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Nevone A, Lattarulo F, Russo M, Panno G, Milani P, Basset M, Avanzini MA, Merlini G, Palladini G, Nuvolone M. A Strategy for the Selection of RT-qPCR Reference Genes Based on Publicly Available Transcriptomic Datasets. Biomedicines 2023; 11:biomedicines11041079. [PMID: 37189697 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11041079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Revised: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023] Open
Abstract
In the next-generation sequencing era, RT-qPCR is still widely employed to quantify levels of nucleic acids of interest due to its popularity, versatility, and limited costs. The measurement of transcriptional levels through RT-qPCR critically depends on reference genes used for normalization. Here, we devised a strategy to select appropriate reference genes for a specific clinical/experimental setting based on publicly available transcriptomic datasets and a pipeline for RT-qPCR assay design and validation. As a proof-of-principle, we applied this strategy to identify and validate reference genes for transcriptional studies of bone-marrow plasma cells from patients with AL amyloidosis. We performed a systematic review of published literature to compile a list of 163 candidate reference genes for RT-qPCR experiments employing human samples. Next, we interrogated the Gene Expression Omnibus to assess expression levels of these genes in published transcriptomic studies on bone-marrow plasma cells from patients with different plasma cell dyscrasias and identified the most stably expressed genes as candidate normalizing genes. Experimental validation on bone-marrow plasma cells showed the superiority of candidate reference genes identified through this strategy over commonly employed “housekeeping” genes. The strategy presented here may apply to other clinical and experimental settings for which publicly available transcriptomic datasets are available.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Nevone
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
- Amyloidosis Research and Treatment Center, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Francesca Lattarulo
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
- Amyloidosis Research and Treatment Center, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Monica Russo
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
- Amyloidosis Research and Treatment Center, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Giada Panno
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
- Amyloidosis Research and Treatment Center, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Paolo Milani
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
- Amyloidosis Research and Treatment Center, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Marco Basset
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
- Amyloidosis Research and Treatment Center, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Maria Antonietta Avanzini
- Pediatric Hematology Oncology, Cell Factory, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Giampaolo Merlini
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
- Amyloidosis Research and Treatment Center, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Giovanni Palladini
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
- Amyloidosis Research and Treatment Center, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Mario Nuvolone
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
- Amyloidosis Research and Treatment Center, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy
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2
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Balint B, Kollmann C, Gauer S, Federspiel JM, Schäfers HJ. Endothelial nitric oxide synthase alterations are independent of turbulence in the aorta of patients with a unicuspid aortic valve. JTCVS OPEN 2021; 8:157-169. [PMID: 36004114 PMCID: PMC9390404 DOI: 10.1016/j.xjon.2021.08.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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3
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Holt M, Seim BE, Øgaard J, Olsen MB, Woldbæk PR, Kvitting JP, Aukrust P, Yndestad A, Mollnes TE, Nilsson PH, Louwe MC, Ranheim T. Selective and marked decrease of complement receptor C5aR2 in human thoracic aortic aneurysms: a dysregulation with potential inflammatory effects. Open Heart 2019; 6:e001098. [PMID: 31798913 PMCID: PMC6861114 DOI: 10.1136/openhrt-2019-001098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2019] [Accepted: 10/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective The aetiology of thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) is largely unknown, but inflammation is
likely to play a central role in the pathogenesis. In this present study, we aim to
investigate the complement receptors in TAA. Methods Aortic tissue and blood from 31 patients with non-syndromic TAA undergoing thoracic
aortic repair surgery were collected. Aortic tissue and blood from 36 patients with
atherosclerosis undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery or aortic valve replacement
were collected and served as control material. The expression of the complement
anaphylatoxin receptors C3aR1, C5aR1 and C5aR2 in aortic tissue were examined by
quantitative RT-PCR and C5aR2 protein by immunohistochemistry. Colocalisation of C5aR2
to different cell types was analysed by immunofluorescence. Complement activation
products C3bc and sC5b-9 were measured in plasma. Results Compared with controls, TAA patients had substantial (73%) downregulated gene
expression of C5aR2 as seen both at the mRNA (p=0.005) level and protein (p=0.03) level.
