@article {309, title = {Genetic and metabolic links between the murine microbiome and memory.}, journal = {Microbiome}, volume = {8}, year = {2020}, month = {2020 04 17}, pages = {53}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: Recent evidence has linked the gut microbiome to host behavior via the gut-brain axis [1-3]; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unexplored. Here, we determined the links between host genetics, the gut microbiome and memory using the genetically defined Collaborative Cross (CC) mouse cohort, complemented with microbiome and metabolomic analyses in conventional and germ-free (GF) mice.

RESULTS: A genome-wide association analysis (GWAS) identified 715 of 76,080 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that were significantly associated with short-term memory using the passive avoidance model. The identified SNPs were enriched in genes known to be involved in learning and memory functions. By 16S rRNA gene sequencing of the gut microbial community in the same CC cohort, we identified specific microorganisms that were significantly correlated with longer latencies in our retention test, including a positive correlation with Lactobacillus. Inoculation of GF mice with individual species of Lactobacillus (L. reuteri F275, L. plantarum BDGP2 or L. brevis BDGP6) resulted in significantly improved memory compared to uninoculated or E. coli DH10B inoculated controls. Untargeted metabolomics analysis revealed significantly higher levels of several metabolites, including lactate, in the stools of Lactobacillus-colonized mice, when compared to GF control mice. Moreover, we demonstrate that dietary lactate treatment alone boosted memory in conventional mice. Mechanistically, we show that both inoculation with Lactobacillus or lactate treatment significantly increased the levels of the neurotransmitter, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), in the hippocampus of the mice.

CONCLUSION: Together, this study provides new evidence for a link between Lactobacillus and memory and our results open possible new avenues for treating memory impairment disorders using specific gut microbial inoculants and/or metabolites. Video Abstract.

}, issn = {2049-2618}, doi = {10.1186/s40168-020-00817-w}, author = {Mao, Jian-Hua and Kim, Young-Mo and Zhou, Yan-Xia and Hu, Dehong and Zhong, Chenhan and Hang Chang and Brislawn, Colin J and Fansler, Sarah and Langley, Sasha and Wang, Yunshan and Peisl, B Y Loulou and Celniker, Susan E and Threadgill, David W and Wilmes, Paul and Orr, Galya and Metz, Thomas O and Jansson, Janet K and Snijders, Antoine M} } @article {79, title = {BioSig3D: High Content Screening of Three-Dimensional Cell Culture Models}, journal = {PLoS One}, volume = {11}, year = {2016}, month = {2016}, pages = {e0148379}, abstract = {

BioSig3D is a computational platform for high-content screening of three-dimensional (3D) cell culture models that are imaged in full 3D volume. It provides an end-to-end solution for designing high content screening assays, based on colony organization that is derived from segmentation of nuclei in each colony. BioSig3D also enables visualization of raw and processed 3D volumetric data for quality control, and integrates advanced bioinformatics analysis. The system consists of multiple computational and annotation modules that are coupled together with a strong use of controlled vocabularies to reduce ambiguities between different users. It is a web-based system that allows users to: design an experiment by defining experimental variables, upload a large set of volumetric images into the system, analyze and visualize the dataset, and either display computed indices as a heatmap, or phenotypic subtypes for heterogeneity analysis, or download computed indices for statistical analysis or integrative biology. BioSig3D has been used to profile baseline colony formations with two experiments: (i) morphogenesis of a panel of human mammary epithelial cell lines (HMEC), and (ii) heterogeneity in colony formation using an immortalized non-transformed cell line. These experiments reveal intrinsic growth properties of well-characterized cell lines that are routinely used for biological studies. BioSig3D is being released with seed datasets and video-based documentation.

