f , n=6 animals. Scale bar is 50uM. C) Quantification of alpha SMA, Gfap, Desmin, and Dapi quadruple positive cells is depicted. D) Quantification of alpha SMA, Fap, Vimentin, and Dapi quadruple positive cells is depicted. E) Pie charts depict Moffitt classification PDA subtypes for KPC Mock OE and KPC Smpd3 OE cell lines.

Article Snippet: Removal of the Neomycin and lacZ cassettes in Smpd3 floxed mice was confirmed by genotyping with Transnetyx.

Techniques: Immunofluorescence, Labeling

Journal: bioRxiv

Article Title: nSMase2-mediated exosome secretion shapes the tumor microenvironment to immunologically support pancreatic cancer

doi: 10.1101/2024.09.23.614610

Figure Lengend Snippet: Analysis of lipidomics data from murine polyclonal pancreatic cancer cell lines. A) Heat map shows IPA Ceramide Signaling Pathway in all three PPT cell lines. B) Heat map shows differentially expressed lipids in comparisons amongst our murine polyclonal pancreatic cancer cell lines. Groups compared are listed as A-B where depicted upregulation or downregulation of a lipid would be in A when compared to B. C) Principal component analysis of our polyclonal murine pancreatic cancer cell lines based on lipid composition is depicted. D) Box plots showing expression of selected ceramide species in our KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt PPT, KPC; Smpd3 f/wt PPT, KPC; Smpd3 f/f PPT, KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt MPT, and KPC; Smpd3 f/f MPT cell lines. E) Box plots showing expression of selected phosphatidylcholine species in our KPC Mock OE and KPC Smpd3 OE cell lines.

Article Snippet: Removal of the Neomycin and lacZ cassettes in Smpd3 floxed mice was confirmed by genotyping with Transnetyx.

Techniques: Expressing

Journal: bioRxiv

Article Title: nSMase2-mediated exosome secretion shapes the tumor microenvironment to immunologically support pancreatic cancer

doi: 10.1101/2024.09.23.614610

Figure Lengend Snippet: Characterization of exosomes isolated from KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt PPT and KPC; Smpd3 f/f PPT cell lines. A) CD63eGFP particles per cell are graphed for KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt CD63eGFP cell lines (n=6) and KPC; Smpd3 f/f CD63eGFP cell lines (n=6). B) Fractions were subjected to WB for sEV markers to determine the fractions that exosomes are contained within using the C-DGUC exosome isolation protocol. Expected band sizes are listed for each marker. C) The percentage of animals having PDA at end-stage in addition to the differentiation status of primary pancreatic tumors at end-stage is graphed for KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt uninjected mice (n=30), KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt mice injected with sEVs isolated from KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt PPT cell lines (n=15), KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt mice injected with sEVs isolated from KPC; Smpd3 f/f PPT cell lines (n=15), KPC; Smpd3 f/f uninjected mice (n=24), KPC; Smpd3 f/f mice injected with sEVs isolated from KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt PPT cell lines (n=9), and KPC; Smpd3 f/f mice injected with sEVs isolated from KPC; Smpd3 f/f PPT cell lines (n=9). Values plotted for uninjected mice are the same as those in . D) The percentage of animals having macrometastasis at end-stage in addition to the site of macrometastasis at end-stage is depicted for KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt uninjected mice (n=29), KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt mice injected with sEVs isolated from KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt PPT cell lines (n=14), KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt mice injected with sEVs isolated from KPC; Smpd3 f/f PPT cell lines (n=12), KPC; Smpd3 f/f uninjected mice (n=22), KPC; Smpd3 f/f mice injected with sEVs isolated from KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt PPT cell lines (n=8), and KPC; Smpd3 f/f mice injected with sEVs isolated from KPC; Smpd3 f/f PPT cell lines (n=9). Values plotted for uninjected mice are the same as those in . E) Pancreas weight/body weight is graphed for the indicated groups. Average values for uninjected KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt are 0.04396 ± 0.006112 (n=28), KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt injected with exosomes isolated from KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt are 0.05477 ± 0.007678 (n=15), and KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt injected with exosomes isolated from KPC; Smpd3 f/f are 0.06809 ± 0.009409 (n=16). F) Pancreas weight/body weight is graphed for the indicated groups. Average values for uninjected KPC; Smpd3 f/f are 0.05085 ± 0.005912, KPC; Smpd3 f/f injected with exosomes isolated from KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt are 0.06149 ± 0.01434, and KPC; Smpd3 f/f injected with exosomes isolated from KPC; Smpd3 f/f are 0.04654 ± 0.008279. G) Pancreas images at dissection for the indicated groups are depicted.

