1
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He J, Li Q, Zhang Q. rvTWAS: identifying gene-trait association using sequences by utilizing transcriptome-directed feature selection. Genetics 2024; 226:iyad204. [PMID: 38001381 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyad204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Toward the identification of genetic basis of complex traits, transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS) is successful in integrating transcriptome data. However, TWAS is only applicable for common variants, excluding rare variants in exome or whole-genome sequences. This is partly because of the inherent limitation of TWAS protocols that rely on predicting gene expressions. Our previous research has revealed the insight into TWAS: the 2 steps in TWAS, building and applying the expression prediction models, are essentially genetic feature selection and aggregations that do not have to involve predictions. Based on this insight disentangling TWAS, rare variants' inability of predicting expression traits is no longer an obstacle. Herein, we developed "rare variant TWAS," or rvTWAS, that first uses a Bayesian model to conduct expression-directed feature selection and then uses a kernel machine to carry out feature aggregation, forming a model leveraging expressions for association mapping including rare variants. We demonstrated the performance of rvTWAS by thorough simulations and real data analysis in 3 psychiatric disorders, namely schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and autism spectrum disorder. We confirmed that rvTWAS outperforms existing TWAS protocols and revealed additional genes underlying psychiatric disorders. Particularly, we formed a hypothetical mechanism in which zinc finger genes impact all 3 disorders through transcriptional regulations. rvTWAS will open a door for sequence-based association mappings integrating gene expressions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingni He
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Calgary, Calgary T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Qing Li
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Calgary, Calgary T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Qingrun Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Calgary, Calgary T2N 1N4, Canada
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Calgary, Calgary T2N 1N4, Canada
- Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary T2N 1N4, Canada
- Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary T2N 1N4, Canada
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2
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Rodriguez LA, Tran MN, Garcia-Flores R, Oh S, Phillips RA, Pattie EA, Divecha HR, Kim SH, Shin JH, Lee YK, Montoya C, Jaffe AE, Collado-Torres L, Page SC, Martinowich K. TrkB-dependent regulation of molecular signaling across septal cell types. Transl Psychiatry 2024; 14:52. [PMID: 38263132 PMCID: PMC10805920 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-024-02758-6] [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: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/25/2024] Open
Abstract
The lateral septum (LS), a GABAergic structure located in the basal forebrain, is implicated in social behavior, learning, and memory. We previously demonstrated that expression of tropomyosin kinase receptor B (TrkB) in LS neurons is required for social novelty recognition. To better understand molecular mechanisms by which TrkB signaling controls behavior, we locally knocked down TrkB in LS and used bulk RNA-sequencing to identify changes in gene expression downstream of TrkB. TrkB knockdown induces upregulation of genes associated with inflammation and immune responses, and downregulation of genes associated with synaptic signaling and plasticity. Next, we generated one of the first atlases of molecular profiles for LS cell types using single nucleus RNA-sequencing (snRNA-seq). We identified markers for the septum broadly, and the LS specifically, as well as for all neuronal cell types. We then investigated whether the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) induced by TrkB knockdown map to specific LS cell types. Enrichment testing identified that downregulated DEGs are broadly expressed across neuronal clusters. Enrichment analyses of these DEGs demonstrated that downregulated genes are uniquely expressed in the LS, and associated with either synaptic plasticity or neurodevelopmental disorders. Upregulated genes are enriched in LS microglia, associated with immune response and inflammation, and linked to both neurodegenerative disease and neuropsychiatric disorders. In addition, many of these genes are implicated in regulating social behaviors. In summary, the findings implicate TrkB signaling in the LS as a critical regulator of gene networks associated with psychiatric disorders that display social deficits, including schizophrenia and autism, and with neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lionel A Rodriguez
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Matthew Nguyen Tran
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Renee Garcia-Flores
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Seyun Oh
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Robert A Phillips
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Pattie
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Heena R Divecha
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Sun Hong Kim
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Joo Heon Shin
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Yong Kyu Lee
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Carly Montoya
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Andrew E Jaffe
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Leonardo Collado-Torres
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Stephanie C Page
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
| | - Keri Martinowich
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
- The Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
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3
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Rodriguez LA, Tran MN, Garcia-Flores R, Pattie EA, Divecha HR, Kim SH, Shin JH, Lee YK, Montoya C, Jaffe AE, Collado-Torres L, Page SC, Martinowich K. TrkB-dependent regulation of molecular signaling across septal cell types. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.29.547069. [PMID: 37425939 PMCID: PMC10327212 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.29.547069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/11/2023]
Abstract