}, issn = {1932-6203}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0148379}, author = {Bilgin, Cemal Cagatay and Fontenay, Gerald and Cheng, Qingsu and Hang Chang and Ju Han and Parvin, Bahram} } @article {102, title = {Phenotypic Characterization of Breast Invasive Carcinoma via Transferable Tissue Morphometric Patterns learned from Glioblastoma Multiforme.}, journal = {Proc IEEE Int Symp Biomed Imaging}, volume = {2016}, year = {2016}, month = {2016 Apr}, pages = {1025-1028}, abstract = {

Quantitative analysis of whole slide images (WSIs) in a large cohort may provide predictive models of clinical outcome. However, the performance of the existing techniques is hindered as a result of large technical variations (e.g., fixation, staining) and biological heterogeneities (e.g., cell type, cell state) that are always present in a large cohort. Although unsupervised feature learning provides a promising way in learning pertinent features without human intervention, its capability can be greatly limited due to the lack of well-curated examples. In this paper, we explored the transferability of knowledge acquired from a well-curated Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) dataset through its application to the representation and characterization of tissue histology from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Breast Invasive Carcinoma (BRCA) cohort. Our experimental results reveals two major phenotypic subtypes with statistically significantly different survival curves. Further differential expression analysis of these two subtypes indicates enrichment of genes regulated by NF-kB in response to TNF and genes up-regulated in response to IFNG.

}, issn = {1945-7928}, doi = {10.1109/ISBI.2016.7493440}, author = {Han, Ju and Fontenay, Gerald V and Wang, Yunfu and Jiang-Hua Mao and Hang Chang} } @article {241, title = {Stiffness of the microenvironment upregulates ERBB2 expression in 3D cultures of MCF10A within the range of mammographic density.}, journal = {Sci Rep}, volume = {6}, year = {2016}, month = {2016}, pages = {28987}, abstract = {

The effects of the stiffness of the microenvironment on the molecular response of 3D colony organization, at the maximum level of mammographic density (MD), are investigated. Phenotypic profiling reveals that 3D colony formation is heterogeneous and increased stiffness of the microenvironment, within the range of the MD, correlates with the increased frequency of aberrant 3D colony formation. Further integrative analysis of the genome-wide transcriptome and phenotypic profiling hypothesizes overexpression of ERBB2 in the premalignant MCF10A cell lines at a stiffness value that corresponds to the collagen component at high mammographic density. Subsequently, ERBB2 overexpression has been validated in the same cell line. Similar experiments with a more genetically stable cell line of 184A1 also revealed an increased frequency of aberrant colony formation with the increased stiffness; however, 184A1 did not demonstrate overexpression of ERBB2 at the same stiffness value of the high MD. These results suggest that stiffness exacerbates premalignant cell line of MCF10A.

}, issn = {2045-2322}, doi = {10.1038/srep28987}, author = {Cheng, Qingsu and Bilgin, Cemal Cagatay and Fonteney, Gerald and Hang Chang and Henderson, Matthew and Han, Ju and Parvin, Bahram} } @article {89, title = {Diagnostic and prognostic histopathology system using morphometric indices}, number = {13/886,213}, year = {2015}, month = {05/2015}, chapter = {9031306}, author = {Bahram Parvin and Hang Chang and Ju Han and Gerald Fontenay} } @inbook {288, title = {Quantification of the Dynamics of DNA Repair to Ionizing Radiation via Colocalization of 53BP1 and {\^I}{\textthreesuperior}H2AX}, booktitle = {Video Bioinformatics: From Live Imaging to Knowledge}, year = {2015}, publisher = {Springer}, organization = {Springer}, isbn = {978-3-319-23723-7}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-319-23724-4}, author = {Groesser, Torsten and Fontenay, Gerald V. and Ju Han and Hang Chang and Janice Pluth and Bahram Parvin}, editor = {Bir Bhanu and Prue Talbot} } @article {76, title = {Stress signaling from human mammary epithelial cells contributes to phenotypes of mammographic density}, journal = {Cancer Res}, volume = {74}, year = {2014}, month = {2014 Sep 15}, pages = {5032-44}, abstract = {

Telomere malfunction and other types of DNA damage induce an activin A-dependent stress response in mortal nontumorigenic human mammary epithelial cells that subsequently induces desmoplastic-like phenotypes in neighboring fibroblasts. Some characteristics of this fibroblast/stromal response, such as reduced adipocytes and increased extracellular matrix content, are observed not only in tumor tissues but also in disease-free breast tissues at high risk for developing cancer, especially high mammographic density tissues. We found that these phenotypes are induced by repression of the fatty acid translocase CD36, which is seen in desmoplastic and disease-free high mammographic density tissues. In this study, we show that epithelial cells from high mammographic density tissues have more DNA damage signaling, shorter telomeres, increased activin A secretion and an altered DNA damage response compared with epithelial cells from low mammographic density tissues. Strikingly, both telomere malfunction and activin A expression in epithelial cells can repress CD36 expression in adjacent fibroblasts. These results provide new insights into how high mammographic density arises and why it is associated with breast cancer risk, with implications for the definition of novel invention targets (e.g., activin A and CD36) to prevent breast cancer.

