Craniosynostosis (CS) is the congenital premature fusion of one or more cranial sutures and represents the more prevalent craniofacial malformation in humans, with an overall incidence of 1 out of 2000-3000 live births. Non-syndromic craniosynostoses (NSC) are believed to be multifactorial disorders, with a strong genetic component, due to possible genegene or geneenvironment interactions that remain to be clearly identified. In this study we delved into the molecular signaling acting in calvarial tissue and cells from patients affected by nonsynodromic midline craniosynostosis, using a comparative analysis between fused and unfused sutures of each affected individuals. Using comparative microarray tissue gene expression profiling we have identified a subset of genes involved in the structure and function of the primary cilium, including the Bardet-Biedl syndrome 9 (BBS9) gene, which was recently associated to sagittal synostosis in a GWAS study. We therefore characterized BBS9 expression and cilium-related signaling in cells isolated from patients calvarial bone.
BBS9 gene in nonsyndromic craniosynostosis: Role of the primary cilium in the aberrant ossification of the suture osteogenic niche.
Sex, Specimen part, Disease
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Integrative miRNA and whole-genome analyses of epicardial adipose tissue in patients with coronary atherosclerosis.
Age, Specimen part, Disease, Disease stage
View SamplesGene expression profiles of Human EAT vs. SAT (CTRL & CAD). The aim of the present study was to assess a gene expression chart characterizing EAT vs. SAT, and CAD vs. CTRL. Results provide the information that EAT is characterized by a differential expression of different genes when compared to its reference tissue (SAT), and that EAT is characterized by specific gene expression changes in patients with CAD.
Integrative miRNA and whole-genome analyses of epicardial adipose tissue in patients with coronary atherosclerosis.
Age, Specimen part, Disease, Disease stage
View SamplesImmunosuppression is needed in HLA identical sibling renal transplantation. We conducted a tolerance trial in this patient cohort using Alemtuzumab induction, donor hematopoietic stem cells, tacrolimus/mycophenolate immunosuppression converted to sirolimus, planning complete drug withdrawal by 24 months post-transplantation. After an additional 12 months with no immunosuppression, normal biopsies and renal function, recipients were considered tolerant. Twenty recipients were enrolled. Of the first 10 (>36 months post-transplantation), 5 had immunosuppression successfully withdrawn for 16-36 months (tolerant), 2 had disease recurrence and 3 had subclinical rejection in protocol biopsies (non-tolerant). Microchimerism disappeared after 1 year, and CD4+CD25highCD127-FOXP3+ T cells and CD19+IgD/M+CD27- B cells increased to 5 years post-transplantation in both groups, whereas immune/inflammatory gene expression pathways in the peripheral blood and urine were differentially downregulated in tolerant compared to non-tolerant recipients. Therefore, in this HLA identical renal transplant tolerance trial, absent chimerism, Treg and Breg immunophenotypes were indistinguishable between tolerant and non-tolerant recipients, but global genomic changes indicating immunomodulation were observed only in tolerant recipients.
Genomic biomarkers correlate with HLA-identical renal transplant tolerance.
Specimen part, Time
View SamplesFew families of signaling factors have been implicated in the control of development. Here we identify the neuropeptides nociceptin and somatostatin, a neurotransmitter and neuroendocrine hormone, as a class of developmental signals in chick and zebrafish. We show that signals from the anterior mesendoderm are required for the formation of anterior placode progenitors with one of the signals being somatostatin. Somatostatin controls ectodermal expression of nociceptin and both peptides regulate Pax6 in lens and olfactory progenitors. Consequently, loss of somatostatin and nociceptin signaling leads to severe reduction of lens formation. Our findings not only uncover these neuropeptides as developmental signals, but also identify a long-sought-after mechanism that initiates Pax6 in placode progenitors and may explain the ancient evolutionary origin of neuropeptides, pre-dating a complex nervous system.
Neuropeptides: developmental signals in placode progenitor formation.
