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Shibata N, Ohashi Y, Tsukada A, Iwase D, Aikawa J, Mukai M, Metoki Y, Uekusa Y, Sato M, Inoue G, Takaso M, Uchida K. IL24 Expression in Synovial Myofibroblasts: Implications for Female Osteoarthritis Pain through Propensity Score Matching Analysis. MEDICINA (KAUNAS, LITHUANIA) 2024; 60:741. [PMID: 38792924 PMCID: PMC11122993 DOI: 10.3390/medicina60050741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2024] [Revised: 04/23/2024] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
(1) Introduction: Despite documented clinical and pain discrepancies between male and female osteoarthritis (OA) patients, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Synovial myofibroblasts, implicated in synovial fibrosis and OA-related pain, offer a potential explanation for these sex differences. Additionally, interleukin-24 (IL24), known for its role in autoimmune disorders and potential myofibroblast production, adds complexity to understanding sex-specific variations in OA. We investigate its role in OA and its contribution to observed sex differences. (2) Methods: To assess gender-specific variations, we analyzed myofibroblast marker expression and IL24 levels in synovial tissue samples from propensity-matched male and female OA patients (each n = 34). Gene expression was quantified using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The association between IL24 expression levels and pain severity, measured by a visual analog scale (VAS), was examined to understand the link between IL24 and OA pain. Synovial fibroblast subsets, including CD45-CD31-CD39- (fibroblast) and CD45-CD31-CD39+ (myofibroblast), were magnetically isolated from female patients (n = 5), and IL24 expression was compared between these subsets. (3) Results: Females exhibited significantly higher expression of myofibroblast markers (MYH11, ET1, ENTPD2) and IL24 compared to males. IL24 expression positively correlated with pain severity in females, while no correlation was observed in males. Further exploration revealed that the myofibroblast fraction highly expressed IL24 compared to the fibroblast fraction in both male and female samples. There was no difference in the myofibroblast fraction between males and females. (4) Conclusions: Our study highlights the gender-specific role of myofibroblasts and IL24 in OA pathogenesis. Elevated IL24 levels in females, correlating with pain severity, suggest its involvement in OA pain experiences. The potential therapeutic implications of IL24, demonstrated in autoimmune disorders, open avenues for targeted interventions. Notwithstanding the limitations of the study, our findings contribute to understanding OA's multifaceted nature and advocate for future research exploring mechanistic underpinnings and clinical applications of IL24 in synovial myofibroblasts. Additionally, future research directions should focus on elucidating the precise mechanisms by which IL24 contributes to OA pathology and exploring its potential as a therapeutic target for personalized medicine approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naoya Shibata
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kitasato University School of Medicine, 1-15-1 Minami-ku, Kitasato, Sagamihara 252-0374, Kanagawa, Japan; (N.S.); (Y.O.); (A.T.); (D.I.); (J.A.); (M.M.); (Y.M.); (M.T.)
| | - Yoshihisa Ohashi
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kitasato University School of Medicine, 1-15-1 Minami-ku, Kitasato, Sagamihara 252-0374, Kanagawa, Japan; (N.S.); (Y.O.); (A.T.); (D.I.); (J.A.); (M.M.); (Y.M.); (M.T.)
| | - Ayumi Tsukada
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kitasato University School of Medicine, 1-15-1 Minami-ku, Kitasato, Sagamihara 252-0374, Kanagawa, Japan; (N.S.); (Y.O.); (A.T.); (D.I.); (J.A.); (M.M.); (Y.M.); (M.T.)
| | - Dai Iwase
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kitasato University School of Medicine, 1-15-1 Minami-ku, Kitasato, Sagamihara 252-0374, Kanagawa, Japan; (N.S.); (Y.O.); (A.T.); (D.I.); (J.A.); (M.M.); (Y.M.); (M.T.)
