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Kulshrestha P, Sharma S, Vishwakarma S, Ali MJ, Dave TV, Kaur I. Quality and applicability of cadaveric donor eyes for molecular biology research: An Indian experience. Indian J Ophthalmol 2024; 72:962-967. [PMID: 38454856 DOI: 10.4103/ijo.ijo_2553_23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Human ocular tissue banking plays an important part in the advancement of translational research for identifying the molecular processes involved in disease etiology and pathogenesis. Timely obtaining a good-quality ocular tissue from a cadaveric donor is exceedingly difficult, especially in remote areas, with a variable transportation time (within 12-24 h), raising concerns about RNA quality and its subsequent applications. Therefore, we assessed the utility of retinal tissues from cadaver donor and enucleated eyes based on the RNA quality and gene expression by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). SETTINGS AND DESIGN Prospective study. METHODS Retina tissues were separated from the donor/enucleated eyes received in the eye bank within 24 h of death (n = 15) and within an hour from OR (n = 3), respectively, and stored immediately at -80 degree. RNA was isolated using trizol, and the quantity and quality were assessed using Qubit and agarose gel electrophoresis, respectively. QPCR was performed for measuring the expression of different retinal-specific genes. The cellular viability of the retina was assessed by establishing explant primary cell cultures. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS The data were calculated as an average of normalised Ct values ± standard error of the mean. RESULTS RNA obtained from cadaveric tissues despite being partially degraded showed a uniform strong gene expression of several retinal-specific genes such as PAX6, RHO, TUBB3, CRX , and ALDH1L1 . The primary cultures established from cadaveric tissues showed viable cells. CONCLUSION The cadaver donor tissues collected within 24 hours of death can be effectively utilized for gene expression profiling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prerna Kulshrestha
- Brien Holden Eye Research Centre, Kallam Anji Reddy Campus, L V Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
- Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India
| | - Sarmeela Sharma
- Brien Holden Eye Research Centre, Kallam Anji Reddy Campus, L V Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
- Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India
| | - Sushma Vishwakarma
- Brien Holden Eye Research Centre, Kallam Anji Reddy Campus, L V Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
- Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India
| | - Mohammed J Ali
- Govindram Seksaria Institute of Dacryology, Kallam Anji Reddy Campus, L V Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
| | - Tarjani V Dave
- Hariram Motumal Nasta and Renu Hariram Nasta Ophthalmic Plastic Surgery Centre, Kallam Anji Reddy Campus, L V Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
| | - Inderjeet Kaur
- Brien Holden Eye Research Centre, Kallam Anji Reddy Campus, L V Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
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Żarczyńska M, Żarczyński P, Tomsia M. Nucleic Acids Persistence-Benefits and Limitations in Forensic Genetics. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:1643. [PMID: 37628694 PMCID: PMC10454188 DOI: 10.3390/genes14081643] [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: 07/13/2023] [Revised: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The analysis of genetic material may be the only way to identify an unknown person or solve a criminal case. Often, the conditions in which the genetic material was found determine the choice of the analytical method. Hence, it is extremely important to understand the influence of various factors, both external and internal, on genetic material. The review presents information on DNA and RNA persistence, depending on the chemical and physical factors affecting the genetic material integrity. One of the factors taken into account is the time elapsing to genetic material recovery. Temperature can both preserve the genetic material or lead to its rapid degradation. Radiation, aquatic environments, and various types of chemical and physical factors also affect the genetic material quality. The substances used during the forensic process, i.e., for biological trace visualization or maceration, are also discussed. Proper analysis of genetic material degradation can help determine the post-mortem interval (PMI) or time since deposition (TsD), which may play a key role in criminal cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Małgorzata Żarczyńska
- School of Medicine in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, 18 Medyków Street, 40-752 Katowice, Poland; (M.Ż.); (P.Ż.)
| | - Piotr Żarczyński
- School of Medicine in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, 18 Medyków Street, 40-752 Katowice, Poland; (M.Ż.); (P.Ż.)
| | - Marcin Tomsia
- Department of Forensic Medicine and Forensic Toxicology, Medical University of Silesia, 18 Medyków Street, 40-752 Katowice, Poland
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3
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Thakral S, Purohit P, Mishra R, Gupta V, Setia P. The impact of RNA stability and degradation in different tissues to the determination of post-mortem interval: A systematic review. Forensic Sci Int 2023; 349:111772. [PMID: 37450949 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2023.111772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Revised: 06/11/2023] [Accepted: 06/25/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
Postmortem interval (PMI) in legal medicine is extremely important for both criminal and civil cases, and several sorts of techniques have been recommended. This systematic review solely focuses on approaches linked to RNA analysis, instead of including all proposed methods for determining the PMI. The term PMI will be used in this review to indicate the time between a person's death and the postmortem examination of the body. We adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Guidelines when conducting this systematic review. The majority of studies on various tissues at various time intervals at various temperatures are non-human, and just a small number are on humans. The results are then provided using various statistical approaches. To calculate the PMI, post-mortem RNA degradation was examined using several tissues. The result so obtained had an opposite polarity. While some studies show that RNA stability in various tissues remained constant for several days after death, the other group of studies showed evident RNA degradation over time post-mortem, which was significantly influenced by temperature and other agonal factors. These factors have an impact on the multi-parametric mathematical model of ante and post-mortem factors on RNA degradation, as well as its applicability and feasibility. The estimation of PMI using RNA degradation can prove to be highly objective and efficient after controlling for the various factors and challenges that pose the estimation of RNA in forensic samples difficult.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sahil Thakral
- Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bathinda, Punjab 151001, India
| | - Purvi Purohit
- Department of Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, Rajasthan 342005, India
| | - Richa Mishra
- Department of Transfusion Medicine and Blood Bank, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bathinda, Punjab 151001, India
| | - Vaibhav Gupta
- Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Vardhman Mahavir Medical College, New Delhi, India
| | - Puneet Setia
- Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, Rajasthan 342005, India.
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Coliță CI, Olaru DG, Coliță D, Hermann DM, Coliță E, Glavan D, Popa-Wagner A. Induced Coma, Death, and Organ Transplantation: A Physiologic, Genetic, and Theological Perspective. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24065744. [PMID: 36982814 PMCID: PMC10059721 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24065744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2023] [Revised: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/19/2023] Open
Abstract
In the clinic, the death certificate is issued if brain electrical activity is no longer detectable. However, recent research has shown that in model organisms and humans, gene activity continues for at least 96 h postmortem. The discovery that many genes are still working up to 48 h after death questions our definition of death and has implications for organ transplants and forensics. If genes can be active up to 48 h after death, is the person technically still alive at that point? We discovered a very interesting parallel between genes that were upregulated in the brain after death and genes upregulated in the brains that were subjected to medically-induced coma, including transcripts involved in neurotransmission, proteasomal degradation, apoptosis, inflammation, and most interestingly, cancer. Since these genes are involved in cellular proliferation, their activation after death could represent the cellular reaction to escape mortality and raises the question of organ viability and genetics used for transplantation after death. One factor limiting the organ availability for transplantation is religious belief. However, more recently, organ donation for the benefit of humans in need has been seen as “posthumous giving of organs and tissues can be a manifestation of love spreading also to the other side of death”.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cezar-Ivan Coliță
- Doctoral School, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Carol Davila, 020276 Bucharest, Romania; (C.-I.C.)
| | - Denissa-Greta Olaru
- Department of Psychiatry, University for Medicine and Pharmacy Craiova, 200349 Craiova, Romania;
| | - Daniela Coliță
- Doctoral School, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Carol Davila, 020276 Bucharest, Romania; (C.-I.C.)
| | - Dirk M. Hermann
- Chair of Vascular Neurology, Dementia and Ageing, Department of Neurology, University Hospital Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany
| | - Eugen Coliță
- Doctoral School, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Carol Davila, 020276 Bucharest, Romania; (C.-I.C.)
| | - Daniela Glavan
- Department of Psychiatry, University for Medicine and Pharmacy Craiova, 200349 Craiova, Romania;
- Correspondence: (D.G.); (A.P.-W.)
| | - Aurel Popa-Wagner
- Department of Psychiatry, University for Medicine and Pharmacy Craiova, 200349 Craiova, Romania;
- Chair of Vascular Neurology, Dementia and Ageing, Department of Neurology, University Hospital Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany
- Correspondence: (D.G.); (A.P.-W.)