Specimen part
View SamplesActivating mutations of G protein alpha subunits (Ga) occur in 4-5% of all human cancers1 but oncogenic alterations in beta subunits (Gb) have not been defined. Here we demonstrate that recurrent mutations in the Gb proteins GNB1 and GNB2 confer cytokine-independent growth and activate canonical G protein signaling. Multiple mutations in GNB1 affect the protein interface that binds Ga subunits as well as downstream effectors, and disrupt Ga-Gbg interactions. Different mutations in Gb proteins clustered to some extent based on lineage; for example, all eleven GNB1 K57 mutations were in myeloid neoplasms while 6 of 7 GNB1 I80 mutations were in B cell neoplasms. Expression of patient-derived GNB1 alleles in Cdkn2a-deficient bone marrow followed by transplantation resulted in either myeloid or B cell malignancies. In vivo treatment with the dual PI3K/mTOR inhibitor BEZ235 suppressed GNB1-induced signaling and markedly increased survival. In several human tumors, GNB1 mutations co-occurred with oncogenic kinase alterations, including BCR/ABL, JAK2 V617F and BRAF V600K. Co-expression of patient-derived GNB1 alleles with these mutant kinases resulted in inhibitor resistance in each context. Thus, GNB1 and GNB2 mutations confer transformed and resistance phenotypes across a range of human tumors and may be targetable with inhibitors of G protein signaling.
Mutations in G protein β subunits promote transformation and kinase inhibitor resistance.
Cell line, Time
View SamplesAssociation of juvenile spondyloarthritis (jSpA) with the HLA-B27 genotype is well established, but there is little knowledge of other genetic factors with a role in disease development. The aim of the present study was to identify and confirm gene signatures and novel biomarkers in various cohorts of untreated and treated patients diagnosed with jSpA and other forms of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).
Aberrant expression of shared master-key genes contributes to the immunopathogenesis in patients with juvenile spondyloarthritis.
Sex, Specimen part, Disease
View SamplesCranial placodes contribute to all sense organs and sensory ganglia in the vertebrate head. Despite their diversity they originate from a common pool of Six1/Eya2+ progenitors. In a molecular screen we identify new factors upstream of the Six1/Eya2 cassette and use these to dissect the transcriptional hierarchy that controls progenitor specification. We find that although two different tissues, the lateral head mesoderm and the prechordal mesendoderm, induce placode progenitors, both initiate a common transcriptional state, but over time gradually impart regional character.
Cell interactions, signals and transcriptional hierarchy governing placode progenitor induction.
Specimen part
View SamplesDramatic changes of gene expressions are known to occur in human endometrial stromal cells (ESC) during decidualization. The changes in gene expression are associated with changes of chromatin structure, which are regulated by epigenetic mechanisms such as histone modifications. Here, we investigated genome-wide changes in histone modifications and mRNA expressions associated with decidualization in human ESC using chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) combined with next-generation sequencing. ESC were incubated with estradiol and medroxyprogesterone acetate for 14 days to induce decidualization. The ChIP-sequence data showed that induction of decidualization increased H3K27ac and H3K4me3 signals in many genomic regions but decreased in only a few regions. Most (80%) of the H3K27ac-increased regions and half of the H3K4me3-increased regions were located in the distal promoter regions (more than 3 kb upstream or downstream of the transcription start site). RNA-sequence showed that induction of decidualization up-regulated 881 genes, 223 of which had H3K27ac- or H3K4me3-increased regions in the proximal and distal promoter regions. Induction of decidualization increased the mRNA levels of these genes more than it increased the mRNA levels of genes without H3K27ac- or H3K4me3-increased regions. Pathway analysis revealed that up-regulated genes with the H3K27ac- or H3K4me3-increased regions were associated with insulin signaling. These results show that histone modification statuses genome-widely change in human ESC by induction of decidualization. The main changes of histone modifications are increases of H3K27ac and H3K4me3 in both the proximal and distal promoter regions, which are involved in the up-regulation of gene expression that occurs during decidualization. Overall design: mRNA profiles of human endometrial stromal cells with and without EP inductions for 2 individuals. (EP induction: induction with estradiol (10-8 M) and medroxyprogesterone acetate (10-6 M))
Genome-wide DNA methylation analysis revealed stable DNA methylation status during decidualization in human endometrial stromal cells.
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View SamplesDetermine allele level expression in hybrid mice of different ages Overall design: RNASeq - HybridMouseDRN
Diverse Non-genetic, Allele-Specific Expression Effects Shape Genetic Architecture at the Cellular Level in the Mammalian Brain.
Sex, Specimen part, Subject
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