}, keywords = {Antigens, Breast Neoplasms, CD36, DNA Damage, Epithelial Cells, Female, Human, Humans, Mammary Glands, Phenotype, Signal Transduction}, issn = {1538-7445}, doi = {10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-13-3390}, author = {DeFilippis, Rosa Anna and Fordyce, Colleen and Patten, Kelley and Hang Chang and Zhao, Jianxin and Fontenay, Gerald V and Kerlikowske, Karla and Parvin, Bahram and Tlsty, Thea D} } @inbook {74, title = {Molecular Correlates of Morphometric Subtypes in Glioblastoma Multiforme}, booktitle = {Computational Systems Biology: From Molecular Mechanisms to Disease: Second Edition}, year = {2013}, pages = {423{\textendash}454}, publisher = {Elsevier Inc.}, organization = {Elsevier Inc.}, keywords = {Glioblastoma multiforme, Histology classification, Molecular pathology, Morphometric subtyping, Nuclear segmentation, Tumor heterogeneity, Tumor histopathology}, isbn = {9780124059269}, doi = {10.1016/B978-0-12-405926-9.00018-6}, author = {Hang Chang and Gerald Fontenay and Cemal Cagatay Bilgin and Alexander Borowsky and Paul Spellman and Bahram Parvin} } @article {82, title = {CD36 repression activates a multicellular stromal program shared by high mammographic density and tumor tissues}, journal = {Cancer Discov}, volume = {2}, year = {2012}, month = {2012 Sep}, pages = {826-39}, abstract = {

UNLABELLED: Although high mammographic density is considered one of the strongest risk factors for invasive breast cancer, the genes involved in modulating this clinical feature are unknown. Tissues of high mammographic density share key histologic features with stromal components within malignant lesions of tumor tissues, specifically low adipocyte and high extracellular matrix (ECM) content. We show that CD36, a transmembrane receptor that coordinately modulates multiple protumorigenic phenotypes, including adipocyte differentiation, angiogenesis, cell-ECM interactions, and immune signaling, is greatly repressed in multiple cell types of disease-free stroma associated with high mammographic density and tumor stroma. Using both in vitro and in vivo assays, we show that CD36 repression is necessary and sufficient to recapitulate the above-mentioned phenotypes observed in high mammographic density and tumor tissues. Consistent with a functional role for this coordinated program in tumorigenesis, we observe that clinical outcomes are strongly associated with CD36 expression.

SIGNIFICANCE: CD36 simultaneously controls adipocyte content and matrix accumulation and is coordinately repressed in multiple cell types within tumor and high mammographic density stroma, suggesting that activation of this stromal program is an early event in tumorigenesis. Levels of CD36 and extent of mammographic density are both modifiable factors that provide potential for intervention.

}, keywords = {Adipocytes, Animals, Antigens, Breast Neoplasms, CD36, Cell Differentiation, Female, Humans, Knockout, Mammography, Mice, Risk Factors, Signal Transduction, Stromal Cells}, issn = {2159-8290}, doi = {10.1158/2159-8290.CD-12-0107}, author = {DeFilippis, Rosa Anna and Hang Chang and Dumont, Nancy and Rabban, Joseph T and Chen, Yunn-Yi and Fontenay, Gerald V and Berman, Hal K and Gauthier, Mona L and Zhao, Jianxin and Hu, Donglei and Marx, James J and Tjoe, Judy A and Ziv, Elad and Febbraio, Maria and Kerlikowske, Karla and Parvin, Bahram and Tlsty, Thea D} } @article {83, title = {Identification of fluorescent compounds with non-specific binding property via high throughput live cell microscopy}, journal = {PLoS One}, volume = {7}, year = {2012}, month = {2012}, pages = {e28802}, abstract = {

INTRODUCTION: Compounds exhibiting low non-specific intracellular binding or non-stickiness are concomitant with rapid clearing and in high demand for live-cell imaging assays because they allow for intracellular receptor localization with a high signal/noise ratio. The non-stickiness property is particularly important for imaging intracellular receptors due to the equilibria involved.