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5
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Moreira JD, Gower AC, Xue L, Alekseyev Y, Smith KK, Choi SH, Ayalon N, Farb MG, Tenan K, LeClerc A, Levy D, Benjamin EJ, Lenburg ME, Mitchell RN, Padera RF, Fetterman JL, Gopal DM. Systematic dissection, preservation, and multiomics in whole human and bovine hearts. Cardiovasc Pathol 2023; 63:107495. [PMID: 36334690 PMCID: PMC10031913 DOI: 10.1016/j.carpath.2022.107495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Revised: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES We sought to develop a rigorous, systematic protocol for the dissection and preservation of human hearts for biobanking that expands previous success in postmortem transcriptomics to multiomics from paired tissue. BACKGROUND Existing cardiac biobanks consist largely of biopsy tissue or explanted hearts in select diseases and are insufficient for correlating whole organ phenotype with clinical data. METHODS We demonstrate optimal conditions for multiomics interrogation (ribonucleic acid (RNA) sequencing, untargeted metabolomics) in hearts by evaluating the effect of technical variables (storage solution, temperature) and simulated postmortem interval (PMI) on RNA and metabolite stability. We used bovine (n=3) and human (n=2) hearts fixed in PAXgene or snap-frozen with liquid nitrogen. RESULTS Using a paired Wald test, only two of the genes assessed were differentially expressed between left ventricular samples from bovine hearts stored in PAXgene at 0 and 12 hours PMI (FDR q<0.05). We obtained similar findings in human left ventricular samples, suggesting stability of RNA transcripts at PMIs up to 12 hours. Different library preparation methods (mRNA poly-A capture vs. rRNA depletion) resulted in similar quality metrics with both library preparations achieving >95% of reads properly aligning to the reference genomes across all PMIs for bovine and human hearts. PMI had no effect on RNA Integrity Number or quantity of RNA recovered at the time points evaluated. Of the metabolites identified (855 total) using untargeted metabolomics of human left ventricular tissue, 503 metabolites remained stable across PMIs (0, 4, 8, 12 hours). Most metabolic pathways retained several stable metabolites. CONCLUSIONS Our data demonstrate a technically rigorous, reproducible protocol that will enhance cardiac biobanking practices and facilitate novel insights into human CVD. CONDENSED ABSTRACT Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality worldwide. Current biobanking practices insufficiently capture both the diverse array of phenotypes present in CVDs and the spatial heterogeneity across cardiac tissue sites. We have developed a rigorous and systematic protocol for the dissection and preservation of human cardiac biospecimens to enhance the availability of whole organ tissue for multiple applications. When combined with longitudinal clinical phenotyping, our protocol will enable multiomics in hearts to deepen our understanding of CVDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesse D Moreira
- Evans Department of Medicine and The Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Adam C Gower
- Department of Medicine, Section of Computational Biomedicine, and Clinical and Translational Science Institute, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Liying Xue
- Evans Department of Medicine and The Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Yuriy Alekseyev
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Karan K Smith
- Evans Department of Medicine and The Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Seung H Choi
- Cardiovascular Disease Initiative, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Nir Ayalon
- Cardiovascular Medicine Section, Department of Medicine, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Melissa G Farb
- Evans Department of Medicine and The Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kenneth Tenan
- BU Microarray and Sequencing Resource, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ashley LeClerc
- BU Microarray and Sequencing Resource, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Daniel Levy
- Population Sciences Branch, Division of Intramural Research, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA; Department of Medicine, Preventive Medicine & Epidemiology Section, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston University and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's Framingham Heart Study, Framingham, MA, USA
| | - Emelia J Benjamin
- Department of Medicine, Preventive Medicine & Epidemiology Section, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston University and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's Framingham Heart Study, Framingham, MA, USA; Section of Cardiovascular Medicine, Boston Medical Center/Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and Department of Epidemiology Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Marc E Lenburg
- Department of Medicine, Section of Computational Biomedicine, and Clinical and Translational Science Institute, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Richard N Mitchell
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Robert F Padera
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jessica L Fetterman
- Evans Department of Medicine and The Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Deepa M Gopal
- Evans Department of Medicine and The Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA; Cardiovascular Medicine Section, Department of Medicine, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
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Umehara T, Mori R, Murase T, Tanaka T, Kasai K, Ikematsu K, Sato H. rno-miR-203a-3p and Mex3B contribute to cell survival of iliopsoas muscle via the Socs3-Casp3 axis under severe hypothermia in rats. Leg Med (Tokyo) 2022; 59:102150. [PMID: 36198254 DOI: 10.1016/j.legalmed.2022.102150] [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: 07/05/2022] [Revised: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Forensic diagnosis of fatal hypothermia is considered difficult because no specific findings, such as molecular markers, have been identified. Therefore, determining the molecular mechanism in hypothermia and identifying novel molecular markers to assist in diagnosing fatal hypothermia are important. This study aimed to investigate microRNA (miRNA) and mRNA expression in iliopsoas muscle, which plays a role in homeostasis in mammals, to resolve the molecular mechanism in hypothermia. We generated rat models of mild, moderate, and severe hypothermia, then performed body temperature-dependent miRNA and mRNA expression analysis of the iliopsoas muscle using microarray and next-generation sequencing. Analysis showed that rno-miR-203a-3p expression was lower with decreasing body temperature, while Socs3 expression was significantly increased only by severe hypothermia. Luciferase reporter assays suggested that Socs3 expression is regulated by rno-miR-203a-3p. Socs3 and Mex3B small interfering RNA-mediated knockdown showed that suppressing Mex3B could induce the activation of Socs3, followed by a change in caspase 3/7 activity and adenosine triphosphate levels in iliopsoas muscle cells. These findings indicate that rno-miR-203a-3p and Mex3B are deactivated by a decrease in body temperature, whereby it contributes to suppressing apoptosis by accelerating Socs3. Accordingly, the rno-miR-203a-3p-Socs3-Casp3 or Mex3B-Socs3-Casp3 axis may be the part of the biological defense response to maintain homeostasis under extreme hypothermia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takahiro Umehara
- Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, 1-1 Iseigaoka, Yahatanishi-ku, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka 807-8555, Japan.
| | - Ryoichi Mori
- Department of Pathology, Nagasaki University, School of Medicine and Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan
| | - Takehiko Murase
- Division of Forensic Pathology and Science, Unit of Social Medicine, Course of Medical and Dental Sciences, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University School of Medicine, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan
| | - Toshiko Tanaka
- Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, 1-1 Iseigaoka, Yahatanishi-ku, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka 807-8555, Japan
| | - Kentaro Kasai
- Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, 1-1 Iseigaoka, Yahatanishi-ku, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka 807-8555, Japan
| | - Kazuya Ikematsu
- Division of Forensic Pathology and Science, Unit of Social Medicine, Course of Medical and Dental Sciences, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University School of Medicine, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan
| | - Hiroaki Sato
- Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, 1-1 Iseigaoka, Yahatanishi-ku, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka 807-8555, Japan
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Cieśla J, Tomsia M. Cadaveric Stem Cells: Their Research Potential and Limitations. Front Genet 2022; 12:798161. [PMID: 35003228 PMCID: PMC8727551 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.798161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
In the era of growing interest in stem cells, the availability of donors for transplantation has become a problem. The isolation of embryonic and fetal cells raises ethical controversies, and the number of adult donors is deficient. Stem cells isolated from deceased donors, known as cadaveric stem cells (CaSCs), may alleviate this problem. So far, it was possible to isolate from deceased donors mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), adipose delivered stem cells (ADSCs), neural stem cells (NSCs), retinal progenitor cells (RPCs), induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), and hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Recent studies have shown that it is possible to collect and use CaSCs from cadavers, even these with an extended postmortem interval (PMI) provided proper storage conditions (like cadaver heparinization or liquid nitrogen storage) are maintained. The presented review summarizes the latest research on CaSCs and their current therapeutic applications. It describes the developments in thanatotranscriptome and scaffolding for cadaver cells, summarizes their potential applications in regenerative medicine, and lists their limitations, such as donor’s unknown medical condition in criminal cases, limited differentiation potential, higher risk of carcinogenesis, or changing DNA quality. Finally, the review underlines the need to develop procedures determining the safe CaSCs harvesting and use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Cieśla
- School of Medicine in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland
| | - Marcin Tomsia
- Department of Forensic Medicine and Forensic Toxicology, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland
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Jia E, Zhou Y, Shi H, Pan M, Zhao X, Ge Q. Effects of brain tissue section processing and storage time on gene expression. Anal Chim Acta 2021; 1142:38-47. [PMID: 33280702 DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2020.10.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2020] [Revised: 10/20/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The pre-processing of samples is important factors that affect the results of the RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) data. However, the effects of frozen sections storage conditions on the integrity of RNA and sequencing results haven't been reported. The study of frozen section protection schemes can provide reliable experimental results for single-cell and spatial transcriptome sequencing. In this study, RNA was isolated to be studied for RNA from brain section at different temperatures (RT: room temperature, -20 °C) and storage time (0 h, 2 h, 4 h, 8 h, 12 h, 16 h, 24 h, 7day, 3week, 6month). The stability of reference genes was validated using reverse transcription quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The results showed that the storage at room temperature significantly affected RNA integrity number (RIN), and the RIN value was lower with the prolongation of storage, while the storage at -20 °C exerted less effect on the RIN value. Cresyl violet staining for brain tissue sections had little effect on RNA integrity. 1925, 899 and 3390 differential expression genes (DEGs) were screened at 2 h, 4 h and 8 h at room temperature, respectively. A total of 892, 478 and 619 genes were shown to be differentially expressed at -20 °C for 7d, 3w and 6 m, respectively. Among them, the expression of glycoprotein m6a (Gpm6a), calmodulin 1 (Calm1), calmodulin 1 (Calm2), thymosin, beta 4, X chromosome (Tmsb4x), ribosomal protein S21 (Rps21) and so on were correlated with RNA quality. According to the expression stability of 4 reference genes (Actb: beta-actin; Gapdh: glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase; 18S: 18S ribosomal; Hprt1: hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase 1), 18S is the most stable reference gene in the brain. In conclusion, the storage temperature and time of frozen sections have significant effects on RNA integrity and sequencing results. But there are still some genes that are stable and not affected by worsening of overall RNA integrity ie the decrease of RIN value. In addition, 1% cresyl violet staining can protect RNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erteng Jia
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science & Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, China
| | - Ying Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science & Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, China
| | - Huajuan Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science & Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, China
| | - Min Pan
- School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210097, China
| | - Xiangwei Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science & Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, China
| | - Qinyu Ge
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science & Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, China.
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Guo D, Wang A, Xie T, Zhang S, Cao D, Sun J. Effects of ex vivo ischemia time and delayed processing on quality of specimens in tissue biobank. Mol Med Rep 2020; 22:4278-4288. [PMID: 33000275 PMCID: PMC7533433 DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2020.11503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2020] [Accepted: 07/16/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The RNA quality of tissue biobank is crucial for translational research; however, the effects of the ex vivo ischemia time on RNA integrity and expression of genes related to hypoxia, stress, apoptosis and autophagy remains elusive. A total of 18 carcinoma tissues were stored at room temperature for 15 min, 30 min, 1, 2, 4, 8 and 24 h. The integrity and purity of isolated RNA were analyzed. Furthermore, the gene expression of mTOR, hypoxia-inducible factor 1α, phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase catalytic subunit β isoform (PI3KCB), threonine kinase 1 (AKT1), NF-κB, protein kinase AMP-activated catalytic subunit α1 (AMPKα1), caspase 8 (CASP8), unc-51 like autophagy activating kinase 1 and Fas cell surface death receptor were analyzed using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. The results demonstrated that RNA integrity numbers (RINs) remained stable in carcinoma tissues following ex vivo ischemia for 2 h at room temperature and that degradation began at 4 h (P<0.001). Additionally, the expression of PI3KCB, AKT1, AMPKα1 and CASP8 decreased at time points 8–24 h following ex vivo ischemia and delayed processing (P<0.001). In conclusion, >2 h of ex vivo ischemia and delayed processing induced RNA degradation and a decrease in RIN, and the gene expressions of PI3KCB, AKT1, AMPKα1 and CASP8 may be considered as markers to evaluate tissue quality at the gene expression level, providing a method for the standard processing and assessment of tissue specimen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Guo
- Clinical Biobank, Department of Medical Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, P.R. China
| | - Anqi Wang
- Clinical Biobank, Department of Medical Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, P.R. China
| | - Ting Xie
- Clinical Biobank, Department of Medical Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, P.R. China
| | - Sumei Zhang
- Clinical Biobank, Department of Medical Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, P.R. China
| | - Dingyan Cao
- Clinical Biobank, Department of Medical Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, P.R. China
| | - Jian Sun
- Clinical Biobank, Department of Medical Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, P.R. China
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Comparative Evaluation of RNAlater Solution and Snap Frozen Methods for Gene Expression Studies in Different Tissues. REV ROMANA MED LAB 2020. [DOI: 10.2478/rrlm-2020-0024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Introduction: Freezing of tissues with liquid nitrogen is the most common method in studies performed at the RNA level. However, the use of RNA stabilization solutions has become a popular alternative method. The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of RNAlater on RNA stabilization in different tissues.
