Patient Groups

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Patient Groups NSEA: N-NODE SUBNETWORK ENUMERATION ALGORITHM IDENTIFIES LOWER GRADE GLIOMA SUBTYPES WITH ALTERED SUBNETWORKS AND DISTINCT PROGNOSTICS by ZHIHAN ZHANG Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Systems Biology and Bioinformatics CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY May 2017 CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES We hereby approve the thesis/dissertation of ZHIHAN ZHANG candidate for the degree of Master of Science. Committee Chair GURKAN BEBEK Committee Member MARK CAMERON Committee Member JEAN-EUDES DAZARD Date of Defense Jul 22, 2016 ii Contents Contents ......................................................................................................................... iii List of Tables ................................................................................................................... v List of Figures ................................................................................................................. vi Abstract ......................................................................................................................... vii Introduction .................................................................................................................... 1 Gene Expression Analysis ......................................................................................................... 1 Advantages of Unsupervised Learning............................................................................. 1 Feature Extraction and Unsupervised Pathway Analysis ................................................. 3 Application of Pathway-Based Methodology in Translational Medicine ......................... 6 Diffuse Low-Grade Glioma (LGG) ............................................................................................. 7 Overview .......................................................................................................................... 7 Prognosis Markers of LGG ................................................................................................ 9 Methodology ..................................................................................................................11 Overview ................................................................................................................................ 11 Concept Description ............................................................................................................... 13 Network Enumeration ................................................................................................... 13 Subnetwork Selection and Expansion ............................................................................ 13 Vector Representation of Subnetwork .......................................................................... 15 Pipeline .................................................................................................................................. 17 Data Preparation ............................................................................................................ 17 Enumeration .................................................................................................................. 18 Subnetwork Selection, Expansion and Vectorization .................................................... 21 Parameter Tuning .......................................................................................................... 26 iii Future Validation ........................................................................................................... 29 Results ..........................................................................................................................31 Feature Subnetworks and Clustering ..................................................................................... 31 Subnetwork Groups ............................................................................................................... 35 Patient Groups ....................................................................................................................... 43 Discussion .....................................................................................................................54 References ....................................................................................................................57 iv List of Tables Table 1. Subnetwork Clusters and Corresponding Pathways ...................... 42 Table 2. Comparison of Current Patient Groups and Groups from TCGA ... 44 Table 3. Mutations and MGMT Methylation Statistics .................................. 50 v List of Figures Figure 1. Diagram of nSEA Algorithm .......................................................... 12 Figure 2. Vector Representation of Subnetwork .......................................... 16 Figure 3. Edge Vector and Edge Score ....................................................... 19 Figure 4. Definition of Subnetwork Score (Inner-pattern Consistency) ........ 22 Figure 5. Pipeline Summarization and Parameter Tuning ............................ 28 Figure 6. Heatmap and Clustering of LGG Samples and Subnetworks ....... 34 Figure 7. Clinical Characteristics of LGG Patient Groups ............................ 45 Figure 8. Patient Group Characterization by Subnetworks .......................... 49 Figure 9. Patient Groups with Mutations and MGMT Methylation ................ 