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Yates J, Schaufelberger H, Steinacher R, Schär P, Truninger K, Boeva V. DNA-methylation variability in normal mucosa: a field cancerization marker in patients with adenomatous polyps. J Natl Cancer Inst 2024; 116:974-982. [PMID: 38273663 PMCID: PMC11160500 DOI: 10.1093/jnci/djae016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The phenomenon of field cancerization reflects the transition of normal cells into those predisposed to cancer. Assessing the scope and intensity of this process in the colon may support risk prediction and colorectal cancer prevention. METHODS The Swiss Epigenetic Colorectal Cancer Study (SWEPIC) study, encompassing 1111 participants for DNA methylation analysis and a subset of 84 for RNA sequencing, was employed to detect field cancerization in individuals with adenomatous polyps (AP). Methylation variations were evaluated for their discriminative capability, including in external cohorts, genomic localization, clinical correlations, and associated RNA expression patterns. RESULTS Normal cecal tissue of individuals harboring an AP in the proximal colon manifested dysregulated DNA methylation compared to tissue from healthy individuals at 558 unique loci. Leveraging these adenoma-related differentially variable and methylated CpGs (aDVMCs), our classifier discerned between healthy and AP-adjacent tissues across SWEPIC datasets (cross-validated area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [ROC AUC] = 0.63-0.81), including within age-stratified cohorts. This discriminative capacity was validated in 3 external sets, differentiating healthy from cancer-adjacent tissue (ROC AUC = 0.82-0.88). Notably, aDVMC dysregulation correlated with polyp multiplicity. More than 50% of aDVMCs were significantly associated with age. These aDVMCs were enriched in active regions of the genome (P < .001), and associated genes exhibited altered expression in AP-adjacent tissues. CONCLUSIONS Our findings underscore the early onset of field cancerization in the right colon during the neoplastic transformation process. A more extensive validation of aDVMC dysregulation as a stratification tool could pave the way for enhanced surveillance approaches, especially given its linkage to adenoma emergence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josephine Yates
- Department of Computer Science, Institute for Machine Learning, ETH Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
- ETH AI Center, ETH Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Swiss Institute for Bioinformatics (SIB), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Primo Schär
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Kaspar Truninger
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Valentina Boeva
- Department of Computer Science, Institute for Machine Learning, ETH Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
- ETH AI Center, ETH Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Swiss Institute for Bioinformatics (SIB), Lausanne, Switzerland
- Cochin Institute, Inserm U1016, National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) UMR 8104, Paris Descartes University UMR-S1016, Paris, France
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Kacker S, Parsad V, Singh N, Hordiichuk D, Alvarez S, Gohar M, Kacker A, Rai SK. Planar Cell Polarity Signaling: Coordinated Crosstalk for Cell Orientation. J Dev Biol 2024; 12:12. [PMID: 38804432 PMCID: PMC11130840 DOI: 10.3390/jdb12020012] [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: 01/28/2024] [Revised: 04/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
The planar cell polarity (PCP) system is essential for positioning cells in 3D networks to establish the proper morphogenesis, structure, and function of organs during embryonic development. The PCP system uses inter- and intracellular feedback interactions between components of the core PCP, characterized by coordinated planar polarization and asymmetric distribution of cell populations inside the cells. PCP signaling connects the anterior-posterior to left-right embryonic plane polarity through the polarization of cilia in the Kupffer's vesicle/node in vertebrates. Experimental investigations on various genetic ablation-based models demonstrated the functions of PCP in planar polarization and associated genetic disorders. This review paper aims to provide a comprehensive overview of PCP signaling history, core components of the PCP signaling pathway, molecular mechanisms underlying PCP signaling, interactions with other signaling pathways, and the role of PCP in organ and embryonic development. Moreover, we will delve into the negative feedback regulation of PCP to maintain polarity, human genetic disorders associated with PCP defects, as well as challenges associated with PCP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandeep Kacker
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical University of the Americas, Charlestown KN 1102, Saint Kitts and Nevis;
| | - Varuneshwar Parsad
- Department of Human Body Structure and Function, Medical University of the Americas, Charlestown KN 1102, Saint Kitts and Nevis; (V.P.); (D.H.)