Material and Methods: In this study, RNA were isolated from the lung, heart, liver and skeletal muscle tissues of rats that were frozen with liquid nitrogen (snap frozen, SF group) or stored in RNAlater solution (RL group), and the changes in concentration, purity, reference genes expression, and fold-change levels between groups were analyzed.
Results: In the RL group, the concentration of RNA isolated from the liver tissues was higher (P<0.05), whereas the A260/280 ratio was lower in the heart and liver tissues (P<0.05). PPIA and SRP72 genes were found to have lower Ct values in the heart tissues of rats in the RL group (P<0.05 and P<0.001, respectively) than the SF group. Expression levels of PPIA, ACTB, and SRP72 genes across the tissues were found to be different between the groups (P<0.05). The gene expression level examined in terms of fold-change was significantly different in the RL group (upregulated up to 4 folds and downregulated about 0.5 fold) (P< 0.05).
Conclusions: The results showed that RNAlater can maintain the RNA integrity and can also change the results of gene expression because it does not inhibit biological activity. The snap freezing method is more reliable because gene expression is more stable in tissues frozen with liquid nitrogen.
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11
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Zhang Y, Yu Y, Zhang J, Guan C, Liu L, Ren L. Biomarkers of myocardial injury in rats after cantharidin poisoning: Application for postmortem diagnosis and estimation of postmortem interval. Sci Rep 2020; 10:12069. [PMID: 32694590 PMCID: PMC7374104 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-69118-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2020] [Accepted: 07/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Postmortem diagnosis of cantharidin-induced myocardial injury and postmortem interval estimation (PMI) are the challenges in forensic science. Cardiac biomarkers play an important role in the prediction and diagnosis of myocardial injury and can be used to determine the PMI. Based on the evidence, we aimed to explore the biomarkers which may be used for the postmortem diagnosis of cantharidin-induced myocardial injury and PMI estimation using the study of the proteins expression of TN-T, VEGF and HIF-1α by ELISA. Results of this study suggested that postmortem pathological changes were difficult to identify due to the autolysis of myocardium 72 h after death in cantharidin poisoning group. The plasma levels of TN-T and HIF-1α/TN-T are cardiac biomarkers with higher diagnostic accuracy for postmortem diagnosis of cantharidin-induced myocardial injury, VEGF/HIF-1α promises to be a biomarker for PMI estimation. Further studies are needed to verify these biomarkers, based on population, for being a useful tool in postmortem diagnosis of cantharidin-induced myocardial injury and PMI estimation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youyou Zhang
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Yalei Yu
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Jie Zhang
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Chuhuai Guan
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Liang Liu
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China.
| | - Liang Ren
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China.
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Fattorini P, Bonin S, Marrubini G, Bertoglio B, Grignani P, Recchia E, Pitacco P, Zupanič Pajnič I, Sorçaburu-Ciglieri S, Previderè C. Highly degraded RNA can still provide molecular information: An in vitro approach. Electrophoresis 2020; 41:386-393. [PMID: 31967656 DOI: 10.1002/elps.201900200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2019] [Revised: 01/13/2020] [Accepted: 01/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The long-term survival of RNA in postmortem tissues is a tricky topic. Many aged/forensic specimens show, in fact, high rates of null/inconclusive PCR-based results, while reliable outcomes were sometimes achieved from archaeological samples. On the other hand, several data show that the RNA is a molecule that survives even to several physical-chemical stresses. In the present study, a simple protocol, which was already developed for the prolonged hydrolysis of DNA, was applied to a RNA sample extracted from blood. This protocol is based on the heat-mediated (70°C) hydrolysis for up to 36 h using ultrapure water and di-ethyl-pyro-carbonate-water as hydrolysis medium. Measurable levels of depurination were not found even if microfluidic devices showed a progressive pattern of degradation. The reverse transcription/quantitative PCR analysis of two (60 bp long) housekeeping targets (glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and porphobilinogen deaminase) showed that the percentage of amplifiable target (%AT) decreased in relation to the duration of the damaging treatment (r2 > 0.973). The comparison of the %AT in the degraded RNA and in the DNA samples that underwent the same damaging treatment showed that the %AT is always higher in RNA, reaching up to three orders of magnitude. Lastly, even the end-point PCR of blood-specific markers gave reliable results, which is in agreement with the body fluid origin of the sample. In conclusion, all the PCR-based results show that RNA maintains the ability to be retro-transcribed in short cDNA fragments even after 36 h of incubation at 70°C in mildly acidic buffers. It is therefore likely that the long-term survival of RNA samples depends mainly on the protection against RNAase attacks rather than on environmental factors (such as humidity and acidity) that are instead of great importance for the stability of DNA. As a final remark, our results suggest that the RNA analysis can be successfully performed even when DNA profiling failed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Fattorini
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | - Serena Bonin
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | | | - Barbara Bertoglio
- Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, Section of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Pierangela Grignani
- Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, Section of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Elisa Recchia
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | - Paola Pitacco
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | - Irena Zupanič Pajnič
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | | | - Carlo Previderè
- Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, Section of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
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13
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Postmortem vs. neoplastic gene expression: Clues to cancer development and therapy. Med Hypotheses 2019; 133:109381. [PMID: 31476667 DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2019.109381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2019] [Accepted: 08/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Organismal death does not immediately end gene expression. Studies of postmortem gene expression in zebrafish and mice and in the myocardium, liver, prostate, pericardial fluid, and blood of human cadavers have identified genes whose expression is increased after organismal death. Cancer can be considered a form of "un-death" since excessively proliferating cells are typically unusually resistant to apoptosis (programmed cell death), and are subject to strong selective pressure for "uncontrolled life." The changes in gene expression observed in organismal death, particularly in mammals (mice and humans), can be compared to that observed in human neoplasia, and the comparison of these expression patterns can inform us about human cancer. Here we present a hypothesis based on the following three tenets: (a) there will be distinct and opposing patterns of gene expression between the postmortem state and cancer with respect to key physiological outputs such as growth, apoptosis, invasion, and prognosis; (b) cancer cells considered more aggressive (e.g., derived from a metastasis and/or resistant to agents that suppress growth or induce apoptosis) will exhibit expression of relevant genes more unlike that of the postmortem condition while less aggressive neoplastic cells will exhibit gene expression more similar to the postmortem condition; and (c) targeting gene expression in cancer to produce a more postmortem-like pattern will promote less tumorigenic and less aggressive cell phenotypes. To evaluate components (a) and (b) of our hypothesis, we focus on previously published gene expression data from colorectal cancer (CRC) and colonic adenoma cells and compare that to postmortem expression data. This preliminary analysis in general supports our hypothesis, with more aggressive neoplastic cell types exhibiting gene expression patterns most unlike that found in the postmortem condition; this suggests that cancer and the postmortem condition represent opposing ends of a gene expression spectrum in the balance between life and death. Subsequently, we discuss the possibilities for further testing of the hypothesis, particularly for part (c), and we also discuss the possible implications of the hypothesis for cancer therapeutics.
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14
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González-Herrera L, Márquez-Ruiz AB, Serrano MJ, Ramos V, Lorente JA, Valenzuela A. mRNA expression patterns in human myocardial tissue, pericardial fluid and blood, and its contribution to the diagnosis of cause of death. Forensic Sci Int 2019; 302:109876. [PMID: 31419595 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2019.109876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2018] [Revised: 06/11/2019] [Accepted: 07/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Gene expression has become an interesting research area in forensic pathology to investigate the process of death at the molecular level. The aims of this study were to analyze changes in gene expression patterns in relation to the cause of death, and to propose new molecular markers of myocardial ischemia of potential use for the postmortem diagnosis of early ischemic heart damage in cases of sudden cardiac death (SCD). We determined mRNA levels of five proteins related with ischemic myocardial damage and repair - TNNI3, MYL3, TGFB1, MMP9 and VEGFA - in specific sites of the myocardium, blood and pericardial fluid in samples from 30 cadavers with different causes of death (SCD, multiple trauma, mechanical asphyxia, and other natural deaths). TNNI3 expression in blood, and MMP9 expression in pericardial fluid, were significantly higher when the cause of death was mechanical asphyxia, probably because of the more sensitive response of these proteins to acute systemic hypoxia/ischemia. Specifically, among SCD cases, increased MYL3, VEGFA and MMP9 values in the anterior wall of the right ventricle were found when the confirmed cause of death was acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Higher TGFB1 expression was found in the interventricular septum when AMI was not the cause of death, most likely as a reflection of the short duration of ischemia. Molecular biology techniques can provide complementary tools for the forensic diagnosis of early ischemic myocardial damage and AMI, and may make it possible to determine the duration and severity of myocardial ischemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas González-Herrera
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, Avenida de la Investigación 11, 18016 Granada, Spain.