In contrast, there were no differences in the expression of C3aR1 and C5aR1 between the
two groups. Immunofluorescence examination showed that C5aR2 was colocalised to
macrophages and T cells in the aortic media. There were no differences in the degree of
systemic complement activation between the two groups. Conclusion Our findings suggest downregulation of the C5aR2, regarded to act mainly
anti-inflammatory, in electively operated TAA as compared with non-aneurysmatic aortas
of patients with aortic stenosis and/or coronary artery disease. This may tip the
balance towards a relative increase in the inflammatory responses induced by C5aR1 and
thus enhance the inflammatory processes in TAA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margrethe Holt
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo Faculty of Medicine, Oslo, Norway.,Research Institute of Internal Medicine, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway
| | - Bjørn E Seim
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo Faculty of Medicine, Oslo, Norway.,Research Institute of Internal Medicine, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway.,Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway
| | - Jonas Øgaard
- Research Institute of Internal Medicine, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway
| | - Maria B Olsen
- Research Institute of Internal Medicine, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway
| | - Per R Woldbæk
- Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Oslo University Hospital Ullevål, Oslo, Norway
| | - J P Kvitting
- Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway
| | - Pål Aukrust
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo Faculty of Medicine, Oslo, Norway.,Research Institute of Internal Medicine, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway.,Section of Clinical Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway
| | - Arne Yndestad
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo Faculty of Medicine, Oslo, Norway.,Research Institute of Internal Medicine, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway
| | - Tom Eirik Mollnes
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo Faculty of Medicine, Oslo, Norway.,Department of Immunology, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway.,Research Laboratory and Faculty of Health Sciences, Nordland Hospital, Bodø, Norway.,K.G. Jebsen TREC - Thrombosis Research and Expertise Center, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Per H Nilsson
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo Faculty of Medicine, Oslo, Norway.,Linnaeus Centre for Biomaterials Chemistry, Linnaeus University, Kalmar, Sweden
| | - Mieke C Louwe
- Research Institute of Internal Medicine, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway
| | - Trine Ranheim
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo Faculty of Medicine, Oslo, Norway.,Research Institute of Internal Medicine, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway
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4
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Arterial tissue transcriptional profiles associate with tissue remodeling and cardiovascular phenotype in children with end-stage kidney disease. Sci Rep 2019; 9:10316. [PMID: 31311999 PMCID: PMC6635360 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-46805-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2018] [Accepted: 07/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) greatly increases the risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, molecular mechanisms underlying CKD-induced arterial remodeling are largely unknown. We performed a systematic analysis of arterial biopsies from children with stage 5 predialysis CKD participating in the Cardiovascular Comorbidity in Children with Chronic Kidney Disease (4 C) study. For comparison, we studied biopsies from children without CKD, coronary bypass vessels from adults with atherosclerotic coronary heart disease without CKD and aortic sections of subtotally nephrectomized rats. In pediatric CKD patients, gene expression was correlated to the cardiovascular phenotype assessed by surrogate end-points. The arterial calcium content correlated with the intima-media thickness (IMT) of biopsied vessels from pediatric CKD patients, was markedly increased compared to biopsies from children without CKD and comparable to adult coronary bypass patients. Significant transcriptional changes included ECM components, pro-calcifying factors, and physiological calcification inhibitors; most were highly accordant with changes observed in adults with atherosclerosis and in uremic rats. Individual gene expression levels were significantly associated with the left ventricular mass index and carotid intima media thickness. Thus, inflammatory processes (TNF, IL-10), calcification inhibitors (CA2), the Wnt-pathway (FGF-2) and foremost, ECM components (HMGA1, VNN1, VCAN), impact pathobiological responses in arteries from children with CKD.
