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Fadra N, Schultz-Rogers LE, Chanana P, Cousin MA, Macke EL, Ferrer A, Pinto E Vairo F, Olson RJ, Oliver GR, Mulvihill LA, Jenkinson G, Klee EW. Identification of skewed X chromosome inactivation using exome and transcriptome sequencing in patients with suspected rare genetic disease. BMC Genomics 2024; 25:371. [PMID: 38627676 PMCID: PMC11020449 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-024-10240-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND X-chromosome inactivation (XCI) is an epigenetic process that occurs during early development in mammalian females by randomly silencing one of two copies of the X chromosome in each cell. The preferential inactivation of either the maternal or paternal copy of the X chromosome in a majority of cells results in a skewed or non-random pattern of X inactivation and is observed in over 25% of adult females. Identifying skewed X inactivation is of clinical significance in patients with suspected rare genetic diseases due to the possibility of biased expression of disease-causing genes present on the active X chromosome. The current clinical test for the detection of skewed XCI relies on the methylation status of the methylation-sensitive restriction enzyme (Hpall) binding site present in proximity of short tandem polymorphic repeats on the androgen receptor (AR) gene. This approach using one locus results in uninformative or inconclusive data for 10-20% of tests. Further, recent studies have shown inconsistency between methylation of the AR locus and the state of inactivation of the X chromosome. Herein, we develop a method for estimating X inactivation status, using exome and transcriptome sequencing data derived from blood in 227 female samples. We built a reference model for evaluation of XCI in 135 females from the GTEx consortium. We tested and validated the model on 11 female individuals with different types of undiagnosed rare genetic disorders who were clinically tested for X-skew using the AR gene assay and compared results to our outlier-based analysis technique. RESULTS In comparison to the AR clinical test for identification of X inactivation, our method was concordant with the AR method in 9 samples, discordant in 1, and provided a measure of X inactivation in 1 sample with uninformative clinical results. We applied this method on an additional 81 females presenting to the clinic with phenotypes consistent with different hereditary disorders without a known genetic diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS This study presents the use of transcriptome and exome sequencing data to provide an accurate and complete estimation of X-inactivation and skew status in a cohort of female patients with different types of suspected rare genetic disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Numrah Fadra
- Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Laura E Schultz-Rogers
- Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
- Center for Individualized Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Pritha Chanana
- Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Margot A Cousin
- Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
- Center for Individualized Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Erica L Macke
- Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
- Center for Individualized Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Alejandro Ferrer
- Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
- Center for Individualized Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
- Division of Hematology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Filippo Pinto E Vairo
- Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
- Center for Individualized Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Rory J Olson
- Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
- Center for Individualized Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Gavin R Oliver
- Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
- Center for Individualized Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Lindsay A Mulvihill
- Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
- Center for Individualized Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Garrett Jenkinson
- Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
- Center for Individualized Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
- Department of Clinical Genomics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Eric W Klee
- Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
- Center for Individualized Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
- Department of Clinical Genomics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
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2
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Zhang L, Wu X, Fan X, Ai H. MUM1L1 as a Tumor Suppressor and Potential Biomarker in Ovarian Cancer: Evidence from Bioinformatics Analysis and Basic Experiments. Comb Chem High Throughput Screen 2023; 26:2487-2501. [PMID: 36856181 DOI: 10.2174/1386207326666230301141912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 03/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ovarian cancer (OC) is the most prevalent gynecologic malignancy, with high mortality rates. However, its pathogenesis remains unclear. The current study aimed to explore potential biomarkers and suppressor genes for diagnosing and treating OC. METHODS Biochemical and bioinformatics approaches were used to detect differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in ovarian tissues via integration analysis. Kaplan-Meier plot analysis was performed to assess progression-free survival and overall survival according to DEGs. Then, we constructed a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network based on data from the STRING database to identify the related target genes of DEGs. Finally, DEGs regulating the proliferation, migration, and invasion of SKOV3 cell lines were validated via in vitro experiments. RESULTS Four DEGs (MUM1L1, KLHDC8A, CRYGD, and GREB1) with enriched expression in ovarian tissues were explicitly expressed in the ovary based on an analysis of all human proteins. MUM1L1 had high specificity, and its expression was higher in normal ovarian tissues than in OC tissues. Kaplan-Meier plot analysis showed that a high MUM1L1 expression was associated with longer progression-free survival and overall survival in OC. Based on the PPI analysis results, CBLN4, CBLN1, PTH2R, TMEM255B, and COL23A1 were associated with MUM1L1. In vitro studies revealed that MUM1L1 overexpression decreased the proliferation, migration, and invasion ability of SKOV3 cell lines. Meanwhile, MUM1L1 knockdown had contrasting results. CONCLUSION MUM1L1 is a tumor suppressor gene and is a potential biomarker for diagnosing and treating OC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Zhang