| | - Naveen Singh
- Department of Cerll and Molecular Biology, Medical University of the Americas, Charlestown KN 1102, Saint Kitts and Nevis; (N.S.); (S.A.); (M.G.)
| | - Daria Hordiichuk
- Department of Human Body Structure and Function, Medical University of the Americas, Charlestown KN 1102, Saint Kitts and Nevis; (V.P.); (D.H.)
| | - Stacy Alvarez
- Department of Cerll and Molecular Biology, Medical University of the Americas, Charlestown KN 1102, Saint Kitts and Nevis; (N.S.); (S.A.); (M.G.)
| | - Mahnoor Gohar
- Department of Cerll and Molecular Biology, Medical University of the Americas, Charlestown KN 1102, Saint Kitts and Nevis; (N.S.); (S.A.); (M.G.)
| | - Anshu Kacker
- Department of Histology and Human Physiology, Medical University of the Americas, Charlestown KN 1102, Saint Kitts and Nevis;
| | - Sunil Kumar Rai
- Department of Cerll and Molecular Biology, Medical University of the Americas, Charlestown KN 1102, Saint Kitts and Nevis; (N.S.); (S.A.); (M.G.)
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Xu H, Du W, Jing X, Xie J, Li P. Development of a prognostic model for lung adenocarcinoma polarity-related genes and analysis of immune landscape. Biotechnol Appl Biochem 2024. [PMID: 38475658 DOI: 10.1002/bab.2579] [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: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024]
Abstract
Despite the progress made in the management of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), the overall prognosis for LUAD individuals remains suboptimal. While the role of cell polarity in tumor invasion and metastasis is well established, its prognostic significance in LUAD is still unknown. Differential analysis was performed on the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)-LUAD and normal lung tissue, and candidate genes were identified by intersecting differentially expressed genes with polarity-related genes (PRGs). A prognostic model was constructed using univariate and multivariate Cox regression and LASSO regression. To enhance the robustness of the analysis, an independent prognostic analysis was conducted by incorporating relevant clinical information. The accuracy and sensitivity of the model were validated using survival analysis and ROC curves. Finally, immune landscape, immune therapy, tumor mutation burden, and drug sensitivity analysis were carried out on high- and low-risk patients. Ten prognostic genes were screened to divide LUAD patients into different risk groups. Survival analysis, ROC curves, and univariate/multivariate Cox regression analyses collectively demonstrated the favorable predictive performance of the model, which could be an independent prognostic factor. The nomogram, in conjunction with the calibration curve, demonstrated the model's compelling predictive capacity in prognosticating the overall survival of LUAD individuals. Low-risk LUAD patients exhibited heightened levels of immune cell infiltration, immune scores, and immune checkpoint expression compared to high-risk individuals. So, they may have a greater likelihood of benefiting from immune therapy. The high-risk group demonstrated a remarkably higher tumor mutation burden (TMB) in contrast with the low-risk group. XAV-939, Fulvestrant, and SR16157 may have potential value in the clinical use of LUAD. We revealed the potential linkage between PRGs and LUAD prognosis, and the application of these prognostic factors in risk stratification and prognosis prediction of LUAD patients may be of great significance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongqiu Xu
- Department of General Medicine, Huai'an Hospital of Huai'an City, Huai'an City, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Wenqiang Du
- Department of General Medicine, Huai'an Hospital of Huai'an City, Huai'an City, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Xuelong Jing
- Department of General Medicine, Huai'an Hospital of Huai'an City, Huai'an City, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Jingen Xie
- Department of General Medicine, Huai'an Hospital of Huai'an City, Huai'an City, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Pengfei Li
- Department of General Medicine, Huai'an Hospital of Huai'an City, Huai'an City, Jiangsu Province, China
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Chen ZS, Ou M, Taylor S, Dafinca R, Peng SI, Talbot K, Chan HYE. Mutant GGGGCC RNA prevents YY1 from binding to Fuzzy promoter which stimulates Wnt/β-catenin pathway in C9ALS/FTD. Nat Commun 2023; 14:8420. [PMID: 38110419 PMCID: PMC10728118 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44215-w] [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: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The GGGGCC hexanucleotide repeat expansion mutation in the chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 (C9orf72) gene is a major genetic cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia (C9ALS/FTD). In this study, we demonstrate that the zinc finger (ZF) transcriptional regulator Yin Yang 1 (YY1) binds to the promoter region