GSE128191
Gene expression profiling of human neural crest cells and smooth muscle cells treated with DMSO or Nutlin3a
Activation of the p53 transcription factor triggers apoptosis only in certain cell types. Human neural crest cells (hNCCs), which can be generated from human embryonic stem cells, undergo apoptosis when treated with the p53 activating drug Nutlin3a. In contrast, when hNCCs are differentiated towards the smooth muscle cell lineage (early-hSMCS), they no longer undergo apoptosis in response to Nutlin3a treatment. Here, we sought to determine whether the transcriptional response to p53 activation differs between cells that are susceptible to p53-driven apoptosis and cells that are resistant to p53-driven apoptosis. To this end, we performed RNA-seq to assess the transcriptional response to Nutlin3a treatment in hNCCs and early-hSMCs. Overall design: RNA-seq was performed on hNCCs and early-hSMCs treated with DMSO (vehicle control) or Nutlin3a for 8 hours. n=3 per cell type and treatment.