- Graduate School, Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, Liaoning 121000, China
| | - Xue Wu
- Graduate School, Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, Liaoning 121000, China
| | - Xue Fan
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 3rd Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, Liaoning 121000, China
| | - Hao Ai
- Graduate School, Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, Liaoning 121000, China
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 3rd Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, Liaoning 121000, China
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3
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Phung TN, Olney KC, Pinto BJ, Silasi M, Perley L, O’Bryan J, Kliman HJ, Wilson MA. X chromosome inactivation in the human placenta is patchy and distinct from adult tissues. HGG ADVANCES 2022; 3:100121. [PMID: 35712697 PMCID: PMC9194956 DOI: 10.1016/j.xhgg.2022.100121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
In humans, one of the X chromosomes in genetic females is inactivated by a process called X chromosome inactivation (XCI). Variation in XCI across the placenta may contribute to observed sex differences and variability in pregnancy outcomes. However, XCI has predominantly been studied in human adult tissues. Here, we sequenced and analyzed DNA and RNA from two locations from 30 full-term pregnancies. Implementing an allele-specific approach to examine XCI, we report evidence that XCI in the human placenta is patchy, with large patches of either maternal or paternal X chromosomes inactivated. Further, using similar measurements, we show that this is in contrast to adult tissues, which generally exhibit mosaic X inactivation, where bulk samples exhibit both maternal and paternal X chromosome expression. Further, by comparing skewed samples in placenta and adult tissues, we identify genes that are uniquely inactivated or expressed in the placenta compared with adult tissues, highlighting the need for tissue-specific maps of XCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanya N. Phung
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, PO Box 874501, Tempe, AZ 85282, USA
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, PO Box 874501, Tempe, AZ 85282, USA
| | - Kimberly C. Olney
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, PO Box 874501, Tempe, AZ 85282, USA
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, PO Box 874501, Tempe, AZ 85282, USA
| | - Brendan J. Pinto
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, PO Box 874501, Tempe, AZ 85282, USA
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, PO Box 874501, Tempe, AZ 85282, USA
- Department of Zoology, Milwaukee Public Museum, Milwaukee, WI 53233, USA
| | - Michelle Silasi
- Department of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Mercy Hospital St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63141, USA
| | - Lauren Perley
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Jane O’Bryan
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Harvey J. Kliman
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Melissa A. Wilson
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, PO Box 874501, Tempe, AZ 85282, USA
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, PO Box 874501, Tempe, AZ 85282, USA
- The Biodesign Center for Mechanisms of Evolution, Arizona State University, PO Box 874501, Tempe, AZ 85282, USA
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4
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Preferential X Chromosome Inactivation as a Mechanism to Explain Female Preponderance in Myasthenia Gravis. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:genes13040696. [PMID: 35456502 PMCID: PMC9031138 DOI: 10.3390/genes13040696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2022] [Revised: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a neuromuscular autoimmune disease characterized by prevalence in young women (3:1). Several mechanisms proposed as explanations for gender bias, including skewed X chromosome inactivation (XCI) and dosage or sex hormones, are often involved in the development of autoimmunity. The skewed XCI pattern can lead to an unbalanced expression of some X-linked genes, as observed in several autoimmune disorders characterized by female predominance. No data are yet available regarding XCI and MG. We hypothesize that the preferential XCI pattern may contribute to the female bias observed in the onset of MG, especially among younger women. XCI analysis was performed on blood samples of 284 women between the ages of 20 and 82. XCI was tested using the Human Androgen Receptor Assay (HUMARA). XCI patterns were classified as random (XCI < 75%) and preferential (XCI ≥ 75%). In 121 informative patients, the frequency of skewed XCI patterns was 47%, significantly higher than in healthy controls (17%; p ≤ 0.00001). Interestingly, the phenomenon was observed mainly in younger patients (<45 years; p ≤ 0.00001). Furthermore, considering the XCI pattern and the other clinical characteristics of patients, no significant differences were found. In conclusion, we observed preferential XCI in MG female patients, suggesting its potential role in the aetiology of MG, as observed in other autoimmune diseases in women.
