Zeng ChengWu, Wang WenTao, Yu XiBao, Yang LiJian, Chen ShaoHua, Li YangQiu
First Affiliated Hospital, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China.
Institute of Hematology, Medical College, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China.
Sci China Life Sci. 2015 Dec;58(12):1282-7. doi: 10.1007/s11427-015-4967-4. Epub 2015 Nov 18.
Previous analyses have reported that the human monocytic cell line THP1 can be differentiated into cells with macrophage-like characteristics by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). However, little is known about the mechanism responsible for regulating this differentiation process. Here, we performed high-throughput RNA-Seq analysis to investigate the genes differently expressed in THP1 cells treated with and without PMA and examined those that may be responsible for the PMA-induced differentiation of monocytes into macrophages. We found 3,000 genes to be differentially expressed after PMA treatment. Gene ontology analysis revealed that genes related to cellular processes and regulation of biological processes were significantly enriched. KEGG analysis also demonstrated that the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were significantly enriched in the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and phagosome pathway. Importantly, we reveal an important role of the PI3K/AKT pathway in PMA-induced THP1 cell differentiation. The identified DEGs and pathways may facilitate further study of the detailed molecular mechanisms of THP1 differentiation. Thus, our results provide numerous potential therapeutic targets for modulation of the differentiation of this disease.
先前的分析报告称，人单核细胞系THP1可通过佛波酯12 - 肉豆蔻酸酯13 - 乙酸酯（PMA）分化为具有巨噬细胞样特征的细胞。然而，对于调节这一分化过程的机制知之甚少。在此，我们进行了高通量RNA测序分析，以研究在有或无PMA处理的THP1细胞中差异表达的基因，并检测那些可能负责PMA诱导单核细胞分化为巨噬细胞的基因。我们发现PMA处理后有3000个基因差异表达。基因本体分析显示，与细胞过程和生物过程调节相关的基因显著富集。KEGG分析还表明，差异表达基因（DEGs）在PI3K/AKT信号通路和吞噬体通路中显著富集。重要的是，我们揭示了PI3K/AKT通路在PMA诱导的THP1细胞分化中的重要作用。所鉴定的DEGs和通路可能有助于进一步研究THP1分化的详细分子机制。因此，我们的结果为调节这种疾病的分化提供了众多潜在的治疗靶点。