The lateral septum (LS), a GABAergic structure located in the basal forebrain, is implicated in social behavior, learning and memory. We previously demonstrated that expression of tropomyosin kinase receptor B (TrkB) in LS neurons is required for social novelty recognition. To better understand molecular mechanisms by which TrkB signaling controls behavior, we locally knocked down TrkB in LS and used bulk RNA-sequencing to identify changes in gene expression downstream of TrkB. TrkB knockdown induces upregulation of genes associated with inflammation and immune responses, and downregulation of genes associated with synaptic signaling and plasticity. Next, we generated one of the first atlases of molecular profiles for LS cell types using single nucleus RNA-sequencing (snRNA-seq). We identified markers for the septum broadly, and the LS specifically, as well as for all neuronal cell types. We then investigated whether the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) induced by TrkB knockdown map to specific LS cell types. Enrichment testing identified that downregulated DEGs are broadly expressed across neuronal clusters. Enrichment analyses of these DEGs demonstrated that downregulated genes are uniquely expressed in the LS, and associated with either synaptic plasticity or neurodevelopmental disorders. Upregulated genes are enriched in LS microglia, associated with immune response and inflammation, and linked to both neurodegenerative disease and neuropsychiatric disorders. In addition, many of these genes are implicated in regulating social behaviors. In summary, the findings implicate TrkB signaling in the LS as a critical regulator of gene networks associated with psychiatric disorders that display social deficits, including schizophrenia and autism, and with neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lionel A. Rodriguez
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Matthew Nguyen Tran
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Renee Garcia-Flores
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Elizabeth A. Pattie
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Heena R. Divecha
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Sun Hong Kim
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Joo Heon Shin
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Yong Kyu Lee
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Carly Montoya
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Andrew E. Jaffe
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Leonardo Collado-Torres
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Stephanie C. Page
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Keri Martinowich
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- The Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
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Calluori S, Stark R, Pearson BL. Gene-Environment Interactions in Repeat Expansion Diseases: Mechanisms of Environmentally Induced Repeat Instability. Biomedicines 2023; 11:515. [PMID: 36831049 PMCID: PMC9953593 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11020515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Revised: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Short tandem repeats (STRs) are units of 1-6 base pairs that occur in tandem repetition to form a repeat tract. STRs exhibit repeat instability, which generates expansions or contractions of the repeat tract. Over 50 diseases, primarily affecting the central nervous system and muscles, are characterized by repeat instability. Longer repeat tracts are typically associated with earlier age of onset and increased disease severity. Environmental exposures are suspected to play a role in the pathogenesis of repeat expansion diseases. Here, we review the current knowledge of mechanisms of environmentally induced repeat instability in repeat expansion diseases. The current evidence demonstrates that environmental factors modulate repeat instability via DNA damage and induction of DNA repair pathways, with distinct mechanisms for repeat expansion and contraction. Of particular note, oxidative stress is a key mediator of environmentally induced repeat instability. The preliminary evidence suggests epigenetic modifications as potential mediators of environmentally induced repeat instability. Future research incorporating an array of environmental exposures, new human cohorts, and improved model systems, with a continued focus on cell-types, tissues, and critical windows, will aid in identifying mechanisms of environmentally induced repeat instability. Identifying environmental modulators of repeat instability and their mechanisms of action will inform preventions, therapies, and public health measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Calluori
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
- Barnard College of Columbia University, 3009 Broadway, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Rebecca Stark
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Brandon L. Pearson
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
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5
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Guan Y, Xu B, Sui Y, Li H, Chen Z, Luan Y, Yang R, Qi W, Guan Q. Cytohesin-4 Upregulation in Glioma-Associated M2 Macrophages Is Correlated with Pyroptosis and Poor Prognosis. J Mol Neurosci 2023; 73:143-158. [PMID: 36749492 DOI: 10.1007/s12031-023-02104-3] [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: 03/03/2022] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Cytohesin-4 (CYTH4) is a member of the PSCD family. Members of this family appear to mediate the regulation of protein sorting and membrane trafficking. In previous studies, CYTH4 has been linked with multiple brain diseases, but not glioma, the most common type of brain tumor. We utilized multiple glioma single-cell RNA sequencing datasets and bulk data from the TCGA and CGGA and conducted GSEA and KEGG and GO analyses. Biomarker potential was tested via ROC curve analysis. Radar plots were used to study TMB and MSI correlations. Immune cell studies were conducted using CIBERSORT. All statistical analyses were performed in R software and GraphPad Prism 9. CYTH4 was overexpressed in the glioma macrophage population in several single-cell RNA sequencing datasets and was most correlated with M2 macrophages. CYTH4 expression was higher in tumor tissues and was correlated with survival and WHO grade. ROC curves suggested CYTH4 overexpression to be a potential glioma biomarker. GSEA results indicated a relationship between CYTH4 and apoptosis, and PPI analysis supported a pyroptosis correlation. KEGG and GO analysis results linked CYTH4 with antigen processing and presentation and neutrophil activities. In summary, the study identified a CYTH4/pyroptosis/M2 macrophage axis. CYTH4 was upregulated in M2 macrophages in glioma and affected pyroptosis. CYTH4 overexpression is a potential biomarker predicting a poor prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiming Guan
- Faculty of Medical Laboratory Science, Ruijin Hospital,, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Bing Xu
- Department of Neurology, The First People's Hospital of Shenyang (Shenyang Brain Hospital), Shenyang Medical College, Shenyang, China
| | - Yi Sui
- Department of Neurology, The First People's Hospital of Shenyang (Shenyang Brain Hospital), Shenyang Medical College, Shenyang, China
| | - Hui Li
- Department of Neurology, The First People's Hospital of Shenyang (Shenyang Brain Hospital), Shenyang Medical College, Shenyang, China
| | - Zhezhou Chen
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First People's Hospital of Shenyang (Shenyang Brain Hospital), Shenyang Medical College, Shenyang, China
| | - Yu Luan
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First People's Hospital of Shenyang (Shenyang Brain Hospital), Shenyang Medical College, Shenyang, China
| | - Ruijia Yang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First People's Hospital of Shenyang (Shenyang Brain Hospital), Shenyang Medical College, Shenyang, China
| | - Wanshun Qi
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First People's Hospital of Shenyang (Shenyang Brain Hospital), Shenyang Medical College, Shenyang, China
| | - Qi Guan
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First People's Hospital of Shenyang (Shenyang Brain Hospital), Shenyang Medical College, Shenyang, China.
