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Montgomery GW. Genetic regulation of ovulation rate and multiple births. Reprod Fertil Dev 2024; 36:RD24083. [PMID: 39222471 DOI: 10.1071/rd24083] [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: 06/10/2024] [Accepted: 08/09/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Ovulation rate in many mammalian species is controlled to regulate the numbers of offspring and maximise reproductive success. Pathways that regulate ovulation rate still respond to genetic and environmental factors and show considerable variation within and between species. Genetic segregation, positional cloning, and association studies have discovered numerous mutations and genetic risk factors that contribute to this variation. Notable among the discoveries has been the role of mutations in bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP15 ), growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9 ) and bone morphogenetic protein receptor type 1B (BMPR1B ) from the intra-ovarian signalling pathway contributing to the evidence that signalling from the oocyte is the key driver in follicle regulation rather than circulating gonadotrophin concentrations. Multiple variants in different domains of BMP15 and GDF9 result in partial or complete loss of function of the proteins providing insights into their functional roles and differential regulation contributing to species differences in ovulation rate. Early success encouraged many more studies in prolific strains of sheep, cattle and goats providing a valuable catalogue of genetic variants of large effect increasing ovulation rate and litter size. More recently, genetic association studies are beginning to identify genetic risk factors with smaller effects. Most genes implicated are from pathways with defined roles in regulation of the ovarian function. However, some genomic regions suggest regulation by novel genes. Continuing genetic and related functional studies will add further to our understanding of the detailed regulation of ovulation rate and litter size with implications for health and animal production systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- G W Montgomery
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, Australia
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Samare-Najaf M, Razavinasab SA, Samareh A, Jamali N. Omics-based novel strategies in the diagnosis of endometriosis. Crit Rev Clin Lab Sci 2024; 61:205-225. [PMID: 37878077 DOI: 10.1080/10408363.2023.2270736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023]
Abstract
Endometriosis, an enigmatic and chronic disorder, is considered a debilitating condition despite being benign. Globally, this gynecologic disorder affects up to 10% of females of reproductive age, impacting almost 190 million individuals. A variety of genetic and environmental factors are involved in endometriosis development, hence the pathophysiology and etiology of endometriosis remain unclear. The uncertainty of the etiology of the disease and its complexity along with nonspecific symptoms have led to misdiagnosis or lack of diagnosis of affected people. Biopsy and laparoscopy are referred to as the gold standard for endometriosis diagnosis. However, the invasiveness of the procedure, the unnecessary operation in disease-free women, and the dependence of the reliability of diagnosis on experience in this area are considered the most significant limitations. Therefore, continuous studies have attempted to offer a noninvasive and reliable approach. The recent advances in modern technologies have led to the generation of large-scale biological data sets, known as -omics data, resulting in the proceeding of the -omics century in biomedical sciences. Thereby, the present study critically reviews novel and noninvasive biomarkers that are based on -omics approaches from 2020 onward. The findings reveal that biomarkers identified based on genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics are potentially able to diagnose endometriosis, predict prognosis, and stage patients, and potentially, in the near future, a multi-panel of these biomarkers will generate clinical benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Samare-Najaf
- Blood Transfusion Research Center, High Institute for Research and Education in Transfusion Medicine, Kerman Regional Blood Transfusion Center, Kerman, Iran
- Biochemistry Department, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | | | - Ali Samareh
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Navid Jamali
- Department of Laboratory Sciences, Sirjan School of Medical Sciences, Sirjan, Iran
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Silva DO, Fernandes Júnior GA, Fonseca LFS, Mota LFM, Bresolin T, Carvalheiro R, de Albuquerque LG. Genome-wide association study for stayability at different calvings in Nellore beef cattle. BMC Genomics 2024; 25:93. [PMID: 38254039 PMCID: PMC10804543 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-024-10020-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUNDING Stayability, which may be defined as the probability of a cow remaining in the herd until a reference age or at a specific number of calvings, is usually measured late in the animal's life. Thus, if used as selection criteria, it will increase the generation interval and consequently might decrease the annual genetic gain. Measuring stayability at an earlier age could be a reasonable strategy to avoid this problem. In this sense, a better understanding of the genetic architecture of this trait at different ages and/or at different calvings is important. This study was conducted to identify possible regions with major effects on stayability measured considering different numbers of calvings in Nellore cattle as well as pathways that can be involved in its expression throughout the female's productive life. RESULTS The top 10 most important SNP windows explained, on average, 17.60% of the genetic additive variance for stayability, varying between 13.70% (at the eighth calving) and 21% (at the fifth calving). These SNP windows were located on 17 chromosomes (1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 27, and 28), and they harbored a total of 176 annotated genes. The functional analyses of these genes, in general, indicate that the expression of stayability from the second to the sixth calving is mainly affected by genetic factors related to reproductive performance, and nervous and immune systems. At the seventh and eighth calvings, genes and pathways related to animal health, such as density bone and cancer, might be more relevant. CONCLUSION Our results indicate that part of the target genomic regions in selecting for stayability at earlier ages (from the 2th to the 6th calving) would be different than selecting for this trait at later ages (7th and 8th calvings). While the expression of stayability at earlier ages appeared to be more influenced by genetic factors linked to reproductive performance together with an overall health/immunity, at later ages genetic factors related to an overall animal health gain relevance. These results support that selecting for stayability at earlier ages (perhaps at the second calving) could be applied, having practical implications in breeding programs since it could drastically reduce the generation interval, accelerating the genetic progress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diogo Osmar Silva
- Animal Science Department, School of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences, São Paulo State University (Unesp), Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil.
| | - Gerardo Alves Fernandes Júnior
- Animal Science Department, School of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences, São Paulo State University (Unesp), Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil
| | - Larissa Fernanda Simielli Fonseca
- Animal Science Department, School of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences, São Paulo State University (Unesp), Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil
| | - Lúcio Flávio Macedo Mota
- Animal Science Department, School of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences, São Paulo State University (Unesp), Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil
| | - Tiago Bresolin
- Animal Science Department, School of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences, São Paulo State University (Unesp), Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil
| | - Roberto Carvalheiro
- Animal Science Department, School of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences, São Paulo State University (Unesp), Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil
| | - Lucia Galvão de Albuquerque
- Animal Science Department, School of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences, São Paulo State University (Unesp), Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil.
- National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), Brasília, Brazil.
- Present address: Departamento de Zootecnia, Via de acesso Paulo Donato Castellane s/n., São Paulo, Jaboticabal, CEP: 14884-900, Brazil.
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4
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Mbarek H, Gordon SD, Duffy DL, Hubers N, Mortlock S, Beck JJ, Hottenga JJ, Pool R, Dolan CV, Actkins KV, Gerring ZF, Van Dongen J, Ehli EA, Iacono WG, Mcgue M, Chasman DI, Gallagher CS, Schilit SLP, Morton CC, Paré G, Willemsen G, Whiteman DC, Olsen CM, Derom C, Vlietinck R, Gudbjartsson D, Cannon-Albright L, Krapohl E, Plomin R, Magnusson PKE, Pedersen NL, Hysi P, Mangino M, Spector TD, Palviainen T, Milaneschi Y, Penninnx BW, Campos AI, Ong KK, Perry JRB, Lambalk CB, Kaprio J, Ólafsson Í, Duroure K, Revenu C, Rentería ME, Yengo L, Davis L, Derks EM, Medland SE, Stefansson H, Stefansson K, Del Bene F, Reversade B, Montgomery GW, Boomsma DI, Martin NG. Genome-wide association study meta-analysis of dizygotic twinning illuminates genetic regulation of female fecundity. Hum Reprod 2024; 39:240-257. [PMID: 38052102 PMCID: PMC10767824 DOI: 10.1093/humrep/dead247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Revised: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023] Open
Abstract
STUDY QUESTION Which genetic factors regulate female propensity for giving birth to spontaneous dizygotic (DZ) twins? SUMMARY ANSWER We identified four new loci, GNRH1, FSHR, ZFPM1, and IPO8, in addition to previously identified loci, FSHB and SMAD3. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY The propensity to give birth to DZ twins runs in families. Earlier, we reported that FSHB and SMAD3 as associated with DZ twinning and female fertility measures. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION We conducted a genome-wide association meta-analysis (GWAMA) of mothers of spontaneous dizygotic (DZ) twins (8265 cases, 264 567 controls) and of independent DZ twin offspring (26 252 cases, 417 433 controls). PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS Over 700 000 mothers of DZ twins, twin individuals and singletons from large cohorts in Australia/New Zealand, Europe, and the USA were carefully screened to exclude twins born after use of ARTs. Genetic association analyses by cohort were followed by meta-analysis, phenome wide association studies (PheWAS), in silico and in vivo annotations, and Zebrafish functional validation. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE This study enlarges the sample size considerably from previous efforts, finding four genome-wide significant loci, including two novel signals and a further two novel genes that are implicated by gene level enrichment analyses. The novel loci, GNRH1 and FSHR, have well-established roles in female reproduction whereas ZFPM1 and IPO8 have not previously been implicated in female fertility. We found significant genetic correlations with multiple aspects of female reproduction and body size as well as evidence for significant selection against DZ twinning during human evolution. The 26 top single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from our GWAMA in European-origin participants weakly predicted the crude twinning rates in 47 non-European populations (r = 0.23 between risk score and population prevalence, s.e. 0.11, 1-tail P = 0.058) indicating that genome-wide association studies (GWAS) are needed in African and Asian populations to explore the causes of their respectively high and low DZ twinning rates. In vivo functional tests in zebrafish for IPO8 validated its essential role in female, but not male, fertility. In most regions, risk SNPs linked to known expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs). Top SNPs were associated with in vivo reproductive hormone levels with the top pathways including hormone ligand binding receptors and the ovulation cycle. LARGE SCALE DATA The full DZT GWAS summary statistics will made available after publication through the GWAS catalog (https://www.ebi.ac.uk/gwas/). LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION Our study only included European ancestry cohorts. Inclusion of data from Africa (with the highest twining rate) and Asia (with the lowest rate) would illuminate further the biology of twinning and female fertility. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS About one in 40 babies born in the world is a twin and there is much speculation on why twinning runs in families. We hope our results will inform investigations of ovarian response in new and existing ARTs and the causes of female infertility. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) Support for the Netherlands Twin Register came from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) and The Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development (ZonMW) grants, 904-61-193, 480-04-004, 400-05-717, Addiction-31160008, 911-09-032, Biobanking and Biomolecular Resources Research Infrastructure (BBMRI.NL, 184.021.007), Royal Netherlands Academy of Science Professor Award (PAH/6635) to DIB, European Research Council (ERC-230374), Rutgers University Cell and DNA Repository (NIMH U24 MH068457-06), the Avera Institute, Sioux Falls, South Dakota (USA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH R01 HD042157-01A1) and the Genetic Association Information Network (GAIN) of the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health and Grand Opportunity grants 1RC2 MH089951. The QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute (QIMR) study was supported by grants from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia (241944, 339462, 389927, 389875, 389891, 389892, 389938, 443036, 442915, 442981, 496610, 496739, 552485, 552498, 1050208, 1075175). L.Y. is funded by Australian Research Council (Grant number DE200100425). The Minnesota Center for Twin and Family Research (MCTFR) was supported in part by USPHS Grants from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (AA09367 and AA11886) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (DA05147, DA13240, and DA024417). The Women's Genome Health Study (WGHS) was funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (HL043851 and HL080467) and the National Cancer Institute (CA047988 and UM1CA182913), with support for genotyping provided by Amgen. Data collection in the Finnish Twin Registry has been supported by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, the Broad Institute, ENGAGE-European Network for Genetic and Genomic Epidemiology, FP7-HEALTH-F4-2007, grant agreement number 201413, National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (grants AA-12502, AA-00145, AA-09203, AA15416, and K02AA018755) and the Academy of Finland (grants 100499, 205585, 118555, 141054, 264146, 308248, 312073 and 336823 to J. Kaprio). TwinsUK is funded by the Wellcome Trust, Medical Research Council, Versus Arthritis, European Union Horizon 2020, Chronic Disease Research Foundation (CDRF), Zoe Ltd and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Network (CRN) and Biomedical Research Centre based at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with King's College London. For NESDA, funding was obtained from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (Geestkracht program grant 10000-1002), the Center for Medical Systems Biology (CSMB, NVVO Genomics), Biobanking and Biomolecular Resources Research Infrastructure (BBMRI-NL), VU University's Institutes for Health and Care Research (EMGO+) and Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, University Medical Center Groningen, Leiden University Medical Center, National Institutes of Health (NIH, ROI D0042157-01A, MH081802, Grand Opportunity grants 1 RC2 Ml-1089951 and IRC2 MH089995). Part of the genotyping and analyses were funded by the Genetic Association Information Network (GAIN) of the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health. Computing was supported by BiG Grid, the Dutch e-Science Grid, which is financially supported by NWO. Work in the Del Bene lab was supported by the Programme Investissements d'Avenir IHU FOReSIGHT (ANR-18-IAHU-01). C.R. was supported by an EU Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action fellowship (H2020-MSCA-IF-2014 #661527). H.S. and K.S. are employees of deCODE Genetics/Amgen. The other authors declare no competing financial interests. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER N/A.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamdi Mbarek