Article Snippet: Removal of the Neomycin and lacZ cassettes in Smpd3 floxed mice was confirmed by genotyping with Transnetyx.

Techniques: Isolation, Marker, Injection, Dissection

Journal: bioRxiv

Article Title: nSMase2-mediated exosome secretion shapes the tumor microenvironment to immunologically support pancreatic cancer

doi: 10.1101/2024.09.23.614610

Figure Lengend Snippet: PDA cell exosomes generated through nSMase2 accelerate PDA progression. A) Schematic of exosome injection study. B) Probability of survival for the indicated groups is graphed. Log-rank test was performed between the indicated groups. C-D) Volcano plot (C) and heat map (D) depict differentially expressed exosomal miRNAs isolated from KPC; Smpd3 f/f and KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt polyclonal PDA PPT cell lines. E) Exosomal protein abundance results for KPC; Smpd3 f/f versus KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt PPT cell lines are depicted. The x-axis shows the log2 fold change for KPC; Smpd3 f/f over KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt and the y-axis shows −log10(q-value). Significantly upregulated proteins (q-value < 0.05) are shown in green and significantly downregulated proteins are shown in red. F) Heatmap of top 40 differentially abundant exosomal proteins comparing KPC; Smpd3 f/f versus KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt , displaying log2 normalized expression. Red indicates lower abundance of a given protein in each sample and green indicates higher abundance. Rows and columns are arranged based on hierarchical clustering dendrograms (not displayed). The color bar at the top indicates the genotype. G) IPA results depict significantly differentially regulated pathways when comparing exosomal proteins from KPC; Smpd3 f/f versus KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt PPT cell lines.

Article Snippet: Removal of the Neomycin and lacZ cassettes in Smpd3 floxed mice was confirmed by genotyping with Transnetyx.

Techniques: Generated, Injection, Isolation, Quantitative Proteomics, Expressing

Journal: bioRxiv

Article Title: nSMase2-mediated exosome secretion shapes the tumor microenvironment to immunologically support pancreatic cancer

doi: 10.1101/2024.09.23.614610

Figure Lengend Snippet: sEVs generated independently of nSMase2 promote a proinflammatory macrophage phenotype. A) Heat map depicts scaled marker expression in KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt and KPC Smpd3 f/f pancreata using our 17-marker myeloid spectral flow cytometry panel. B) t-SNE of 200,683 cells stained with our spectral flow panel depict 12 clusters identified for KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt and KPC; Smpd3 f/f pancreata through FlowSOM clustering. C) Heat map of scaled marker expression and number of cells for clusters shown in B is displayed. D) Bar graphs depict percent cellular subpopulations from KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt and KPC; Smpd3 f/f pancreata for the indicated markers after gating in FlowJo. E) Immunofluorescence images depict co-labeling with F4/80, iNOS, and Dapi at 10-11 weeks of age. Scale bar is 20uM. F) Quantification of intralobular F4/80 + and iNOS + copositive cells in KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt (n=5 animals), KPC; Smpd3 f/wt (n=6 animals), and KPC; Smpd3 f/f (n=5 animals) pancreata at 10-11 weeks of age is depicted. G) Schematic of experiment to assess how nSMase2-mediated exosome biogenesis affects polarization of macrophages. H-J) RNA expression fold change in RAW 264.7 cells, with PBS treated normalized to 1, for each gene at the indicated time point and treatment condition is depicted. Results of unpaired t tests between groups shown at the time point written are depicted.

Article Snippet: Removal of the Neomycin and lacZ cassettes in Smpd3 floxed mice was confirmed by genotyping with Transnetyx.

Techniques: Generated, Marker, Expressing, Flow Cytometry, Staining, Immunofluorescence, Labeling, RNA Expression

Journal: bioRxiv

Article Title: nSMase2-mediated exosome secretion shapes the tumor microenvironment to immunologically support pancreatic cancer

doi: 10.1101/2024.09.23.614610

Figure Lengend Snippet: Functional effects of PDA cell sEVs on macrophages. A) Immunofluorescence images depict co-labeling with F4/80, Ly6G, and Dapi at 10-11 weeks of age. For KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt , n=5 animals, KPC; Smpd3 f/wt , n=5 animals, and KPC; Smpd3 f/f , n=6 animals. Scale bar is 20uM. B) Quantification of interlobular F4/80 and Ly6G in KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt , KPC; Smpd3 f/wt , and KPC; Smpd3 f/f pancreata at 10-11 weeks of age is depicted. C) Quantification of intralobular F4/80 and Ly6G in KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt , KPC; Smpd3 f/wt , and KPC; Smpd3 f/f pancreata at 10-11 weeks of age is depicted. D-F) RNA expression fold change in RAW 264.7 cells, with PBS treated normalized to 1, for each gene at the indicated time point and treatment condition is depicted. Results of unpaired t tests between groups shown at the time point written are depicted.