| | - Jun Aikawa
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kitasato University School of Medicine, 1-15-1 Minami-ku, Kitasato, Sagamihara 252-0374, Kanagawa, Japan; (N.S.); (Y.O.); (A.T.); (D.I.); (J.A.); (M.M.); (Y.M.); (M.T.)
| | - Manabu Mukai
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kitasato University School of Medicine, 1-15-1 Minami-ku, Kitasato, Sagamihara 252-0374, Kanagawa, Japan; (N.S.); (Y.O.); (A.T.); (D.I.); (J.A.); (M.M.); (Y.M.); (M.T.)
| | - Yukie Metoki
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kitasato University School of Medicine, 1-15-1 Minami-ku, Kitasato, Sagamihara 252-0374, Kanagawa, Japan; (N.S.); (Y.O.); (A.T.); (D.I.); (J.A.); (M.M.); (Y.M.); (M.T.)
| | - Yui Uekusa
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kitasato University School of Medicine, 1-15-1 Minami-ku, Kitasato, Sagamihara 252-0374, Kanagawa, Japan; (N.S.); (Y.O.); (A.T.); (D.I.); (J.A.); (M.M.); (Y.M.); (M.T.)
| | - Masashi Sato
- Department of Immunology, Kitasato University School of Medicine, 1-15-1 Minami-ku, Kitasato, Sagamihara 252-0374, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Gen Inoue
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kitasato University School of Medicine, 1-15-1 Minami-ku, Kitasato, Sagamihara 252-0374, Kanagawa, Japan; (N.S.); (Y.O.); (A.T.); (D.I.); (J.A.); (M.M.); (Y.M.); (M.T.)
| | - Masashi Takaso
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kitasato University School of Medicine, 1-15-1 Minami-ku, Kitasato, Sagamihara 252-0374, Kanagawa, Japan; (N.S.); (Y.O.); (A.T.); (D.I.); (J.A.); (M.M.); (Y.M.); (M.T.)
| | - Kentaro Uchida
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kitasato University School of Medicine, 1-15-1 Minami-ku, Kitasato, Sagamihara 252-0374, Kanagawa, Japan; (N.S.); (Y.O.); (A.T.); (D.I.); (J.A.); (M.M.); (Y.M.); (M.T.)
- Research Institute, Shonan University of Medical Sciences, Nishikubo 500, Chigasaki 253-0083, Kanagawa, Japan
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Bekkar A, Isorce N, Snäkä T, Claudinot S, Desponds C, Kopelyanskiy D, Prével F, Reverte M, Xenarios I, Fasel N, Teixeira F. Dissection of the macrophage response towards infection by the Leishmania-viral endosymbiont duo and dynamics of the type I interferon response. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:941888. [PMID: 35992159 PMCID: PMC9386148 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.941888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Leishmania RNA virus 1 (LRV1) is a double-stranded RNA virus found in some strains of the human protozoan parasite Leishmania, the causative agent of leishmaniasis, a neglected tropical disease. Interestingly, the presence of LRV1 inside Leishmania constitutes an important virulence factor that worsens the leishmaniasis outcome in a type I interferon (IFN)–dependent manner and contributes to treatment failure. Understanding how macrophages respond toward Leishmania alone or in combination with LRV1 as well as the role that type I IFNs may play during infection is fundamental to oversee new therapeutic strategies. To dissect the macrophage response toward infection, RNA sequencing was performed on murine wild-type and Ifnar-deficient bone marrow–derived macrophages infected with Leishmania guyanensis (Lgy) devoid or not of LRV1. Additionally, macrophages were treated with poly I:C (mimetic virus) or with type I IFNs. By implementing a weighted gene correlation network analysis, the groups of genes (modules) with similar expression patterns, for example, functionally related, coregulated, or the members of the same functional pathway, were identified. These modules followed patterns dependent on Leishmania, LRV1, or Leishmania exacerbated by the presence of LRV1. Not only the visualization of how individual genes were embedded to form modules but also how different modules were related to each other were observed. Thus, in the context of the observed