| | - Ana Belén Márquez-Ruiz
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, Avenida de la Investigación 11, 18016 Granada, Spain
| | - María José Serrano
- GENYO, Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research, Pfizer/University of Granada/Andalusian Regional Government, Avenida de la Ilustración 114, 18016 Granada, Spain
| | - Valentín Ramos
- Forensic Pathology Service, Legal Medicine Institute of Malaga, C./Fiscal Luís Portero García 6, 29010 Málaga, Spain
| | - José Antonio Lorente
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, Avenida de la Investigación 11, 18016 Granada, Spain
| | - Aurora Valenzuela
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, Avenida de la Investigación 11, 18016 Granada, Spain
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15
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Dubaisi S, Caruso JA, Gaedigk R, Vyhlidal CA, Smith PC, Hines RN, Kocarek TA, Runge-Morris M. Developmental Expression of the Cytosolic Sulfotransferases in Human Liver. Drug Metab Dispos 2019; 47:592-600. [PMID: 30885913 PMCID: PMC6505379 DOI: 10.1124/dmd.119.086363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2019] [Accepted: 03/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The liver is the predominant organ of metabolism for many endogenous and foreign chemicals. Cytosolic sulfotransferases (SULTs) catalyze the sulfonation of drugs and other xenobiotics, as well as hormones, neurotransmitters, and sterols, with consequences that include enhanced drug elimination, hormone inactivation, and procarcinogen bioactivation. SULTs are classified into six gene families, but only SULT1 and SULT2 enzymes are expressed in human liver. We characterized the developmental expression patterns of SULT1 and SULT2 mRNAs and proteins in human liver samples using reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), RNA sequencing, and targeted quantitative proteomics. Using a set of prenatal, infant, and adult liver specimens, RT-qPCR analysis demonstrated that SULT1A1 (transcript variant 1) expression did not vary appreciably during development; SULT1C2, 1C4, and 1E1 mRNA levels were highest in prenatal and/or infant liver, and 1A2, 1B1, and 2A1 mRNA levels were highest in infant and/or adult. Hepatic SULT1A1 (transcript variant 5), 1C3, and 2B1 mRNA levels were low regardless of developmental stage. Results obtained with RNA sequencing of a different set of liver specimens (prenatal and pediatric) were generally comparable results to those of the RT-qPCR analysis, with the additional finding that SULT1A3 expression was highest during gestation. Analysis of SULT protein content in a library of human liver cytosols demonstrated that protein levels generally corresponded to the mRNAs, with the major exception that SULT1C4 protein levels were much lower than expected based on mRNA levels. These findings further support the concept that hepatic SULTs play important metabolic roles throughout the human life course, including early development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Dubaisi
- Department of Pharmacology (S.D.) and Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (J.A.C., T.A.K., M.R.-M.), Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan; Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutic Innovation, Children's Mercy Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri (R.G., C.A.V.); Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina (P.C.S.); and Office of Research and Development, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina (R.N.H.)
| | - Joseph A Caruso
- Department of Pharmacology (S.D.) and Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (J.A.C., T.A.K., M.R.-M.), Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan; Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutic Innovation, Children's Mercy Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri (R.G., C.A.V.); Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina (P.C.S.); and Office of Research and Development, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina (R.N.H.)
| | - Roger Gaedigk
- Department of Pharmacology (S.D.) and Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (J.A.C., T.A.K., M.R.-M.), Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan; Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutic Innovation, Children's Mercy Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri (R.G., C.A.V.); Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina (P.C.S.); and Office of Research and Development, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina (R.N.H.)
| | - Carrie A Vyhlidal
- Department of Pharmacology (S.D.) and Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (J.A.C., T.A.K., M.R.-M.), Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan; Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutic Innovation, Children's Mercy Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri (R.G., C.A.V.); Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina (P.C.S.); and Office of Research and Development, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina (R.N.H.)
| | - Philip C Smith
- Department of Pharmacology (S.D.) and Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (J.A.C., T.A.K., M.R.-M.), Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan; Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutic Innovation, Children's Mercy Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri (R.G., C.A.V.); Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina (P.C.S.); and Office of Research and Development, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina (R.N.H.)
| | - Ronald N Hines
- Department of Pharmacology (S.D.) and Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (J.A.C., T.A.K., M.R.-M.), Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan; Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutic Innovation, Children's Mercy Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri (R.G., C.A.V.); Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina (P.C.S.); and Office of Research and Development, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina (R.N.H.)
| | - Thomas A Kocarek
- Department of Pharmacology (S.D.) and Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (J.A.C., T.A.K., M.R.-M.), Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan; Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutic Innovation, Children's Mercy Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri (R.G., C.A.V.); Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina (P.C.S.); and Office of Research and Development, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina (R.N.H.)
| | - Melissa Runge-Morris
- Department of Pharmacology (S.D.) and Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (J.A.C., T.A.K., M.R.-M.), Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan; Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutic Innovation, Children's Mercy Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri (R.G., C.A.V.); Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina (P.C.S.); and Office of Research and Development, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina (R.N.H.)
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16
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Tu C, Du T, Ye X, Shao C, Xie J, Shen Y. Using miRNAs and circRNAs to estimate PMI in advanced stage. Leg Med (Tokyo) 2019; 38:51-57. [PMID: 30986695 DOI: 10.1016/j.legalmed.2019.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2018] [Revised: 03/26/2019] [Accepted: 04/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
In our previous study, we evaluated the stability of multi-RNA markers in heart, liver and skeletal muscle tissues of mice within 8 days after death and concluded that microRNAs (miRNAs) and circular (circRNAs) were more stable as reference genes in dead bodies than other kinds of RNAs. Based on their tissue-specific expression, we obtained reference genes for three kinds of tissues: miR-122, miR-133a and 18S in heart tissues; LC-Ogdh, circ-AFF1 and miR-122 in liver tissues; and miR-133a, circ-AFF1 in skeletal muscle tissues. For the estimation of post mortem interval (PMI), we also selected suitable biomarkers, which exhibited the best correlation coefficient with PMI. In our stability analysis of multi-RNA markers, Gapdh, Rps18, U6 and β-actin were unstable and selected as candidate target biomarkers. By analyzing the correlation between the expression levels of candidate target biomarkers and PMI, we obtained suitable target biomarkers for the three kinds of tissues, respectively. Finally, we established mathematical models of PMI estimation using the above selected reference genes and target biomarkers. The low estimated error in the validated samples demonstrated that PMI in advanced stage could be accurately predicted by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) through systematically selected effective reference genes and target biomarkers. Besides, combining the estimated results of various tissues and multi-biomarkers could improve the accuracy of PMI estimation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunyan Tu
- Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, PR China
| | - Tieshuai Du
- Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, PR China
| | - Xing Ye
- Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, PR China
| | - Chengchen Shao
- Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, PR China
| | - Jianhui Xie
- Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, PR China.
| | - Yiwen Shen
- Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, PR China.
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Mora-Ortiz M, Trichard M, Oregioni A, Claus SP. Thanatometabolomics: introducing NMR-based metabolomics to identify metabolic biomarkers of the time of death. Metabolomics 2019; 15:37. [PMID: 30834988 PMCID: PMC6476858 DOI: 10.1007/s11306-019-1498-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2018] [Accepted: 02/21/2019] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Death is the permanent cessation of the critical functions of the organism as a whole. However, the shutdown of a complex biological organism does not abruptly terminate at time of death. New high-throughput technologies allow the systematic investigation of the biochemical modulations occurring after death. Recent genomics studies have demonstrated that genes remain active after death, triggering upregulation of some genes and initiating feedback loops. These genes were mostly involved in pathways related to immunity, inflammation and cancer. These genetic modulations suggest many biochemical events persist after death, which can be captured using a metabolomics approach. OBJECTIVES This proof of concept work aimed to determine whether NMR spectroscopy could identify metabolomics changes occurring after death, and characterise the nature of these metabolomics modulations. METHODS High-resolution 1H-NMR spectroscopy was applied to six biological matrices: heart, kidney, liver, spleen, skin and white adipose tissue of ten adult mice at three different type points. RESULTS Forty-three metabolites were associated with post mortem metabolomics modulations. Kidney, heart and spleen showed the highest metabolic perturbations. Conversely, skin and white adipose tissue were the least altered matrices. Early metabolic modulations were associated with energy metabolism and DNA synthesis, by contrast, late metabolomics modulations were associated with microbial metabolism. CONCLUSIONS NMR has proven potential to determine the time of death based on post-mortem metabolomics modulations. This could be useful in the context of transplants, forensic studies and as internal quality control in metabolomics studies. Further investigations are required to validate these findings in humans in order to determine which compounds robustly reflect post-mortem metabolic fluctuations to accurately determine the time of death.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Mora-Ortiz
- Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, The University of Reading, Whiteknights Campus, Reading, RG6 6AP, UK.
- Department of Twin Research, Kings College London, St Thomas' Hospital Campus, 3rd Floor South Wing Block D, Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7EH, UK.
| | - Marianne Trichard
- Département Biologie Alimentaire à l'Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Chimie, Biologie et Physique de Bordeaux (ENSCBP), 33600, Pessac, France
| | - Alain Oregioni
- MRC Biomedical NMR Centre, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Sandrine P Claus
- Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, The University of Reading, Whiteknights Campus, Reading, RG6 6AP, UK
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Doo JG, Kim YI, Shim HS, Kim DJ, Park JW, Dong SH, Kim SH, Yeo SG. Expression of C-type lectin receptor mRNA in otitis media with effusion and chronic otitis media with and without cholesteatoma. Auris Nasus Larynx 2019; 46:672-680. [PMID: 30609964 DOI: 10.1016/j.anl.2018.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2018] [Revised: 12/21/2018] [Accepted: 12/26/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES C-type lectin receptors (CLRs) are a family of pattern recognition receptors (PRPs). The expression of CLRs has been analyzed in other diseases but has not yet been compared in patients with otitis media with effusion (OME), chronic otitis media (COM) and COM with cholesteatoma (Chole OM). This study therefore evaluated the levels of expression of mRNAs encoding Dectin-1, MR1, MR2, DC-SIGN, Syk, Card-9, Bcl-10, Malt-1, Src, DEC-205, Tim-3, Trem-1, and DAP-12 in patients with OME, COM, and Chole OM. METHODS CLR mRNA levels in patients with OME, COM, and Chole OM were assessed by real-time polymerase chain reaction. The level of expression of each mRNA was compared in patients with and without bacteria, and in patients with conductive hearing loss (CHL) and sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). RESULTS The patterns of expression of CLRs differed in patients with OME, COM, and Chole OM. Galectin-1 mRNA level was significantly higher in the COM than in the Chole OM group (p<0.05), and MR1 and Galectin-1 mRNA levels among patients with CHL were significantly higher in those with COM than with Chole OM (p<0.05). Galectin-1 mRNA level among patients with SNHL was also significantly higher in the COM than in the Chole OM group (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS The levels of expression of mRNAs encoding the CLRs Dectin-1, MR1, MR2, DC-SIGN, Syk, Card-9, Bcl-10, Malt-1, Src, DEC-205, Tim-3, Trem-1 and DAP-12 differ among patients with OME, COM, and Chole OM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeon Gang Doo
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
| | - Young Il Kim
- Medical Science Research Institute, Kyung Hee University Medical Center, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
| | - Haeng Seon Shim
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Samsung Changwon Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Changwon, Republic of Korea.