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6
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Ahn S, Grimes T, Datta S. The Analysis of Gene Expression Data Incorporating Tumor Purity Information. Front Genet 2021; 12:642759. [PMID: 34497631 PMCID: PMC8419469 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.642759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 07/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The tumor microenvironment is composed of tumor cells, stroma cells, immune cells, blood vessels, and other associated non-cancerous cells. Gene expression measurements on tumor samples are an average over cells in the microenvironment. However, research questions often seek answers about tumor cells rather than the surrounding non-tumor tissue. Previous studies have suggested that the tumor purity (TP)-the proportion of tumor cells in a solid tumor sample-has a confounding effect on differential expression (DE) analysis of high vs. low survival groups. We investigate three ways incorporating the TP information in the two statistical methods used for analyzing gene expression data, namely, differential network (DN) analysis and DE analysis. Analysis 1 ignores the TP information completely, Analysis 2 uses a truncated sample by removing the low TP samples, and Analysis 3 uses TP as a covariate in the underlying statistical models. We use three gene expression data sets related to three different cancers from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) for our investigation. The networks from Analysis 2 have greater amount of differential connectivity in the two networks than that from Analysis 1 in all three cancer datasets. Similarly, Analysis 1 identified more differentially expressed genes than Analysis 2. Results of DN and DE analyses using Analysis 3 were mostly consistent with those of Analysis 1 across three cancers. However, Analysis 3 identified additional cancer-related genes in both DN and DE analyses. Our findings suggest that using TP as a covariate in a linear model is appropriate for DE analysis, but a more robust model is needed for DN analysis. However, because true DN or DE patterns are not known for the empirical datasets, simulated datasets can be used to study the statistical properties of these methods in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Somnath Datta
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
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7
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Yue Q, Yang J, Shu Q, Bai M, Shu K. Convolutional Neural Network Visualization for Identification of Risk Genes in Bipolar Disorder. Curr Mol Med 2021; 20:429-441. [PMID: 31782363 DOI: 10.2174/1566524019666191129111753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2019] [Revised: 10/16/2019] [Accepted: 10/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Bipolar disorder (BD) is a type of chronic emotional disorder with a complex genetic structure. However, its genetic molecular mechanism is still unclear, which makes it insufficient to be diagnosed and treated. METHODS AND RESULTS In this paper, we proposed a model for predicting BD based on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) screening by genome-wide association study (GWAS), which was constructed by a convolutional neural network (CNN) that predicted the probability of the disease. According to the difference of GWAS threshold, two sets of data were named: group P001 and group P005. And different convolutional neural networks are set for the two sets of data. The training accuracy of the model trained with group P001 data is 96%, and the test accuracy is 91%. The training accuracy of the model trained with group P005 data is 94.5%, and the test accuracy is 92%. At the same time, we used gradient weighted class activation mapping (Grad-CAM) to interpret the prediction model, indirectly to identify high-risk SNPs of BD. In the end, we compared these high-risk SNPs with human gene annotation information. CONCLUSION The model prediction results of the group P001 yielded 137 risk genes, of which 22 were reported to be associated with the occurrence of BD. The model prediction results of the group P005 yielded 407 risk genes, of which 51 were reported to be associated with the occurrence of BD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qixuan Yue
- Chongqing Key Laboratory on Big Data for Bio Intelligence, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Chongqing, China
| | - Jie Yang
- Chongqing Key Laboratory on Big Data for Bio Intelligence, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Chongqing, China
| | - Qian Shu
- Chongqing Key Laboratory on Big Data for Bio Intelligence, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Chongqing, China
| | - Mingze Bai
- Chongqing Key Laboratory on Big Data for Bio Intelligence, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Chongqing, China
| | - Kunxian Shu
- Chongqing Key Laboratory on Big Data for Bio Intelligence, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Chongqing, China
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8
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Gharesouran J, Hosseinzadeh H, Ghafouri-Fard S, Taheri M, Rezazadeh M. STRs: Ancient Architectures of the Genome beyond the Sequence. J Mol Neurosci 2021; 71:2441-2455. [PMID: 34056692 DOI: 10.1007/s12031-021-01850-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Short tandem repeats (STRs) are commonly defined as short runs of repetitive nucleotides, consisting of tandemly repeating 2-6- bp motif units, which are ubiquitously distributed throughout genomes. Functional STRs are polymorphic in the population, and their variations influence gene expression, which subsequently may result in pathogenic phenotypes. To understand STR phenotypic effects and their functional roles, we describe four different mutational mechanisms including the unequal crossing-over model, gene conversion, retrotransposition mechanism and replication slippage. Due to the multi-allelic nature, small length, abundance, high variability, codominant inheritance, nearly neutral evolution, extensive genome coverage and simple assaying of STRs, these markers are widely used in various types of biological research, including population genetics studies, genome mapping, molecular epidemiology, paternity analysis and gene flow studies. In this review, we focus on the current knowledge regarding STR genomic distribution, function, mutation and applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jalal Gharesouran