of the planar cell polarity gene Fuzzy to regulate its transcription. We show that YY1 interacts with GGGGCC repeat RNA via its ZF and that this interaction compromises the binding of YY1 to the FuzzyYY1 promoter sites, resulting in the downregulation of Fuzzy transcription. The decrease in Fuzzy protein expression in turn activates the canonical Wnt/β-catenin pathway and induces synaptic deficits in C9ALS/FTD neurons. Our findings demonstrate a C9orf72 GGGGCC RNA-initiated perturbation of YY1-Fuzzy transcriptional control that implicates aberrant Wnt/β-catenin signalling in C9ALS/FTD-associated neurodegeneration. This pathogenic cascade provides a potential new target for disease-modifying therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhefan Stephen Chen
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong SAR, China
- Oxford Motor Neuron Disease Centre, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 9DU, UK
| | - Mingxi Ou
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Stephanie Taylor
- Oxford Motor Neuron Disease Centre, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 9DU, UK
| | - Ruxandra Dafinca
- Oxford Motor Neuron Disease Centre, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 9DU, UK
- Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, University of Oxford, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Shaohong Isaac Peng
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Kevin Talbot
- Oxford Motor Neuron Disease Centre, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 9DU, UK.
- Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, University of Oxford, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK.
| | - Ho Yin Edwin Chan
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong SAR, China.
- Gerald Choa Neuroscience Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong SAR, China.
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Jude MS, Yang CX, Filho FSL, Hernandez Cordero AI, Yang J, Shaipanich T, Li X, Lin D, MacIsaac J, Kobor MS, Sinha S, Nislow C, Singh A, Lam W, Lam S, Guillemi S, Harris M, Montaner J, Ng RT, Carlsten C, Paul Man SF, Sin DD, Leung JM. Microbial dysbiosis and the host airway epithelial response: insights into HIV-associated COPD using multi'omics profiling. Respir Res 2023; 24:124. [PMID: 37143066 PMCID: PMC10161506 DOI: 10.1186/s12931-023-02431-4] [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: 12/03/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND People living with HIV (PLWH) are at increased risk of developing Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) independent of cigarette smoking. We hypothesized that dysbiosis in PLWH is associated with epigenetic and transcriptomic disruptions in the airway epithelium. METHODS Airway epithelial brushings were collected from 18 COPD + HIV + , 16 COPD - HIV + , 22 COPD + HIV - and 20 COPD - HIV - subjects. The microbiome, methylome, and transcriptome were profiled using 16S sequencing, Illumina Infinium Methylation EPIC chip, and RNA sequencing, respectively. Multi 'omic integration was performed using Data Integration Analysis for Biomarker discovery using Latent cOmponents. A correlation > 0.7 was used to identify key interactions between the 'omes. RESULTS The COPD + HIV -, COPD -HIV + , and COPD + HIV + groups had reduced Shannon Diversity (p = 0.004, p = 0.023, and p = 5.5e-06, respectively) compared to individuals with neither COPD nor HIV, with the COPD + HIV + group demonstrating the most reduced diversity. Microbial communities were significantly different between the four groups (p = 0.001). Multi 'omic integration identified correlations between Bacteroidetes Prevotella, genes FUZ, FASTKD3, and ACVR1B, and epigenetic features CpG-FUZ and CpG-PHLDB3. CONCLUSION PLWH with COPD manifest decreased diversity and altered microbial communities in their airway epithelial microbiome. The reduction in Prevotella in this group was linked with epigenetic and transcriptomic disruptions in host genes including FUZ, FASTKD3, and ACVR1B.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcia Smiti Jude
- Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, St. Paul's Hospital, Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, University of British Columbia, Room 166-1081 Burrard St., Vancouver, BC, V6Z 1Y6, Canada
| | - Chen Xi Yang
- Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, St. Paul's Hospital, Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, University of British Columbia, Room 166-1081 Burrard St., Vancouver, BC, V6Z 1Y6, Canada
| | - Fernando Studart Leitao Filho
- Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, St. Paul's Hospital, Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, University of British Columbia, Room 166-1081 Burrard St., Vancouver, BC, V6Z 1Y6, Canada
| | - Ana I Hernandez Cordero
- Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, St. Paul's Hospital, Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, University of British Columbia, Room 166-1081 Burrard St., Vancouver, BC, V6Z 1Y6, Canada