| | - Dong Joon Kim
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Samsung Changwon Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Changwon, Republic of Korea.
| | - Jeong Won Park
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Samsung Changwon Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Changwon, Republic of Korea.
| | - Sung Hwa Dong
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
| | - Sang Hoon Kim
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
| | - Seung Geun Yeo
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Medical Science Research Institute, Kyung Hee University Medical Center, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
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19
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Shen Y, Li R, Tian F, Chen Z, Lu N, Bai Y, Ge Q, Lu Z. Impact of RNA integrity and blood sample storage conditions on the gene expression analysis. Onco Targets Ther 2018; 11:3573-3581. [PMID: 29950862 PMCID: PMC6016255 DOI: 10.2147/ott.s158868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The reliability of RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) output is affected by the quality of RNAs, which is in turn dependent on the quality of samples. Therefore, the purposes of this study were to reconsider the threshold of the RNA integrity number (RIN) and propose a simple and efficient storage scheme of blood samples for RNA-seq. Patients and methods The RNAs were extracted from blood samples that were stored at different conditions and used for sequencing. The bioinformatic analyses were performed to evaluate the impact of RNA integrity and blood sample storage conditions on the gene expression analysis. Results Our outcomes showed that the samples with RIN values more than 5.3 scarcely affected the quantitative results of RNA-seq, and the influence of inherent cellular physiological processes on RNA-seq output could be negligible. Conclusion The blood samples stored at 4°C within 7 days with RIN values more than 5.3 were available for RNA-seq.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanting Shen
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China.,State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Rui Li
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Fei Tian
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhenzhu Chen
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Na Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Yunfei Bai
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Qinyu Ge
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Zuhong Lu
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China.,State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China
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20
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Evaluating the potential of housekeeping genes, rRNAs, snRNAs, microRNAs and circRNAs as reference genes for the estimation of PMI. Forensic Sci Med Pathol 2018; 14:194-201. [DOI: 10.1007/s12024-018-9973-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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21
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Microcirculation-mediated preconditioning and intracellular hypothermia. Med Hypotheses 2018; 115:8-12. [PMID: 29685204 DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2018.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2018] [Accepted: 03/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Microcirculation is a network of perfused capillaries that connects macrocirculation with the cells. Although research has provided insight into microcirculatory blood flow, our knowledge remains limited. In this article, we propose a new role of microcirculation in physiological and shock states. In healthy individuals, microcirculation maintains cellular homeostasis via preconditioning. When blood volume decreases, the ensuing microcirculatory changes result in heterogeneity of perfusion and tissue oxygenation. Initially, this is partly compensated by the preserved autoregulation and the increase in the metabolism rate of cells, but at later stages, the loss of autoregulation activates the cascade of intracellular hypothermia.
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22
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White K, Yang P, Li L, Farshori A, Medina AE, Zielke HR. Effect of Postmortem Interval and Years in Storage on RNA Quality of Tissue at a Repository of the NIH NeuroBioBank. Biopreserv Biobank 2018; 16:148-157. [PMID: 29498539 PMCID: PMC5906728 DOI: 10.1089/bio.2017.0099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Brain tissue from 1068 donors was analyzed for RNA quality as a function of postmortem interval (PMI) and years in storage. Approximately 83% of the cortical and cerebellar samples had an RNA integrity number (RIN) of 6 or greater, indicating their likely suitability for real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction research. The average RIN value was independent of the PMI, up to at least 36 hours. The RNA quality for specific donated brains could not be predicted based on the PMI. Individual samples with a low PMI could have a poor RIN value, while a sample with a PMI over 36 hours may have a high RIN value. The RIN values for control brain donors, all of whom died suddenly and unexpectedly, were marginally higher than for individuals with clinical brain disorders. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis of samples confirmed that RIN values were more critical than PMI for determining suitability of tissue for molecular biological studies and samples should be matched by their RIN values rather than PMI. Importantly, PCR analysis established that tissue stored up to 23 years at −80°C yielded high-quality RNA. These results confirm that postmortem human brain tissue collected by brain and tissue banks over decades can serve as high quality material for the study of human disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberly White
- 1 Department of Pediatrics, University of Maryland School of Medicine , Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Peixin Yang
- 2 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Maryland School of Medicine , Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Ling Li
- 1 Department of Pediatrics, University of Maryland School of Medicine , Baltimore, Maryland.,3 Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Amna Farshori
- 4 Degree Program in Osteopathic Medicine, Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine , Blacksburg, Virginia
| | - Alexandre E Medina
- 1 Department of Pediatrics, University of Maryland School of Medicine , Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Horst Ronald Zielke
- 1 Department of Pediatrics, University of Maryland School of Medicine , Baltimore, Maryland
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23
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Ferreira PG, Muñoz-Aguirre M, Reverter F, Sá Godinho CP, Sousa A, Amadoz A, Sodaei R, Hidalgo MR, Pervouchine D, Carbonell-Caballero J, Nurtdinov R, Breschi A, Amador R, Oliveira P, Çubuk C, Curado J, Aguet F, Oliveira C, Dopazo J, Sammeth M, Ardlie KG, Guigó R. The effects of death and post-mortem cold ischemia on human tissue transcriptomes. Nat Commun 2018; 9:490. [PMID: 29440659 PMCID: PMC5811508 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-02772-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 152] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2017] [Accepted: 12/22/2017] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Post-mortem tissues samples are a key resource for investigating patterns of gene expression. However, the processes triggered by death and the post-mortem interval (PMI) can significantly alter physiologically normal RNA levels. We investigate the impact of PMI on gene expression using data from multiple tissues of post-mortem donors obtained from the GTEx project. We find that many genes change expression over relatively short PMIs in a tissue-specific manner, but this potentially confounding effect in a biological analysis can be minimized by taking into account appropriate covariates. By comparing ante- and post-mortem blood samples, we identify the cascade of transcriptional events triggered by death of the organism. These events do not appear to simply reflect stochastic variation resulting from mRNA degradation, but active and ongoing regulation of transcription. Finally, we develop a model to predict the time since death from the analysis of the transcriptome of a few readily accessible tissues. RNA levels in post-mortem tissue can differ greatly from those before death. Studying the effect of post-mortem interval on the transcriptome in 36 human tissues, Ferreira et al. find that the response to death is largely tissue-specific and develop a model to predict time since death based on RNA data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro G Ferreira
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen, 208, Porto, 4200-135, Portugal. .,Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias s/n, Porto, 4200-625, Portugal.
| | - Manuel Muñoz-Aguirre
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, Barcelona, E-08003, Catalonia, Spain.,Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, E-08003, Catalonia, Spain.,Institut Hospital del Mar d'Investigacions Mediques (IMIM), Barcelona, E-08003, Catalonia, Spain.,Departament d'Estadística i Investigació Operativa, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, E-08034, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Ferran Reverter
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, Barcelona, E-08003, Catalonia, Spain.,Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, E-08003, Catalonia, Spain.,Institut Hospital del Mar d'Investigacions Mediques (IMIM), Barcelona, E-08003, Catalonia, Spain.,Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, E-08028, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Caio P Sá Godinho
- Institute of Biophysics Carlos Chagas Filho (IBCCF), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, 21941-902, Brazil
| | - Abel Sousa
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen, 208, Porto, 4200-135, Portugal.,Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias s/n, Porto, 4200-625, Portugal.,European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, CB10 1 SD, UK
| | - Alicia Amadoz
- Department of Bioinformatics, Igenomix S.A, Valencia, 46980, Spain
| | - Reza Sodaei
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, Barcelona, E-08003, Catalonia, Spain.,Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, E-08003, Catalonia, Spain.,Institut Hospital del Mar d'Investigacions Mediques (IMIM), Barcelona, E-08003, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Marta R Hidalgo
- Clinical Bioinformatics Area, Fundación Progreso y Salud (FPS), Hospital Virgen del Rocio, Sevilla, 41013, Spain
| | - Dmitri Pervouchine
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, Barcelona, E-08003, Catalonia, Spain.,Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, E-08003, Catalonia, Spain.,Institut Hospital del Mar d'Investigacions Mediques (IMIM), Barcelona, E-08003, Catalonia, Spain.,Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, 100 Novaya Street, Skolkovo, Moscow Region, 143025, Russia
| | - Jose Carbonell-Caballero
- Chromatin and Gene expression Lab, Gene Regulation, Stem Cells and Cancer Program, Centre de Regulació Genòmica (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, PRBB, Barcelona, 08003, Spain
| | - Ramil Nurtdinov
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, Barcelona, E-08003, Catalonia, Spain.,Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, E-08003, Catalonia, Spain.,Institut Hospital del Mar d'Investigacions Mediques (IMIM), Barcelona, E-08003, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Alessandra Breschi
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, Barcelona, E-08003, Catalonia, Spain.,Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, E-08003, Catalonia, Spain.,Institut Hospital del Mar d'Investigacions Mediques (IMIM), Barcelona, E-08003, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Raziel Amador
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, Barcelona, E-08003, Catalonia, Spain.,Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, E-08003, Catalonia, Spain.,Institut Hospital del Mar d'Investigacions Mediques (IMIM), Barcelona, E-08003, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Patrícia Oliveira
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen, 208, Porto, 4200-135, Portugal.,Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias s/n, Porto, 4200-625, Portugal
| | - Cankut Çubuk
- Clinical Bioinformatics Area, Fundación Progreso y Salud (FPS), Hospital Virgen del Rocio, Sevilla, 41013, Spain
| | - João Curado
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, Barcelona, E-08003, Catalonia, Spain.,Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, E-08003, Catalonia, Spain.,Institut Hospital del Mar d'Investigacions Mediques (IMIM), Barcelona, E-08003, Catalonia, Spain
| | - François Aguet
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
| | - Carla Oliveira
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen, 208, Porto, 4200-135, Portugal.,Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias s/n, Porto, 4200-625, Portugal
| | - Joaquin Dopazo
- Department of Bioinformatics, Igenomix S.A, Valencia, 46980, Spain.,Clinical Bioinformatics Area, Fundación Progreso y Salud (FPS), Hospital Virgen del Rocio, Sevilla, 41013, Spain.,Functional Genomics Node (INB), FPS, Hospital Virgen del Rocio, Sevilla, 41013, Spain.,Bioinformatics in Rare Diseases (BiER), Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), FPS, Hospital Virgen del Rocio, Sevilla, 41013, Spain
| | - Michael Sammeth
- Institute of Biophysics Carlos Chagas Filho (IBCCF), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, 21941-902, Brazil
| | - Kristin G Ardlie
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
| | - Roderic Guigó
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, Barcelona, E-08003, Catalonia, Spain. .,Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, E-08003, Catalonia, Spain. .,Institut Hospital del Mar d'Investigacions Mediques (IMIM), Barcelona, E-08003, Catalonia, Spain.