52 vi NSEA: n-Node Subnetwork Enumeration Algorithm Identifies Lower Grade Glioma Subtypes with Altered Subnetworks and Distinct Prognostics Abstract by ZHIHAN ZHANG Motivation: The prognosis of low-grade-glioma (LGG) patients is very poor. Identifying subnetworks related to LGG can better describe the genetic make-up of the tumor. Methods: n-Node Subnetwork Enumeration Algorithm (nSEA) was developed to identify significantly dysregulated subnetworks. We utilized a filtered protein network to enumerate n-node subnetworks exhaustively and score each subnetwork to carry out feature selection. These subnetwork seeds were expanded to identify tumor-specific subnetworks. Clustering these subnetworks provided patient groups with different subnetwork states. Results: We identified 92 subnetwork features, 8 subnetwork groups and 5 patient groups. A new patient group was identified with favorable outcomes. By decision tree modeling, the new group were characterized as down-regulated MAPK/B-Raf pathway and up-regulated Notch pathway. It had fewer mutations of candidate genes, hypomethylation of NIPBL and hypermethylation of KALRN. Conclusions: These results could provide opportunities for improved treatment options and personalized interventions of LGG. vii Introduction Gene Expression Analysis Advantages of Unsupervised Learning With the massive application of microarray and high-throughput sequencing, more and more data has been generated to characterize genome-wide gene expression of healthy and diseased states. Researchers work towards understanding the underlying mechanism of dysregulation. The popularity of genome-wide gene expression analysis is extremely prominent among cancer studies due to unique etiology of the disease in each tissue type. As of July 2016, there are 1079 cancer-related datasets on Gene Expression Ominbus, accounting for 28% of the whole database [1]. Since the size of gene expression database is expanding, the biggest challenge of gene expression studies of cancer is analyzing existing data rather than generating it. Among all the research interests of cancer gene expression analysis, one major goal is to identify the important gene expression patterns within a specific type of cancer. Many algorithms have been developed to solve this problem in the last decade [2]. These algorithms can be generally divided into two classes: supervised and unsupervised methods. Supervised algorithms have been widely used to discover gene expression patterns associated with known phenotypes [3-6]. Most of them are differential gene expression analysis, which aims to identify the most sensitive predictors associated with the target 1 phenotypes [7, 8]. The identified gene set, ranging from a couple of genes to dozens of genes, may perform well based on the standards of machine learning. However, a major premise of a supervised approach is that the testing data is generated with the same conditions of the training data, which ensures them to have the same statistical properties such as distribution [9]. This implies that the gene signatures picked by a supervised approach may not have the same statistical power when the protocol or platform is changed. Even when tested within the same dataset, because of random noise and outliers, models built with completely supervised approaches are often susceptible to overfitting [2]. To the contrary, unsupervised algorithms are more flexible on cross-platform validation and more resistant to noise. Although unsupervised methods do not take advantage of the labels in the data, in turn, the generated model is not confined by these known categorical variables. Instead of discovering top- differentiated genes related to a phenotype, unsupervised approach is better at exploring the global landscape of genome-wide gene expression patterns. This characteristic not only makes the result more robust, since it is based on thousands of genes, but also easy to interpret, since different clusters of genes may represent different biological modules [9, 10]. Moreover, because of the freedom of unsupervised algorithms,
Recommended publications
  • Supplemental Information to Mammadova-Bach Et Al., “Laminin Α1 Orchestrates VEGFA Functions in the Ecosystem of Colorectal Carcinogenesis”
    Supplemental information to Mammadova-Bach et al., “Laminin α1 orchestrates VEGFA functions in the ecosystem of colorectal carcinogenesis” Supplemental material and methods Cloning of the villin-LMα1 vector The plasmid pBS-villin-promoter containing the 3.5 Kb of the murine villin promoter, the first non coding exon, 5.5 kb of the first intron and 15 nucleotides of the second villin exon, was generated by S. Robine (Institut Curie, Paris, France). The EcoRI site in the multi cloning site was destroyed by fill in ligation with T4 polymerase according to the manufacturer`s instructions (New England Biolabs, Ozyme, Saint Quentin en Yvelines, France). Site directed mutagenesis (GeneEditor in vitro Site-Directed Mutagenesis system, Promega, Charbonnières-les-Bains, France) was then used to introduce a BsiWI site before the start codon of the villin coding sequence using the 5’ phosphorylated primer: 5’CCTTCTCCTCTAGGCTCGCGTACGATGACGTCGGACTTGCGG3’. A double strand annealed oligonucleotide, 5’GGCCGGACGCGTGAATTCGTCGACGC3’ and 5’GGCCGCGTCGACGAATTCACGC GTCC3’ containing restriction site for MluI, EcoRI and SalI were inserted in the NotI site (present in the multi cloning site), generating the plasmid pBS-villin-promoter-MES. The SV40 polyA region of the pEGFP plasmid (Clontech, Ozyme, Saint Quentin Yvelines, France) was amplified by PCR using primers 5’GGCGCCTCTAGATCATAATCAGCCATA3’ and 5’GGCGCCCTTAAGATACATTGATGAGTT3’ before subcloning into the pGEMTeasy vector (Promega, Charbonnières-les-Bains, France). After EcoRI digestion, the SV40 polyA fragment was purified with the NucleoSpin Extract II kit (Machery-Nagel, Hoerdt, France) and then subcloned into the EcoRI site of the plasmid pBS-villin-promoter-MES. Site directed mutagenesis was used to introduce a BsiWI site (5’ phosphorylated AGCGCAGGGAGCGGCGGCCGTACGATGCGCGGCAGCGGCACG3’) before the initiation codon and a MluI site (5’ phosphorylated 1 CCCGGGCCTGAGCCCTAAACGCGTGCCAGCCTCTGCCCTTGG3’) after the stop codon in the full length cDNA coding for the mouse LMα1 in the pCIS vector (kindly provided by P.