| | - Julia Yang
- Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, St. Paul's Hospital, Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, University of British Columbia, Room 166-1081 Burrard St., Vancouver, BC, V6Z 1Y6, Canada
| | - Tawimas Shaipanich
- Division of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Xuan Li
- Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, St. Paul's Hospital, Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, University of British Columbia, Room 166-1081 Burrard St., Vancouver, BC, V6Z 1Y6, Canada
| | - David Lin
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Julie MacIsaac
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Michael S Kobor
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Sunita Sinha
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Corey Nislow
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Amrit Singh
- Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, St. Paul's Hospital, Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, University of British Columbia, Room 166-1081 Burrard St., Vancouver, BC, V6Z 1Y6, Canada
| | - Wan Lam
- British Columbia Cancer Research Centre, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Stephen Lam
- Division of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- British Columbia Cancer Research Centre, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Silvia Guillemi
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Providence Health Care, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Marianne Harris
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Providence Health Care, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Julio Montaner
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Providence Health Care, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Raymond T Ng
- Department of Computer Science, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Christopher Carlsten
- Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, St. Paul's Hospital, Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, University of British Columbia, Room 166-1081 Burrard St., Vancouver, BC, V6Z 1Y6, Canada
- Division of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - S F Paul Man
- Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, St. Paul's Hospital, Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, University of British Columbia, Room 166-1081 Burrard St., Vancouver, BC, V6Z 1Y6, Canada
- Division of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Don D Sin
- Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, St. Paul's Hospital, Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, University of British Columbia, Room 166-1081 Burrard St., Vancouver, BC, V6Z 1Y6, Canada
- Division of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Janice M Leung
- Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, St. Paul's Hospital, Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, University of British Columbia, Room 166-1081 Burrard St., Vancouver, BC, V6Z 1Y6, Canada.
- Division of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
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Multifaceted investigation underlies diverse mechanisms contributing to the downregulation of Hedgehog pathway-associated genes INTU and IFT88 in lung adenocarcinoma and uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma. Aging (Albany NY) 2022; 14:7794-7823. [PMID: 36084949 PMCID: PMC9596204 DOI: 10.18632/aging.204262] [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: 06/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Hedgehog (Hh) signaling primarily functions in the control of mammalian embryonic development but also has roles in cancer. The Hh activation depends on ciliogenesis, a cellular process that describes outgrowth of the primary cilium from cell membrane. Ciliogenesis initiation requires a set of proteins known as planar cell polarity (PCP) effectors. Inturned (INTU) is a PCP effector that reportedly functions synergistically with Hh signaling in basal cell carcinoma, suggesting that INTU has an oncogenic role. In this study, we carried out a pan-cancer investigation on the prognostic significance of INTU in different types of cancer. We demonstrated that INTU downregulation correlated with reduced survival probabilities in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma (UCEC) patients. Similar expression patterns and prognostic values were identified for intraflagellar transport 88 (IFT88), another Hh pathway-associated gene. We elucidated multiple mechanisms at transcriptional, post-transcriptional and translational levels that involved transcription factor 4 and non-coding RNAs-associated regulatory networks contributing to the reduction of INTU and IFT88 levels in LUAD and UCEC samples. Taken together, this study demonstrates the prognostic significance of the Hh-related genes INTU and IFT88 in LUAD and UCEC and further delineates multifaceted mechanisms leading to INTU and IFT88 downregulation in tumor samples.