- Molecular Genetics Division, GMG center, Tabriz, Iran.,Division of Medical Genetics, Tabriz Childrens Hospital, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.,Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Hassan Hosseinzadeh
- Molecular Genetics Division, GMG center, Tabriz, Iran.,Division of Medical Genetics, Tabriz Childrens Hospital, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.,Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Soudeh Ghafouri-Fard
- Department of Medical Genetics, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Taheri
- Skull Base Research Center, Loghman Hakim Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Maryam Rezazadeh
- Division of Medical Genetics, Tabriz Childrens Hospital, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran. .,Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
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9
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Zhang Q, Wang Q, Wu S, Zhang J. Clinical implication and immunological characterisation of the ARF-GEF family member CYTH4 in ovarian cancer. Autoimmunity 2020; 53:434-442. [PMID: 33078956 DOI: 10.1080/08916934.2020.1836487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The GTP exchange factors on ADP-ribosylation factor (ARF) mediate the GDP/GTP exchange on ARF, serve as regulators in protein trafficking and membrane dynamics, and play critical roles in various cell processes. However, the relationship between the expression of ARF-GEF family genes and clinical implications in ovarian cancer remains unclear. METHODS We performed a systematic investigation on the role of ARF-GEF family genes in ovarian cancer by using Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), Kaplan-Meier plotter, Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), TIMER and TISIDB database. RESULTS We found that the ARF-GEF family gene CYTH4 exhibited significant expressional upregulation in ovarian cancer compared to normal ovary tissues. The expression of CYTH4 was also higher in metastases from the omentum than in matched primary ovarian tumours. Kaplan-Meier plotter showed that high expression of CYTH4 predicted worse overall survival, progression free survival and post-progression survival of ovarian cancer patients. Notably, from our correlation analysis, CYTH4 expression showed closely association with tumour-infiltrating immune cells. Intriguingly, the expression of CYTH4 was also significantly correlated with a variety of immunomodulators, chemokines and major histocompatibility complex molecules. CONCLUSION Overall, our findings provide a valuable source of data about the clinical significance of CYTH4 in ovarian cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qinyi Zhang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Qingying Wang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Sufang Wu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jiawen Zhang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
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10
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Arabfard M, Kavousi K, Delbari A, Ohadi M. Link between short tandem repeats and translation initiation site selection. Hum Genomics 2018; 12:47. [PMID: 30373661 PMCID: PMC6206671 DOI: 10.1186/s40246-018-0181-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2018] [Accepted: 10/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite their vast biological implication, the relevance of short tandem repeats (STRs)/microsatellites to the protein-coding gene translation initiation sites (TISs) remains largely unknown. METHODS We performed an Ensembl-based comparative genomics study of all annotated orthologous TIS-flanking sequences in human and 46 other species across vertebrates, on the genomic DNA and cDNA platforms (755,956 TISs), aimed at identifying human-specific STRs in this interval. The collected data were used to examine the hypothesis of a link between STRs and TISs. BLAST was used to compare the initial five amino acids (excluding the initial methionine), codons of which were flanked by STRs in human, with the initial five amino acids of all annotated proteins for the orthologous genes in other vertebrates (total of 5,314,979 pair-wise TIS comparisons on the genomic DNA and cDNA platforms) in order to compare the number of events in which human-specific and non-specific STRs occurred with homologous and non-homologous TISs (i.e., ≥ 50% and < 50% similarity of the five amino acids). RESULTS We detected differential distribution of the human-specific STRs in comparison to the overall distribution of STRs on the genomic DNA and cDNA platforms (Mann Whitney U test p = 1.4 × 10-11 and p < 7.9 × 10-11, respectively). We also found excess occurrence of non-homologous TISs with human-specific STRs and excess occurrence of homologous TISs with non-specific STRs on both platforms (p < 0.00001). CONCLUSION We propose a link between STRs and TIS selection, based on the differential co-occurrence rate of human-specific STRs with non-homologous TISs and non-specific STRs with homologous TISs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masoud Arabfard
- Department of Bioinformatics, Kish International Campus University of Tehran, Kish, Iran
- Laboratory of Complex Biological Systems and Bioinformatics (CBB), Department of Bioinformatics, Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics (IBB), University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Kaveh Kavousi
- Laboratory of Complex Biological Systems and Bioinformatics (CBB), Department of Bioinformatics, Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics (IBB), University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ahmad Delbari
- Iranian Research Center on Aging, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mina Ohadi
- Iranian Research Center on Aging, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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11