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5
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Hersom M, Goldeman C, Pretzer N, Brodin B. Validation of reference genes for normalization of real-time quantitative PCR studies of gene expression in brain capillary endothelial cells cultured in vitro. Mol Cell Neurosci 2018; 93:27-35. [PMID: 30315869 DOI: 10.1016/j.mcn.2018.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2018] [Revised: 10/04/2018] [Accepted: 10/08/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The genes encoding β-actin and GAPDH are two of the most commonly used reference genes for normalization in in vitro blood-brain barrier studies. Studies have, however, shown that these reference genes might not always be the best choice. The aim of the present study was to evaluate 10 reference genes for use in mRNA profiling studies in primary cultures of brain endothelial cells of bovine origin. METHODS Gene evaluations were performed by qPCR in mono-culture and in co-cultures with astrocytes. The expression of reference genes was furthermore investigated during culture. Qbase+ software was used to analyze the stability of the tested genes and for determinations of the optimal number of reference genes. RESULTS The stability of the reference genes varied between the culture configurations, but for all culture configurations we found that the optimal number of reference genes were two. PMM-1, RPL13A and β-actin were the most stable genes in mono-cultures, non-contact co-culture and contact co-culture respectively. For studies comparing gene expression between different culture configurations the optimal number of reference genes was three and RPL13A was found to be most stable. During cell culture a number of four reference genes were found to be optimal and YWHAZ was found to be the most stable gene. β-actin and GAPDH were found to be the least stable genes during culture. CONCLUSION Overall we found that the validation of reference genes was important in order to normalize target gene expression correctly, and suggest sets of reference genes to be used under different experimental conditions, in order to quantify mRNA transcript levels in blood-brain barrier cell models correctly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Hersom
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 2, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Charlotte Goldeman
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 2, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Natasia Pretzer
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 2, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Birger Brodin
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 2, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.
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6
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Usarek E, Barańczyk-Kuźma A, Kaźmierczak B, Gajewska B, Kuźma-Kozakiewicz M. Validation of qPCR reference genes in lymphocytes from patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0174317. [PMID: 28328930 PMCID: PMC5362213 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0174317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2016] [Accepted: 03/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) is the most specific and reliable method for determination of mRNA gene expression. Crucial point for its accurate normalization is the choice of appropriate internal control genes (ICGs). In the present work we determined and compare the expression of eight commonly used ICGs in lymphocytes from 26 patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and 30 control subjects. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) before and after immortalization by EBV transfection (lymphoblast cell lines—LCLs) were used for qPCR analysis. LCLs were studied before and after liquid nitrogen cryopreservation and culturing (groups LCL1 and LCL2, respectively). qPCR data of 8 ICGs expression was analyzed by BestKeeper, NormFinder and geNorm methods. All studied genes (18SRNA, ACTB, B2M, GUSB,GAPDH, HPRT1, MT-ATP6 and RPS17) were expressed in PBMCs, whereas only first four in LCLs. LCLs cryopreservation had no effect on ICGs expression. Comprehensive ranking indicated RPS17 with MT-ATP6 as the best ICGs for qPCR in PBMCs of control and ALS subjects, and RPS17 with 18RNA or MT-ATP6 in LCLs from ALS. In PBMCs 18RNA shouldn’t be used as ICG.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ewa Usarek
- Department of Biochemistry, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Anna Barańczyk-Kuźma
- Department of Biochemistry, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
- Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Group, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Beata Kaźmierczak
- Department of Biochemistry, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
- Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Group, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Beata Gajewska
- Department of Biochemistry, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
- Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Group, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Magdalena Kuźma-Kozakiewicz
- Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Group, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
- Department of Neurology, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
- * E-mail:
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7
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Rocchiccioli S, Cecchettini A, Panesi P, Farneti PA, Mariani M, Ucciferri N, Citti L, Andreassi MG, Foffa I. Hypothesis-free secretome analysis of thoracic aortic aneurysm reinforces the central role of TGF-β cascade in patients with bicuspid aortic valve. J Cardiol 2017; 69:570-576. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jjcc.2016.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2015] [Revised: 05/11/2016] [Accepted: 05/16/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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8
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Harrison OJ, Moorjani N, Torrens C, Ohri SK, Cagampang FR. Endogenous Reference Genes for Gene Expression Studies on Bicuspid Aortic Valve Associated Aortopathy in Humans. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0164329. [PMID: 27727313 PMCID: PMC5058495 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0164329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2016] [Accepted: 09/25/2016] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) disease is the most common congenital cardiac abnormality and predisposes patients to life-threatening aortic complications including aortic aneurysm. Quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) is one of the most commonly used methods to investigate underlying molecular mechanisms involved in aortopathy. The accuracy of the gene expression data is dependent on normalization by appropriate housekeeping (HK) genes, whose expression should remain constant regardless of aortic valve morphology, aortic diameter and other factors associated with aortopathy. Here, we identified an appropriate set of HK genes to be used as endogenous reference for quantifying gene expression in ascending aortic tissue using a spin column-based RNA extraction method. Ascending aortic biopsies were collected intra-operatively from patients undergoing aortic valve and/or ascending aortic surgery. These patients had BAV or tricuspid aortic valve (TAV), and the aortas were either dilated (≥4.5cm) or undilated. The cohort had an even distribution of gender, valve disease and hypertension. The expression stability of 12 reference genes were investigated (ATP5B, ACTB, B2M, CYC1, EIF4A2, GAPDH, SDHA, RPL13A, TOP1, UBC, YWHAZ, and 18S) using geNorm software. The most stable HK genes were found to be GAPDH, UBC and ACTB. Both GAPDH and UBC demonstrated relative stability regardless of valve morphology, aortic diameter, gender and age. The expression of B2M and SDHA were found to be the least stable HK genes. We propose the use of GAPDH, UBC and ACTB as reference genes for gene expression studies of BAV aortopathy using ascending aortic tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver J. Harrison
- Institute of Developmental Sciences, University of Southampton Faculty of Medicine, Southampton, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | - Narain Moorjani
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Christopher Torrens
- Institute of Developmental Sciences, University of Southampton Faculty of Medicine, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Sunil K. Ohri
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, University Hospital Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Felino R. Cagampang
- Institute of Developmental Sciences, University of Southampton Faculty of Medicine, Southampton, United Kingdom
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9
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Rueda-Martínez C, Fernández MC, Soto-Navarrete MT, Jiménez-Navarro M, Durán AC, Fernández B. Identification of Reference Genes for Quantitative Real Time PCR Assays in Aortic Tissue of Syrian Hamsters with Bicuspid Aortic Valve. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0164070. [PMID: 27711171 PMCID: PMC5053431 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0164070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2016] [Accepted: 09/19/2016] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is the most frequent congenital cardiac malformation in humans, and appears frequently associated with dilatation of the ascending aorta. This association is likely the result of a common aetiology. Currently, a Syrian hamster strain with a relatively high (∼40%) incidence of BAV constitutes the only spontaneous animal model of BAV disease. The characterization of molecular alterations in the aorta of hamsters with BAV may serve to identify pathophysiological mechanisms and molecular markers of disease in humans. In this report, we evaluate the expression of ten candidate reference genes in aortic tissue of hamsters in order to identify housekeeping genes for normalization using quantitative real time PCR (RT-qPCR) assays. A total of 51 adult (180-240 days old) and 56 old (300-440 days old) animals were used. They belonged to a control strain of hamsters with normal, tricuspid aortic valve (TAV; n = 30), or to the affected strain of hamsters with TAV (n = 45) or BAV (n = 32). The expression stability of the candidate reference genes was determined by RT-qPCR using three statistical algorithms, GeNorm, NormFinder and Bestkeeper. The expression analyses showed that the most stable reference genes for the three algorithms employed were Cdkn1β, G3pdh and Polr2a. We propose the use of Cdkn1β, or both Cdkn1β and G3pdh as reference genes for mRNA expression analyses in Syrian hamster aorta.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Rueda-Martínez
