Transcriptomic profile of GLCs of PCOS women highlights metabolic dysregulation as a plausible contributor to PCOS pathophysiology

Identifying Genetic Profiles in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: An Observational Case-Control Study

BACKGROUND

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrine and reproductive condition affecting women of reproductive age, although its expression profiles and molecular pathways are not fully understood.

AIMS

To identify the transcriptome expression profiles of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in women with PCOS and controls. To investigate noninvasive diagnostic biomarkers and potential treatment targets to improve women's fertility.

METHODS

RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) was conducted on PBMC samples from six patients with PCOS and six healthy controls. qRT-PCR validation was carried out in 68 subjects. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to assess the combined impact of biomarkers.

RESULTS

A total of 186 differentially expressed genes (DEG) were found between patients and controls (log2FC >1, p <0.05). Enrichment analysis revealed cytokine-mediated signaling pathways, cytokine activity, and cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction. RNA sequencing showed consistency with qRT-PCR. Women with PCOS had significantly higher levels of AQP9 (p <0.001), PROK2 (p = 0.001), and S100A12 (p <0.001) expression compared to controls. AQP9 (AUC = 0.77), PROK2 (AUC = 0.71), and S100A12 (AUC = 0.82) adequately discriminated women with PCOS from healthy controls. In addition, multiple logistic regression on biomarkers resulted in a significant diagnostic power with an AUC = 0.89, 95% CI: 0.81-0.97, p <0.0001. Further associations were analyzed between relative gene expression and clinical, anthropometric, hormonal, and ultrasonographic data.

CONCLUSIONS

Dysregulated RNA expression in PBMCs may contribute to an increased risk of PCOS and serve as a potential diagnostic biomarker. The involvement of inflammatory and cytokine-related pathways supports the notion that PCOS is a chronic inflammatory condition.

The regulatory interplay between miRNA and DNA methylation orchestrates vital ovarian functions and associated traits in PCOS

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the leading cause of amenorrhea and anovulatory infertility in women of reproductive age. Both gene polymorphisms and tissue-specific epigenetic alterations, which determine gene transcription and translation dynamics in disease-states, strongly influence PCOS development. Particularly, promoter-proximal DNA methylation and microRNA expression changes show strong associations with follicular defects, suggesting post-transcriptional dysregulation of localized gene networks. Our recent methylome study and other studies, posit DNA methylation as a regulator of microRNA expression in PCOS. Here, we identified microRNAs, potentially regulated by DNA methylation, and investigated whether their altered expression influences target gene expression in the PCOS ovary. Using granulosa cell samples of women with PCOS and age-BMI matched controls, we evaluated the transcript levels of 14 microRNAs participating in different ovarian processes and assessed their CpG-DNA methylation levels. For 9 of these microRNAs, which revealed differential methylation consistent with their gene hypomethylation or hypermethylation profiles, we evaluated the expression of their predicted, proteincoding target transcripts. Our data indicated that microRNA hypermethylation and decreased transcription of miR-10b-5p, miR-127-3p, miR-5189, miR-410-3p and miR23a-3p were consistent with the upregulation of PTEN, MMP13, OLR1, TET3 and APAF1 in PCOS. Conversely, microRNA hypomethylation and increased expression of miR-140-5p, miR-182-3p, miR-200b-5p and miR-3687 were consistent with downregulation of FZD6, LRP6, ZEB1 and LDLR. However, these observations need robust validations in larger study cohorts complemented with functional and mechanistic studies. Overall, our study indicates that altered microRNA expression as a consequence of DNA methylation changes, may contribute to metabolic and reproductive dysfunction in PCOS.

Blood gene expression biomarkers of response to anti-TNF drugs in pediatric inflammatory bowel diseases before initiation of treatment

BACKGROUND/AIMS

Changes in gene expression profiles among individuals with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) could potentially influence the responsiveness to anti-TNF treatment. The aim of this study was to identify genes that could serve as predictors of early response to anti-TNF therapies in pediatric IBD patients prior to the initiation of treatment.

METHODS

We conducted a prospective, longitudinal, and multicenter study, enrolling 24 pediatric IBD patients aged less than 18 years who were initiating treatment with either infliximab or adalimumab. RNA-seq from blood samples was analyzed using the DESeq2 library by comparing responders and non-responders to anti-TNF drugs.

RESULTS

Bioinformatic analyses unveiled 102 differentially expressed genes, with 99 genes exhibiting higher expression in responders compared to non-responders prior to the initiation of anti-TNF therapy. Functional enrichment analyses highlighted defense response to Gram-negative bacteria (FDR = 2.3 ×10-7) as the most significant biological processes, and hemoglobin binding (FDR = 0.002), as the most significant molecular function. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) revealed notable enrichment in transcriptional misregulation in cancer (FDR = 0.016). Notably, 13 genes (CEACAM8, CEACAM6, CILP2, COL17A1, OLFM4, INHBA, LCN2, LTF, MMP8, DEFA4, PRTN3, AZU1, and ELANE) were selected for validation, and a consistent trend of increased expression in responders prior to drug administration was observed for most of these genes, with findings for 4 of them being statistically significant (CEACAM8, LCN2, LTF2, and PRTN3).

CONCLUSIONS

We identified 102 differentially expressed genes involved in the response to anti-TNF drugs in children with IBDs and validated CEACAM8, LCN2, LTF2, and PRTN3. Genes participating in defense response to Gram-negative bacterium, serine-type endopeptidase activity, and transcriptional misregulation in cancer are good candidates for anticipating the response to anti-TNF drugs in children with IBDs.