hyperinflammatory phenotype associated to the presence of LRV1, it was noted that the biomarkers tumor-necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and the interleukin 6 (IL-6) belonged to different modules and that their regulating specific Src-family kinases were segregated oppositely. In addition, this network approach revealed the strong and sustained effect of LRV1 on the macrophage response and genes that had an early, late, or sustained impact during infection, uncovering the dynamics of the IFN response. Overall, this study contributed to shed light and dissect the intricate macrophage response toward infection by the Leishmania-LRV1 duo and revealed the crosstalk between modules made of coregulated genes and provided a new resource that can be further explored to study the impact of Leishmania on the macrophage response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amel Bekkar
- Department of Immunobiology, University of Lausanne, Epalinges, Switzerland
| | - Nathalie Isorce
- Department of Immunobiology, University of Lausanne, Epalinges, Switzerland
| | - Tiia Snäkä
- Department of Immunobiology, University of Lausanne, Epalinges, Switzerland
| | | | - Chantal Desponds
- Department of Immunobiology, University of Lausanne, Epalinges, Switzerland
| | | | - Florence Prével
- Department of Immunobiology, University of Lausanne, Epalinges, Switzerland
| | - Marta Reverte
- Department of Immunobiology, University of Lausanne, Epalinges, Switzerland
| | - Ioannis Xenarios
- Agora Center, Center Hospitalier Universitaire (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland
- Center for Integrative Genomics, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Nicolas Fasel
- Department of Immunobiology, University of Lausanne, Epalinges, Switzerland
- *Correspondence: Nicolas Fasel, ; Filipa Teixeira,
| | - Filipa Teixeira
- Department of Immunobiology, University of Lausanne, Epalinges, Switzerland
- *Correspondence: Nicolas Fasel, ; Filipa Teixeira,
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Potential Similarities in Sex Difference in Key Genes and Their Expression, Network, EQTL and Pathways between COVID-19 and Chronic Kidney Disease Based on Mouse Model. J Pers Med 2022; 12:jpm12071190. [PMID: 35887687 PMCID: PMC9323909 DOI: 10.3390/jpm12071190] [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: 04/18/2022] [Revised: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 07/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
COVID-19 and chronic kidney disease (CKD) share similarity in sex bias and key genes in the disease pathway of sex difference. We investigated the sex difference of molecular pathways of four key players of these two diseases using an existing large set of whole genome expression profiles from the kidneys of female and male mouse models. Our data show that there is little to no correlation at the whole genome expression level between female and male mice among these four genes. There are considerable sex differences among genes in upstream regulation, Ace2 complex interaction, and downstream pathways. Snap25 and Plcb4 may play important roles in the regulation of the expression level of Adam17, Tmprss2, and Cd146 in females. In males, Adh4 is a candidate gene for the regulation of Adam17, while Asl, Auts2, and Rabger1 are candidates for Tmprss2. Within the Ace2 complex, Cd146 directly influences the expression level of Adam17 and Ace2 in the female, while in the male Adam potentially has a stronger influence on Ace2 than that of Tmprss2. Among the top 100 most related genes, only one or two genes from four key genes and 11 from the control B-Actin were found to be the same between sexes. Among the top 10 sets of genes in the downstream pathway of Ace2, only two sets are the same between the sexes. We concluded that these known key genes and novel genes in CKD may play significant roles in the sex difference in the CKD and COVID-19 disease pathways.