- Department of Biological Psychology, Netherlands Twin Register, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Qatar Genome Program, Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar
- Amsterdam Reproduction and Development Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Scott D Gordon
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - David L Duffy
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Nikki Hubers
- Department of Biological Psychology, Netherlands Twin Register, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Reproduction and Development Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Sally Mortlock
- Institute of Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Jeffrey J Beck
- Avera Institute for Human Genetics, Avera McKennan Hospital and University Health Center, Sioux Falls, SD, USA
| | - Jouke-Jan Hottenga
- Department of Biological Psychology, Netherlands Twin Register, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - René Pool
- Department of Biological Psychology, Netherlands Twin Register, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Conor V Dolan
- Department of Biological Psychology, Netherlands Twin Register, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ky’Era V Actkins
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | | | - Jenny Van Dongen
- Department of Biological Psychology, Netherlands Twin Register, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Reproduction and Development Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Erik A Ehli
- Avera Institute for Human Genetics, Avera McKennan Hospital and University Health Center, Sioux Falls, SD, USA
| | - William G Iacono
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Matt Mcgue
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Daniel I Chasman
- Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
- Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Samantha L P Schilit
- Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
- Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Cynthia C Morton
- Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
- Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Guillaume Paré
- Population Health Research Institute, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Gonneke Willemsen
- Department of Biological Psychology, Netherlands Twin Register, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Eva Krapohl
- Medical Research Council Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
- Statistical Sciences & Innovation, UCB Biosciences GmbH, Monheim, Germany
| | - Robert Plomin
- Medical Research Council Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Patrik K E Magnusson
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Nancy L Pedersen
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Pirro Hysi
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Massimo Mangino
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, London, UK
- NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Timothy D Spector
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Teemu Palviainen
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland FIMM, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Yuri Milaneschi
- Department of Psychiatry, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Brenda W Penninnx
- Department of Psychiatry, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Adrian I Campos
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Institute of Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Ken K Ong
- MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Institute of Metabolic Science, Cambridge, UK
| | - John R B Perry
- MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Institute of Metabolic Science, Cambridge, UK
| | - Cornelis B Lambalk
- Amsterdam Reproduction and Development Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam University Medical Centers Location VU Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Jaakko Kaprio
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland FIMM, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Ísleifur Ólafsson
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, National University Hospital of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland
| | - Karine Duroure
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, Paris, France
| | - Céline Revenu
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, Paris, France
| | | | - Loic Yengo
- Institute of Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Lea Davis
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Eske M Derks
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Sarah E Medland
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | | | | | - Filippo Del Bene
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, Paris, France
| | - Bruno Reversade
- Genome Institute of Singapore, Laboratory of Human Genetics & Therapeutics, A*STAR, Singapore, Singapore
- Smart-Health Initiative, BESE, KAUST, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Grant W Montgomery
- Institute of Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Dorret I Boomsma
- Department of Biological Psychology, Netherlands Twin Register, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Reproduction and Development Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Marla S, Mortlock S, Heinosalo T, Poutanen M, Montgomery GW, McKinnon BD. Gene expression profiles separate endometriosis lesion subtypes and indicate a sensitivity of endometrioma to estrogen suppressive treatments through elevated ESR2 expression. BMC Med 2023; 21:460. [PMID: 37996888 PMCID: PMC10666321 DOI: 10.1186/s12916-023-03166-1] [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: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Endometriosis is a common, gynaecological disease characterised by the presence of endometrial-like cells growing outside the uterus. Lesions appear at multiple locations, present with variation in appearance, size and depth of invasion. Despite hormones being the recommended first-line treatment, their efficacy, success and side effects vary widely amongst study populations. Current, hormonal medication for endometriosis is designed to suppress systemic oestrogen. Whether these hormones can influence the lesions themselves is not yet clear. Evidence of hormone receptor expression in endometriotic lesions and their ability to respond is conflicting. A variation in their expression, activation of transcriptional co-regulators and the potential to respond may contribute to their variation in patient outcomes. Identifying patients who would benefit from hormonal treatments remain an important goal in endometriosis research. METHODS Using gene expression data from endometriosis lesions including endometrioma (OMA, n = 28), superficial peritoneal lesions (SUP, n = 72) and deeply infiltrating lesions (DIE, n = 78), we performed principal component analysis, differential gene expression and gene correlation analyses to assess the impact of menstrual stage, lesion subtype and hormonal treatment on the gene expression. RESULTS The gene expression profiles did not vary based on menstrual stage, but could distinguish lesion subtypes with OMA significantly differentiating from both SUP and DIE. Additionally, the effect of oestrogen suppression medication altered the gene expression profile in OMA, while such effect was not observed in SUP or DIE. Analysis of the target receptors for hormonal medication indicated ESR2 was differentially expressed in OMA and that genes that correlated with ESR2 varied significantly between medicated and non-medicated OMA samples. CONCLUSIONS Our results demonstrate of the different lesion types OMA present with strongest response to hormonal treatment directly through ESR2. The data suggests that there may be the potential to target treatment options to individual patients based on pre-surgical diagnoses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sushma Marla
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Carmody Rd, Brisbane, QLD, 4067, Australia
| | - Sally Mortlock
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Carmody Rd, Brisbane, QLD, 4067, Australia
| | - Taija Heinosalo
- Institute of Biomedicine, Research Centre for Integrative Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Turku, Turku, 20014, Finland
| | - Matti Poutanen
- Institute of Biomedicine, Research Centre for Integrative Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Turku, Turku, 20014, Finland
- Turku Center for Disease Modelling, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, Finland
| | - Grant W Montgomery
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Carmody Rd, Brisbane, QLD, 4067, Australia
| | - Brett David McKinnon
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Carmody Rd, Brisbane, QLD, 4067, Australia.
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6
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Yang F, Wu Y, Hockey R, Doust J, Mishra GD, Montgomery GW, Mortlock S. Evidence of shared genetic factors in the etiology of gastrointestinal disorders and endometriosis and clinical implications for disease management. Cell Rep Med 2023; 4:101250. [PMID: 37909040 PMCID: PMC10694629 DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2023.101250] [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: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 03/26/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
In clinical practice, the co-existence of endometriosis and gastrointestinal symptoms is often observed. Using large-scale datasets, we report a genetic correlation between endometriosis and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), peptic ulcer disease (PUD), gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GORD), and a combined GORD/PUD medicated (GPM) phenotype. Mendelian randomization analyses support a causal relationship between genetic predisposition to endometriosis and IBS and GPM. Identification of shared risk loci highlights biological pathways that may contribute to the pathogenesis of both diseases, including estrogen regulation and inflammation, and potential therapeutic drug targets (CCKBR; PDE4B). Higher use of IBS, GORD, and PUD medications in women with endometriosis and higher use of hormone therapies in women with IBS, GORD, and PUD, support the co-occurrence of these conditions and highlight the potential for drug repositioning and drug contraindications. Our results provide evidence of shared disease etiology and have important clinical implications for diagnostic and treatment decisions for both diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Yang
- The Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Yeda Wu
- The Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Richard Hockey
- The University of Queensland, NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence on Women and Non-communicable Diseases (CREWaND), School of Public Health, Herston Road, Herston, QLD, Australia
| | - Jenny Doust
- The University of Queensland, NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence on Women and Non-communicable Diseases (CREWaND), School of Public Health, Herston Road, Herston, QLD, Australia
| | - Gita D Mishra
- The University of Queensland, NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence on Women and Non-communicable Diseases (CREWaND), School of Public Health, Herston Road, Herston, QLD, Australia
| | - Grant W Montgomery
- The Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Sally Mortlock
- The Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.
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7
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Teh WT, Chung J, Holdsworth-Carson SJ, Donoghue JF, Healey M, Rees HC, Bittinger S, Obers V, Sloggett C, Kendarsari R, Fung JN, Mortlock S, Montgomery GW, Girling JE, Rogers PAW. A molecular staging model for accurately dating the endometrial biopsy. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6222. [PMID: 37798294 PMCID: PMC10556104 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41979-z] [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: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Natural variability in menstrual cycle length, coupled with rapid changes in endometrial gene expression, makes it difficult to accurately define and compare different stages of the endometrial cycle. Here we develop and validate a method for precisely determining endometrial cycle stage based on global gene expression. Our 'molecular staging model' reveals significant and remarkably synchronised daily changes in expression for over 3400 endometrial genes throughout the cycle, with the most dramatic changes occurring during the secretory phase. Our study significantly extends existing data on the endometrial transcriptome, and for the first time enables identification of differentially expressed endometrial genes with increasing age and different ethnicities. It also allows reinterpretation of all endometrial RNA-seq and array data that has been published to date. Our molecular staging model will significantly advance understanding of endometrial-related disorders that affect nearly all women at some stage of their lives, such as heavy menstrual bleeding, endometriosis, adenomyosis, and recurrent implantation failure.
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Affiliation(s)
- W T Teh
- University of Melbourne Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Melbourne IVF, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - J Chung
- University of Melbourne Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Melbourne Bioinformatics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - S J Holdsworth-Carson
- University of Melbourne Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Julia Argyrou Endometriosis Centre, Epworth HealthCare, Richmond, Victoria, Australia
| | - J F Donoghue
- University of Melbourne Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - M Healey
- University of Melbourne Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - H C Rees
- Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - S Bittinger
- Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - V Obers
- Melbourne Pathology, Collingwood, Victoria, Australia
| | - C Sloggett
- Melbourne Bioinformatics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - R Kendarsari
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
- Illumina Inc. 11 Biopolis Way, Singapore, 138667, Singapore
| | - J N Fung
- School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - S Mortlock
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - G W Montgomery
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - J E Girling
- University of Melbourne Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, Aotearoa, New Zealand
| | - P A W Rogers
- University of Melbourne Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
- Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
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8
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Mortlock S, Houshdaran S, Kosti I, Rahmioglu N, Nezhat C, Vitonis AF, Andrews SV, Grosjean P, Paranjpe M, Horne AW, Jacoby A, Lager J, Opoku-Anane J, Vo KC, Manvelyan E, Sen S, Ghukasyan Z, Collins F, Santamaria X, Saunders P, Kober K, McRae AF, Terry KL, Vallvé-Juanico J, Becker C, Rogers PAW, Irwin JC, Zondervan K, Montgomery GW, Missmer S, Sirota M, Giudice L. Global endometrial DNA methylation analysis reveals insights into mQTL regulation and associated endometriosis disease risk and endometrial function. Commun Biol 2023; 6:780. [PMID: 37587191 PMCID: PMC10432557 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05070-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Endometriosis is a leading cause of pain and infertility affecting millions of women globally. Herein, we characterize variation in DNA methylation (DNAm) and its association with menstrual cycle phase, endometriosis, and genetic variants through analysis of genotype data and methylation in endometrial samples from 984 deeply-phenotyped participants. We estimate that 15.4% of the variation in endometriosis is captured by DNAm and identify significant differences in DNAm profiles associated with stage III/IV endometriosis, endometriosis sub-phenotypes and menstrual cycle phase, including opening of the window for embryo implantation. Menstrual cycle phase was a major source of DNAm variation suggesting cellular and hormonally-driven changes across the cycle can regulate genes and pathways responsible for endometrial physiology and function. DNAm quantitative trait locus (mQTL) analysis identified 118,185 independent cis-mQTLs including 51 associated with risk of endometriosis, highlighting candidate genes contributing to disease risk. Our work provides functional evidence for epigenetic targets contributing to endometriosis risk and pathogenesis. Data generated serve as a valuable resource for understanding tissue-specific effects of methylation on endometrial biology in health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sally Mortlock
- The Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia.