- UGC del Corazón, Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Victoria, Universidad de Málaga, Red de Investigación Cardiovascular (RIC), Málaga, Spain
| | - M. Carmen Fernández
- Departamento de Biología Animal, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain
| | | | - Manuel Jiménez-Navarro
- UGC del Corazón, Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Victoria, Universidad de Málaga, Red de Investigación Cardiovascular (RIC), Málaga, Spain
- Departamento de Medicina, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Málaga, Spain
| | - Ana Carmen Durán
- Departamento de Biología Animal, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Málaga, Spain
| | - Borja Fernández
- Departamento de Biología Animal, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Málaga, Spain
- * E-mail:
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10
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Rueda-Martínez C, Lamas O, Mataró MJ, Robledo-Carmona J, Sánchez-Espín G, Moreno-Santos I, Carrasco-Chinchilla F, Gallego P, Such-Martínez M, de Teresa E, Jiménez-Navarro M, Fernández B. Fibrillin 2 is upregulated in the ascending aorta of patients with bicuspid aortic valve. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2016; 51:104-111. [PMID: 27634926 DOI: 10.1093/ejcts/ezw277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2016] [Revised: 06/09/2016] [Accepted: 06/14/2016] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is the most prevalent congenital cardiac malformation, frequently associated with aortic dilatation (AD). The molecular mechanisms involved in AD and its aetiological link with BAV formation are poorly understood. Altered fibrillin-1 (FBN1) and metalloprotease-2, -9 (MMP2,9) protein activities have been suggested to be involved in BAV aortopathy. In addition, FBN2 participates in embryonic valve formation, but its possible involvement in BAV-associated AD has never been explored. In this report, we evaluate the expression levels of MMP2,9 and FBN1,2 in the ascending aorta of patients with normal or dilated aortas and with tricuspid aortic valve (TAV) or BAV, using appropriate tissue-specific reference genes. METHODS Gene expression was quantified by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction in 52 patients, using one or three reference genes previously validated in the same patient population. RESULTS FBN2 expression was significantly increased in the aortas of patients with BAV compared with individuals with TAV (0.178 ± 0.042 vs 0.096 ± 0.021, P = 0.015), whereas differences in FBN1 did not reach statistical significance (1.946 ± 0.228 vs 1.430 ± 0.114, P = 0.090). When four groups of samples were considered, FBN2 expression was significantly higher in patients with BAV and AD compared with patients with TAV and AD (0.164 ± 0.035 vs 0.074 ± 0.027, P = 0.040). No significant differences were found when FBN1/FBN2 ratio, and MMP2 and MMP9 expression levels were analysed. No linear relationship between aortic diameter and gene expression levels were found. CONCLUSIONS BAV patients have an increased FBN (especially FBN2) gene expression level in the ascending aorta, irrespective of dilatation, whereas MMP expression does not change significantly. These results add a new piece of information to the pathophysiology of BAV disease and point to FBN2 as a new molecular player.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Rueda-Martínez
- UGC del Corazón, Instituto de Biomedicina de Málaga (IBIMA), Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Victoria, Universidad de Málaga, RIC (Red de Investigación Cardiovascular), Málaga, Spain
| | - Oscar Lamas
- UGC del Corazón, Instituto de Biomedicina de Málaga (IBIMA), Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Victoria, Universidad de Málaga, RIC (Red de Investigación Cardiovascular), Málaga, Spain
| | - María José Mataró
- UGC del Corazón, Instituto de Biomedicina de Málaga (IBIMA), Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Victoria, Universidad de Málaga, RIC (Red de Investigación Cardiovascular), Málaga, Spain
| | - Juan Robledo-Carmona
- UGC del Corazón, Instituto de Biomedicina de Málaga (IBIMA), Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Victoria, Universidad de Málaga, RIC (Red de Investigación Cardiovascular), Málaga, Spain
| | - Gemma Sánchez-Espín
- UGC del Corazón, Instituto de Biomedicina de Málaga (IBIMA), Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Victoria, Universidad de Málaga, RIC (Red de Investigación Cardiovascular), Málaga, Spain
| | - Inmaculada Moreno-Santos
- UGC del Corazón, Instituto de Biomedicina de Málaga (IBIMA), Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Victoria, Universidad de Málaga, RIC (Red de Investigación Cardiovascular), Málaga, Spain
| | - Fernando Carrasco-Chinchilla