    [Show full text]
  • Molecular and Physiological Basis for Hair Loss in Near Naked Hairless and Oak Ridge Rhino-Like Mouse Models: Tracking the Role of the Hairless Gene
    University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 5-2006 Molecular and Physiological Basis for Hair Loss in Near Naked Hairless and Oak Ridge Rhino-like Mouse Models: Tracking the Role of the Hairless Gene Yutao Liu University of Tennessee - Knoxville Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss Part of the Life Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Liu, Yutao, "Molecular and Physiological Basis for Hair Loss in Near Naked Hairless and Oak Ridge Rhino- like Mouse Models: Tracking the Role of the Hairless Gene. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2006. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/1824 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Yutao Liu entitled "Molecular and Physiological Basis for Hair Loss in Near Naked Hairless and Oak Ridge Rhino-like Mouse Models: Tracking the Role of the Hairless Gene." I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Life Sciences. Brynn H. Voy, Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Naima Moustaid-Moussa, Yisong Wang, Rogert Hettich Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R.
    [Show full text]
  • The Splicing Factor XAB2 Interacts with ERCC1-XPF and XPG for RNA-Loop Processing During Mammalian Development
    bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.07.20.211441; this version posted July 21, 2020. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission. The Splicing Factor XAB2 interacts with ERCC1-XPF and XPG for RNA-loop processing during mammalian development Evi Goulielmaki1*, Maria Tsekrekou1,2*, Nikos Batsiotos1,2, Mariana Ascensão-Ferreira3, Eleftheria Ledaki1, Kalliopi Stratigi1, Georgia Chatzinikolaou1, Pantelis Topalis1, Theodore Kosteas1, Janine Altmüller4, Jeroen A. Demmers5, Nuno L. Barbosa-Morais3, George A. Garinis1,2* 1. Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology- Hellas, GR70013, Heraklion, Crete, Greece, 2. Department of Biology, University of Crete, Heraklion, Crete, Greece, 3. Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Professor Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal, 4. Cologne Center for Genomics (CCG), Institute for Genetics, University of Cologne, 50931, Cologne, Germany, 5. Proteomics Center, Netherlands Proteomics Center, and Department of Biochemistry, Erasmus University Medical Center, the Netherlands. Corresponding author: George A. Garinis ([email protected]) *: equally contributing authors bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.07.20.211441; this version posted July 21, 2020. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission. Abstract RNA splicing, transcription and the DNA damage response are intriguingly linked in mammals but the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Using an in vivo biotinylation tagging approach in mice, we show that the splicing factor XAB2 interacts with the core spliceosome and that it binds to spliceosomal U4 and U6 snRNAs and pre-mRNAs in developing livers.