| | - Sahar Houshdaran
- Center for Reproductive Sciences, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Idit Kosti
- Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Nilufer Rahmioglu
- Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Oxford Endometriosis CaRe Centre, Nuffield Department of Women's and Reproductive Health, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Camran Nezhat
- Stanford University Medical Center, Palo Alto, CA, USA
- University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Camran Nezhat Institute, Center for Special Minimally Invasive and Robotic Surgery, Woodside, CA, USA
| | - Allison F Vitonis
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Epidemiology Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Shan V Andrews
- Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Parker Grosjean
- Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Manish Paranjpe
- Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Andrew W Horne
- MRC Centre for Reproductive Health, University of Edinburgh, QMRI, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Alison Jacoby
- Center for Reproductive Sciences, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Jeannette Lager
- Center for Reproductive Sciences, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Jessica Opoku-Anane
- Center for Reproductive Sciences, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Kim Chi Vo
- Center for Reproductive Sciences, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Evelina Manvelyan
- Center for Reproductive Sciences, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Sushmita Sen
- Center for Reproductive Sciences, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Zhanna Ghukasyan
- Center for Reproductive Sciences, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Frances Collins
- MRC Centre for Reproductive Health, University of Edinburgh, QMRI, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Xavier Santamaria
- Carlos Simon Foundation, Health Research Institute, Valencia, Spain
- Group of Biomedical Research in Gynecology, Vall d'Hebron Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Philippa Saunders
- Centre for Inflammation Research, Institute for Regeneration and Repair University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Kord Kober
- Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Physiological Nursing, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Allan F McRae
- The Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Kathryn L Terry
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Epidemiology Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Boston Center for Endometriosis, Boston Children's Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Júlia Vallvé-Juanico
- Center for Reproductive Sciences, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Group of Biomedical Research in Gynecology, Vall d'Hebron Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Christian Becker
- Oxford Endometriosis CaRe Centre, Nuffield Department of Women's and Reproductive Health, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Peter A W Rogers
- University of Melbourne Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Juan C Irwin
- Center for Reproductive Sciences, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Krina Zondervan
- Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Oxford Endometriosis CaRe Centre, Nuffield Department of Women's and Reproductive Health, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Grant W Montgomery
- The Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Stacey Missmer
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Boston Center for Endometriosis, Boston Children's Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
| | - Marina Sirota
- Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Linda Giudice
- Center for Reproductive Sciences, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
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9
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Marla S, Mortlock S, Yoon S, Crawford J, Andersen S, Mueller MD, McKinnon B, Nguyen Q, Montgomery GW. Global Analysis of Transcription Start Sites and Enhancers in Endometrial Stromal Cells and Differences Associated with Endometriosis. Cells 2023; 12:1736. [PMID: 37443771 PMCID: PMC10340717 DOI: 10.3390/cells12131736] [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: 05/09/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Identifying tissue-specific molecular signatures of active regulatory elements is critical to understanding gene regulatory mechanisms. In this study, transcription start sites (TSS) and enhancers were identified using Cap analysis of gene expression (CAGE) across endometrial stromal cell (ESC) samples obtained from women with (n = 4) and without endometriosis (n = 4). ESC TSSs and enhancers were compared to those reported in other tissue and cell types in FANTOM5 and were integrated with RNA-seq and ATAC-seq data from the same samples for regulatory activity and network analyses. CAGE tag count differences between women with and without endometriosis were statistically tested and tags within close proximity to genetic variants associated with endometriosis risk were identified. Over 90% of tag clusters mapping to promoters were observed in cells and tissues in FANTOM5. However, some potential cell-type-specific promoters and enhancers were also observed. Regions of open chromatin identified using ATAC-seq provided further evidence of the active transcriptional regions identified by CAGE. Despite the small sample number, there was evidence of differences associated with endometriosis at 210 consensus clusters, including IGFBP5, CALD1 and OXTR. ESC TSSs were also located within loci associated with endometriosis risk from genome-wide association studies. This study provides novel evidence of transcriptional differences in endometrial stromal cells associated with endometriosis and provides a valuable cell-type specific resource of active TSSs and enhancers in endometrial stromal cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sushma Marla
- The Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; (S.M.); (S.M.); (B.M.); (Q.N.)
| | - Sally Mortlock
- The Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; (S.M.); (S.M.); (B.M.); (Q.N.)
| | - Sohye Yoon
- The Genome Innovation Hub, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; (S.Y.); (J.C.); (S.A.)
| | - Joanna Crawford
- The Genome Innovation Hub, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; (S.Y.); (J.C.); (S.A.)
| | - Stacey Andersen
- The Genome Innovation Hub, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; (S.Y.); (J.C.); (S.A.)
| | - Michael D. Mueller
- Department of Gynecology and Gynecological Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, 3010 Berne, Switzerland;
| | - Brett McKinnon
- The Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; (S.M.); (S.M.); (B.M.); (Q.N.)
- Department of Gynecology and Gynecological Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, 3010 Berne, Switzerland;
| | - Quan Nguyen
- The Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; (S.M.); (S.M.); (B.M.); (Q.N.)
| | - Grant W. Montgomery
- The Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; (S.M.); (S.M.); (B.M.); (Q.N.)
- The Genome Innovation Hub, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; (S.Y.); (J.C.); (S.A.)
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10
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Cousins FL, McKinnon BD, Mortlock S, Fitzgerald HC, Zhang C, Montgomery GW, Gargett CE. New concepts on the etiology of endometriosis. J Obstet Gynaecol Res 2023; 49:1090-1105. [PMID: 36746607 PMCID: PMC10946875 DOI: 10.1111/jog.15549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Endometriosis is a serious, chronic disorder where endometrial tissue grows outside the uterus, causing severe pelvic pain and infertility. It affects 11% of women. Endometriosis is a multifactorial disorder of unclear etiology, although retrograde menstruation plays a major role. It has a genetic component with over 40 genetic risk factors mapped, although their mechanism of action is still emerging. New evidence suggests a role for retrograde menstruation of endometrial stem/progenitor cells, now that identifying markers of these cells are available. Recent lineage tracing and tissue clearing microscopy and 3D reconstruction has provided new understanding of endometrial glandular structure, particularly the horizontal orientation and interconnection of basalis glands. New sequencing technologies, particularly whole genome DNA sequencing are revealing somatic mutations, including in cancer driver genes, in normal and eutopic endometrium of patients with endometriosis, as well as ectopic endometriotic lesions. Methylome sequencing is offering insight into the regulation of genes and the role of the environmental factors. Single cell RNA sequencing reveals the transcriptome of individual endometrial cells, shedding new light on the diversity and range of cellular subpopulations of the major cell types present in the endometrium and in endometriotic lesions. New endometrial epithelial organoid cultures replicating glandular epithelium are providing tractable models for studying endometriosis. Organoids derived from menstrual fluid offer a non-invasive source of endometrial tissue and a new avenue for testing drugs and developing personalized medicine for treating endometriosis. These new approaches are rapidly advancing our understanding of endometriosis etiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fiona L. Cousins
- The Ritchie CentreHudson Institute of Medical ResearchClaytonVictoriaAustralia
- Department of Obstetrics and GynaecologyMonash UniversityClaytonVictoriaAustralia
| | - Brett D. McKinnon
- Institute for Molecular Biosciences, The University of QueenslandBrisbaneAustralia
| | - Sally Mortlock
- Institute for Molecular Biosciences, The University of QueenslandBrisbaneAustralia
| | - Harriet C. Fitzgerald
- The Ritchie CentreHudson Institute of Medical ResearchClaytonVictoriaAustralia
- Department of Obstetrics and GynaecologyMonash UniversityClaytonVictoriaAustralia
| | - Chenyu Zhang
- Department of Obstetrics and GynaecologyMonash UniversityClaytonVictoriaAustralia
| | - Grant W. Montgomery
- Institute for Molecular Biosciences, The University of QueenslandBrisbaneAustralia
| | - Caroline E. Gargett
- The Ritchie CentreHudson Institute of Medical ResearchClaytonVictoriaAustralia
- Department of Obstetrics and GynaecologyMonash UniversityClaytonVictoriaAustralia
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11
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Solé-Navais P, Flatley C, Steinthorsdottir V, Vaudel M, Juodakis J, Chen J, Laisk T, LaBella AL, Westergaard D, Bacelis J, Brumpton B, Skotte L, Borges MC, Helgeland Ø, Mahajan A, Wielscher M, Lin F, Briggs C, Wang CA, Moen GH, Beaumont RN, Bradfield JP, Abraham A, Thorleifsson G, Gabrielsen ME, Ostrowski SR, Modzelewska D, Nohr EA, Hypponen E, Srivastava A, Talbot O, Allard C, Williams SM, Menon R, Shields BM, Sveinbjornsson G, Xu H, Melbye M, Lowe W, Bouchard L, Oken E, Pedersen OB, Gudbjartsson DF, Erikstrup C, Sørensen E, Lie RT, Teramo K, Hallman M, Juliusdottir T, Hakonarson H, Ullum H, Hattersley AT, Sletner L, Merialdi M, Rifas-Shiman SL, Steingrimsdottir T, Scholtens D, Power C, West J, Nyegaard M, Capra JA, Skogholt AH, Magnus P, Andreassen OA, Thorsteinsdottir U, Grant SFA, Qvigstad E, Pennell CE, Hivert MF, Hayes GM, Jarvelin MR, McCarthy MI, Lawlor DA, Nielsen HS, Mägi R, Rokas A, Hveem K, Stefansson K, Feenstra B, Njolstad P, Muglia LJ, Freathy RM, Johansson S, Zhang G, Jacobsson B. Genetic effects on the timing of parturition and links to fetal birth weight. Nat Genet 2023; 55:559-567. [PMID: 37012456 PMCID: PMC10101852 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-023-01343-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023]
Abstract
The timing of parturition is crucial for neonatal survival and infant health. Yet, its genetic basis remains largely unresolved. We present a maternal genome-wide meta-analysis of gestational duration (n = 195,555), identifying 22 associated loci (24 independent variants) and an enrichment in genes differentially expressed during labor. A meta-analysis of preterm delivery (18,797 cases, 260,246 controls) revealed six associated loci and large genetic similarities with gestational duration. Analysis of the parental transmitted and nontransmitted alleles (n = 136,833) shows that 15 of the gestational duration genetic variants act through the maternal genome, whereas 7 act both through the maternal and fetal genomes and 2 act only via the fetal genome. Finally, the maternal effects on gestational duration show signs of antagonistic pleiotropy with the fetal effects on birth weight: maternal alleles that increase gestational duration have negative fetal effects on birth weight. The present study provides insights into the genetic effects on the timing of parturition and the complex maternal-fetal relationship between gestational duration and birth weight.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pol Solé-Navais
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Sahlgrenska Academy, Institute of Clinical Science, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
| | - Christopher Flatley
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Sahlgrenska Academy, Institute of Clinical Science, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | | | - Marc Vaudel
- Center for Diabetes Research, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Julius Juodakis
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Sahlgrenska Academy, Institute of Clinical Science, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Jing Chen
- Division of Biomedical Informatics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Triin Laisk
- Estonian Genome Centre, Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Abigail L LaBella
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - David Westergaard
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark
- Methods and Analysis, Statistics Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jonas Bacelis
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Sahlgrenska Academy, Institute of Clinical Science, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Ben Brumpton
- K.G. Jebsen Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Public Health and Nursing, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Line Skotte
- Department of Epidemiology Research, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Maria C Borges
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Øyvind Helgeland
- Center for Diabetes Research, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Genetics and Bioinformatics, Health Data and Digitalization, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Anubha Mahajan
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Genentech, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Matthias Wielscher
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, MRC-PHE Centre for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Frederick Lin
- Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Catherine Briggs
- Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Carol A Wang
- School of Medicine and Public Health, College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
- Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Gunn-Helen Moen
- K.G. Jebsen Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Public Health and Nursing, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, Australia
| | - Robin N Beaumont
- Institute of Biomedical and Clinical Science, College of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | | | - Abin Abraham
- Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Maiken E Gabrielsen
- K.G. Jebsen Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Public Health and Nursing, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Sisse R Ostrowski
- Department of Clinical Immunology, Copenhagen University Hospital - Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Dominika Modzelewska
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Sahlgrenska Academy, Institute of Clinical Science, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Ellen A Nohr
- Research Unit of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Institute of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Elina Hypponen
- Australian Centre for Precision Health, Uni Clinical & Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
- South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Amit Srivastava
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
- Division of Human Genetics, Center for the Prevention of Preterm Birth, Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Octavious Talbot
- Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Catherine Allard
- Centre de recherche du Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke (CHUS), Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada
| | - Scott M Williams
- Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Ramkumar Menon
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Beverley M Shields
- Institute of Biomedical and Clinical Science, College of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | | | - Huan Xu
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
- Division of Human Genetics, Center for the Prevention of Preterm Birth, Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Mads Melbye
- K.G. Jebsen Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Public Health and Nursing, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - William Lowe
- Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Luigi Bouchard
- Department of Biochemistry and Functional Genomics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada
- Clinical Department of Laboratory Medicine, Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux (CIUSSS) du Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean - Hôpital Universitaire de Chicoutimi, Saguenay, Québec, Canada
| | - Emily Oken
- Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ole B Pedersen
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Immunology, Zealand University Hospital, Køge, Denmark
| | - Daniel F Gudbjartsson
- deCODE genetics/Amgen, Reykjavik, Iceland
- School of Engineering and Natural Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland
| | - Christian Erikstrup
- Department of Clinical Immunology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health, University of Aarhus, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Erik Sørensen
- Department of Clinical Immunology, Copenhagen University Hospital - Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Rolv T Lie
- Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Kari Teramo
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
- University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Mikko Hallman
- PEDEGO Research Unit and Medical Research Center Oulu, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
- Department of Children and Adolescents, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland
| | | | - Hakon Hakonarson
- The Center for Applied Genomics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, The Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Division of Human Genetics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Andrew T Hattersley
- Institute of Biomedical and Clinical Science, College of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Line Sletner
- Department of Pediatric and Adolescents Medicine, Akershus University Hospital, Lørenskog, Norway
| | - Mario Merialdi
- Maternal Newborn Health Innovations, PBC, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Sheryl L Rifas-Shiman
- Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Thora Steingrimsdottir
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Landspitali - The National University Hospital of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland
| | - Denise Scholtens
- Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Christine Power
- Population, Policy, Practice. Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Jane West
- Bradford Institute for Health Research, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Bradford, UK
| | - Mette Nyegaard
- Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - John A Capra
- Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute and Department of Epidemiology and Statistics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Anne H Skogholt
- K.G. Jebsen Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Public Health and Nursing, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Per Magnus
- Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Ole A Andreassen
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- NORMENT Centre, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Unnur Thorsteinsdottir
- deCODE genetics/Amgen, Reykjavik, Iceland
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland
| | - Struan F A Grant
- Department of Pediatrics, The Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Center for Spatial and Functional Genomics Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Divisions of Human Genetics and Endocrinology and Diabetes, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Genetics, The Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Elisabeth Qvigstad
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Endocrinology, Morbid Obesity and Preventive Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Craig E Pennell
- School of Medicine and Public Health, College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
- Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Marie-France Hivert
- Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Diabetes Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Geoffrey M Hayes
- Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Marjo-Riitta Jarvelin
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, MRC-PHE Centre for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Center for Life Course Health Research, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
- Biocenter of Oulu, University of Oulu, Linnanmaa, Oulu, Finland
- Department of Life Sciences, College of Health and Life Sciences, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, UK
| | - Mark I McCarthy
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Genentech, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Deborah A Lawlor
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- NIHR Bristol Biomedical Research Centre, Bristol, UK
| | - Henriette S Nielsen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- The Recurrent Pregnancy Loss Unit, The Capital Region, Copenhagen University Hospitals Rigshospitalet & Hvidovre Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
| | - Reedik Mägi
- Estonian Genome Centre, Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Antonis Rokas
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Kristian Hveem
- K.G. Jebsen Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Public Health and Nursing, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
- HUNT Research Centre, Department of Public Health and Nursing, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Levanger, Norway
- Department of Medicine, Levanger Hospital, Nord-Trøndelag Hospital Trust, Levanger, Norway
| | - Kari Stefansson
- deCODE genetics/Amgen, Reykjavik, Iceland
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland
| | - Bjarke Feenstra
- Department of Epidemiology Research, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Pål Njolstad
- Center for Diabetes Research, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Children and Youth Clinic, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Louis J Muglia
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
- Division of Human Genetics, Center for the Prevention of Preterm Birth, Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Rachel M Freathy
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- Institute of Biomedical and Clinical Science, College of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Stefan Johansson
- Center for Diabetes Research, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Medical Genetics, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Ge Zhang
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
- Division of Human Genetics, Center for the Prevention of Preterm Birth, Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Bo Jacobsson
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Sahlgrenska Academy, Institute of Clinical Science, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
- Department of Genetics and Bioinformatics, Health Data and Digitalization, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.