- UGC del Corazón, Instituto de Biomedicina de Málaga (IBIMA), Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Victoria, Universidad de Málaga, RIC (Red de Investigación Cardiovascular), Málaga, Spain
| | - Pastora Gallego
- Unidad de Imagen Cardiaca, Servicio de Cardiología, Hospital Virgen Macarena, UGC Área del Corazón, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Miguel Such-Martínez
- UGC del Corazón, Instituto de Biomedicina de Málaga (IBIMA), Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Victoria, Universidad de Málaga, RIC (Red de Investigación Cardiovascular), Málaga, Spain
| | - Eduardo de Teresa
- UGC del Corazón, Instituto de Biomedicina de Málaga (IBIMA), Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Victoria, Universidad de Málaga, RIC (Red de Investigación Cardiovascular), Málaga, Spain.,Departamento de Medicina, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain
| | - Manuel Jiménez-Navarro
- UGC del Corazón, Instituto de Biomedicina de Málaga (IBIMA), Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Victoria, Universidad de Málaga, RIC (Red de Investigación Cardiovascular), Málaga, Spain .,Departamento de Medicina, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain
| | - Borja Fernández
- Departamento de Biología Animal, Facultad de Ciencias, Instituto de Biomedicina de Málaga (IBIMA), Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain
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11
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Serhatli M, Baysal K, Acilan C, Tuncer E, Bekpinar S, Baykal AT. Proteomic study of the microdissected aortic media in human thoracic aortic aneurysms. J Proteome Res 2014; 13:5071-80. [PMID: 25264617 DOI: 10.1021/pr5006586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Aortic aneurysm is a complex multifactorial disease, and its molecular mechanism is not understood. In thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA), the expansion of the aortic wall is lead by extracellular matrix (ECM) degeneration in the medial layer, which leads to weakening of the aortic wall. This dilatation may end in rupture and-if untreated-death. The aortic media is composed of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and proteins involved in aortic elasticity and distensibility. Delineating their functional and quantitative decrease is critical in elucidating the disease causing mechanisms as well as the development of new preventive therapies. Laser microdissection (LMD) is an advanced technology that enables the isolation of the desired portion of tissue or cells for proteomics analysis, while preserving their integrity. In our study, the aortic media layers of 36 TAA patients and 8 controls were dissected using LMD technology. The proteins isolated from these tissue samples were subjected to comparative proteomic analysis by nano-LC-MS/MS, which enabled the identification of 352 proteins in aortic media. Among these, 41 proteins were differentially expressed in the TAA group with respect to control group, and all were downregulated in the patients. Of these medial proteins, 25 are novel, and their association with TAA is reported for the first time in our study. Subsequent analysis of the data by ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA) shows that the majority of differentially expressed proteins were found to be cytoskeletal-associated proteins and components of the ECM which are critical in maintaining aortic integrity. Our results indicate that the protein expression profile in the aortic media from TAA patients differs significantly from controls. Further analysis of the mechanism points to markers of pathological ECM remodeling, which, in turn, affect VSMC cytosolic structure and architecture. In the future, the detailed investigation of the differentially expressed proteins may provide insight into the elucidation of the pathological processes underlying aneurysms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muge Serhatli
- TUBITAK-Marmara Research Center, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Institute , 41470 Gebze, Kocaeli, Turkey
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Rueda-Martínez C, Lamas O, Mataró MJ, Robledo-Carmona J, Sánchez-Espín G, Jiménez-Navarro M, Such-Martínez M, Fernández B. Selection of reference genes for quantitative real time PCR (qPCR) assays in tissue from human ascending aorta. PLoS One 2014; 9:e97449. [PMID: 24841551 PMCID: PMC4026239 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0097449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2013] [Accepted: 04/21/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Dilatation of the ascending aorta (AAD) is a prevalent aortopathy that occurs frequently associated with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV), the most common human congenital cardiac malformation. The molecular mechanisms leading to AAD associated with BAV are still poorly understood. The search for differentially expressed genes in diseased tissue by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) is an invaluable tool to fill this gap. However, studies dedicated to identify reference genes necessary for normalization of mRNA expression in aortic tissue are scarce. In this report, we evaluate the qPCR expression of six candidate reference genes in tissue from