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Nazaripanah N, Adelirad F, Delbari A, Sahaf R, Abbasi-Asl T, Ohadi M. Genome-scale portrait and evolutionary significance of human-specific core promoter tri- and tetranucleotide short tandem repeats. Hum Genomics 2018; 12:17. [PMID: 29622039 PMCID: PMC5887250 DOI: 10.1186/s40246-018-0149-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2017] [Accepted: 03/20/2018] [Indexed: 03/05/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND While there is an ongoing trend to identify single nucleotide substitutions (SNSs) that are linked to inter/intra-species differences and disease phenotypes, short tandem repeats (STRs)/microsatellites may be of equal (if not more) importance in the above processes. Genes that contain STRs in their promoters have higher expression divergence compared to genes with fixed or no STRs in the gene promoters. In line with the above, recent reports indicate a role of repetitive sequences in the rise of young transcription start sites (TSSs) in human evolution. RESULTS Following a comparative genomics study of all human protein-coding genes annotated in the GeneCards database, here we provide a genome-scale portrait of human-specific short- and medium-size (≥ 3-repeats) tri- and tetranucleotide STRs and STR motifs in the critical core promoter region between - 120 and + 1 to the TSS and evidence of skewing of this compartment in reference to the STRs that are not human-specific (Levene's test p < 0.001). Twenty-five percent and 26% enrichment of human-specific transcripts was detected in the tri and tetra human-specific compartments (mid-p < 0.00002 and mid-p < 0.002, respectively). CONCLUSION Our findings provide the first evidence of genome-scale skewing of STRs at a specific region of the human genome and a link between a number of these STRs and TSS selection/transcript specificity. The STRs and genes listed here may have a role in the evolution and development of characteristics and phenotypes that are unique to the human species.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Nazaripanah
- Iranian Research Center on Aging, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - F Adelirad
- Iranian Research Center on Aging, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - A Delbari
- Iranian Research Center on Aging, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - R Sahaf
- Iranian Research Center on Aging, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - T Abbasi-Asl
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - M Ohadi
- Iranian Research Center on Aging, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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12
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Dahlhaus R. Of Men and Mice: Modeling the Fragile X Syndrome. Front Mol Neurosci 2018; 11:41. [PMID: 29599705 PMCID: PMC5862809 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2018.00041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2017] [Accepted: 01/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) is one of the most common forms of inherited intellectual disability in all human societies. Caused by the transcriptional silencing of a single gene, the fragile x mental retardation gene FMR1, FXS is characterized by a variety of symptoms, which range from mental disabilities to autism and epilepsy. More than 20 years ago, a first animal model was described, the Fmr1 knock-out mouse. Several other models have been developed since then, including conditional knock-out mice, knock-out rats, a zebrafish and a drosophila model. Using these model systems, various targets for potential pharmaceutical treatments have been identified and many treatments have been shown to be efficient in preclinical studies. However, all attempts to turn these findings into a therapy for patients have failed thus far. In this review, I will discuss underlying difficulties and address potential alternatives for our future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Regina Dahlhaus
- Institute for Biochemistry, Emil-Fischer Centre, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
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13
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Skewing of the genetic architecture at the ZMYM3 human-specific 5' UTR short tandem repeat in schizophrenia. Mol Genet Genomics 2018; 293:747-752. [PMID: 29332164 DOI: 10.1007/s00438-018-1415-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2017] [Accepted: 01/02/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Differential expansion of a number of human short tandem repeats (STRs) at the critical core promoter and 5' untranslated region (UTR) support the hypothesis that at least some of these STRs may provide a selective advantage in human evolution. Following a genome-wide screen of all human protein-coding gene 5' UTRs based on the Ensembl database ( http://www.ensembl.org ), we previously reported that the longest STR in this interval is a (GA)32, which belongs to the X-linked zinc finger MYM-type containing 3 (ZMYM3) gene. In the present study, we analyzed the evolutionary implication of this region across evolution and examined the allele and genotype distribution of the "exceptionally long" STR by direct sequencing of 486 Iranian unrelated male subjects consisting of 196 cases of schizophrenia (SCZ) and 290 controls. We found that the ZMYM3 transcript containing the STR is human-specific (ENST00000373998.5). A significant allele variance difference was observed between the cases and controls (Levene's test for equality of variances F = 4.00, p < 0.03). In addition, six alleles were observed in the SCZ patients that were not detected in the control group ("disease-only" alleles) (mid p exact < 0.0003). Those alleles were at the extreme short and long ends of the allele distribution curve and composed 4% of the genotypes in the SCZ group. In conclusion, we found skewing of the genetic architecture at the ZMYM3 STR in SCZ. Further, we found a bell-shaped distribution of alleles and selection against alleles at the extreme ends of this STR. The ZMYM3 STR sets a prototype, the evolutionary course of which determines the range of alleles in a particular species. Extreme "disease-only" alleles and genotypes may change our perspective of adaptive evolution and complex disorders. The ZMYM3 gene "exceptionally long" STR should be sequenced in SCZ and other human-specific phenotypes/characteristics.