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12
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Wu H, Ke X, Huang W, Shi W, Yao S, Duan YY, Tian W, Dong SS, Xue HZ, Guo Y. Multitissue Integrative Analysis Identifies Susceptibility Genes for Atopic Dermatitis. J Invest Dermatol 2023; 143:602-611.e14. [PMID: 36155055 DOI: 10.1016/j.jid.2022.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2022] [Revised: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic relapsing inflammatory skin disease with multiple environmental and genetic factors involved in its etiology. Although lots of genetic loci associated with AD have been reported by GWASs, only a small part of phenotypic variations can be explained. To identify additional susceptibility genes on AD, we conducted a large-scale transcriptome-wide association study using a joint-tissue imputation approach in ∼840,000 European individuals combined with six precomputed gene expression weights of four AD-relevant tissues, including skin fibroblast, lymphocyte, and whole blood. The Mendelian randomization causal inference analysis was performed to estimate the causal effect of transcriptome-wide association study‒identified genes. We identified 51 genes significantly associated with AD after Bonferroni corrections, and 19 genes showed putatively causal associations such as an established gene FLG (P = 3.98 × 10‒10) and seven genes that have not been implicated in previous transcriptome-wide association studies, such as AQP3 (P = 4.43 × 10‒7) and PDCD1 (P = 7.66 × 10‒7). Among them, four genes (AQP3, PDCD1, ADCY3, and DOLPP1) were further supported in differential expression analyses or the Mouse Genome Informatics database. Overall, our study identified susceptibility genes associated with AD, providing, to our knowledge, previously unreported clues in revealing the genetic mechanisms in AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Wu
- Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Biomedical Informatics & Genomics Center, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Xin Ke
- Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Biomedical Informatics & Genomics Center, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Wei Huang
- Department of Trauma Surgery, Honghui Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Wei Shi
- Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Biomedical Informatics & Genomics Center, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Shi Yao
- Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Biomedical Informatics & Genomics Center, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Yuan-Yuan Duan
- Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Biomedical Informatics & Genomics Center, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Wen Tian
- Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Biomedical Informatics & Genomics Center, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Shan-Shan Dong
- Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Biomedical Informatics & Genomics Center, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Han-Zhong Xue
- Department of Trauma Surgery, Honghui Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Yan Guo
- Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Biomedical Informatics & Genomics Center, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China; Department of Trauma Surgery, Honghui Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.
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13
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Rahmioglu N, Mortlock S, Ghiasi M, Møller PL, Stefansdottir L, Galarneau G, Turman C, Danning R, Law MH, Sapkota Y, Christofidou P, Skarp S, Giri A, Banasik K, Krassowski M, Lepamets M, Marciniak B, Nõukas M, Perro D, Sliz E, Sobalska-Kwapis M, Thorleifsson G, Topbas-Selcuki NF, Vitonis A, Westergaard D, Arnadottir R, Burgdorf KS, Campbell A, Cheuk CSK, Clementi C, Cook J, De Vivo I, DiVasta A, Dorien O, Donoghue JF, Edwards T, Fontanillas P, Fung JN, Geirsson RT, Girling JE, Harkki P, Harris HR, Healey M, Heikinheimo O, Holdsworth-Carson S, Hostettler IC, Houlden H, Houshdaran S, Irwin JC, Jarvelin MR, Kamatani Y, Kennedy SH, Kepka E, Kettunen J, Kubo M, Kulig B, Kurra V, Laivuori H, Laufer MR, Lindgren CM, MacGregor S, Mangino M, Martin NG, Matalliotaki C, Matalliotakis M, Murray AD, Ndungu A, Nezhat C, Olsen CM, Opoku-Anane J, Padmanabhan S, Paranjpe M, Peters M, Polak G, Porteous DJ, Rabban J, Rexrode KM, Romanowicz H, Saare M, Saavalainen L, Schork AJ, Sen S, Shafrir AL, Siewierska-Górska A, Słomka M, Smith BH, Smolarz B, Szaflik T, Szyłło K, Takahashi A, Terry KL, Tomassetti C, Treloar SA, Vanhie A, Vincent K, Vo KC, Werring DJ, Zeggini E, Zervou MI, Adachi S, Buring JE, Ridker PM, D’Hooghe T, Goulielmos GN, Hapangama DK, Hayward C, Horne AW, Low SK, Martikainen H, Chasman DI, Rogers PAW, Saunders PT, Sirota M, Spector T, Strapagiel D, Tung JY, Whiteman DC, Giudice LC, Velez-Edwards DR, Uimari O, Kraft P, Salumets A, Nyholt DR, Mägi R, Stefansson K, Becker CM, Yurttas-Beim P, Steinthorsdottir V, Nyegaard M, Missmer SA, Montgomery GW, Morris AP, Zondervan KT. The genetic basis of endometriosis and comorbidity with other pain and inflammatory conditions. Nat Genet 2023; 55:423-436. [PMID: 36914876 PMCID: PMC10042257 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-023-01323-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 62.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023]
Abstract
Endometriosis is a common condition associated with debilitating pelvic pain and infertility. A genome-wide association study meta-analysis, including 60,674 cases and 701,926 controls of European and East Asian descent, identified 42 genome-wide significant loci comprising 49 distinct association signals. Effect sizes were largest for stage 3/4 disease, driven by ovarian endometriosis. Identified signals explained up to 5.01% of disease variance and regulated expression or methylation of genes in endometrium and blood, many of which were associated with pain perception/maintenance (SRP14/BMF, GDAP1, MLLT10, BSN and NGF). We observed significant genetic correlations between endometriosis and 11 pain conditions, including migraine, back and multisite chronic pain (MCP), as well as inflammatory conditions, including asthma and osteoarthritis. Multitrait genetic analyses identified substantial sharing of variants associated with endometriosis and MCP/migraine. Targeted investigations of genetically regulated mechanisms shared between endometriosis and other pain conditions are needed to aid the development of new treatments and facilitate early symptomatic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nilufer Rahmioglu
- Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Oxford Endometriosis CaRe Centre, Nuffield Department of Women’s and Reproductive Health, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Sally Mortlock
- The Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Marzieh Ghiasi
- Department of Epidemiology, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
| | - Peter L Møller
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | | | | | - Constance Turman
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Rebecca Danning
- Division of Preventive Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston MA, USA
| | - Matthew H Law
- Statistical Genetics, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, and Institute of health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Queensland, Australia
| | - Yadav Sapkota
- Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Paraskevi Christofidou
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, St. Thomas’ Hospital, Kings College London, London, UK
| | - Sini Skarp
- Northern Finland Birth Cohorts, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Ayush Giri
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Medicine and Public Health, Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Karina Banasik
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Michal Krassowski
- Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Oxford Endometriosis CaRe Centre, Nuffield Department of Women’s and Reproductive Health, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Maarja Lepamets
- Estonian Genome Centre, Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Błażej Marciniak
- Biobank Lab, Department of Oncobiology and Epigenetics, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Lodz, Łódź, Poland
| | - Margit Nõukas
- Estonian Genome Centre, Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Danielle Perro
- Oxford Endometriosis CaRe Centre, Nuffield Department of Women’s and Reproductive Health, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Eeva Sliz
- Computational Medicine and Center for Life Course Health Research, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
- Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Marta Sobalska-Kwapis
- Biobank Lab, Department of Oncobiology and Epigenetics, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Lodz, Łódź, Poland
| | | | - Nura F Topbas-Selcuki
- Oxford Endometriosis CaRe Centre, Nuffield Department of Women’s and Reproductive Health, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Allison Vitonis
- Boston Center for Endometriosis, Boston Children’s Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Epidemiology Center, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - David Westergaard
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ragnheidur Arnadottir
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Landspitali University Hospital, Reykjavik, Iceland
| | - Kristoffer S Burgdorf
- Department of Clinical Immunology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Archie Campbell
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics & Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Cecilia SK Cheuk
- Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Oxford Endometriosis CaRe Centre, Nuffield Department of Women’s and Reproductive Health, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - James Cook
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Immaculata De Vivo
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Amy DiVasta
- Boston Center for Endometriosis, Boston Children’s Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - O Dorien
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Leuven University Fertility Centre, University Hospital Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- KULeuven (University of Leuven), Department of Development and Regeneration, Organ systems, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jacqueline F Donoghue
- University of Melbourne Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Royal Women’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Todd Edwards
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Medicine and Public Health, Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | | | - Jenny N Fung
- The Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Reynir T Geirsson
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Landspitali University Hospital, Reykjavik, Iceland
| | - Jane E Girling
- University of Melbourne Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Royal Women’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
- Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, New Zealand
| | - Paivi Harkki
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Holly R Harris
- Program in Epidemiology, Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Martin Healey
- University of Melbourne Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Royal Women’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Oskari Heikinheimo
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Sarah Holdsworth-Carson
- University of Melbourne Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Royal Women’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Isabel C Hostettler
- Stroke Research Centre, University College London, Institute of Neurology, London, UK
- Neurogenetics Laboratory, The National Hospital of Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK
- Department of Neurosurgery, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Henry Houlden
- Neurogenetics Laboratory, The National Hospital of Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK
| | - Sahar Houshdaran
- Center for Reproductive Sciences, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Juan C Irwin
- Center for Reproductive Sciences, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Marjo-Riitta Jarvelin
- Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
- Computational Medicine and Center for Life Course Health Research, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
- Unit of Primary Health Care, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland
- Department of Life Sciences, College of Health and Life Sciences, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UK
| | | | - Stephen H Kennedy
- Oxford Endometriosis CaRe Centre, Nuffield Department of Women’s and Reproductive Health, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Ewa Kepka
- Biobank Lab, Department of Oncobiology and Epigenetics, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Lodz, Łódź, Poland
| | - Johannes Kettunen
- Computational Medicine and Center for Life Course Health Research, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
- Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
- Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Michiaki Kubo
- Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, RIKEN, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Bartosz Kulig
- Department of Operative Gynecology and Oncological Gynecology, Polish Mother’s Memorial Hospital - Research Institute, Łódź, Poland
| | - Venla Kurra
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland
| | - Hannele Laivuori
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland
- Medical and Clinical Genetics, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Marc R Laufer
- Boston Center for Endometriosis, Boston Children’s Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Division of Gynecology, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Cecilia M Lindgren
- Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Oxford Endometriosis CaRe Centre, Nuffield Department of Women’s and Reproductive Health, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Big Data Institute at the Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Information and Discovery, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Stuart MacGregor
- Statistical Genetics, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia
| | - Massimo Mangino
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, St. Thomas’ Hospital, Kings College London, London, UK
- NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Nicholas G Martin
- Genetic Epidemiology, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Charoula Matalliotaki
- Third Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Michail Matalliotakis
- Third Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Alison D Murray
- The Institute of Medical Sciences, Aberdeen Biomedical Imaging Centre, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Anne Ndungu
- Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Oxford Endometriosis CaRe Centre, Nuffield Department of Women’s and Reproductive Health, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Camran Nezhat
- Center For Special Minimally Invasive and Robotic Surgery, Camran Nezhat Institute, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Catherine M Olsen
- Department of Population Health, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Jessica Opoku-Anane
- Center for Reproductive Sciences, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Sandosh Padmanabhan
- Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Manish Paranjpe
- Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Maire Peters
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- Competence Centre on Health Technologies, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Grzegorz Polak
- 1st Department of Oncological Gynecology and Gynecology, Medical University of Lublin, Poland
| | - David J Porteous
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics & Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Joseph Rabban
- Department of Pathology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Kathyrn M Rexrode
- Division of Women’s Health, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Hanna Romanowicz
- Laboratory of Cancer Genetics, Department of Clinical Pathomorphology, Polish Mother’s Memorial Hospital - Research Institute, Łódź, Poland
| | - Merli Saare
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- Competence Centre on Health Technologies, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Liisu Saavalainen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Andrew J Schork
- Institute of Biological Psychiatry, Mental Health Center, Sct. Hans, Mental Health Services, Copenhagen, Denmark
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Neurogenomics Division, The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGEN), Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - Sushmita Sen
- Center for Reproductive Sciences, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Amy L Shafrir
- Boston Center for Endometriosis, Boston Children’s Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Anna Siewierska-Górska