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St Pierre CL, Macias-Velasco JF, Wayhart JP, Yin L, Semenkovich CF, Lawson HA. Genetic, epigenetic, and environmental mechanisms govern allele-specific gene expression. Genome Res 2022; 32:1042-1057. [PMID: 35501130 PMCID: PMC9248887 DOI: 10.1101/gr.276193.121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2021] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Allele-specific expression (ASE) is a phenomenon in which one allele is preferentially expressed over the other. Genetic and epigenetic factors cause ASE by altering the final composition of a gene's product, leading to expression imbalances that can have functional consequences on phenotypes. Environmental signals also impact allele-specific expression, but how they contribute to this cross talk remains understudied. Here, we explored how genotype, parent-of-origin, tissue, sex, and dietary fat simultaneously influence ASE biases. Male and female mice from a F1 reciprocal cross of the LG/J and SM/J strains were fed a high or low fat diet. We harnessed strain-specific variants to distinguish between two ASE classes: parent-of-origin-dependent (unequal expression based on parental origin) and sequence-dependent (unequal expression based on nucleotide identity). We present a comprehensive map of ASE patterns in 2853 genes across three tissues and nine environmental contexts. We found that both ASE classes are highly dependent on tissue and environmental context. They vary across metabolically relevant tissues, between males and females, and in response to dietary fat. We also found 45 genes with inconsistent ASE biases that switched direction across tissues and/or environments. Finally, we integrated ASE and QTL data from published intercrosses of the LG/J and SM/J strains. Our ASE genes are often enriched in QTLs for metabolic and musculoskeletal traits, highlighting how this orthogonal approach can prioritize candidate genes. Together, our results provide novel insights into how genetic, epigenetic, and environmental mechanisms govern allele-specific expression, which is an essential step toward deciphering the genotype-to-phenotype map.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Li Yin
- Washington University in Saint Louis
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5
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Turaga SM, Silver DJ, Bayik D, Paouri E, Peng S, Lauko A, Alban TJ, Borjini N, Stanko S, Naik UP, Keri RA, Connor JR, Barnholtz-Sloan JS, Rubin JB, Berens M, Davalos D, Lathia JD. JAM-A functions as a female microglial tumor suppressor in glioblastoma. Neuro Oncol 2020; 22:1591-1601. [PMID: 32592484 PMCID: PMC7690368 DOI: 10.1093/neuonc/noaa148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive primary brain tumor and has a dismal prognosis. Previously, we identified that junctional adhesion molecule A (JAM-A), a cell adhesion molecule, is highly elevated in human GBM cancer stem cells and predicts poor patient prognosis. While JAM-A is also highly expressed in other cells in the tumor microenvironment, specifically microglia and macrophages, how JAM-A expression in these cells affects tumor growth has yet to be determined. The goal of this study was to understand the role of microenvironmental JAM-A in mediating GBM growth. METHODS Male and female wild-type (WT) and JAM-A-deficient mice were transplanted intracranially with the syngeneic glioma cell lines GL261 and SB28 and were assessed for differences in survival and microglial activation in tumors and in vitro. RNA-sequencing was performed to identify differentially regulated genes among all genotypes, and differences were validated in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS We found that JAM-A-deficient female mice succumbed to GBM more quickly compared with WT females and JAM-A-deficient and male WT mice. Analysis of microglia in the tumors revealed that female JAM-A-deficient microglia were more activated, and RNA-sequencing identified elevated expression of Fizz1 and Ifi202b specifically in JAM-A-deficient female microglia. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that JAM-A functions to suppress pathogenic microglial activation in the female tumor microenvironment, highlighting an emerging role for sex differences in the GBM microenvironment and suggesting that sex differences extend beyond previously reported tumor cell-intrinsic differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soumya M Turaga
- Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio
- Department of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Daniel J Silver
- Department of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio
- Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Defne Bayik
- Department of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio
- Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Evi Paouri
- Department of Neurosciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Sen Peng
- Cancer and Cell Biology Division, TGen, Phoenix, Arizona
| | - Adam Lauko
- Department of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Tyler J Alban
- Department of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case, Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Nozha Borjini
- Department of Neurosciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Sarah Stanko
- Department of Neurosciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Ulhas P Naik
- Cardeza Center for Vascular Biology, Department of Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Ruth A Keri
- Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
- Department of Pharmacology and Genetics and Genome Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - James R Connor
- Department of Neurosurgery, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania
| | - Jill S Barnholtz-Sloan
- Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
- Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Joshua B Rubin
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri
| | - Michael Berens
- Cancer and Cell Biology Division, TGen, Phoenix, Arizona
| | - Dimitrios Davalos
- Department of Neurosciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case, Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Justin D Lathia
- Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio
- Department of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio
- Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case, Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
- Rose Ella Burkhardt Brain Tumor and Neuro-Oncology Center, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio
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Bachmann MC, Bellalta S, Basoalto R, Gómez-Valenzuela F, Jalil Y, Lépez M, Matamoros A, von Bernhardi R. The Challenge by Multiple Environmental and Biological Factors Induce Inflammation in Aging: Their Role in the Promotion of Chronic Disease. Front Immunol 2020; 11:570083. [PMID: 33162985 PMCID: PMC7591463 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.570083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2020] [Accepted: 09/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The aging process is driven by multiple mechanisms that lead to changes in energy production, oxidative stress, homeostatic dysregulation and eventually to loss of functionality and increased disease susceptibility. Most aged individuals develop chronic low-grade inflammation, which is an important risk factor for morbidity, physical and cognitive impairment, frailty, and death. At any age, chronic inflammatory diseases are major causes of morbimortality, affecting up to 5-8% of the population of industrialized countries. Several environmental factors can play an important role for modifying the inflammatory state. Genetics accounts for only a small fraction of chronic-inflammatory diseases, whereas environmental factors appear to participate, either with a causative or a promotional role in 50% to 75% of patients. Several of those changes depend on epigenetic changes that will further modify the individual response to additional stimuli. The interaction between inflammation and the environment offers important insights on aging and health. These conditions, often depending on the individual's sex, appear to lead to decreased longevity and physical and cognitive decline. In addition to biological factors, the environment is also involved in the generation of psychological and social context leading to stress. Poor psychological environments and other sources of stress also result in increased inflammation. However, the mechanisms underlying the role of environmental and psychosocial factors and nutrition on the regulation of inflammation, and how the response elicited for those factors interact among them, are poorly understood. Whereas certain deleterious environmental factors result in the generation of oxidative stress driven by an increased production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and inflammation, other factors, including nutrition (polyunsaturated fatty acids) and behavioral factors (exercise) confer protection against inflammation, oxidative and endoplasmic reticulum stress, and thus ameliorate their deleterious effect. Here, we discuss processes and mechanisms of inflammation associated with environmental factors and behavior, their links to sex and gender, and their overall impact on aging.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sofía Bellalta
- School of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Roque Basoalto
- School of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | | | - Yorschua Jalil
- School of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Macarena Lépez
- School of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Anibal Matamoros
- School of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Institute of Biological Sciences (ICB), Federal University of Pará, Belem, Brazil
| | - Rommy von Bernhardi
- School of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
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Multiple genome analyses reveal key genes in Vitamin C and Vitamin D synthesis and transport pathways are shared. Sci Rep 2019; 9:16811. [PMID: 31727908 PMCID: PMC6856197 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-53074-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2019] [Accepted: 10/24/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Vitamin C (VC) and vitamin D (VD) have been widely used as the dietary supplements and in treatment of diseases both independently and in combination. Whether there is a connection between their pathways is critical for their therapeutic applications. Using whole-genome expression profiles, we performed multiple measures of associations, networks, eQTL mappings and expressions of key genes of interest in VC and VD functions. Several key genes in their pathways were found to be associated. Gc and Rgn play important roles connecting VC and VD pathways in mice. The r values of expression levels between Gc and Rgn in mouse spleen, liver, lung, and kidney are 0.937, 0.558, 0.901, and 0.617, respectively. The expression QTLs of Gc and Rgn are mapped onto the same locations, i.e., 68-76 MB in chromosome 7 and 26-36 MB in chromosome 9. In humans, there are positive correlations between CYP27B1 and SLC23A1 expression levels in kidney (r = 0.733) and spleen (r = 0.424). SLC23A2 and RXRA are minimally associated in both mouse and human. These data indicate that pathways of VC and VD are not independent but affect each other, and this effect is different between mice and humans during VC and VD synthesis and transportation.
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