METHOD: Three mammalian cell lines with diverse genetic backgrounds were used to screen a combinatorial fluorescence library via high throughput live cell microscopy for potential ligands with high in- and out-flux properties. The binding properties of ligands identified from the first screen were subsequently validated on plant root hair. A correlative analysis was then performed between each ligand and its corresponding physiochemical and structural properties.

RESULTS: The non-stickiness property of each ligand was quantified as a function of the temporal uptake and retention on a cell-by-cell basis. Our data shows that (i) mammalian systems can serve as a pre-screening tool for complex plant species that are not amenable to high-throughput imaging; (ii) retention and spatial localization of chemical compounds vary within and between each cell line; and (iii) the structural similarities of compounds can infer their non-specific binding properties.

CONCLUSION: We have validated a protocol for identifying chemical compounds with non-specific binding properties that is testable across diverse species. Further analysis reveals an overlap between the non-stickiness property and the structural similarity of compounds. The net result is a more robust screening assay for identifying desirable ligands that can be used to monitor intracellular localization. Several new applications of the screening protocol and results are also presented.

}, keywords = {Animals, Arabidopsis, Cell Line, Cell Survival, Combinatorial Chemistry Techniques, Fluorescent Dyes, Humans, Ligands, Mice, Microscopy, Small Molecule Libraries}, issn = {1932-6203}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0028802}, author = {Nath, Sangeeta and Spencer, Virginia A and Ju Han and Hang Chang and Zhang, Kai and Fontenay, Gerald V and Anderson, Charles and Hyman, Joel M and Nilsen-Hamilton, Marit and Chang, Young-Tae and Parvin, Bahram} } @conference {34, title = {Molecular bases of morphometric composition in Glioblastoma multiforme}, booktitle = {9th {IEEE} International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging: From Nano to Macro, {ISBI} 2012, May 2-5, 2012, Barcelona, Spain, Proceedings}, year = {2012}, doi = {10.1109/ISBI.2012.6235889}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/ISBI.2012.6235889}, author = {Ju Han and Hang Chang and Gerald Fontenay and Paul T. Spellman and Alexander Borowsky and Bahram Parvin} } @article {35, title = {Morphometic analysis of {TCGA} glioblastoma multiforme}, journal = {{BMC} Bioinformatics}, volume = {12}, year = {2011}, pages = {484}, doi = {10.1186/1471-2105-12-484}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1471-2105-12-484}, author = {Hang Chang and Gerald Fontenay and Ju Han and Ge Cong and Frederick L. Baehner and Joe W. Gray and Paul T. Spellman and Bahram Parvin} } @article {85, title = {Multiscale iterative voting for differential analysis of stress response for 2D and 3D cell culture models}, journal = {J Microsc}, volume = {241}, year = {2011}, month = {2011 Mar}, pages = {315-26}, abstract = {

Three-dimensional (2D) cell culture models have emerged as the basis for improved cell systems biology. However, there is a gap in robust computational techniques for segmentation of these model systems that are imaged through confocal or deconvolution microscopy. The main issues are the volume of data, overlapping subcellular compartments and variation in scale or size of subcompartments of interest, which lead to ambiguities for quantitative analysis on a cell-by-cell basis. We address these ambiguities through a series of geometric operations that constrain the problem through iterative voting and decomposition strategies. The main contributions of this paper are to (i) extend the previously developed 2D radial voting to an efficient 3D implementation, (ii) demonstrate application of iterative radial voting at multiple subcellular and molecular scales, and (iii) investigate application of the proposed technology to two endpoints between 2D and 3D cell culture models. These endpoints correspond to kinetics of DNA damage repair as measured by phosphorylation of γH2AX, and the loss of the membrane-bound E-cadherin protein as a result of ionizing radiation. Preliminary results indicate little difference in the kinetics of the DNA damage protein between 2D and 3D cell culture models; however, differences between membrane-bound E-cadherin are more pronounced.