- Computational Medicine and Center for Life Course Health Research, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Marcin Słomka
- Computational Medicine and Center for Life Course Health Research, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Blair H Smith
- Division of Population Health and Genomics, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - Beata Smolarz
- Laboratory of Cancer Genetics, Department of Clinical Pathomorphology, Polish Mother’s Memorial Hospital - Research Institute, Łódź, Poland
| | - Tomasz Szaflik
- Department of Operative Gynecology and Oncological Gynecology, Polish Mother’s Memorial Hospital - Research Institute, Łódź, Poland
| | - Krzysztof Szyłło
- Department of Operative Gynecology and Oncological Gynecology, Polish Mother’s Memorial Hospital - Research Institute, Łódź, Poland
| | - Atsushi Takahashi
- Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, RIKEN, Yokohama, Japan
- Research Institute, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, Osaka, Japan
| | - Kathryn L Terry
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Boston Center for Endometriosis, Boston Children’s Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Epidemiology Center, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Carla Tomassetti
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Leuven University Fertility Centre, University Hospital Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- KULeuven (University of Leuven), Department of Development and Regeneration, Organ systems, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Susan A Treloar
- Genetic Epidemiology, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Arne Vanhie
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Leuven University Fertility Centre, University Hospital Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- KULeuven (University of Leuven), Department of Development and Regeneration, Organ systems, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Katy Vincent
- Oxford Endometriosis CaRe Centre, Nuffield Department of Women’s and Reproductive Health, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Kim C Vo
- Center for Reproductive Sciences, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - David J Werring
- Stroke Research Centre, University College London, Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Eleftheria Zeggini
- Institute of Translational Genomics, Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, United Kingdom
- TUM School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich and Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Munich, Germany
| | - Maria I Zervou
- Section of Molecular Pathology and Human Genetics, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece
| | | | | | | | | | - Sosuke Adachi
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan
| | - Julie E Buring
- Division of Preventive Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Paul M Ridker
- Division of Preventive Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Thomas D’Hooghe
- KULeuven (University of Leuven), Department of Development and Regeneration, Organ systems, Leuven, Belgium
- Global Medical Affairs Fertility, Research and Development, Merck, Darmstadt, Germany
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - George N Goulielmos
- Section of Molecular Pathology and Human Genetics, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece
| | - Dharani K Hapangama
- Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Institute of Life Course and Medical Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Caroline Hayward
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Andrew W Horne
- MRC Centre for Reproductive Health, University of Edinburgh, Institute for Regeneration and Repair, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Siew-Kee Low
- Cancer Precision Medicine Center, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hannu Martikainen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland
- Research Unit of Clinical Medicine, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
- Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland
| | - Daniel I Chasman
- Division of Preventive Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Peter AW Rogers
- University of Melbourne Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Royal Women’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Philippa T Saunders
- Centre for Inflammation Research, University of Edinburgh, Institute for Regeneration and Repair, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Marina Sirota
- Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Tim Spector
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, St. Thomas’ Hospital, Kings College London, London, UK
| | - Dominik Strapagiel
- Biobank Lab, Department of Oncobiology and Epigenetics, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Lodz, Łódź, Poland
| | | | - David C Whiteman
- Department of Population Health, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Linda C Giudice
- Center for Reproductive Sciences, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Digna R Velez-Edwards
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Medicine and Public Health, Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Outi Uimari
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland
- Research Unit of Clinical Medicine, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
- Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland
| | - Peter Kraft
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Program in Genetic Epidemiology and Statistical Genetics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Andres Salumets
- Estonian Genome Centre, Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- Competence Centre on Health Technologies, Tartu, Estonia
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology (CLINTEC), Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Dale R Nyholt
- Genetic Epidemiology, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, and Centre for Genomics and Personalised Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Reedik Mägi
- Estonian Genome Centre, Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Kari Stefansson
- deCODE genetics/Amgen, Reykjavik, Iceland
- Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland
| | - Christian M Becker
- Oxford Endometriosis CaRe Centre, Nuffield Department of Women’s and Reproductive Health, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | | | - Mette Nyegaard
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Health, Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Stacey A Missmer
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Boston Center for Endometriosis, Boston Children’s Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
| | - Grant W Montgomery
- The Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Andrew P Morris
- Centre for Genetics and Genomics Versus Arthritis, Centre for Musculoskeletal Research, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Krina T Zondervan
- Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Oxford Endometriosis CaRe Centre, Nuffield Department of Women’s and Reproductive Health, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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14
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Altered differentiation of endometrial mesenchymal stromal fibroblasts is associated with endometriosis susceptibility. Commun Biol 2022; 5:600. [PMID: 35725766 PMCID: PMC9209414 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03541-3] [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: 06/06/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Cellular development is tightly regulated as mature cells with aberrant functions may initiate pathogenic processes. The endometrium is a highly regenerative tissue, shedding and regenerating each month. Endometrial stromal fibroblasts are regenerated each cycle from mesenchymal stem cells and play a pivotal role in endometriosis, a disease characterised by endometrial cells that grow outside the uterus. Why the cells of some women are more capable of developing into endometriosis lesions is not clear. Using isolated, purified and cultured endometrial cells of mesenchymal origin from 19 women with (n = 10) and without (n = 9) endometriosis we analysed the transcriptome of 33,758 individual cells and compared these to clinical characteristics and in vitro growth profiles. We show purified mesenchymal cell cultures include a mix of mesenchymal stem cells and two endometrial stromal fibroblast subtypes with distinct transcriptomic signatures indicative of varied progression through the differentiation processes. The fibroblast subgroup characterised by incomplete differentiation was predominantly (81%) derived from women with endometriosis and exhibited an altered in vitro growth profile. These results uncover an inherent difference in endometrial cells of women with endometriosis and highlight the relevance of cellular differentiation and its potential to contribute to disease susceptibility. Comparing single cell transcriptome data to clinical characteristics and in vitro growth profiles uncovers a potential role for divergent mesenchymal-derived stromal fibroblast maturation in endometriosis susceptibility.
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15
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Gene expression of the endocannabinoid system in endometrium through menstrual cycle. Sci Rep 2022; 12:9400. [PMID: 35672435 PMCID: PMC9174470 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-13488-4] [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: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Endocannabinoids mediate cellular functions and their activity is controlled by a complex system of enzymes, membrane receptors and transport molecules. Endocannabinoids are present in endometrium, a cyclical regenerative tissue requiring tightly regulated cellular mechanisms for maturation. The objective of this study was to investigate the gene expression of key elements involved in the endocannabinoid system across the menstrual cycle. RNA was isolated from endometrial tissue and genome-wide gene expression datasets were generated using RNA-sequencing. An a priori set of 70 genes associated with endocannabinoid system were selected from published literature. Gene expression across the menstrual cycle was analyzed using a moderated t test, corrected for multiple testing with Bonferroni’s method. A total of 40 of the 70 genes were present in > 90% of the samples, and significant differential gene expression identified for 29 genes. We identified 4 distinct regulation patterns for synthesizing enzymes, as well as a distinct regulation pattern for degradations and transporting enzymes. This study charts the expression of endometrial endocannabinoid system genes across the menstrual cycle. Altered expression of genes that control endocannabinoid may allow fine control over endocannabinoid concentrations and their influence on cellular function, maturation and differentiation as the endometrium matures through the menstrual cycle.
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16
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Mortlock S, Corona RI, Kho PF, Pharoah P, Seo JH, Freedman ML, Gayther SA, Siedhoff MT, Rogers PAW, Leuchter R, Walsh CS, Cass I, Karlan BY, Rimel BJ, Montgomery GW, Lawrenson K, Kar SP. A multi-level investigation of the genetic relationship between endometriosis and ovarian cancer histotypes. Cell Rep Med 2022; 3:100542. [PMID: 35492879 PMCID: PMC9040176 DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2022.100542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2021] [Revised: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 01/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Endometriosis is associated with increased risk of epithelial ovarian cancers (EOCs). Using data from large endometriosis and EOC genome-wide association meta-analyses, we estimate the genetic correlation and evaluate the causal relationship between genetic liability to endometriosis and EOC histotypes, and identify shared susceptibility loci. We estimate a significant genetic correlation (rg) between endometriosis and clear cell (rg = 0.71), endometrioid (rg = 0.48), and high-grade serous (rg = 0.19) ovarian cancer, associations supported by Mendelian randomization analyses. Bivariate meta-analysis identified 28 loci associated with both endometriosis and EOC, including 19 with evidence for a shared underlying association signal. Differences in the shared risk suggest different underlying pathways may contribute to the relationship between endometriosis and the different histotypes. Functional annotation using transcriptomic and epigenomic profiles of relevant tissues/cells highlights several target genes. This comprehensive analysis reveals profound genetic overlap between endometriosis and EOC histotypes with valuable genomic targets for understanding the biological mechanisms linking the diseases. Endometriosis is genetically correlated with CCOC, ENOC, and HGSOC Genetic liability to endometriosis confers risk of these EOC histotypes Profound colocalization of genetic associations at endometriosis and EOC risk loci Functional annotation highlights shared target genes elucidating the genetic link
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Affiliation(s)
- Sally Mortlock
- The Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Rosario I Corona
- Women's Cancer Research Program at Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Pik Fang Kho
- Department of Genetics and Computational Biology, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.,School of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Paul Pharoah
- Centre for Cancer Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, CB1 8RN Cambridge, UK.,Centre for Cancer Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Oncology, University of Cambridge, CB1 8RN Cambridge, UK
| | - Ji-Heui Seo
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Matthew L Freedman
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA.,Center for Functional Cancer Epigenetics, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Simon A Gayther
- Center for Bioinformatics and Functional Genomics, Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Matthew T Siedhoff
- Division of Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Peter A W Rogers
- University of Melbourne Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and Gynaecology Research Centre, Royal Women's Hospital, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Ronald Leuchter
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Christine S Walsh
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Ilana Cass
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Beth Y Karlan
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - B J Rimel
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | - Grant W Montgomery
- The Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Kate Lawrenson
- Women's Cancer Research Program at Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Center for Bioinformatics and Functional Genomics, Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Siddhartha P Kar
- Medical Research Council Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, BS8 2BN Bristol, UK.,Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, BS8 2BN Bristol, UK
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17
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Mortlock S, McKinnon B, Montgomery GW. Genetic Regulation of Transcription in the Endometrium in Health and Disease. FRONTIERS IN REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH 2022; 3:795464. [PMID: 36304015 PMCID: PMC9580733 DOI: 10.3389/frph.2021.795464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The endometrium is a complex and dynamic tissue essential for fertility and implicated in many reproductive disorders. The tissue consists of glandular epithelium and vascularised stroma and is unique because it is constantly shed and regrown with each menstrual cycle, generating up to 10 mm of new mucosa. Consequently, there are marked changes in cell composition and gene expression across the menstrual cycle. Recent evidence shows expression of many genes is influenced by genetic variation between individuals. We and others have reported evidence for genetic effects on hundreds of genes in endometrium. The genetic factors influencing endometrial gene expression are highly correlated with the genetic effects on expression in other reproductive (e.g., in uterus and ovary) and digestive tissues (e.g., salivary gland and stomach), supporting a shared genetic regulation of gene expression in biologically similar tissues. There is also increasing evidence for cell specific genetic effects for some genes. Sample size for studies in endometrium are modest and results from the larger studies of gene expression in blood report genetic effects for a much higher proportion of genes than currently reported for endometrium. There is also emerging evidence for the importance of genetic variation on RNA splicing. Gene mapping studies for common disease, including diseases associated with endometrium, show most variation maps to intergenic regulatory regions. It is likely that genetic risk factors for disease function through modifying the program of cell specific gene expression. The emerging evidence from our gene mapping studies coupled with tissue specific studies, and the GTEx, eQTLGen and EpiMap projects, show we need to expand our understanding of the complex regulation of gene expression. These data also help to link disease genetic risk factors to specific target genes. Combining our data on genetic regulation of gene expression in endometrium, and cell types within the endometrium with gene mapping data for endometriosis and related diseases is beginning to uncover the specific genes and pathways responsible for increased risk of these diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Grant W. Montgomery