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5
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Mielke MM, Miller VM. Improving clinical outcomes through attention to sex and hormones in research. Nat Rev Endocrinol 2021; 17:625-635. [PMID: 34316045 PMCID: PMC8435014 DOI: 10.1038/s41574-021-00531-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Biological sex, fluctuations in sex steroid hormones throughout life and gender as a social construct all influence every aspect of health and disease. Yet, for decades, most basic and clinical studies have included only male individuals. As modern health care moves towards personalized medicine, it is clear that considering sex and hormonal status in basic and clinical studies will bring precision to the development of novel therapeutics and treatment paradigms. To this end, funding, regulatory and policy agencies now require inclusion of female animals and women in basic and clinical studies. However, inclusion of female animals and women often does not mean that information regarding potential hormonal interactions with pharmacological treatments or clinical outcomes is available. All sex steroid hormones can interact with receptors for drug targets, metabolism and transport. Genetic variation in receptors or in enzymatic function might contribute to sex differences in therapeutic efficacy and adverse drug reactions. Outcomes from clinical trials are often not reported by sex, and, if the data are available, they are not translated into clinical practice guidelines. This Review will provide a historical perspective for the current state of research related to hormone trials and provide concrete strategies that, if implemented, will improve the health of all people.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle M Mielke
- Division of Epidemiology, Department of Health Science Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
- Mayo Clinic Specialized Center of Research Excellence, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
| | - Virginia M Miller
- Mayo Clinic Specialized Center of Research Excellence, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
- Department of Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
- Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
- Mayo Clinic Women's Health Research Center, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
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6
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Sauteraud R, Stahl JM, James J, Englebright M, Chen F, Zhan X, Carrel L, Liu DJ. Inferring genes that escape X-Chromosome inactivation reveals important contribution of variable escape genes to sex-biased diseases. Genome Res 2021; 31:1629-1637. [PMID: 34426515 PMCID: PMC8415373 DOI: 10.1101/gr.275677.121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 07/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The X Chromosome plays an important role in human development and disease. However, functional genomic and disease association studies of X genes greatly lag behind autosomal gene studies, in part owing to the unique biology of X-Chromosome inactivation (XCI). Because of XCI, most genes are only expressed from one allele. Yet, ∼30% of X genes “escape” XCI and are transcribed from both alleles, many only in a proportion of the population. Such interindividual differences are likely to be disease relevant, particularly for sex-biased disorders. To understand the functional biology for X-linked genes, we developed X-Chromosome inactivation for RNA-seq (XCIR), a novel approach to identify escape genes using bulk RNA-seq data. Our method, available as an R package, is more powerful than alternative approaches and is computationally efficient to handle large population-scale data sets. Using annotated XCI states, we examined the contribution of X-linked genes to the disease heritability in the United Kingdom Biobank data set. We show that escape and variable escape genes explain the largest proportion of X heritability, which is in large part attributable to X genes with Y homology. Finally, we investigated the role of each XCI state in sex-biased diseases and found that although XY homologous gene pairs have a larger overall effect size, enrichment for variable escape genes is significantly increased in female-biased diseases. Our results, for the first time, quantitate the importance of variable escape genes for the etiology of sex-biased disease, and our pipeline allows analysis of larger data sets for a broad range of phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renan Sauteraud
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033, USA
| | - Jill M Stahl
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033, USA
| | - Jesica James
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033, USA
| | - Marisa Englebright
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033, USA
| | - Fang Chen
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033, USA.,Institute for Personalized Medicine, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033, USA
| | - Xiaowei Zhan
- Department of Clinical Science, Quantitative Biomedical Research Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390-8821, USA
| | - Laura Carrel
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033, USA
| | - Dajiang J Liu
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033, USA.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033, USA.,Institute for Personalized Medicine, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033, USA
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7