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Lamare FA, Khongsti S, Marthong L, Ghosh S, Chenkual S, Dkhar H, Maitra A, Ghosh S. Genome-wide DNA methylation profiling of stomach cancer in the ethnic population of Mizoram, North East India. Genomics 2022; 114:110478. [PMID: 36064073 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2022.110478] [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: 05/03/2022] [Revised: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Stomach cancer is the fifth most common cancer in terms of prevalence and incidence and the fourth leading cause of mortality in men and women worldwide. It is well-established that aberrant DNA methylation in cells can lead to carcinogenesis. The primary objective of our study was to investigate the aberrant DNA methylation status of genes associated with stomach cancer with a particular reference to the ethnic population of Mizoram, North East India. The site-level analysis identified 2883 CpG sites differentially methylated, representing ~922 genes. Out of which 476 Differentially Methylated Positions (DMPs) were promoter-associated, 452 DMPs were hypermethylated, and 24 were hypomethylated. The region-level analysis identified 462 Differentially Methylated Regions (DMRs) corresponding to ~320 genes, of which ~281 genes were hypermethylated and ~ 40 genes were hypomethylated. TCGA analysis showed that some of the genes had been previously implicated in other cancers including stomach cancer. Five hypermethylated genes were selected as candidate genes for further investigations and they have shown to be novel and could serve as candidate hypermethylation biomarkers for stomach cancer in this particular ethnic group.
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Affiliation(s)
- F A Lamare
- Department of Zoology, North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Shillong, India
| | - S Khongsti
- Department of Zoology, North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Shillong, India
| | - L Marthong
- Department of Zoology, North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Shillong, India
| | - S Ghosh
- National Institute of Biomedical Genomics (NIBMG), Kalyani, West Bengal, India
| | | | - H Dkhar
- Nazareth Hospital, Shillong, India
| | - A Maitra
- National Institute of Biomedical Genomics (NIBMG), Kalyani, West Bengal, India
| | - S Ghosh
- Department of Zoology, North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Shillong, India.
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Omolaoye TS, Hachim MY, du Plessis SS. Using publicly available transcriptomic data to identify mechanistic and diagnostic biomarkers in azoospermia and overall male infertility. Sci Rep 2022; 12:2584. [PMID: 35173218 PMCID: PMC8850557 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-06476-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2021] [Accepted: 01/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Azoospermia, which is the absence of spermatozoa in an ejaculate occurring due to defects in sperm production, or the obstruction of the reproductive tract, affects about 1% of all men and is prevalent in up to 10–15% of infertile males. Conventional semen analysis remains the gold standard for diagnosing and treating male infertility; however, advances in molecular biology and bioinformatics now highlight the insufficiency thereof. Hence, the need to widen the scope of investigating the aetiology of male infertility stands pertinent. The current study aimed to identify common differentially expressed genes (DEGs) that might serve as potential biomarkers for non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) and overall male infertility. DEGs across different datasets of transcriptomic profiling of testis from human patients with different causes of infertility/ impaired spermatogenesis and/or azoospermia were explored using the gene expression omnibus (GEO) database. Following the search using the GEOquery, 30 datasets were available, with 5 meeting the inclusion criteria. The DEGs for datasets were identified using limma R packages through the GEO2R tool. The annotated genes of the probes in each dataset were intersected with DEGs from all other datasets. Enriched Ontology Clustering for the identified genes was performed using Metascape to explore the possible connection or interaction between the genes. Twenty-five DEGs were shared between most of the datasets, which might indicate their role in the pathogenesis of male infertility. Of the 25 DEGs, eight genes (THEG, SPATA20, ROPN1L, GSTF1, TSSK1B, CABS1, ADAD1, RIMBP3) are either involved in the overall spermatogenic processes or at specific phases of spermatogenesis. We hypothesize that alteration in the expression of these genes leads to impaired spermatogenesis and, ultimately, male infertility. Thus, these genes can be used as potential biomarkers for the early detection of NOA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Temidayo S Omolaoye
- Department of Basic Sciences, College of Medicine, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dubai, UAE
| | - Mahmood Yaseen Hachim
- Department of Basic Sciences, College of Medicine, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dubai, UAE.
| | - Stefan S du Plessis
- Department of Basic Sciences, College of Medicine, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dubai, UAE.,Division of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, South Africa
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