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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18
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Maharajan K, Xia Q, Duan X, Tu P, Zhang Y, Liu K. Therapeutic importance of Zishen Yutai Pill on the female reproductive health: A review. JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY 2021; 281:114523. [PMID: 34438031 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2021.114523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2020] [Revised: 08/07/2021] [Accepted: 08/12/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Zishen Yutai Pill (ZYP) is a widely used Traditional Chinese Medicine in Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) medications, particularly in China. ZYP has a potential therapeutic role in human reproductive health, including in vitro fertilization embryo transfer and various reproductive disorders. The National Essential Medicine List of China has recently included the ZYP in Obstetrics and Gynecology medicine due to its significance in treating miscarriage and fertility associated disorders. Various clinical studies have demonstrated the importance of ZYP in improving the fertility and pregnancy rate. However, the pharmacological and toxicological actions of ZYP on reproductive health has been scantly reported. AIM OF THE REVIEW This review aims to emphasize the potential therapeutic effect of ZYP in ART and highlight its clinical significance in treating various reproductive disorders linked with hormonal balance, ovarian follicle development, menstrual cycle, uterine function and pregnancy. Additional insights on the safety evaluation of ZYP were elucidated by exploring an array of published experimental studies in various animal models with its molecular mechanism of action. MATERIALS AND METHODS The literature review was conducted across the databases such as PubMed, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, China Biomedical Literature Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Database, International Clinical Trials Registry Platform and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials with no time limit applied. The search terms used in this review include, 'Zishen Yutai Pills' and/or 'reproduction', 'assisted reproductive techniques', 'pregnancy', 'threatened abortion', 'miscarriage', 'fertility', 'infertility', 'disorders', 'women health', 'toxicity', and 'adverse effects'. RESULTS ZYP is a combination of fifteen traditional medicines and each of its components has various biological functions in humans. ZYP has improved the fertility and pregnancy rate through in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer. Further, various clinical studies have revealed that ZYP showed the curative effect for miscarriage, recurrent spontaneous abortion, menstrual disorder, luteal dysfunction, diminished ovarian reserve, polycystic ovary syndrome and premature ovarian insufficiency. The intervention of ZYP has multiple roles in reproductive functions such as regulation of ovulation, follicle development, menstrual flow, hormonal balance and endometrial thickness. The reproductive and toxicological reports in various animal models have highlighted the efficacy and safety of ZYP on the reproductive functions. CONCLUSION Nowadays, many problems are associated with maternal health, fertility and reproduction, due to the various physiological and environmental factors. The intervention of ART provides hope to infertile patients. Overall, this review provides insights on the therapeutic importance of ZYP in ART medications and treating various reproductive disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kannan Maharajan
- Biology Institute, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), 28789 Jingshidong Road, Licheng District, Jinan, 250103, China; Engineering Research Center of Zebrafish Models for Human Diseases and Drug Screening of Shandong Province, 28789 Jingshidong Road, Licheng District, Jinan, 250103, China
| | - Qing Xia
- Biology Institute, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), 28789 Jingshidong Road, Licheng District, Jinan, 250103, China; Engineering Research Center of Zebrafish Models for Human Diseases and Drug Screening of Shandong Province, 28789 Jingshidong Road, Licheng District, Jinan, 250103, China
| | - Xiuying Duan
- Biology Institute, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), 28789 Jingshidong Road, Licheng District, Jinan, 250103, China; Engineering Research Center of Zebrafish Models for Human Diseases and Drug Screening of Shandong Province, 28789 Jingshidong Road, Licheng District, Jinan, 250103, China
| | - Pengfei Tu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Yun Zhang
- Biology Institute, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), 28789 Jingshidong Road, Licheng District, Jinan, 250103, China; Engineering Research Center of Zebrafish Models for Human Diseases and Drug Screening of Shandong Province, 28789 Jingshidong Road, Licheng District, Jinan, 250103, China.
| | - Kechun Liu
- Biology Institute, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), 28789 Jingshidong Road, Licheng District, Jinan, 250103, China; Engineering Research Center of Zebrafish Models for Human Diseases and Drug Screening of Shandong Province, 28789 Jingshidong Road, Licheng District, Jinan, 250103, China.
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19
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Recent innovations and in-depth aspects of post-genome wide association study (Post-GWAS) to understand the genetic basis of complex phenotypes. Heredity (Edinb) 2021; 127:485-497. [PMID: 34689168 PMCID: PMC8626474 DOI: 10.1038/s41437-021-00479-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2020] [Revised: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In the past decade, the high throughput and low cost of sequencing/genotyping approaches have led to the accumulation of a large amount of data from genome-wide association studies (GWASs). The first aim of this review is to highlight how post-GWAS analysis can be used make sense of the obtained associations. Novel directions for integrating GWAS results with other resources, such as somatic mutation, metabolite-transcript, and transcriptomic data, are also discussed; these approaches can help us move beyond each individual data point and provide valuable information about complex trait genetics. In addition, cross-phenotype association tests, when the loci detected by GWASs have significant associations with multiple traits, are reviewed to provide biologically informative results for use in real-time applications. This review also discusses the challenges of identifying interactions between genetic mutations (epistasis) and mutations of loci affecting more than one trait (pleiotropy) as underlying causes of cross-phenotype associations; these challenges can be overcome using post-GWAS analysis. Genetic similarities between phenotypes that can be revealed using post-GWAS analysis are also discussed. In summary, different methodologies of post-GWAS analysis are now available, enhancing the value of information obtained from GWAS results, and facilitating application in both humans and nonhuman species. However, precise methods still need to be developed to overcome challenges in the field and uncover the genetic underpinnings of complex traits.
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20
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Multi-tissue transcriptome-wide association study identifies eight candidate genes and tissue-specific gene expression underlying endometrial cancer susceptibility. Commun Biol 2021; 4:1211. [PMID: 34675350 PMCID: PMC8531339 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02745-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have revealed sixteen risk loci for endoemtrial cancer but the identification of candidate susceptibility genes remains challenging. Here, we perform transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS) analyses using the largest endometrial cancer GWAS and gene expression from six relevant tissues, prioritizing eight candidate endometrial cancer susceptibility genes, one of which (EEFSEC) is located at a potentially novel endometrial cancer risk locus. We also show evidence of biologically relevant tissue-specific expression associations for CYP19A1 (adipose), HEY2 (ovary) and SKAP1 (whole blood). A phenome-wide association study demonstrates associations of candidate susceptibility genes with anthropometric, cardiovascular, diabetes, bone health and sex hormone traits that are related to endometrial cancer risk factors. Lastly, analysis of TWAS data highlights candidate compounds for endometrial cancer repurposing. In summary, this study reveals endometrial cancer susceptibility genes, including those with evidence of tissue specificity, providing insights into endometrial cancer aetiology and avenues for therapeutic development. Pik Fang Kho et al. conduct multi-tissue transcriptome-wide association studies of endometrial cancer risk. Their results identify potential susceptibility genes for endometrial cancer, and provide avenues for the development of future treatments for this disease.
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21
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Porcu E, Sadler MC, Lepik K, Auwerx C, Wood AR, Weihs A, Sleiman MSB, Ribeiro DM, Bandinelli S, Tanaka T, Nauck M, Völker U, Delaneau O, Metspalu A, Teumer A, Frayling T, Santoni FA, Reymond A, Kutalik Z. Differentially expressed genes reflect disease-induced rather than disease-causing changes in the transcriptome. Nat Commun 2021; 12:5647. [PMID: 34561431 PMCID: PMC8463674 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25805-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 08/24/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Comparing transcript levels between healthy and diseased individuals allows the identification of differentially expressed genes, which may be causes, consequences or mere correlates of the disease under scrutiny. We propose a method to decompose the observational correlation between gene expression and phenotypes driven by confounders, forward- and reverse causal effects. The bi-directional causal effects between gene expression and complex traits are obtained by Mendelian Randomization integrating summary-level data from GWAS and whole-blood eQTLs. Applying this approach to complex traits reveals that forward effects have negligible contribution. For example, BMI- and triglycerides-gene expression correlation coefficients robustly correlate with trait-to-expression causal effects (rBMI = 0.11, PBMI = 2.0 × 10-51 and rTG = 0.13, PTG = 1.1 × 10-68), but not detectably with expression-to-trait effects. Our results demonstrate that studies comparing the transcriptome of diseased and healthy subjects are more prone to reveal disease-induced gene expression changes rather than disease causing ones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleonora Porcu
- Center for Integrative Genomics, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Lausanne, Switzerland.
- University Center for Primary Care and Public Health, Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Marie C Sadler
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Lausanne, Switzerland
- University Center for Primary Care and Public Health, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Kaido Lepik
- Institute of Computer Science, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- Estonian Genome Centre, Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Chiara Auwerx
- Center for Integrative Genomics, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Lausanne, Switzerland
- University Center for Primary Care and Public Health, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Andrew R Wood
- Genetics of Complex Traits, College of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter, Exeter, Devon, UK
| | - Antoine Weihs
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Maroun S Bou Sleiman
- Laboratory of Integrative Systems Physiology, Institute of Bioengineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, 1015, Switzerland
| | - Diogo M Ribeiro
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Department of Computational Biology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | - Toshiko Tanaka
- Clinical Res Branch, National Institute of Aging, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Matthias Nauck
- Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
- DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Uwe Völker
- DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
- Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Olivier Delaneau
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Department of Computational Biology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | - Alexander Teumer
- DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
- Institute for Community Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Timothy Frayling
- University of Exeter Medical School, University of Exeter, Exeter, Devon, UK
| | - Federico A Santoni
- Endocrine, Diabetes, and Metabolism Service, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Alexandre Reymond
- Center for Integrative Genomics, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Zoltán Kutalik
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Lausanne, Switzerland
- University Center for Primary Care and Public Health, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Genetics of Complex Traits, College of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter, Exeter, Devon, UK
- Department of Computational Biology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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22
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Enright KA, Louise S, Dior UP, Healey M, Holdsworth-Carson SJ. Associations between body mass index and the surgical phenotype and location of endometriotic lesions. Reprod Biomed Online 2021; 43:903-911. [PMID: 34511393 DOI: 10.1016/j.rbmo.2021.07.007] [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: 04/01/2021] [Revised: 06/03/2021] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
RESEARCH QUESTION Is there a relationship between body mass index (BMI) and endometriotic lesions, specifically surgical phenotype and lesion location? DESIGN An observational retrospective cohort study at the Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia, including 471 histologically confirmed endometriosis patients. Statistical analyses included multivariate logistic regression and multivariate modelling, correcting for multiple testing. Outcomes were the presence or absence of surgically classified lesion phenotypes, as per revised American Society for Reproductive Medicine criteria including superficial or deep, peritoneal or ovarian, and adhesions (Study I); and lesions at specific anatomical locations (including pelvic side wall, uterosacral ligament, pouch of Douglas, ovarian, uterovesical fold, bladder, and pararectal endometriosis) (Study II). RESULTS In Study I, patients with higher BMI were more likely to have superficial peritoneal lesions (odds ratio [OR] 1.070, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.004-1.144; P = 0.044), and less likely to have deep ovarian lesions (OR 0.928, 95% CI 0.864-0.993; P = 0.034). In Study II, patients with higher BMI were less likely to have uterovesical fold lesions (OR 0.927, 95% CI 0.867-0.985; P = 0.021) or anterior compartment lesions (OR 0.940, 95% CI 0.888-0.989; P = 0.023). After correcting for multiple testing, the relationship between BMI and lesion phenotypes did not persist (P > 0.01). CONCLUSIONS This analysis does not conclusively support an influence of BMI on endometriotic lesion phenotype based on surgical classification or location. Further investigation of the physiological disturbances underlying BMI and the promotion of endometriotic lesion phenotypes and their location is warranted, but any effect is likely to be small.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine A Enright
- ANU Medical School, The Australian National University, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Sandra Louise
- Australian e-Health Research Centre, CSIRO, Perth WA 6014, Australia
| | - Uri P Dior
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hadassah Medical Center, Jerusalem 91120, Israel
| | - Martin Healey
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The University of Melbourne and Gynaecology Research Centre, The Royal Women's Hospital MelbourneNSW 3052, Australia
| | - Sarah J Holdsworth-Carson
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The University of Melbourne and Gynaecology Research Centre, The Royal Women's Hospital MelbourneNSW 3052, Australia.