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Balaton BP, Brown CJ. Contribution of genetic and epigenetic changes to escape from X-chromosome inactivation. Epigenetics Chromatin 2021; 14:30. [PMID: 34187555 PMCID: PMC8244145 DOI: 10.1186/s13072-021-00404-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 06/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Background X-chromosome inactivation (XCI) is the epigenetic inactivation of one of two X chromosomes in XX eutherian mammals. The inactive X chromosome is the result of multiple silencing pathways that act in concert to deposit chromatin changes, including DNA methylation and histone modifications. Yet over 15% of genes escape or variably escape from inactivation and continue to be expressed from the otherwise inactive X chromosome. To the extent that they have been studied, epigenetic marks correlate with this expression. Results Using publicly available data, we compared XCI status calls with DNA methylation, H3K4me1, H3K4me3, H3K9me3, H3K27ac, H3K27me3 and H3K36me3. At genes subject to XCI we found heterochromatic marks enriched, and euchromatic marks depleted on the inactive X when compared to the active X. Genes escaping XCI were more similar between the active and inactive X. Using sample-specific XCI status calls, we found some marks differed significantly with variable XCI status, but which marks were significant was not consistent between genes. A model trained to predict XCI status from these epigenetic marks obtained over 75% accuracy for genes escaping and over 90% for genes subject to XCI. This model made novel XCI status calls for genes without allelic differences or CpG islands required for other methods. Examining these calls across a domain of variably escaping genes, we saw XCI status vary across individual genes rather than at the domain level. Lastly, we compared XCI status calls to genetic polymorphisms, finding multiple loci associated with XCI status changes at variably escaping genes, but none individually sufficient to induce an XCI status change. Conclusion The control of expression from the inactive X chromosome is multifaceted, but ultimately regulated at the individual gene level with detectable but limited impact of distant polymorphisms. On the inactive X, at silenced genes euchromatic marks are depleted while heterochromatic marks are enriched. Genes escaping inactivation show a less significant enrichment of heterochromatic marks and depletion of H3K27ac. Combining all examined marks improved XCI status prediction, particularly for genes without CpG islands or polymorphisms, as no single feature is a consistent feature of silenced or expressed genes. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13072-021-00404-9.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bradley P Balaton
- Department of Medical Genetics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Carolyn J Brown
- Department of Medical Genetics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
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8
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Sun KY, Oreper D, Schoenrock SA, McMullan R, Giusti-Rodríguez P, Zhabotynsky V, Miller DR, Tarantino LM, Pardo-Manuel de Villena F, Valdar W. Bayesian modeling of skewed X inactivation in genetically diverse mice identifies a novel Xce allele associated with copy number changes. Genetics 2021; 218:6162162. [PMID: 33693696 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyab034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2020] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Female mammals are functional mosaics of their parental X-linked gene expression due to X chromosome inactivation (XCI). This process inactivates one copy of the X chromosome in each cell during embryogenesis and that state is maintained clonally through mitosis. In mice, the choice of which parental X chromosome remains active is determined by the X chromosome controlling element (Xce), which has been mapped to a 176-kb candidate interval. A series of functional Xce alleles has been characterized or inferred for classical inbred strains based on biased, or skewed, inactivation of the parental X chromosomes in crosses between strains. To further explore the function structure basis and location of the Xce, we measured allele-specific expression of X-linked genes in a large population of F1 females generated from Collaborative Cross (CC) strains. Using published sequence data and applying a Bayesian "Pólya urn" model of XCI skew, we report two major findings. First, inter-individual variability in XCI suggests mouse epiblasts contain on average 20-30 cells contributing to brain. Second, CC founder strain NOD/ShiLtJ has a novel and unique functional allele, Xceg, that is the weakest in the Xce allelic series. Despite phylogenetic analysis confirming that NOD/ShiLtJ carries a haplotype almost identical to the well-characterized C57BL/6J (Xceb), we observed unexpected patterns of XCI skewing in females carrying the NOD/ShiLtJ haplotype within the Xce. Copy number variation is common at the Xce locus and we conclude that the observed allelic series is a product of independent and recurring duplications shared between weak Xce alleles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathie Y Sun
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.,Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Curriculum, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Daniel Oreper
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.,Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Curriculum, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Sarah A Schoenrock
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.,Neuroscience Curriculum, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Rachel McMullan
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.,Genetics and Molecular Biology Curriculum, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Paola Giusti-Rodríguez
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Vasyl Zhabotynsky
- Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Darla R Miller
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.,Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Lisa M Tarantino
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.,Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Fernando Pardo-Manuel de Villena
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.,Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - William Valdar
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.,Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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9