the ascending aorta of 52 patients with a variety of clinical and demographic characteristics, normal and dilated aortas, and different morphologies of the aortic valve (normal aorta and normal valve n = 30; dilated aorta and normal valve n = 10; normal aorta and BAV n = 4; dilated aorta and BAV n = 8). The expression stability of the candidate reference genes was determined with three statistical algorithms, GeNorm, NormFinder and Bestkeeper. The expression analyses showed that the most stable genes for the three algorithms employed were CDKN1β, POLR2A and CASC3, independently of the structure of the aorta and the valve morphology. In conclusion, we propose the use of these three genes as reference genes for mRNA expression analysis in human ascending aorta. However, we suggest searching for specific reference genes when conducting qPCR experiments with new cohort of samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Rueda-Martínez
- UGC del Corazón, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Victoria, Málaga, Spain
| | - Oscar Lamas
- UGC del Corazón, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Victoria, Málaga, Spain
| | - María José Mataró
- UGC del Corazón, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Victoria, Málaga, Spain
| | - Juan Robledo-Carmona
- UGC del Corazón, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Victoria, Málaga, Spain
| | - Gemma Sánchez-Espín
- UGC del Corazón, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Victoria, Málaga, Spain
| | - Manuel Jiménez-Navarro
- UGC del Corazón, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Victoria, Málaga, Spain
- Departamento de Medicina, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain
| | - Miguel Such-Martínez
- UGC del Corazón, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Victoria, Málaga, Spain
| | - Borja Fernández
- Departamento de Biología Animal, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain
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Henn D, Perttunen H, Gauer S, Schmied W, Porras C, Such M, Schäfers HJ. GATA5 and endothelial nitric oxide synthase expression in the ascending aorta is related to aortic size and valve morphology. Ann Thorac Surg 2014; 97:2019-25. [PMID: 24766859 DOI: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2014.02.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2013] [Revised: 02/08/2014] [Accepted: 02/20/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The pathogenesis of aortic dilatation in patients with congenital aortic valve anomalies is poorly understood. Recent studies suggest that alterations of gene expression may be related to ascending aortic aneurysm formation in these patients. Knockout of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and GATA5 is associated with bicuspid aortic valves in mice. To study the role of eNOS and GATA5 in human congenital aortic valve disease and aortic dilatation, we investigated their gene expression in aortic tissue from patients with unicuspid, bicuspid, and tricuspid aortic valves. METHODS Samples from 84 patients (33 tricuspid, 32 bicuspid, and 19 unicuspid) were harvested intraoperatively from the ascending aorta. GATA5 and eNOS expression was determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS GATA5 and eNOS expression in the aortic wall from patients with unicuspid aortic valves (GATA5: mean [M], 2.14; standard deviation [SD], 1.72; eNOS: M, 3.40; SD, 3.83) was significantly higher than in tricuspid aortic valves (GATA5: M, 1.12; SD, 0.80; eNOS: M, 1.00; SD, 0.74; each p < 0.05). Patients with bicuspid aortic valves (GATA5: M, 1.29, SD, 1.33; eNOS: M, 1.66; SD, 1.31) had a significantly higher eNOS expression than patients with tricuspid aortic valves (p < 0.05). The expression levels of eNOS and GATA5 correlated positively with each other and negatively with the ascending aortic diameter. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that GATA5, possibly through upregulation of eNOS, plays a role in the development of aortic dilatation in patients with unicuspid and bicuspid aortic valves. The differential gene expression in patients with unicuspid compared with bicuspid aortic valves suggests that the pathogenesis of both aortic valve anomalies may be different.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominic Henn
- Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Saarland University Medical Center, Homburg/Saar, Germany.
| | - Hilja Perttunen
- Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Saarland University Medical Center, Homburg/Saar, Germany
| | - Simon Gauer
- Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Saarland University Medical Center, Homburg/Saar, Germany
| | - Wolfram Schmied
- Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Saarland University Medical Center, Homburg/Saar, Germany
| | - Carlos Porras
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Hospital Virgen de la Victoria, Campus de Teatinos, Málaga, Spain
| | - Miguel Such
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Hospital Virgen de la Victoria, Campus de Teatinos, Málaga, Spain
| | - Hans-Joachim Schäfers
- Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Saarland University Medical Center, Homburg/Saar, Germany
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