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24
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Aljakna A, Fracasso T, Sabatasso S. Molecular tissue changes in early myocardial ischemia: from pathophysiology to the identification of new diagnostic markers. Int J Legal Med 2018; 132:425-438. [DOI: 10.1007/s00414-017-1750-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2017] [Accepted: 11/20/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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25
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Zhang J, Li B, Wang Q, Wei X, Feng W, Chen Y, Huang P, Wang Z. Application of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy with chemometrics on postmortem interval estimation based on pericardial fluids. Sci Rep 2017; 7:18013. [PMID: 29269843 PMCID: PMC5740144 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-18228-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2017] [Accepted: 12/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Postmortem interval (PMI) evaluation remains a challenge in the forensic community due to the lack of efficient methods. Studies have focused on chemical analysis of biofluids for PMI estimation; however, no reports using spectroscopic methods in pericardial fluid (PF) are available. In this study, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy with attenuated total reflectance (ATR) accessory was applied to collect comprehensive biochemical information from rabbit PF at different PMIs. The PMI-dependent spectral signature was determined by two-dimensional (2D) correlation analysis. The partial least square (PLS) and nu-support vector machine (nu-SVM) models were then established based on the acquired spectral dataset. Spectral variables associated with amide I, amide II, COO-, C-H bending, and C-O or C-OH vibrations arising from proteins, polypeptides, amino acids and carbohydrates, respectively, were susceptible to PMI in 2D correlation analysis. Moreover, the nu-SVM model appeared to achieve a more satisfactory prediction than the PLS model in calibration; the reliability of both models was determined in an external validation set. The study shows the possibility of application of ATR-FTIR methods in postmortem interval estimation using PF samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji Zhang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Shanghai Forensic Service Platform, Academy of Forensic Science, Ministry of Justice, Shanghai, 200063, China
- Department of Forensic Pathology, Xian Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710061, China
| | - Bing Li
- Qingpu Branch of Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Public Security, Shanghai, 201799, China
| | - Qi Wang
- Department of Forensic Pathology, Xian Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710061, China
| | - Xin Wei
- Department of Forensic Pathology, Xian Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710061, China
| | - Weibo Feng
- Cadet Brigade, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710032, China
| | - Yijiu Chen
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Shanghai Forensic Service Platform, Academy of Forensic Science, Ministry of Justice, Shanghai, 200063, China.
| | - Ping Huang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Shanghai Forensic Service Platform, Academy of Forensic Science, Ministry of Justice, Shanghai, 200063, China.
| | - Zhenyuan Wang
- Department of Forensic Pathology, Xian Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710061, China.
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26
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Systematic analysis of gene expression patterns associated with postmortem interval in human tissues. Sci Rep 2017; 7:5435. [PMID: 28710439 PMCID: PMC5511187 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-05882-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2017] [Accepted: 06/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Postmortem mRNA degradation is considered to be the major concern in gene expression research utilizing human postmortem tissues. A key factor in this process is the postmortem interval (PMI), which is defined as the interval between death and sample collection. However, global patterns of postmortem mRNA degradation at individual gene levels across diverse human tissues remain largely unknown. In this study, we performed a systematic analysis of alteration of gene expression associated with PMI in human tissues. From the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) database, we evaluated gene expression levels of 2,016 high-quality postmortem samples from 316 donors of European descent, with PMI ranging from 1 to 27 hours. We found that PMI-related mRNA degradation is tissue-specific, gene-specific, and even genotype-dependent, thus drawing a more comprehensive picture of PMI-associated gene expression across diverse human tissues. Additionally, we also identified 266 differentially variable (DV) genes, such as DEFB4B and IFNG, whose expression is significantly dispersed between short PMI (S-PMI) and long PMI (L-PMI) groups. In summary, our analyses provide a comprehensive profile of PMI-associated gene expression, which will help interpret gene expression patterns in the evaluation of postmortem tissues.
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27
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Kim JY, Kim Y, Cha HK, Lim HY, Kim H, Chung S, Hwang JJ, Park SH, Son GH. Cell Death-Associated Ribosomal RNA Cleavage in Postmortem Tissues and Its Forensic Applications. Mol Cells 2017; 40:410-417. [PMID: 28614917 PMCID: PMC5523017 DOI: 10.14348/molcells.2017.0039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2017] [Revised: 04/24/2017] [Accepted: 05/12/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Estimation of postmortem interval (PMI) is a key issue in the field of forensic pathology. With the availability of quantitative analysis of RNA levels in postmortem tissues, several studies have assessed the postmortem degradation of constitutively expressed RNA species to estimate PMI. However, conventional RNA quantification as well as biochemical and physiological changes employed thus far have limitations related to standardization or normalization. The present study focuses on an interesting feature of the subdomains of certain RNA species, in which they are site-specifically cleaved during apoptotic cell death. We found that the D8 divergent domain of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) bearing cell death-related cleavage sites was rapidly removed during postmortem RNA degradation. In contrast to the fragile domain, the 5' terminal region of 28S rRNA was remarkably stable during the postmortem period. Importantly, the differences in the degradation rates between the two domains in mammalian 28S rRNA were highly proportional to increasing PMI with a significant linear correlation observed in mice as well as human autopsy tissues. In conclusion, we demonstrate that comparison of the degradation rates between domains of a single RNA species provides quantitative information on postmortem degradation states, which can be applied for the estimation of PMI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji Yeon Kim
- Department of Legal Medicine, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul 02841,
Korea
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul 02841,
Korea
| | - Yunmi Kim
- Department of Legal Medicine, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul 02841,
Korea
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul 02841,
Korea
| | - Hyo Kyeong Cha
- Department of Legal Medicine, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul 02841,
Korea
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul 02841,
Korea
| | - Hye Young Lim
- Department of Legal Medicine, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul 02841,
Korea
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul 02841,
Korea
| | - Hyungsub Kim
- Department of Legal Medicine, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul 02841,
Korea
| | - Sooyoung Chung
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Scranton College, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760,
Korea
| | - Juck-Joon Hwang
- Department of Legal Medicine, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul 02841,
Korea
| | - Seong Hwan Park
- Department of Legal Medicine, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul 02841,
Korea
| | - Gi Hoon Son
- Department of Legal Medicine, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul 02841,
Korea
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul 02841,
Korea
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28
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Hunter MC, Pozhitkov AE, Noble PA. Accurate predictions of postmortem interval using linear regression analyses of gene meter expression data. Forensic Sci Int 2017; 275:90-101. [PMID: 28329724 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2017.02.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2016] [Revised: 12/21/2016] [Accepted: 02/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
In criminal and civil investigations, postmortem interval is used as evidence to help sort out circumstances at the time of human death. Many biological, chemical, and physical indicators can be used to determine the postmortem interval - but most are not accurate. Here, we sought to validate an experimental design to accurately predict the time of death by analyzing the expression of hundreds of upregulated genes in two model organisms, the zebrafish and mouse. In a previous study, the death of healthy adults was conducted under strictly controlled conditions to minimize the effects of confounding factors such as lifestyle and temperature. A total of 74,179 microarray probes were calibrated using the Gene Meter approach and the transcriptional profiles of 1063 genes that significantly increased in abundance were assembled into a time series spanning from life to 48 or 96h postmortem. In this study, the experimental design involved splitting the transcription profiles into training and testing datasets, randomly selecting groups of profiles, determining the modeling parameters of the genes to postmortem time using over- and/or perfectly-defined linear regression analyses, and calculating the fit (R2) and slope of predicted versus actual postmortem times. This design was repeated several thousand to million times to find the top predictive groups of gene transcription profiles. A group of eleven zebrafish genes yielded R2 of 1 and a slope of 0.99, while a group of seven mouse liver genes yielded a R2 of 0.98 and a slope of 0.97, and seven mouse brain genes yielded a R2 of 0.95 and a slope of 0.87. In all cases, groups of gene transcripts yielded better postmortem time predictions than individual gene transcripts. The significance of this study is two-fold: selected groups of gene transcripts provide accurate prediction of postmortem time, and the successfully validated experimental design can now be used to accurately predict postmortem time in cadavers.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Colby Hunter
- Ph.D. Microbiology Program, Department of Biological Sciences, Alabama State University, Montgomery, AL, 36104, USA.
| | - Alex E Pozhitkov
- Department of Oral Health Sciences, University of Washington, Box 357444, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.
| | - Peter A Noble
- Ph.D. Microbiology Program, Department of Biological Sciences, Alabama State University, Montgomery, AL, 36104, USA; Department of Oral Health Sciences, University of Washington, Box 357444, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA; Department of Periodontics, School of Dentistry, Box 355061, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 98195, USA.