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Balaton BP, Fornes O, Wasserman WW, Brown CJ. Cross-species examination of X-chromosome inactivation highlights domains of escape from silencing. Epigenetics Chromatin 2021; 14:12. [PMID: 33597016 PMCID: PMC7890635 DOI: 10.1186/s13072-021-00386-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2020] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background X-chromosome inactivation (XCI) in eutherian mammals is the epigenetic inactivation of one of the two X chromosomes in XX females in order to compensate for dosage differences with XY males. Not all genes are inactivated, and the proportion escaping from inactivation varies between human and mouse (the two species that have been extensively studied). Results We used DNA methylation to predict the XCI status of X-linked genes with CpG islands across 12 different species: human, chimp, bonobo, gorilla, orangutan, mouse, cow, sheep, goat, pig, horse and dog. We determined the XCI status of 342 CpG islands on average per species, with most species having 80–90% of genes subject to XCI. Mouse was an outlier, with a higher proportion of genes subject to XCI than found in other species. Sixteen genes were found to have discordant X-chromosome inactivation statuses across multiple species, with five of these showing primate-specific escape from XCI. These discordant genes tended to cluster together within the X chromosome, along with genes with similar patterns of escape from XCI. CTCF-binding, ATAC-seq signal and LTR repeats were enriched at genes escaping XCI when compared to genes subject to XCI; however, enrichment was only observed in three or four of the species tested. LINE and DNA repeats showed enrichment around subject genes, but again not in a consistent subset of species. Conclusions In this study, we determined XCI status across 12 species, showing mouse to be an outlier with few genes that escape inactivation. Inactivation status is largely conserved across species. The clustering of genes that change XCI status across species implicates a domain-level control. In contrast, the relatively consistent, but not universal correlation of inactivation status with enrichment of repetitive elements or CTCF binding at promoters demonstrates gene-based influences on inactivation state. This study broadens enrichment analysis of regulatory elements to species beyond human and mouse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bradley P Balaton
- Department of Medical Genetics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Oriol Fornes
- Department of Medical Genetics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.,BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, Canada.,Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Wyeth W Wasserman
- Department of Medical Genetics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.,BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, Canada.,Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Carolyn J Brown
- Department of Medical Genetics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
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10
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Zhang X, Li Y, Ma L, Zhang G, Liu M, Wang C, Zheng Y, Li R. A new sex-specific underlying mechanism for female schizophrenia: accelerated skewed X chromosome inactivation. Biol Sex Differ 2020; 11:39. [PMID: 32680558 PMCID: PMC7368719 DOI: 10.1186/s13293-020-00315-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2020] [Accepted: 07/02/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND X chromosome inactivation (XCI) is the mechanism by which the X-linked gene dosage is adjusted between the sexes. Evidence shows that many sex-specific diseases have their basis in X chromosome biology. While female schizophrenia patients often have a delayed age of disease onset and clinical phenotypes that are different from those of males, it is unknown whether the sex differences in schizophrenia are associated with X-linked gene dosage and the choice of X chromosome silencing in female cells. Previous studies demonstrated that sex chromosome aneuploidies may be related to the pathogeneses of some psychiatric diseases. Here, we examined the changes in skewed XCI in patients with schizophrenia. METHODS A total of 109 female schizophrenia (SCZ) patients and 80 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (CNTLs) were included in this study. We evaluated clinical features including disease onset age, disease duration, clinical symptoms by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and antipsychotic treatment dosages. The XCI skewing patterns were analyzed by the methylation profile of the HUMARA gene found in DNA isolated from SCZ patient and CNTL leukocytes in the three age groups. RESULTS First, we found that the frequency of skewed XCI in SCZ patients was 4 times more than that in the age- and sex-matched CNTLs (p < 0.01). Second, we found an earlier onset of severe XCI skewing in the SCZ patients than in CNTLs. Third, we demonstrated a close relationship between the severity of skewed XCI and schizophrenic symptoms (PANSS score ≥ 90) as well as the age of disease onset. Fourth, we demonstrated that the skewed XCI in SCZ patients was not transmitted from the patients' mothers. LIMITATIONS The XCI skewing pattern might differ depending on tissues or organs. Although this is the first study to explore skewed XCI in SCZ, in the future, samples from different tissues or cells in SCZ patients might be important for understanding the impact of skewed XCI in this disease. CONCLUSION Our study, for the first time, investigated skewed XCI in female SCZ patients and presented a potential mechanism for the sex differences in SCZ. Our data also suggested that XCI might be a potential target for the development of female-specific interventions for SCZ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinzhu Zhang
- Beijing Institute of Brain Disorders, Laboratory of Brain Disorders, Ministry of Science and Technology, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Disorders, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Yuhong Li