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14
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Hellwege JN, Jeff JM, Wise LA, Gallagher CS, Wellons M, Hartmann KE, Jones SF, Torstenson ES, Dickinson S, Ruiz-Narváez EA, Rohland N, Allen A, Reich D, Tandon A, Pasaniuc B, Mancuso N, Im HK, Hinds DA, Palmer JR, Rosenberg L, Denny JC, Roden DM, Stewart EA, Morton CC, Kenny EE, Edwards TL, Velez Edwards DR. A multi-stage genome-wide association study of uterine fibroids in African Americans. Hum Genet 2017; 136:1363-1373. [PMID: 28836065 PMCID: PMC5628188 DOI: 10.1007/s00439-017-1836-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2017] [Accepted: 08/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Uterine fibroids are benign tumors of the uterus affecting up to 77% of women by menopause. They are the leading indication for hysterectomy, and account for $34 billion annually in the United States. Race/ethnicity and age are the strongest known risk factors. African American (AA) women have higher prevalence, earlier onset, and larger and more numerous fibroids than European American women. We conducted a multi-stage genome-wide association study (GWAS) of fibroid risk among AA women followed by in silico genetically predicted gene expression profiling of top hits. In Stage 1, cases and controls were confirmed by pelvic imaging, genotyped and imputed to 1000 Genomes. Stage 2 used self-reported fibroid and GWAS data from 23andMe, Inc. and the Black Women's Health Study. Associations with fibroid risk were modeled using logistic regression adjusted for principal components, followed by meta-analysis of results. We observed a significant association among 3399 AA cases and 4764 AA controls at rs739187 (risk-allele frequency = 0.27) in CYTH4 (OR (95% confidence interval) = 1.23 (1.16-1.30), p value = 7.82 × 10-9). Evaluation of the genetic association results with MetaXcan identified lower predicted gene expression of CYTH4 in thyroid tissue as significantly associated with fibroid risk (p value = 5.86 × 10-8). In this first multi-stage GWAS for fibroids among AA women, we identified a novel risk locus for fibroids within CYTH4 that impacts gene expression in thyroid and has potential biological relevance for fibroids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacklyn N Hellwege
- Division of Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Institute for Medicine and Public Health, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Janina M Jeff
- Charles Bronfman Institute for Personalized Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Lauren A Wise
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Slone Epidemiology Center at Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Melissa Wellons
- Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Katherine E Hartmann
- Institute for Medicine and Public Health, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Sarah F Jones
- Division of Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Institute for Medicine and Public Health, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Eric S Torstenson
- Division of Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Scott Dickinson
- Section of Genetic Medicine, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | | | - Nadin Rohland
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Alexander Allen
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - David Reich
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA
- Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Arti Tandon
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Bogdan Pasaniuc
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Nicholas Mancuso
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Hae Kyung Im
- Section of Genetic Medicine, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | | | - Julie R Palmer
- Slone Epidemiology Center at Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Lynn Rosenberg
- Slone Epidemiology Center at Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Joshua C Denny
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Dan M Roden
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Stewart
- Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Surgery, Mayo Clinic and Mayo Clinic School of Medicine, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Cynthia C Morton
- Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
- University of Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, England, UK
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Eimear E Kenny
- Charles Bronfman Institute for Personalized Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Todd L Edwards
- Division of Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Institute for Medicine and Public Health, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Digna R Velez Edwards
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
- Institute for Medicine and Public Health, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
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15
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Khademi E, Alehabib E, Shandiz EE, Ahmadifard A, Andarva M, Jamshidi J, Rahimi-Aliabadi S, Pouriran R, Nejad FR, Mansoori N, Shahmohammadibeni N, Taghavi S, Shokraeian P, Akhavan-Niaki H, Paisán-Ruiz C, Darvish H, Ohadi M. Support for "Disease-Only" Genotypes and Excess of Homozygosity at the CYTH4 Primate-Specific GTTT-Repeat in Schizophrenia. Genet Test Mol Biomarkers 2017; 21:485-490. [PMID: 28723299 DOI: 10.1089/gtmb.2016.0422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The role of short tandem repeats (STRs) in the control of gene expression among species is being increasingly understood following the identification of several instances in which certain STRs occur identically, or expand differentially, in primates versus nonprimates. These STRs may regulate genes that participate in characteristics that are associated with the divergence of primates from sibling orders (e.g., brain higher order functions). The CYTH4 gene contains the longest tetranucleotide STR in its core promoter, at 7-repeats, and links to the evolution of human and nonhuman primates. Allele and genotype distribution of this STR were studied in patients affected by schizophrenia (SCZ) and controls. METHODS High-resolution data were obtained on the