Results of the Seventh Scientific Workshop of ECCO: Precision Medicine in IBD-What, Why, and How

Many diseases that affect modern humans fall in the category of complex diseases, thus called because they result from a combination of multiple aetiological and pathogenic factors. Regardless of the organ or system affected, complex diseases present major challenges in diagnosis, classification, and management. Current forms of therapy are usually applied in an indiscriminate fashion based on clinical information, but even the most advanced drugs only benefit a limited number of patients and to a variable and unpredictable degree. This 'one measure does not fit all' situation has spurred the notion that therapy for complex disease should be tailored to individual patients or groups of patients, giving rise to the notion of 'precision medicine' [PM]. Inflammatory bowel disease [IBD] is a prototypical complex disease where the need for PM has become increasingly clear. This prompted the European Crohn's and Colitis Organisation to focus the Seventh Scientific Workshop on this emerging theme. The articles in this special issue of the Journal address the various complementary aspects of PM in IBD, including what PM is; why it is needed and how it can be used; how PM can contribute to prediction and prevention of IBD; how IBD PM can aid in prognosis and improve response to therapy; and the challenges and future directions of PM in IBD. This first article of this series is structured on three simple concepts [what, why, and how] and addresses the definition of PM, discusses the rationale for the need of PM in IBD, and outlines the methodology required to implement PM in IBD in a correct and clinically meaningful way.

Oral lichen planus interactome reveals CXCR4 and CXCL12 as candidate therapeutic targets

Today, we face difficulty in generating new hypotheses and understanding oral lichen planus due to the large amount of biomedical information available. In this research, we have used an integrated bioinformatics approach assimilating information from data mining, gene ontologies, protein–protein interaction and network analysis to predict candidate genes related to oral lichen planus. A detailed pathway analysis led us to propose two promising therapeutic targets: the stromal cell derived factor 1 (CXCL12) and the C-X-C type 4 chemokine receptor (CXCR4). We further validated our predictions and found that CXCR4 was upregulated in all oral lichen planus tissue samples. Our bioinformatics data cumulatively support the pathological role of chemokines and chemokine receptors in oral lichen planus. From a clinical perspective, we suggest a drug (plerixafor) and two therapeutic targets for future research.

Osthole attenuates APP-induced Alzheimer's disease through up-regulating miRNA-101a-3p

AIM

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a slowly progressing neurodegenerative disorder that attributed to the increase of amyloid precursor protein (APP). Recently, evidence indicates that microRNA alterations are involved in the development of AD. In this paper, we demonstrated whether osthole could delay the occurrence of AD by regulating miRNA.

METHODS

Microarray was used to discover differential miRNAs in AD. The target genes regulated by miRNA were predicted by databases; The protective effects of osthole on APP/PS1 mice were determined by Morris Water Maze, H&E and Nissl staining; The APP-SH-SY5Y cells were transfected with miRNA-101a-3p inhibitor, the expression of miRNA-101a-3p and APP mRNA in APP/PS1 mice and APP-SH-SY5Y cells were detected by RT-PCR; And western blot and ICC staining were used to detect the APP and Aβ proteins expression.

KEY FINDINGS

MiRNA-101a-3p was the osthole-mediated miRNA in AD and APP is the target gene. Osthole could increase the learning and memory ability in APP/PS1 mice and inhibit APP mRNA/protein expression by up-regulating miRNA-101a-3p. For exploring the underlying mechanism, miR-101a-3p inhibitor was transfected into the APP-SH-SY5Y cells. We can know that osthole had a protective effect on APP-SH-SY5Y cells, and it could raise miRNA-101a-3p expression and inhibit APP mRNA/protein expression, the formation of Aβ protein was inhibited too.

SIGNIFICANCE

These results emphasized that osthole had a protective effect on APP/PS1 mice and APP-SH-SY5Y cells. The main cause was due to osthole could inhibit APP expression by up-regulating miRNA-101a-3p so as to help delay the occurrence of AD.

On an algorithmic definition for the components of the minimal cell

Living cells are highly complex systems comprising a multitude of elements that are engaged in the many convoluted processes observed during the cell cycle. However, not all elements and processes are essential for cell survival and reproduction under steady-state environmental conditions. To distinguish between essential from expendable cell components and thus define the ‘minimal cell’ and the corresponding ‘minimal genome’, we postulate that the synthesis of all cell elements can be represented as a finite set of binary operators, and within this framework we show that cell elements that depend on their previous existence to be synthesized are those that are essential for cell survival. An algorithm to distinguish essential cell elements is presented and demonstrated within an interactome. Data and functions implementing the algorithm are given as supporting information. We expect that this algorithmic approach will lead to the determination of the complete interactome of the minimal cell, which could then be experimentally validated. The assumptions behind this hypothesis as well as its consequences for experimental and theoretical biology are discussed.