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29
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Pozhitkov AE, Neme R, Domazet-Lošo T, Leroux BG, Soni S, Tautz D, Noble PA. Tracing the dynamics of gene transcripts after organismal death. Open Biol 2017; 7:160267. [PMID: 28123054 PMCID: PMC5303275 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.160267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2016] [Accepted: 12/12/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In life, genetic and epigenetic networks precisely coordinate the expression of genes-but in death, it is not known if gene expression diminishes gradually or abruptly stops or if specific genes and pathways are involved. We studied this by identifying mRNA transcripts that apparently increase in relative abundance after death, assessing their functions, and comparing their abundance profiles through postmortem time in two species, mouse and zebrafish. We found mRNA transcript profiles of 1063 genes became significantly more abundant after death of healthy adult animals in a time series spanning up to 96 h postmortem. Ordination plots revealed non-random patterns in the profiles by time. While most of these transcript levels increased within 0.5 h postmortem, some increased only at 24 and 48 h postmortem. Functional characterization of the most abundant transcripts revealed the following categories: stress, immunity, inflammation, apoptosis, transport, development, epigenetic regulation and cancer. The data suggest a step-wise shutdown occurs in organismal death that is manifested by the apparent increase of certain transcripts with various abundance maxima and durations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex E Pozhitkov
- Department of Oral Health Sciences, University of Washington, PO Box 357444, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, August-Thienemann-Strasse 2, 24306 Ploen, Germany
| | - Rafik Neme
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, August-Thienemann-Strasse 2, 24306 Ploen, Germany
| | - Tomislav Domazet-Lošo
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Genetics, Division of Molecular Biology, Ruđer Bošković Institute, 10002 Zagreb, Croatia
- Catholic University of Croatia, Ilica 242, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Brian G Leroux
- Department of Oral Health Sciences, University of Washington, PO Box 357444, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Shivani Soni
- Department of Biological Sciences, Alabama State University, Montgomery, AL 36101-0271, USA
| | - Diethard Tautz
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, August-Thienemann-Strasse 2, 24306 Ploen, Germany
| | - Peter A Noble
- Department of Periodontics, University of Washington, PO Box 357444, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Alabama State University, Montgomery, AL 36101-0271, USA
- PhD Program in Microbiology, Alabama State University, Montgomery, AL 36101-0271, USA
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30
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Lee DG, Yang KE, Hwang JW, Kang HS, Lee SY, Choi S, Shin J, Jang IS, An HJ, Chung H, Jung HI, Choi JS. Degradation of Kidney and Psoas Muscle Proteins as Indicators of Post-Mortem Interval in a Rat Model, with Use of Lateral Flow Technology. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0160557. [PMID: 27552165 PMCID: PMC4995019 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0160557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2015] [Accepted: 07/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigated potential protein markers of post-mortem interval (PMI) using rat kidney and psoas muscle. Tissue samples were taken at 12 h intervals for up to 96 h after death by suffocation. Expression levels of eight soluble proteins were analyzed by Western blotting. Degradation patterns of selected proteins were clearly divided into three groups: short-term, mid-term, and long-term PMI markers based on the half maximum intensity of intact protein expression. In kidney, glycogen synthase (GS) and glycogen synthase kinase-3β were degraded completely within 48 h making them short-term PMI markers. AMP-activated protein kinase α, caspase 3 and GS were short-term PMI markers in psoas muscle. Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) was a mid-term PMI marker in both tissues. Expression levels of the typical long-term PMI markers, p53 and β-catenin, were constant for at least 96 h post-mortem in both tissues. The degradation patterns of GS and caspase-3 were verified by immunohistochemistry in both tissues. GAPDH was chosen as a test PMI protein to perform a lateral flow assay (LFA). The presence of recombinant GAPDH was clearly detected in LFA and quantified in a concentration-dependent manner. These results suggest that LFA might be used to estimate PMI at a crime scene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong-Gi Lee
- Biological Disaster Analysis Group, Korea Basic Science Institute, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyeong Eun Yang
- Biological Disaster Analysis Group, Korea Basic Science Institute, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Jeong Won Hwang
- Biological Disaster Analysis Group, Korea Basic Science Institute, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Hwan-Soo Kang
- Biological Disaster Analysis Group, Korea Basic Science Institute, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Seung-Yeul Lee
- Biological Disaster Analysis Group, Korea Basic Science Institute, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Seoyeon Choi
- National Core Research Center for Nanomedical Technology, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Joonchul Shin
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Ik-Soon Jang
- Biological Disaster Analysis Group, Korea Basic Science Institute, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun Joo An
- Graduate School of Analytical Science and Technology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Heesun Chung
- Graduate School of Analytical Science and Technology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyo-Il Jung
- National Core Research Center for Nanomedical Technology, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- * E-mail: (HIJ); (JSC)
| | - Jong-Soon Choi
- Biological Disaster Analysis Group, Korea Basic Science Institute, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
- Graduate School of Analytical Science and Technology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
- * E-mail: (HIJ); (JSC)
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Differential expression and localization of Ankrd2 isoforms in human skeletal and cardiac muscles. Histochem Cell Biol 2016; 146:569-584. [PMID: 27393496 DOI: 10.1007/s00418-016-1465-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/25/2016] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Four human Ankrd2 transcripts, reported in the Ensembl database, code for distinct protein isoforms (360, 333, 327 and 300 aa), and so far, their existence, specific expression and localization patterns have not been studied in detail. Ankrd2 is preferentially expressed in the slow fibers of skeletal muscle. It is found in both the nuclei and the cytoplasm of skeletal muscle cells, and its localization is prone to change during differentiation and upon stress. Ankrd2 has also been detected in the heart, in ventricular cardiomyocytes and in the intercalated disks (ICDs). The main objective of this study was to distinguish between the Ankrd2 isoforms and to determine the contribution of each one to the general profile of Ankrd2 expression in striated muscles. We demonstrated that the known expression and localization pattern of Ankrd2 in striated muscle can be attributed to the isoform of 333 aa which is dominant in both tissues, while the designated cardiac and canonical isoform of 360 aa was less expressed in both tissues. The 360 aa isoform has a distinct nuclear localization in human skeletal muscle, as well as in primary myoblasts and myotubes. In contrast to the isoform of 333 aa, it was not preferentially expressed in slow fibers and not localized to the ICDs of human cardiomyocytes. Regulation of the expression of both isoforms is achieved at the transcriptional level. Our results set the stage for investigation of the specific functions and interactions of the Ankrd2 isoforms in healthy and diseased human striated muscles.
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Walker DG, Whetzel AM, Serrano G, Sue LI, Lue LF, Beach TG. Characterization of RNA isolated from eighteen different human tissues: results from a rapid human autopsy program. Cell Tissue Bank 2016; 17:361-75. [PMID: 27083469 DOI: 10.1007/s10561-016-9555-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2015] [Accepted: 04/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Many factors affect the integrity of messenger RNA from human autopsy tissues including postmortem interval (PMI) between death and tissue preservation and the pre-mortem agonal and disease states. In this communication, we describe RNA isolation and characterization of 389 samples from 18 different tissues from elderly donors who were participants in a rapid whole-body autopsy program located in Sun City, Arizona ( www.brainandbodydonationprogram.org ). Most tissues were collected within a PMI of 2-6 h (median 3.15 h; N = 455), but for this study, tissue from cases with longer PMIs (1.25-29.25 h) were included. RNA quality was assessed by RNA integrity number (RIN) and total yield (ng RNA/mg tissue). RIN correlated with PMI for heart (r = -0.531, p = 0.009) and liver (r = -558, p = 0.0017), while RNA yield correlated with PMI for colon (r = -485, p = 0.016) and skin (r = -0.460, p = 0.031). RNAs with the lowest integrity were from skin and cervix where 22.7 and 31.4 % of samples respectively failed to produce intact RNA; by contrast all samples from esophagus, lymph node, jejunum, lung, stomach, submandibular gland and kidney produced RNA with measurable RINs. Expression levels in heart RNA of 4 common housekeeping normalization genes showed significant correlations of Ct values with RIN, but only one gene, glyceraldehyde-3 phosphate dehydrogenase, showed a correlation of Ct with PMI. There were no correlations between RIN values obtained for liver, adrenal, cervix, esophagus and lymph node and those obtained from corresponding brain samples. We show that high quality RNA can be produced from most human autopsy tissues, though with significant differences between tissues and donors. The RNA stability and yield did not depend solely on PMI; other undetermined factors are involved, but these do not include the age of the donor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas G Walker
- Banner Sun Health Research Institute, Sun City, AZ, USA.