allele and genotype distribution of the CYTH4 STR and a novel C > T single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at its immediate upstream sequence in 255 patients with SCZ and 249 controls. Each sample was sequenced twice using the fluorescent dye termination method. RESULTS Novel alleles were detected at the long extreme of the GTTT-repeat, at 10- and 11-repeats, in the SCZ cases and controls. Excess of homozygosity was observed for the entire range of alleles across the GTTT-repeat and the C > T SNP in the SCZ patients in comparison with the controls (Yates corrected p < 0.011). Three genotypes consisting of the 11-repeat allele (i.e., 11/11, 10/11, and 7/11) were detected only in the SCZ patients (i.e., disease-only genotypes), and contributed to 2.3% of the SCZ genotypes (Mid p exact <0.007). The frequency of the 11-repeat allele was estimated at 0.02 and 0.006 in the SCZ patients and controls, respectively (Mid p exact <0.006). CONCLUSION This indicates that STR genotypes that are absent in the control group may be risk factors for SCZ. Future studies are warranted to test the significance of our findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ehteram Khademi
- 1 Cellular and Molecular Biology Research Center, Babol University of Medical Sciences , Babol, Iran
| | - Elham Alehabib
- 2 Department of Medical Genetics, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences , Tehran, Iran
| | - Ehsan Esmaili Shandiz
- 3 Department of Neurology, Ganjavian Hospital, Dezful University of Medical Sciences , Dezful, Iran
| | - Azadeh Ahmadifard
- 2 Department of Medical Genetics, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences , Tehran, Iran
| | - Monavvar Andarva
- 2 Department of Medical Genetics, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences , Tehran, Iran
| | - Javad Jamshidi
- 4 Noncommunicable Diseases Research Center, Fasa University of Medical Sciences , Fasa, Iran
| | - Simin Rahimi-Aliabadi
- 2 Department of Medical Genetics, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences , Tehran, Iran
| | - Ramin Pouriran
- 2 Department of Medical Genetics, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences , Tehran, Iran
| | - Farhad Ramezani Nejad
- 5 The Charitable Institute for Protecting of Social Victims (Saray-e-Ehsan) , Tehran, Iran
| | - Nader Mansoori
- 5 The Charitable Institute for Protecting of Social Victims (Saray-e-Ehsan) , Tehran, Iran
| | - Neda Shahmohammadibeni
- 1 Cellular and Molecular Biology Research Center, Babol University of Medical Sciences , Babol, Iran
| | - Shaghyegh Taghavi
- 2 Department of Medical Genetics, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences , Tehran, Iran
| | - Parasto Shokraeian
- 6 Tehran Medical Sciences Branch, Islamic Azad University , Tehran, Iran
| | - Haleh Akhavan-Niaki
- 1 Cellular and Molecular Biology Research Center, Babol University of Medical Sciences , Babol, Iran
| | - Coro Paisán-Ruiz
- 7 Departments of Neurology, Psychiatry and Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai , New York, New York.,8 Mindich Child Health and Development Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai , New York, New York.,9 Friedman Brain Institute , Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Hossein Darvish
- 1 Cellular and Molecular Biology Research Center, Babol University of Medical Sciences , Babol, Iran .,2 Department of Medical Genetics, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences , Tehran, Iran
| | - Mina Ohadi
- 10 Iranian Research Center on Aging, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences , Tehran, Iran
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16
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Krishnan J, Athar F, Rani TS, Mishra RK. Simple sequence repeats showing 'length preference' have regulatory functions in humans. Gene 2017; 628:156-161. [PMID: 28712775 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2017.07.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2016] [Revised: 05/18/2017] [Accepted: 07/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Simple sequence repeats (SSRs), simple tandem repeats (STRs) or microsatellites are short tandem repeats of 1-6 nucleotide motifs. They are twice as abundant as the protein coding DNA in the human genome and yet little is known about their functional relevance. Analysis of genomes across various taxa show that despite the instability associated with longer stretches of repeats, few SSRs with specific longer repeat lengths are enriched in the genomes indicating a positive selection. This conserved feature of length dependent enrichment hints at not only sequence but also length dependent functionality for SSRs. In the present study, we selected 23 SSRs of the human genome that show specific repeat length dependent enrichment and analysed their cis-regulatory potential using promoter modulation, boundary and barrier assays. We find that the 23 SSR sequences, which are mostly intergenic and intronic, possess distinct cis-regulatory potential. They modulate minimal promoter activity in transient luciferase assays and are capable of functioning as enhancer-blockers and barrier elements. The results of our functional assays propose cis-gene regulatory roles for these specific length enriched SSRs and opens avenues for further investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaya Krishnan
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, MO, United States; International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, Hyderabad, India; CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India
| | - Fathima Athar
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, MO, United States; International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, Hyderabad, India; CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India
| | - Tirupaati Swaroopa Rani
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, MO, United States; International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, Hyderabad, India; CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India
| | - Rakesh Kumar Mishra
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, MO, United States; International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, Hyderabad, India; CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India.