Article Snippet: Removal of the Neomycin and lacZ cassettes in Smpd3 floxed mice was confirmed by genotyping with Transnetyx.

Techniques: Functional Assay, Immunofluorescence, Labeling, RNA Expression

Journal: bioRxiv

Article Title: nSMase2-mediated exosome secretion shapes the tumor microenvironment to immunologically support pancreatic cancer

doi: 10.1101/2024.09.23.614610

Figure Lengend Snippet: SMPD3 is an independent prognostic factor for pancreatic cancer patient survival. A) Log2 of the normalized counts are plotted for normal human pancreatic SMPD3 expression (n=39 samples) and primary PDA SMPD3 expression (n=39 samples). B) Log2 of the normalized counts are plotted for PPT SMPD3 expression (n=231 samples) and MPT SMPD3 expression (n=158 samples) in PDA patients. C) Kaplan-Meier survival curve of the whole cohort (N = 94) with the patients dichotomized into SMPD3 high and low expression based on the median mRNA expression value. SMPD3 high group had significantly better survival (median survival of 26.5 vs 15.0 months; P = 0.0364). A (0) value indicates a censored event and a (1) value indicates a death event. D) Kaplan-Meier survival curve of the subset of the whole cohort of patients who underwent adjuvant chemotherapy (> 95% single agent gemcitabine) after surgical resection (N = 58). SMPD3 expression was significantly associated with better survival (median survival of 34.3 vs 15.9 months; P = 0.0289) indicating SMPD3 is a biomarker of adjuvant gemcitabine response. E) Kaplan-Meier survival curve of the subset of the whole cohort of patients who did not undergo adjuvant chemotherapy after surgical resection (N = 36). SMPD3 expression was not associated with survival (P = 0.8001). F-G) Kaplan-Meier curves depict patient survival based on SMPD3 expression in locally advanced primaries or metastatic PDA from the COMPASS trial for patients who received chemotherapy with modified Folfirinox or Gemcitabine plus Abraxane. SMPD3 expression was stratified into high and low with low expression defined as the maximal chi-squared statistic. H) Log2 of SMPD3 expression by hypoxia status defined by . I) Log2 of SMPD3 expression in defined Waddell structural variation subtypes in COMPASS cases is depicted. J) Kaplan-Meier curves depict patient survival based on cytoplasmic and membranous nSMase2 expression in treatment naïve primary resected PDA. Tumor, and not stromal, cell nSMase2 expression was scored in 143 patients. When comparing survival of PDA patients with low cytoplasmic nSMase2 expression (n=89, mean survival=30.1 months) and high cytoplasmic nSMase2 expression (n=54, mean survival=29.1 months), p=0.627 using the log-rank test. When comparing survival of PDA patients with low membrane nSMase2 expression (n=65, mean survival=25.6 months) and high membrane nSMase2 expression (n=78, mean survival=32.9 months), p=0.052 using the log-rank test.

Article Snippet: Removal of the Neomycin and lacZ cassettes in Smpd3 floxed mice was confirmed by genotyping with Transnetyx.

Techniques: Expressing, Adjuvant, Biomarker Discovery, Modification, Membrane

Journal: bioRxiv

Article Title: nSMase2-mediated exosome secretion shapes the tumor microenvironment to immunologically support pancreatic cancer

doi: 10.1101/2024.09.23.614610

Figure Lengend Snippet: Pathways analysis of pancreatic nSMase2 expression in PDA patients based on treatment with chemotherapy in addition to the effect of nSMase2 expression on chemosensitivity and vasculature integrity. A) IPA bar chart results show the top 15 deregulated pathways when comparing PDA patients with high SMPD3 expression in treatment naïve PPTs vs low SMPD3 expression in treatment naïve PPTs receiving adjuvant chemotherapy. The threshold line represents statistical significance. B) IPA bar chart results show the top 15 deregulated pathways when comparing PDA patients with high SMPD3 expression in treatment naïve PPTs vs low SMPD3 expression in treatment naïve PPTs not receiving adjuvant chemotherapy. C) Representative images used to score the TMA for nSMase2 low and nSMase2 high membrane and cytoplasmic labeling. D) Images depict dextran and tomato lectin, a marker of blood vessels in mice, immunofluorescence at 10-11 weeks of age in KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt and KPC; Smpd3 f/f pancreases. E) Percent pancreatic neoplastic area per field occupied by dextran is graphed for KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt (n=8) and KPC; Smpd3 f/f (n=6) mice. F) Negative log of gemcitabine IC50 for KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt , KPC; Smpd3 f/f , KPC Mock OE, and KPC Smpd3 OE cell lines is graphed. G) Quantification of total HIF1α in nSMase2 high and nSMase2 low primary pancreatic tumors of PDA patients is depicted.