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23
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Jayarathna DK, Rentería ME, Malik A, Sauret E, Batra J, Gandhi NS. Integrative Transcriptome-Wide Analyses Uncover Novel Risk-Associated MicroRNAs in Hormone-Dependent Cancers. Front Genet 2021; 12:716236. [PMID: 34512726 PMCID: PMC8427606 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.716236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Hormone-dependent cancers (HDC) are among the leading causes of death worldwide among both men and women. Some of the established risk factors of HDC include unhealthy lifestyles, environmental factors, and genetic influences. Numerous studies have been conducted to understand gene-cancer associations. Transcriptome-wide association studies (TWAS) integrate data from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and gene expression (expression quantitative trait loci - eQTL) to yield meaningful information on biological pathways associated with complex traits/diseases. Recently, TWAS have enabled the identification of novel associations between HDC risk and protein-coding genes. Methods In the present study, we performed a TWAS analysis using the summary data-based Mendelian randomization (SMR)-heterogeneity in dependent instruments (HEIDI) method to identify microRNAs (miRNAs), a group of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) associated with HDC risk. We obtained eQTL and GWAS summary statistics from the ncRNA-eQTL database and the National Human Genome Research Institute-European Bioinformatics Institute (NHGRI-EBI) GWAS Catalog. Results We identified 13 TWAS-significant miRNAs at cis regions (±1 Mb) associated with HDC risk (two, five, one, two, and three miRNAs for prostate, breast, ovarian, colorectal, and endometrial cancers, respectively). Among them, eight novel miRNAs were recognized in HDC risk. Eight protein-coding genes targeted by TWAS-identified miRNAs (SIRT1, SOX4, RUNX2, FOXA1, ABL2, SUB1, HNRNPH1, and WAC) are associated with HDC functions and signaling pathways. Conclusion Overall, identifying risk-associated miRNAs across a group of related cancers may help to understand cancer biology and provide novel insights into cancer genetic mechanisms. This customized approach can be applied to identify significant miRNAs in any trait/disease of interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dulari K Jayarathna
- Centre for Genomics and Personalised Health, School of Chemistry and Physics, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.,Department of Genetics and Computational Biology, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Miguel E Rentería
- Department of Genetics and Computational Biology, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.,School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Adil Malik
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.,Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Emilie Sauret
- School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Jyotsna Batra
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.,Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Neha S Gandhi
- Centre for Genomics and Personalised Health, School of Chemistry and Physics, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.,Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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24
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Yang F, Mortlock S, MacGregor S, Iles MM, Landi MT, Shi J, Law MH, Montgomery GW. Genetic Relationship Between Endometriosis and Melanoma. FRONTIERS IN REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH 2021; 3:711123. [PMID: 36304021 PMCID: PMC9580819 DOI: 10.3389/frph.2021.711123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Epidemiological studies have observed that risk of endometriosis is associated with history of cutaneous melanoma and vice versa. Evidence for shared biological mechanisms between the two traits is limited. The aim of this study was to investigate the genetic correlation and causal relationship between endometriosis and melanoma. Summary statistics from genome-wide association meta-analyses (GWAS) for endometriosis and melanoma were used to estimate the genetic correlation between the traits and Mendelian randomization was used to test for a causal association. When using summary statistics from separate female and male melanoma cohorts we identified a significant positive genetic correlation between melanoma in females and endometriosis (rg = 0.144, se = 0.065, p = 0.025). However, we find no evidence of a correlation between endometriosis and melanoma in males or a combined melanoma dataset. Endometriosis was not genetically correlated with skin color, red hair, childhood sunburn occasions, ease of skin tanning, or nevus count suggesting that the correlation between endometriosis and melanoma in females is unlikely to be influenced by pigmentary traits. Mendelian Randomization analyses also provided evidence for a relationship between the genetic risk of melanoma in females and endometriosis. Colocalization analysis identified 27 genomic loci jointly associated with the two diseases regions that contain different causal variants influencing each trait independently. This study provides evidence of a small genetic correlation and relationship between the genetic risk of melanoma in females and endometriosis. Genetic risk does not equate to disease occurrence and differences in the pathogenesis and age of onset of both diseases means it is unlikely that occurrence of melanoma causes endometriosis. This study instead provides evidence that having an increased genetic risk for melanoma in females is related to increased risk of endometriosis. Larger GWAS studies with increased power will be required to further investigate these associations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Yang
- The Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Sally Mortlock
- The Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- *Correspondence: Sally Mortlock
| | - Stuart MacGregor
- Statistical Genetics Group, Department of Genetics and Computational Biology, Queensland Institute of Medical Research Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Mark M. Iles
- Leeds Institute for Data Analytics, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
- Leeds Institute of Medical Research, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Maria Teresa Landi
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Jianxin Shi
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Matthew H. Law
- Statistical Genetics Group, Department of Genetics and Computational Biology, Queensland Institute of Medical Research Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, and Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, QLD, Australia
| | - Grant W. Montgomery
- The Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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25
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Kho PF, Mortlock S, Rogers PAW, Nyholt DR, Montgomery GW, Spurdle AB, Glubb DM, O'Mara TA. Genetic analyses of gynecological disease identify genetic relationships between uterine fibroids and endometrial cancer, and a novel endometrial cancer genetic risk region at the WNT4 1p36.12 locus. Hum Genet 2021; 140:1353-1365. [PMID: 34268601 DOI: 10.1007/s00439-021-02312-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and uterine fibroids have been proposed as endometrial cancer risk factors; however, disentangling their relationships with endometrial cancer is complicated due to shared risk factors and comorbidities. Using genome-wide association study (GWAS) data, we explored the relationships between these non-cancerous gynecological diseases and endometrial cancer risk by assessing genetic correlation, causal relationships and shared risk loci. We found significant genetic correlation between endometrial cancer and PCOS, and uterine fibroids. Adjustment for genetically predicted body mass index (a risk factor for PCOS, uterine fibroids and endometrial cancer) substantially attenuated the genetic correlation between endometrial cancer and PCOS but did not affect the correlation with uterine fibroids. Mendelian randomization analyses suggested a causal relationship between only uterine fibroids and endometrial cancer. Gene-based analyses revealed risk regions shared between endometrial cancer and endometriosis, and uterine fibroids. Multi-trait GWAS analysis of endometrial cancer and the genetically correlated gynecological diseases identified a novel genome-wide significant endometrial cancer risk locus at 1p36.12, which replicated in an independent endometrial cancer dataset. Interrogation of functional genomic data at 1p36.12 revealed biologically relevant genes, including WNT4 which is necessary for the development of the female reproductive system. In summary, our study provides genetic evidence for a causal relationship between uterine fibroids and endometrial cancer. It further provides evidence that the comorbidity of endometrial cancer, PCOS and uterine fibroids may partly be due to shared genetic architecture. Notably, this shared architecture has revealed a novel genome-wide risk locus for endometrial cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pik Fang Kho
- Department of Genetics and Computational Biology, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.,School of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Sally Mortlock
- The Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | | | | | - Peter A W Rogers
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Gynaecology Research Centre, Royal Women's Hospital, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Dale R Nyholt
- School of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Grant W Montgomery
- The Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Amanda B Spurdle
- Department of Genetics and Computational Biology, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Dylan M Glubb
- Department of Genetics and Computational Biology, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Tracy A O'Mara
- Department of Genetics and Computational Biology, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia. .,Molecular Cancer Epidemiology Group, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, 300 Herston Road, Brisbane, QLD, 4006, Australia.
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26
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Retis-Resendiz AM, González-García IN, León-Juárez M, Camacho-Arroyo I, Cerbón M, Vázquez-Martínez ER. The role of epigenetic mechanisms in the regulation of gene expression in the cyclical endometrium. Clin Epigenetics 2021; 13:116. [PMID: 34034824 PMCID: PMC8146649 DOI: 10.1186/s13148-021-01103-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The human endometrium is a highly dynamic tissue whose function is mainly regulated by the ovarian steroid hormones estradiol and progesterone. The serum levels of these and other hormones are associated with three specific phases that compose the endometrial cycle: menstrual, proliferative, and secretory. Throughout this cycle, the endometrium exhibits different transcriptional networks according to the genes expressed in each phase. Epigenetic mechanisms are crucial in the fine-tuning of gene expression to generate such transcriptional networks. The present review aims to provide an overview of current research focused on the epigenetic mechanisms that regulate gene expression in the cyclical endometrium and discuss the technical and clinical perspectives regarding this topic. MAIN BODY The main epigenetic mechanisms reported are DNA methylation, histone post-translational modifications, and non-coding RNAs. These epigenetic mechanisms induce the expression of genes associated with transcriptional regulation, endometrial epithelial growth, angiogenesis, and stromal cell proliferation during the proliferative phase. During the secretory phase, epigenetic mechanisms promote the expression of genes associated with hormone response, insulin signaling, decidualization, and embryo implantation. Furthermore, the global content of specific epigenetic modifications and the gene expression of non-coding RNAs and epigenetic modifiers vary according to the menstrual cycle phase. In vitro and cell type-specific studies have demonstrated that epithelial and stromal cells undergo particular epigenetic changes that modulate their transcriptional networks to accomplish their function during decidualization and implantation. CONCLUSION AND PERSPECTIVES Epigenetic mechanisms are emerging as key players in regulating transcriptional networks associated with key processes and functions of the cyclical endometrium. Further studies using next-generation sequencing and single-cell technology are warranted to explore the role of other epigenetic mechanisms in each cell type that composes the endometrium throughout the menstrual cycle. The application of this knowledge will definitively provide essential information to understand the pathological mechanisms of endometrial diseases, such as endometriosis and endometrial cancer, and to identify potential therapeutic targets and improve women's health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandra Monserrat Retis-Resendiz
- Unidad de Investigación en Reproducción Humana, Instituto Nacional de Perinatología-Facultad de Química, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Montes Urales 800, Lomas Virreyes, Miguel Hidalgo, 11000, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Ixchel Nayeli González-García
- Unidad de Investigación en Reproducción Humana, Instituto Nacional de Perinatología-Facultad de Química, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Montes Urales 800, Lomas Virreyes, Miguel Hidalgo, 11000, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Moisés León-Juárez
- Departamento de Inmunobioquímica, Instituto Nacional de Perinatología, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Ignacio Camacho-Arroyo
- Unidad de Investigación en Reproducción Humana, Instituto Nacional de Perinatología-Facultad de Química, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Montes Urales 800, Lomas Virreyes, Miguel Hidalgo, 11000, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Marco Cerbón
- Unidad de Investigación en Reproducción Humana, Instituto Nacional de Perinatología-Facultad de Química, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Montes Urales 800, Lomas Virreyes, Miguel Hidalgo, 11000, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Edgar Ricardo Vázquez-Martínez
- Unidad de Investigación en Reproducción Humana, Instituto Nacional de Perinatología-Facultad de Química, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Montes Urales 800, Lomas Virreyes, Miguel Hidalgo, 11000, Ciudad de México, Mexico.