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17
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Emamalizadeh B, Movafagh A, Darvish H, Kazeminasab S, Andarva M, Namdar-Aligoodarzi P, Ohadi M. The human RIT2 core promoter short tandem repeat predominant allele is species-specific in length: a selective advantage for human evolution? Mol Genet Genomics 2017; 292:611-617. [DOI: 10.1007/s00438-017-1294-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2016] [Accepted: 01/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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18
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Decreased STARD10 Expression Is Associated with Defective Insulin Secretion in Humans and Mice. Am J Hum Genet 2017; 100:238-256. [PMID: 28132686 PMCID: PMC5294761 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2017.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2016] [Accepted: 12/20/2016] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic variants near ARAP1 (CENTD2) and STARD10 influence type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk. The risk alleles impair glucose-induced insulin secretion and, paradoxically but characteristically, are associated with decreased proinsulin:insulin ratios, indicating improved proinsulin conversion. Neither the identity of the causal variants nor the gene(s) through which risk is conferred have been firmly established. Whereas ARAP1 encodes a GTPase activating protein, STARD10 is a member of the steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR)-related lipid transfer protein family. By integrating genetic fine-mapping and epigenomic annotation data and performing promoter-reporter and chromatin conformational capture (3C) studies in β cell lines, we localize the causal variant(s) at this locus to a 5 kb region that overlaps a stretch-enhancer active in islets. This region contains several highly correlated T2D-risk variants, including the rs140130268 indel. Expression QTL analysis of islet transcriptomes from three independent subject groups demonstrated that T2D-risk allele carriers displayed reduced levels of STARD10 mRNA, with no concomitant change in ARAP1 mRNA levels. Correspondingly, β-cell-selective deletion of StarD10 in mice led to impaired glucose-stimulated Ca2+ dynamics and insulin secretion and recapitulated the pattern of improved proinsulin processing observed at the human GWAS signal. Conversely, overexpression of StarD10 in the adult β cell improved glucose tolerance in high fat-fed animals. In contrast, manipulation of Arap1 in β cells had no impact on insulin secretion or proinsulin conversion in mice. This convergence of human and murine data provides compelling evidence that the T2D risk associated with variation at this locus is mediated through reduction in STARD10 expression in the β cell.
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19
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Dominant and Protective Role of the CYTH4 Primate-Specific GTTT-Repeat Longer Alleles Against Neurodegeneration. J Mol Neurosci 2015; 56:593-6. [PMID: 25823437 DOI: 10.1007/s12031-015-0542-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2015] [Accepted: 03/06/2015] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Primate-specific genes and regulatory mechanisms could provide insight into human brain functioning and disease. In a genome-scale analysis of the entire protein-coding genes listed in the GeneCards database, we have recently reported human genes that contain "exceptionally long" short tandem repeats (STRs) in their core promoter, which may be of adaptive/selective evolutionary advantage in this species. The longest tetra-nucleotide repeat identified in a human gene core promoter belongs to the CYTH4 gene. This GTTT-repeat is specific to Hominidae and Old World monkeys, and the shortest allele of this repeat, (GTTT)6, is linked with neural dysfunction and type I bipolar disorder in human. In the present study, we sought a possibly broader role for the CYTH4 gene core promoter GTTT-repeat in neural functioning and investigated its allelic distribution in a total of 949 human subjects, consisting of two neurodegenerative disorders, multiple sclerosis (MS) (n = 272) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) (n = 257), and controls (n = 420). The range of the alleles of this GTTT-repeat in the human sample studied was between 6- and 9-repeats. The shortest allele, (GTTT)6, was significantly in excess in the MS and AD patients in comparison with the controls (p < 0.004). The 6/6, 6/7, and 7/7 genotypes were in excess in the MS and AD patients, whereas the overall frequency of all other genotypes (consisting of at least one longer allele, i.e., 8- or 9-repeat) was higher in the controls (p < 0.005), indicating a dominant and protective effect for the longer alleles against neurodegeneration. This is the first indication of the involvement of a primate-specific STR in neurodegeneration in humans. We propose an adaptive evolutionary role for the expansion of the CYTH4 gene core promoter GTTT-repeat in the human brain, which is supported by a link between the shortest allele of this repeat with neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Gharesouran J, Khalili AF, Azari NS, Vahedi L. First case report of Rett syndrome in the Azeri Turkish population and brief review of the literature. EPILEPSY & BEHAVIOR CASE REPORTS 2015; 3:15-9. [PMID: 25737965 PMCID: PMC4338853 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebcr.2014.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2014] [Accepted: 11/11/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Rett syndrome is a dominant X-linked male-lethal disorder largely caused by mutations in the gene encoding methyl-CpG binding protein 2 (MECP2). Clinical manifestations include neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by early-onset intractable seizures, severe developmental delay, intellectual disability, and abnormal electroencephalograms. Afflicted females show normal development until the age of 6 to 18 months, followed by gradual loss of speech abilities, microcephaly, social impairment, ataxia, and stereotypic hand movements. We report a 7-year-old girl who was born of a nonconsanguineous marriage presenting with mental retardation and delayed development. Physical examination revealed loss of speech, repetitive hand-wringing movement, short stature (120 cm), strabismus, microcephaly, and autistic behavior. The diagnosis was confirmed by sequencing MECP2 gene with heterozygous mutation C385A in exon 2. The current study aimed to report the first case of Rett syndrome in the Azeri Turkish population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jalal Gharesouran
- Genetic Counseling Center of Allameh Amini, State Welfare Organization, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Azizeh Farshbaf Khalili
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Iran
| | - Noushin Sorkhkoh Azari
- Department of Midwifery, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Research Center of National Public Health Management (NPMC), Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Leila Vahedi
- Liver and Gastrointestinal Disease Research Center, Tabriz Children's Hospital, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
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