}, keywords = {Cell Culture Techniques, Cell Line, Computer-Assisted, Epithelial Cells, Humans, Image Processing, Microscopy, Organ Culture Techniques, Physiological, Stress}, issn = {1365-2818}, doi = {10.1111/j.1365-2818.2010.03442.x}, author = {Ju Han and Hang Chang and Yang, Q and Fontenay, G and Groesser, Torsten and Barcellos-Hoff, M Helen and Parvin, B} } @article {84, title = {Persistence of γ-H2AX and 53BP1 foci in proliferating and non-proliferating human mammary epithelial cells after exposure to γ-rays or iron ions}, journal = {Int J Radiat Biol}, volume = {87}, year = {2011}, month = {2011 Jul}, pages = {696-710}, abstract = {

PURPOSE: To investigate γ-H2AX (phosphorylated histone H2AX) and 53BP1 (tumour protein 53 binding protein No. 1) foci formation and removal in proliferating and non-proliferating human mammary epithelial cells (HMEC) after exposure to sparsely and densely ionising radiation under different cell culture conditions.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: HMEC cells were grown either as monolayers (2D) or in extracellular matrix to allow the formation of acinar structures in vitro (3D). Foci numbers were quantified by image analysis at various time points after exposure.

RESULTS: Our results reveal that in non-proliferating cells under 2D and 3D cell culture conditions, iron-ion induced γ-H2AX foci were still present at 72 h after exposure, although 53BP1 foci returned to control levels at 48 h. In contrast in proliferating HMEC, both γ-H2AX and 53BP1 foci decreased to control levels during the 24-48 h time interval after irradiation under 2D conditions. Foci numbers decreased faster after γ-ray irradiation and returned to control levels by 12 h regardless of marker, cell proliferation status, and cell culture condition.

CONCLUSIONS: The disappearance of radiation-induced γ-H2AX and 53BP1 foci in HMEC has different dynamics that depend on radiation quality and proliferation status. Notably, the general patterns do not depend on the cell culture condition (2D versus 3D). We speculate that the persistent γ-H2AX foci in iron-ion irradiated non-proliferating cells could be due to limited availability of double-strand break (DSB) repair pathways in G0/G1-phase, or that repair of complex DSB requires replication or chromatin remodelling.

}, keywords = {Cell Line, Cell Proliferation, Gamma Rays, Heavy Ions, Histones, Human, Humans, Iron, Mammary Glands, Tumor Suppressor Protein p53}, issn = {1362-3095}, doi = {10.3109/09553002.2010.549535}, author = {Groesser, Torsten and Hang Chang and Gerald Fontenay and Chen, James and Costes, Sylvain V and Helen Barcellos-Hoff, Mary and Parvin, Bahram and Rydberg, Bjorn} } @article {296, title = {Active mask segmentation of fluorescence microscope images.}, journal = {IEEE Trans Image Process}, volume = {18}, year = {2009}, month = {2009 Aug}, pages = {1817-29}, abstract = {

We propose a new active mask algorithm for the segmentation of fluorescence microscope images of punctate patterns. It combines the (a) flexibility offered by active-contour methods, (b) speed offered by multiresolution methods, (c) smoothing offered by multiscale methods, and (d) statistical modeling offered by region-growing methods into a fast and accurate segmentation tool. The framework moves from the idea of the "contour" to that of "inside and outside," or masks, allowing for easy multidimensional segmentation. It adapts to the topology of the image through the use of multiple masks. The algorithm is almost invariant under initialization, allowing for random initialization, and uses a few easily tunable parameters. Experiments show that the active mask algorithm matches the ground truth well and outperforms the algorithm widely used in fluorescence microscopy, seeded watershed, both qualitatively, as well as quantitatively.

}, keywords = {Algorithms, Automated, Computer-Assisted, Cytological Techniques, Fluorescence, HeLa Cells, Humans, Image Processing, Microscopy, Pattern Recognition}, issn = {1057-7149}, doi = {10.1109/TIP.2009.2021081}, author = {Srinivasa, Gowri and Fickus, Matthew C and Yusong Guo and Linstedt, Adam D and Kovacevi{\'c}, Jelena} } @conference {43, title = {Morphometric Subtyping for a Panel of Breast Cancer Cell Lines}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2009 {IEEE} International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging: From Nano to Macro, Boston, MA, USA, June 28 - July 1, 2009}, year = {2009}, doi = {10.1109/ISBI.2009.5193168}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/ISBI.2009.5193168}, author = {Ju Han and Hang Chang and Gerald Fontenay and Nicholas J. Wang and Joe W. Gray and Bahram Parvin} }