Article Snippet: Removal of the Neomycin and lacZ cassettes in Smpd3 floxed mice was confirmed by genotyping with Transnetyx.

Techniques: Expressing, Adjuvant, Membrane, Labeling, Marker, Immunofluorescence

Journal: bioRxiv

Article Title: nSMase2-mediated exosome secretion shapes the tumor microenvironment to immunologically support pancreatic cancer

doi: 10.1101/2024.09.23.614610

Figure Lengend Snippet: nSMase2 regulates PDA vasculature development. A-B) Heat maps showing VEGF Signaling and HIF1α Signaling pathways in all three PPT cell lines. C) Log of transcript per million (TPM) values for Vegfa gene are graphed for sequenced PPT cell lines. Wilcoxon test was performed. D) Pancreatic CD31 and CK19 immunolabeling at 19-21 weeks of age in KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt , KPC; Smpd3 f/wt , and KPC; Smpd3 f/f mice is depicted. Scale bar is 20uM. E) Quantification of pancreatic CD31 immunofluorescence in KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt , KPC; Smpd3 f/wt , and KPC; Smpd3 f/f mice is shown. F) Pancreatic CD31 and CK19 immunolabeling at 21 days post orthotopic injection of KPC LucFlag scrambled shRNA, KPC LucFlag Smpd3 shRNA 1, and KPC LucFlag Smpd3 shRNA 2 cell lines into Rag1 KO mice 21 days post injection is depicted. Scale bar is 20uM. G) Quantification of pancreatic CD31 immunofluorescence in Rag1 KO mice injected with KPC LucFlag scrambled shRNA, KPC LucFlag Smpd3 shRNA 1, and KPC LucFlag Smpd3 shRNA 2 cell lines 21 days post injection is depicted. H) Immunohistochemistry of CD31 in primary tumors from PDA patients is depicted with low and high nSMase2 expression. I) Percent CD31 positive area in primary nSMase2 low (n=19) and nSMase2 high (n=34) pancreatic tumors from PDA patients is shown. J) Immunohistochemistry of HIF1α is depicted in primary tumors from PDA patients with low and high nSMase2 expression. K) Percent nuclear HIF1α epithelial tumor cells in primary nSMase2 low (n=5) and nSMase2 high (n=6) PDA patient pancreatic tumors is shown. L) Ratio of pancreas weight to body weight for gemcitabine and vehicle treated Rag1 KO mice 21 days after pancreatic orthotopic injection of the depicted cell lines is shown. For KPC scrambled shRNA vehicle treated mice, n=4, for KPC scrambled shRNA gemcitabine treated mice, n=9, for KPC Smpd3 shRNA 1 vehicle treated mice, n=10, for KPC Smpd3 shRNA 1 gemcitabine treated mice, n=10, for KPC Smpd3 shRNA 2 vehicle treated mice, n=10, and for KPC Smpd3 shRNA 2 gemcitabine treated mice, n=10. M) Kaplan-Meier survival curves show probability of survival for vehicle-injected KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt mice (n=12, median survival=20.29 weeks), gemcitabine-injected KPC; Smpd3 wt/wt mice (n=19, median survival=23.43 weeks), vehicle-injected KPC; Smpd3 f/f mice (n=15, median survival=23.29 weeks), gemcitabine-injected KPC; Smpd3 f/f mice (n=16, median survival=19.86 weeks). A black line indicates a censored animal.

Article Snippet: Removal of the Neomycin and lacZ cassettes in Smpd3 floxed mice was confirmed by genotyping with Transnetyx.