- Beijing Institute of Brain Disorders, Laboratory of Brain Disorders, Ministry of Science and Technology, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Disorders, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Lei Ma
- The National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Guofu Zhang
- The National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Min Liu
- The National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Chuanyue Wang
- The National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Yi Zheng
- The National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Rena Li
- Beijing Institute of Brain Disorders, Laboratory of Brain Disorders, Ministry of Science and Technology, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Disorders, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China. .,The National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
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11
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Transmission of X-linked Ovarian Cancer: Characterization and Implications. Diagnostics (Basel) 2020; 10:diagnostics10020090. [PMID: 32046210 PMCID: PMC7167857 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics10020090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2020] [Revised: 02/03/2020] [Accepted: 02/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
We recently reported evidence that a strong, BRCA-independent locus on the X-chromosome may contribute to ovarian cancer predisposition in families ascertained from the Familial Ovarian Cancer Registry (Buffalo, NY, USA). While it has been estimated that approximately 20% of all ovarian cancer cases are hereditary, it is possible that a significant proportion of cases previously believed to be sporadic may, in fact, be X-linked. Such X-linked disease has a distinct pattern; it implies that a father will necessarily pass a risk allele to each of his daughters, increasing the prevalence of cancers clustered within a family. X-chromosome inactivation further influences the expression of X-linked alleles and may represent a novel target for screening and therapy. Herein, we review the current literature regarding X-linked ovarian cancer and interpret allele transmission-based models to characterize X-linked ovarian cancer and develop a framework for clinical and epidemiological familial ascertainment to inform the design of future studies.
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12
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Winham SJ, Larson NB, Armasu SM, Fogarty ZC, Larson MC, McCauley BM, Wang C, Lawrenson K, Gayther S, Cunningham JM, Fridley BL, Goode EL. Molecular signatures of X chromosome inactivation and associations with clinical outcomes in epithelial ovarian cancer. Hum Mol Genet 2019; 28:1331-1342. [PMID: 30576442 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddy444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2018] [Revised: 10/12/2018] [Accepted: 12/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
X chromosome inactivation (XCI) is a key epigenetic gene expression regulatory process, which may play a role in women's cancer. In particular tissues, some genes are known to escape XCI, yet patterns of XCI in ovarian cancer (OC) and their clinical associations are largely unknown. To examine XCI in OC, we integrated germline genotype with tumor copy number, gene expression and DNA methylation information from 99 OC patients. Approximately 10% of genes showed different XCI status (either escaping or being subject to XCI) compared with the studies of other tissues. Many of these genes are known oncogenes or tumor suppressors (e.g. DDX3X, TRAPPC2 and TCEANC). We also observed strong association between cis promoter DNA methylation and allele-specific expression imbalance (P = 2.0 × 10-10). Cluster analyses of the integrated data identified two molecular subgroups of OC patients representing those with regulated (N = 47) and dysregulated (N = 52) XCI. This XCI cluster membership was associated with expression of X inactive specific transcript (P = 0.002), a known driver of XCI, as well as age, grade, stage, tumor histology and extent of residual disease following surgical debulking. Patients with dysregulated XCI (N = 52) had shorter time to recurrence (HR = 2.34, P = 0.001) and overall survival time (HR = 1.87, P = 0.02) than those with regulated XCI, although results were attenuated after covariate adjustment. Similar findings were observed when restricted to high-grade serous tumors. We found evidence of a unique OC XCI profile, suggesting that XCI may play an important role in OC biology. Additional studies to examine somatic changes with paired tumor-normal tissue are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stacey J Winham
- Division of Biomedical Statistics and Informatics, Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Nicholas B Larson
- Division of Biomedical Statistics and Informatics, Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Sebastian M Armasu
- Division of Biomedical Statistics and Informatics, Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Zachary C Fogarty
- Division of Biomedical Statistics and Informatics, Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Melissa C Larson
- Division of Biomedical Statistics and Informatics, Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Brian M McCauley
- Division of Biomedical Statistics and Informatics, Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Chen Wang
- Division of Biomedical Statistics and Informatics, Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Kate Lawrenson
- Women's Cancer Program, Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Center for Bioinformatics and Functional Genomics, Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Simon Gayther
- Center for Bioinformatics and Functional Genomics, Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Julie M Cunningham
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Brooke L Fridley
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Ellen L Goode
- Division of Epidemiology, Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
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