- Laboratory of Neuroinflammation, Biodesign Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center, Arizona State University, Room 538, School of Life Sciences - E Wing, 427 E. Tyler Mall, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA.
| | | | - Geidy Serrano
- Banner Sun Health Research Institute, Sun City, AZ, USA
| | - Lucia I Sue
- Banner Sun Health Research Institute, Sun City, AZ, USA
| | - Lih-Fen Lue
- Laboratory of Neuroinflammation, Biodesign Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center, Arizona State University, Room 538, School of Life Sciences - E Wing, 427 E. Tyler Mall, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA
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González-Herrera L, Valenzuela A, Ramos V, Blázquez A, Villanueva E. Cardiac troponin T determination by a highly sensitive assay in postmortem serum and pericardial fluid. Forensic Sci Med Pathol 2016; 12:181-8. [PMID: 26956978 DOI: 10.1007/s12024-016-9749-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/18/2016] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The main objective of this study was to test, for the first time, a highly sensitive cardiac troponin T (cTnThs) assay in postmortem serum and pericardial fluid and to evaluate cardiac troponin T (cTnT) levels and their stability after death at different postmortem intervals, in an attempt to determine the viability of the cTnThs assay in the postmortem diagnosis of the cause of death. METHODS cTnT levels were determined in serum and pericardial fluid samples taken from 58 cadavers at known postmortem intervals, whose causes of death were categorized into the following groups: (1) sudden cardiac deaths, (2) multiple trauma, (3) mechanical asphyxia, and (4) other natural deaths. cTnT was determined by inmunoassay, using the Troponin T highly sensitive STAT assay (Roche(®)). RESULTS Average cTnT levels measured by a highly sensitive assay in postmortem serum were markedly higher than clinical serum levels. Moreover, similar results, higher cTnT levels in postmortem pericardial fluid, were obtained when compared to levels found in pericardial fluid taken from two living patients during coronary artery bypass surgery. cTnT levels in both postmortem fluids remained stable for up to 34 h after death. No differences in cTnT levels in either postmortem fluid by sex and age were detected. Levels of cTnT found in pericardial fluid in the other natural deaths group were significantly lower than the cTnT levels found in that postmortem fluid from any of the other causes of death groups. CONCLUSION It is therefore reasonable to conclude that determination of cTnT by a highly sensitive assay in pericardial fluid can provide forensic pathologists with a complementary test to the diagnosis of cause of death.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas González-Herrera
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, Avenida de la Investigación 11, 18071, Granada, Spain.
| | - Aurora Valenzuela
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, Avenida de la Investigación 11, 18071, Granada, Spain
| | - Valentín Ramos
- Forensic Pathology Service, Instituto de Medicina Legal, Ciudad de la Justicia, Fiscal Luís Portero García 6, 29010, Málaga, Spain
| | - Antonia Blázquez
- Clinical Analysis Service, San Cecilio's Universitary Hospital, Avenida Doctor Olóriz 16, 18012, Granada, Spain
| | - Enrique Villanueva
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, Avenida de la Investigación 11, 18071, Granada, Spain
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Poór VS, Lukács D, Nagy T, Rácz E, Sipos K. The rate of RNA degradation in human dental pulp reveals post-mortem interval. Int J Legal Med 2015; 130:615-9. [PMID: 26608472 DOI: 10.1007/s00414-015-1295-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2015] [Accepted: 11/17/2015] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Post-mortem interval (PMI) is the amount of time elapsed since the time of death. Over the years, many methods were developed to assess PMI, but their precision and time frame of applicability are often limited. Our present pilot study aimed to prove if RNA degradation of human dental pulp can be used for PMI estimation. RNA was isolated from the pulps of healthy wisdom teeth and premolars. RNA degradation was determined as RNA integrity number (RIN) with Agilent Bioanalyzer and subsequently by amplification of different length products by PCR after reverse transcription. The RNA integrity analysis allowed us to determine the time of post-mortem interval with high confidence level in the first 21 days. With the PCR-based method, we were able to perform a crude estimation of incubation time of teeth between 20 and 42 days post extraction. These results show that this method might be a promising new tool for PMI estimation despite the limitations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viktor S Poór
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Pécs, Hungary Szigeti Street 12, Pécs, Hungary
| | - Dénes Lukács
- Dentoalveolar Division of Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Pécs, Dischka Győző Street 5, Pécs, Hungary
| | - Tamás Nagy
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Pécs, Ifjúság Street 13, Pécs, Hungary
| | - Evelin Rácz
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Pécs, Hungary Szigeti Street 12, Pécs, Hungary
| | - Katalin Sipos
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Pécs, Hungary Szigeti Street 12, Pécs, Hungary.
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Chapman JR, Waldenström J. With Reference to Reference Genes: A Systematic Review of Endogenous Controls in Gene Expression Studies. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0141853. [PMID: 26555275 PMCID: PMC4640531 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0141853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 198] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2015] [Accepted: 10/13/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The choice of reference genes that are stably expressed amongst treatment groups is a crucial step in real-time quantitative PCR gene expression studies. Recent guidelines have specified that a minimum of two validated reference genes should be used for normalisation. However, a quantitative review of the literature showed that the average number of reference genes used across all studies was 1.2. Thus, the vast majority of studies continue to use a single gene, with β-actin (ACTB) and/or glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) being commonly selected in studies of vertebrate gene expression. Few studies (15%) tested a panel of potential reference genes for stability of expression before using them to normalise data. Amongst studies specifically testing reference gene stability, few found ACTB or GAPDH to be optimal, whereby these genes were significantly less likely to be chosen when larger panels of potential reference genes were screened. Fewer reference genes were tested for stability in non-model organisms, presumably owing to a dearth of available primers in less well characterised species. Furthermore, the experimental conditions under which real-time quantitative PCR analyses were conducted had a large influence on the choice of reference genes, whereby different studies of rat brain tissue showed different reference genes to be the most stable. These results highlight the importance of validating the choice of normalising reference genes before conducting gene expression studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanne R. Chapman
- Centre for Ecology and Evolution in Microbial Model Systems, Linnaeus University, Kalmar, Sweden
- * E-mail:
| | - Jonas Waldenström
- Centre for Ecology and Evolution in Microbial Model Systems, Linnaeus University, Kalmar, Sweden
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Exploration of the R code-based mathematical model for PMI estimation using profiling of RNA degradation in rat brain tissue at different temperatures. Forensic Sci Med Pathol 2015; 11:530-7. [PMID: 26363634 DOI: 10.1007/s12024-015-9703-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/29/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Precise estimation of postmortem interval (PMI) is crucial in some criminal cases. This study aims to find some optimal markers for PMI estimation and build a mathematical model that could be used in various temperature conditions. Different mRNA and microRNA markers in rat brain samples were detected using real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR at 12 time points within 144 h postmortem and at temperatures of 4, 15, 25, and 35 °C. Samples from 36 other rats were used to verify the animal mathematical model. Brain-specific mir-9 and mir-125b are effective endogenous control markers that are not affected by PMI up to 144 h postmortem under these temperatures, whereas the commonly used U6 is not a suitable endogenous control in this study. Among all the candidate markers, ΔCt (β-actin) has the best correlation coefficient with PMI and was used to build a new model using R software which can simultaneously manage both PMI and temperature parameters. This animal mathematical model is verified using samples from 36 other rats and shows increased accuracy for higher temperatures and longer PMI. In this study, β-actin was found to be an optimal marker to estimate PMI and some other markers were found to be suitable to act as endogenous controls. Additionally, we have used R code software to build a model of PMI estimation that could be used in various temperature conditions.
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Javan GT, Can I, Finley SJ, Soni S. The apoptotic thanatotranscriptome associated with the liver of cadavers. Forensic Sci Med Pathol 2015; 11:509-16. [PMID: 26318598 DOI: 10.1007/s12024-015-9704-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/03/2015] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Gene expression investigations are well-established components of ante mortem studies with broad applications ranging from elucidating basic mechanisms responsible for normal physiological processes to discovering therapeutic targets in pathophysiological conditions. However, gene expression studies and their application in the medico-legal field are still in their infancy. Therefore, the present study focuses on RNA using PCR array in the analysis of gene expression associated with tissues taken from actual criminal cases. RNA was extracted from the liver tissues of bodies with PMIs between 6 and 48 h. The results demonstrated that mRNA was stable up to 48 h postmortem. Further, as cell death is an indispensable and necessary part of the biological life cycle, apoptotic gene expression profiles were investigated. The gene expression related to the programmed cell death found in body tissues after death is defined as the apoptotic thanatotranscriptome (thanatos-, Greek for death). On comparison of control and decaying tissues, the results show that with time, pro-apoptotic genes such as caspases are up-regulated and the expression of genes responsible for anti-apoptosis such as BCL2 and BAG3 were down-regulated. Thus, this current work gives a unique perspective of the apoptotic thanatotranscriptome that is affected after death. Up to the present time, gene expression in bodies from criminal cases has not been reported in literature using PCR array techniques. Thus, this thanatotranscriptome study provides insight into postmortem gene activity with potential applications in medico-legal investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gulnaz T Javan
- Forensic Science Program, Alabama State University, Montgomery, AL, 36104, USA.
| | - Ismail Can
- Forensic Science Program, Alabama State University, Montgomery, AL, 36104, USA.
| | | | - Shivani Soni
- Department of Biological Sciences, Alabama State University, Montgomery, AL, 36101, USA.
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Akutsu T, Kitayama T, Watanabe K, Sakurada K. Comparison of automated and manual purification of total RNA for mRNA-based identification of body fluids. Forensic Sci Int Genet 2015; 14:11-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fsigen.2014.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2014] [Revised: 07/10/2014] [Accepted: 09/08/2014] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
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Son GH, Park SH, Kim Y, Kim JY, Kim JW, Chung S, Kim YH, Kim H, Hwang JJ, Seo JS. Postmortem mRNA expression patterns in left ventricular myocardial tissues and their implications for forensic diagnosis of sudden cardiac death. Mol Cells 2014; 37:241-7. [PMID: 24642708 PMCID: PMC3969045 DOI: 10.14348/molcells.2014.2344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2013] [Revised: 01/15/2014] [Accepted: 01/17/2014] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Sudden cardiac death (SCD), which is primarily caused by lethal heart disorders resulting in structural and arrhythmogenic abnormalities, is one of the prevalent modes of death in most developed countries. Myocardial ischemia, mainly due to coronary artery disease, is the most common type of heart disease leading to SCD. However, postmortem diagnosis of SCD is frequently complicated by obscure histological evidence. Here, we show that certain mRNA species, namely those encoding hemoglobin A1/2 and B (Hba1/2 and Hbb, respectively) as well as pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 (Pdk4), exhibit distinct postmortem expression patterns in the left ventricular free wall of SCD subjects when compared with their expression patterns in the corresponding tissues from control subjects with non-cardiac causes of death. Hba1/2 and Hbb mRNA expression levels were higher in ischemic SCD cases with acute myocardial infarction or ischemic heart disease without recent infarction, and even in cardiac death subjects without apparent pathological signs of heart injuries, than control subjects. By contrast, Pdk4 mRNA was expressed at lower levels in SCD subjects. In conclusion, we found that altered myocardial Hba1/2, Hbb, and Pdk4 mRNA expression patterns can be employed as molecular signatures of fatal cardiac dysfunction to forensically implicate SCD as the primary cause of death.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Yu-Hoon Kim
- Division of Forensic Medicine, National Forensic Service, Seoul 158-707,
Korea
| | | | | | - Joong-Seok Seo
- Division of Forensic Medicine, National Forensic Service, Seoul 158-707,
Korea
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