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27
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Saunders PT, Horne AW. Endometriosis: Etiology, pathobiology, and therapeutic prospects. Cell 2021; 184:2807-2824. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2021.04.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2020] [Revised: 03/31/2021] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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28
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Feng X, Qi L, Xu X, Feng Y, Gong X, Aili A, Chen Y, Xue Z, Xue J, Tong X. Analysis of differences in the transcriptomic profiles of eutopic and ectopic endometriums in women with ovarian endometriosis. PeerJ 2021; 9:e11045. [PMID: 33868805 PMCID: PMC8035894 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.11045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Endometriosis is a common gynecological disease among women in their reproductive years. Although much effort has been made, the pathogenesis of this disease and the detailed differences between eutopic endometrial cells and ectopic endometrial cells are still unclear. Methods In this study, eutopic and ectopic endometrial cells were collected from patients with and without endometriosis and RNA sequencing was performed. The gene expression patterns and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in eutopic and ectopic endometrial cells, as well as control endometrial cells, were analyzed using a weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and the DESeq2 package. The functions of significant genes were detected using Gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis, and qRT-PCR validation was performed. Results The results indicated that eight gene modules were found among these three groups. They also indicated that the gene module, which is highly related to eutopic endometrial cells, was mainly enriched in cell adhesion, embryo implantation, etc., while the gene module related to ectopic endometrial cells was mainly enriched in cell migration, etc. The results of differential expression analysis were generally consistent with the WGCNA results through identified significant DEGs between different groups. These DEGs may play an important role in the occurrence of endometriosis, including the infertility associated gene ARNTL and PIWIL2, tissue remodeling gene MMP11, cell survival and migration gene FLT1, inflammatory response gene GNLY, the tumor suppressor genes PLCD1, etc. Further analysis suggested the function of adhesion is stronger in ectopic endometrial cells than in eutopic endometrial cells, while the ectopic endometrium may have a higher potential risk of malignant transformation than eutopic endometrium. Conclusions Overall, these data provide a reference for understanding the pathogenesis of endometriosis and its relationship with malignant transformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Feng
- Department of Gynecology, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Lingbin Qi
- Department of Regenerative Medicine, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaoyu Xu
- Department of Regenerative Medicine, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yun Feng
- Reproductive Medicine Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | | | - Aixingzi Aili
- Department of Gynecology, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yu Chen
- School of Life Science and environment, Avans University of Applied Science, Breda, The Netherlands
| | - Zhigang Xue
- Department of Regenerative Medicine, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jinfeng Xue
- Department of Regenerative Medicine, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaowen Tong
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
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29
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Joshi NR, Kohan-Ghadr HR, Roqueiro DS, Yoo JY, Fru K, Hestermann E, Yuan L, Ho SM, Jeong JW, Young SL, Lessey BA, Fazleabas AT. Genetic and epigenetic changes in the eutopic endometrium of women with endometriosis: association with decreased endometrial αvβ3 integrin expression. Mol Hum Reprod 2021; 27:6163298. [PMID: 33693877 DOI: 10.1093/molehr/gaab018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2020] [Revised: 02/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
About 40% of women with infertility and 70% of women with pelvic pain suffer from endometriosis. The pregnancy rate in women undergoing IVF with low endometrial integrin αvβ3 (LEI) expression is significantly lower compared to the women with high endometrial integrin αvβ3 (HEI). Mid-secretory eutopic endometrial biopsies were obtained from healthy controls (C; n=3), and women with HEI (n=4) and LEI (n=4) and endometriosis. Changes in gene expression were assessed using human gene arrays and DNA methylation data were derived using 385 K Two-Array Promoter Arrays. Transcriptional analysis revealed that LEI and C groups clustered separately with 396 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) (P<0.01: 275 up and 121 down) demonstrating that transcriptional and epigenetic changes are distinct in the LEI eutopic endometrium compared to the C and HEI group. In contrast, HEI vs C and HEI vs LEI comparisons only identified 83 and 45 DEGs, respectively. The methylation promoter array identified 1304 differentially methylated regions in the LEI vs C comparison. The overlap of gene and methylation array data identified 14 epigenetically dysregulated genes and quantitative RT-PCR analysis validated the transcriptomic findings. The analysis also revealed that aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) was hypomethylated and significantly overexpressed in LEI samples compared to C. Further analysis validated that AHR transcript and protein expression are significantly (P<0.05) increased in LEI women compared to C. The increase in AHR, together with the altered methylation status of the 14 additional genes, may provide a diagnostic tool to identify the subset of women who have endometriosis-associated infertility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niraj R Joshi
- Michigan State University, College of Human Medicine, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
| | | | | | - Jung Yoon Yoo
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Brain Korea 21 Project for Medical Sciences, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Karenne Fru
- Coastal Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Wilmington, NC, USA
| | | | - Lingwen Yuan
- University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Shuk-Mei Ho
- University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
| | - Jae-Wook Jeong
- Michigan State University, College of Human Medicine, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
| | - Steven L Young
- University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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30
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Holdsworth-Carson SJ, Churchill M, Donoghue JF, Mortlock S, Fung JN, Sloggett C, Chung J, Cann L, Teh WT, Campbell KR, Luwor R, Healey M, Montgomery G, Girling JE, Rogers PAW. Elucidating the role of long intergenic non-coding RNA 339 in human endometrium and endometriosis. Mol Hum Reprod 2021; 27:6130796. [PMID: 33576410 DOI: 10.1093/molehr/gaab010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2020] [Revised: 01/18/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Endometriosis is a complex disease, influenced by genetic factors. Genetic markers associated with endometriosis exist at chromosome 1p36.12 and lead to altered expression of the long intergenic non-coding RNA 339 (LINC00339), however, the role of LINC00339 in endometriosis pathophysiology remains unknown. The aim of this work was to characterize the expression patterns of LINC00339 mRNA in endometrium and endometriotic lesions in situ and to determine the functional role of LINC00339 in human endometrium. We employed RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq), quantitative RT-PCR and in situ hybridization to investigate the abundance of LINC00339 transcripts in endometrium and endometrial cell lines and to describe the pattern and localization of LINC00339 expression in endometrium and endometriotic lesions. LINC00339 mRNA expression was manipulated (overexpressed and silenced) in endometrial stromal cell lines and RNA-seq data from overexpression models were analysed using online bioinformatics platforms (STRING and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis) to determine functional processes. We demonstrated the expression of LINC00339 in endometriotic lesions for the first time; we found LINC00339 expression was restricted to the lesion foci and absent in surrounding non-lesion tissue. Furthermore, manipulation of LINC00339 expression in endometrial stromal cell lines significantly impacted the expression of genes involved in immune defence pathways. These studies identify a novel mechanism for LINC00339 activity in endometrium and endometriosis, paving the way for future work, which is essential for understanding the pathogenesis of endometriosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah J Holdsworth-Carson
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Melbourne, Gynaecology Research Centre, Royal Women's Hospital, Parkville VIC 3052, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Molly Churchill
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Melbourne, Gynaecology Research Centre, Royal Women's Hospital, Parkville VIC 3052, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Jacqueline F Donoghue
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Melbourne, Gynaecology Research Centre, Royal Women's Hospital, Parkville VIC 3052, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Sally Mortlock
- The Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Jenny N Fung
- The Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Clare Sloggett
- Melbourne Bioinformatics, University of Melbourne, Parkville VIC 3010, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Jessica Chung
- Melbourne Bioinformatics, University of Melbourne, Parkville VIC 3010, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Leonie Cann
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Melbourne, Gynaecology Research Centre, Royal Women's Hospital, Parkville VIC 3052, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Wan Tinn Teh
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Melbourne, Gynaecology Research Centre, Royal Women's Hospital, Parkville VIC 3052, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Katie-Rose Campbell
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Melbourne, Gynaecology Research Centre, Royal Women's Hospital, Parkville VIC 3052, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Rodney Luwor
- Department of Surgery, University of Melbourne, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - Martin Healey
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Melbourne, Gynaecology Research Centre, Royal Women's Hospital, Parkville VIC 3052, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Grant Montgomery
- The Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Jane E Girling
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Melbourne, Gynaecology Research Centre, Royal Women's Hospital, Parkville VIC 3052, Melbourne, Australia.,Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, 9016, New Zealand
| | - Peter A W Rogers
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Melbourne, Gynaecology Research Centre, Royal Women's Hospital, Parkville VIC 3052, Melbourne, Australia
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31
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Umans BD, Battle A, Gilad Y. Where Are the Disease-Associated eQTLs? Trends Genet 2021; 37:109-124. [PMID: 32912663 PMCID: PMC8162831 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2020.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 136] [Impact Index Per Article: 45.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2020] [Revised: 08/07/2020] [Accepted: 08/14/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Most disease-associated variants, although located in putatively regulatory regions, do not have detectable effects on gene expression. One explanation could be that we have not examined gene expression in the cell types or conditions that are most relevant for disease. Even large-scale efforts to study gene expression across tissues are limited to human samples obtained opportunistically or postmortem, mostly from adults. In this review we evaluate recent findings and suggest an alternative strategy, drawing on the dynamic and highly context-specific nature of gene regulation. We discuss new technologies that can extend the standard regulatory mapping framework to more diverse, disease-relevant cell types and states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin D Umans
- Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
| | - Alexis Battle
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Computer Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - Yoav Gilad
- Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA; Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
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Marla S, Mortlock S, Houshdaran S, Fung J, McKinnon B, Holdsworth-Carson SJ, Girling JE, Rogers PAW, Giudice LC, Montgomery GW. Genetic risk factors for endometriosis near estrogen receptor 1 and coexpression of genes in this region in endometrium. Mol Hum Reprod 2021; 27:gaaa082. [PMID: 33394050 PMCID: PMC8453628 DOI: 10.1093/molehr/gaaa082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Revised: 10/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The etiology and pathogenesis of endometriosis are complex with both genetic and environmental factors contributing to disease risk. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified multiple signals in the estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1) region associated with endometriosis and other reproductive traits and diseases. In addition, candidate gene association studies identified signals in the ESR1 region associated with endometriosis risk suggesting genetic regulation of genes in this region may be important for reproductive health. This study aimed to investigate hormonal and genetic regulation of genes in the ESR1 region in human endometrium. Changes in serum oestradiol and progesterone concentrations and expression of hormone receptors ESR1 and progesterone receptor (PGR) were assessed in endometrial samples from 135 women collected at various stages of the menstrual cycle. Correlation between hormone concentrations, receptor expression and expression of genes in the ESR1 locus was investigated. The effect of endometriosis risk variants on expression of genes in the region was analyzed to identify gene targets. Hormone concentrations and receptor expression varied significantly across the menstrual cycle. Expression of genes in the ESR1 region correlated with progesterone concentration; however, they were more strongly correlated with expression of ESR1 and PGR suggesting coregulation of genes. There was no evidence that endometriosis risk variants directly regulated expression of genes in the region. Limited sample size and cellular heterogeneity in endometrial tissue may impact the ability to detect significant genetic effects on gene expression. Effects of these variants should be validated in a larger dataset and in relevant individual cell types.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Marla
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - S Mortlock
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - S Houshdaran
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Center for Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - J Fung
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - B McKinnon
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
- Department of Gynaecology, Inselspital, Bern, Switzerland
| | - S J Holdsworth-Carson
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Gynaecology Research Centre, Royal Women’s Hospital, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - J E Girling
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Gynaecology Research Centre, Royal Women’s Hospital, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
- Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
| | - P A W Rogers
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Gynaecology Research Centre, Royal Women’s Hospital, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - L C Giudice
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Center for Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - G W Montgomery
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
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Montgomery GW. Commentary: lessons from molecular genetic studies on reporting false-positive results. Reprod Fertil Dev 2020; 32:1298-1300. [PMID: 33220716 DOI: 10.1071/rd20281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2020] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Poor replication of published research results is the subject of debate. A common problem is the failure to adequately account for multiple testing issues. In this regard, the evolution of mapping studies to identify genetic risk factors for common diseases has been instructive. Large genome-wide association studies (GWAS) reliably detect the genetic factors with small effects that contribute to risk for many common diseases. GWAS superseded candidate gene studies from the previous decade and looking back, almost no genetic risk factors reported from earlier candidate gene studies replicate in the GWAS results. Candidate gene studies often used small samples and failed to appreciate and adequately account for the multiple testing issues. The failure to replicate results from most candidate gene studies highlights the importance of study power and appropriate statistical analysis to prevent publication of false-positive results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grant W Montgomery
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, 306 Carmody Road, St Lucia, Qld 4072, Australia.
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Holdsworth-Carson SJ, Chung J, Sloggett C, Mortlock S, Fung JN, Montgomery GW, Dior UP, Healey M, Rogers PA, Girling JE. Obesity does not alter endometrial gene expression in women with endometriosis. Reprod Biomed Online 2020; 41:113-118. [PMID: 32456970 DOI: 10.1016/j.rbmo.2020.03.015] [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] [Received: 10/19/2019] [Revised: 01/30/2020] [Accepted: 03/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
RESEARCH QUESTION Does obesity affect endometrial gene expression in women with endometriosis, specifically women with stage I disease? DESIGN Differential gene expression analysis was conducted on endometrium from women with and without endometriosis (n = 169). Women were diagnosed after surgical visualization and staged according to the revised American Society for Reproductive Medicine (stage I-IV). Women were grouped by body mass index (BMI) (kg/m2) as underweight, normal, pre-obese or obese. After accounting for menstrual cycle stage, endometrial gene expression was analysed by BMI (continuous and grouped) in women with endometriosis, and in non-endometriosis controls. RESULTS No significant interaction effect was found between BMI and endometriosis status on endometrial gene expression. We have previously reported that obese women with endometriosis have a reduced incidence of stage I disease; however, stratifying our analysis into stage I endometriosis versus combined II, III and IV endometriosis failed to reveal any differentially expressed endometrial genes between normal, pre-obese and obese patients. CONCLUSIONS Despite obesity having deleterious effects on endometrial gene expression in other gynaecological pathologies, e.g. endometrial cancer and polycystic ovary syndrome, our results do not support an association between BMI and altered endometrial gene expression in women with or without endometriosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah J Holdsworth-Carson
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynhaecology, University of Melbourne and Gynaecology Research Centre, Level 7, Cnr Grattan St and Flemington Rd, Royal Women's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia.
| | - Jessica Chung
- Melbourne Bioinformatics, University of Melbourne, 187 Grattan Street, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia
| | - Clare Sloggett
- Melbourne Bioinformatics, University of Melbourne, 187 Grattan Street, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia
| | - Sally Mortlock
- The Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Brisbane, 306 Carmody Road, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Jenny N Fung
- Endometriosis Center, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Hadassah Medical Center, Kiryat Hadassah, POB 12000, Jerusalem, 91120, Israel
| | - Grant W Montgomery
- The Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Brisbane, 306 Carmody Road, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Uri P Dior
- Endometriosis Center, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Hadassah Medical Center, Kiryat Hadassah, POB 12000, Jerusalem, 91120, Israel
| | - Martin Healey
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynhaecology, University of Melbourne and Gynaecology Research Centre, Level 7, Cnr Grattan St and Flemington Rd, Royal Women's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Peter Aw Rogers
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynhaecology, University of Melbourne and Gynaecology Research Centre, Level 7, Cnr Grattan St and Flemington Rd, Royal Women's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Jane E Girling
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynhaecology, University of Melbourne and Gynaecology Research Centre, Level 7, Cnr Grattan St and Flemington Rd, Royal Women's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia; Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, 270 Great King Street, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
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