Techniques: Protein-Protein interactions, Immunolabeling, Immunofluorescence, Injection, shRNA, Immunohistochemistry, Expressing

Journal: bioRxiv

Article Title: Mechanistic dissection of Candidatus Liberibacter Triggered Chronic Immune Disease

doi: 10.1101/2025.05.21.654963

Figure Lengend Snippet: ( a ) Left: Tomato plants of the indicated genotypes were inoculated with Candidatus Liberibacter psyllaurous (Lpsy). Quantitative PCR (qPCR) was performed 21 days post-inoculation (DPI) to assess bacterial titers (Ct values). The photograph was taken at 60 DPI. Right: qPCR analysis was performed 6 weeks post-inoculation, and the corresponding image was captured at 7 weeks post-inoculation. ( b ) Trypan blue staining of tomato leaves from healthy and Lpsy-infected plants, highlighting cell death in infected tissues. ( c ) Cell death in tomato leaves of the indicated genotypes, measured by ion leakage assay. Ion leakage was calculated as the percentage of initial ion conductivity relative to total conductivity after boiling. ( d ) Reactive oxygen species (ROS) detection in H₂DCFDA-stained tomato leaves, visualized using a PerkinElmer IVIS Lumina S5 imaging system. Red fluorescence indicates ROS accumulation. ( e ) Quantification of leaf starch content in healthy (control) and Lpsy-infected tomato plants. Total starch levels were normalized to leaf fresh weight. ( f ) Quantification of H 2 O 2 in healthy and Lpsy-infected tomato plants. ( g ) Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis of callose deposition in the midveins of indicated tomato genotypes under healthy and Lpsy-infected conditions. Red arrows indicate sieve pores. SE, sieve element. ( h ) qRT-PCR analysis of SlPUB21 relative expression levels in eds1- edited lines and wild-type tomato under healthy and Lpsy-infected conditions. The actin gene was used as an internal control. Scale bars represent mean ± SD, n=4. Asterisks indicate statistically significant differences by one-way ANOVA and Tukey’s test ( P < 0.01).

Article Snippet: Leaves at the upper parts, without contact with the solution, were detached for imaging in a PerkinElmer IVIS Lumina S5 imager with GFP channel.

Techniques: Real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction, Staining, Infection, Imaging, Fluorescence, Starch, Control, Transmission Assay, Electron Microscopy, Quantitative RT-PCR, Expressing

Journal: BMC Cancer

Article Title: Antioxidant-mediated up-regulation of OGG1 via NRF2 induction is associated with inhibition of oxidative DNA damage in estrogen-induced breast cancer

doi: 10.1186/1471-2407-13-253

Figure Lengend Snippet: Prevention of estrogen-mediated suppression of OGG1 by antioxidants is NRF2-dependent. ( A ) Real-time PCR data (normalized to internal control cyclophilin) are presented as a bar graph to show expression levels of NRF2 mRNA in mammary tumors and mammary tissues of rats treated with E2, Vit C or BHA in presence or absence of E2 for 240 days. These data are reported as an average of fold change values obtained from at least 5 different animals ± SEM, compared to age-matched control mammary tissues. ‘*’ indicates p value <0.05 compared to respective control mammary tissues. ( B ) Western blot analyses were carried out to determine protein expression levels of NRF2 in mammary tumors and mammary tissues of rats treated with E2, Vit C, Vit C + E2, BHA and BHA + E2 for 240 days. The bar graph represents NRF2 protein fold change (mean ± SEM) in mammary tumors and mammary tissues from at least 5 different animals compared to age-matched control mammary tissues. ‘*’ indicates p value <0.05 compared to respective, age-matched control mammary tissues. ( C ) MCF-10A cells were transfected with 20 nmol/L of scrambled siRNA or siNRF2 for 48 h and western blot analysis was carried out using NRF2 antibody. Same membrane was reprobed with OGG1 and α-Tubulin antibodies. Concomitant with a decrease in NRF2 protein expression, there is a corresponding decrease in OGG1 protein expression. ( D ) MCF-10A cells were treated with E2 (10 nM), Vit C (1 mM), BHA (250 μM) or vehicle for 45 min, fixed with formaldehyde, cross-linked, and the chromatin sheared. The chromatin was immunoprecipitated with NRF2 antibody. NRF2 binding to OGG1 promoter was analyzed by real-time PCR with specific primers for the human OGG1 ARE region. The ARE region of the OGG1 promoter was also amplified from purified soluble chromatin before immunoprecipitation to show input DNA. Representative ChIP agarose gels and real-time PCR Ct values from three independent experiments are shown. (ND = not detected).

Article Snippet: Soluble chromatin was collected and incubated on a rotating platform with goat polyclonal antibody against NRF2 (Cat # sc-30915, Santa Cruz Biotechnology), overnight at 4°C.

Techniques: Real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction, Control, Expressing, Western Blot, Transfection, Membrane, Immunoprecipitation, Binding Assay, Amplification, Purification