    [Show full text]
  • Visual Exploration Across Biomedical Databases
    1 Visual Exploration Across Biomedical Databases Michael D. Lieberman∗†‡ Sima Taheri∗ Huimin Guo∗ Fatemeh Mir-Rashed∗ [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Inbal Yahav§ Aleks Aris∗ Ben Shneiderman∗† [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Abstract—Though biomedical research often draws on knowl- mentioned in d. d may also have associations with other edge from a wide variety of fields, few visualization methods PubMed documents that cite d as a reference, as well as for biomedical data incorporate meaningful cross-database ex- associations to the PubMed documents that d itself cites. ploration. A new approach is offered for visualizing and explor- ∈ ing a query-based subset of multiple heterogeneous biomedical Furthermore, each gene g G could have associations with databases. Databases are modeled as an entity-relation graph the proteins for which g codes, or the DNA sequences in containing nodes (database records) and links (relationships which g’s code appears. Usually, the various types of records between records). Users specify a keyword search string to in these databases also have many attributes associated with retrieve an initial set of nodes, and then explore intra- and inter- them. For example, PubMed documents might be annotated database links. Results are visualized with user-defined semantic substrates to take advantage of the rich set of attributes usually with the date of publication, authors, and general topics, while present in biomedical data. Comments from domain experts gene records could be annotated with the relevant species, indicate that this visualization method is potentially advantageous location on chromosome, or function.
    [Show full text]
  • The TRAX, DISC1, and GSK3 Complex in Mental Disorders and Therapeutic Interventions Yu-Ting Weng1,2, Ting Chien1, I-I Kuan1 and Yijuang Chern1,2*
    Weng et al. Journal of Biomedical Science (2018) 25:71 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12929-018-0473-x REVIEW Open Access The TRAX, DISC1, and GSK3 complex in mental disorders and therapeutic interventions Yu-Ting Weng1,2, Ting Chien1, I-I Kuan1 and Yijuang Chern1,2* Abstract Psychiatric disorders (such as bipolar disorder, depression, and schizophrenia) affect the lives of millions of individuals worldwide. Despite the tremendous efforts devoted to various types of psychiatric studies and rapidly accumulating genetic information, the molecular mechanisms underlying psychiatric disorder development remain elusive. Among the genes that have been implicated in schizophrenia and other mental disorders, disrupted in schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) and glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) have been intensively investigated. DISC1 binds directly to GSK3 and modulates many cellular functions by negatively inhibiting GSK3 activity. The human DISC1 gene is located on chromosome 1 and is highly associated with schizophrenia and other mental disorders. A recent study demonstrated that a neighboring gene of DISC1, translin-associated factor X (TRAX), binds to the DISC1/GSK3β complex and at least partly mediates the actions of the DISC1/GSK3β complex. Previous studies also demonstrate that TRAX and most of its interacting proteins that have been identified so far are risk genes and/or markers of mental disorders. In the present review, we will focus on the emerging roles of TRAX and its interacting proteins (including DISC1 and GSK3β) in psychiatric disorders and the potential implications for developing therapeutic interventions. Keywords: TRAX, DISC1, GSK3β, Mental disorders, DNA damage, DNA repair, Oxidative stress, A2AR, PKA Background DNA repair) by interacting with various proteins [4–12].
    [Show full text]
  • Cyclin-Dependent Kinases and Their Role in Inflammation, Endothelial Cell Migration
    Cyclin-Dependent Kinases and their role in Inflammation, Endothelial Cell Migration and Autocrine Activity Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Shruthi Ratnakar Shetty Graduate Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences The Ohio State University 2020 Dissertation Committee Dale Hoyt, Advisor Liva Rakotondraibe Moray Campbell Keli Hu Copyrighted by Shruthi Ratnakar Shetty 2020 Abstract Inflammation is the body’s response to infection or injury. Endothelial cells are among the different players involved in an inflammatory cascade. In response to an inflammatory stimuli such as bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS), endothelial cells get activated which is characterized by the production of important mediators, such as inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) which, catalyzes the production of nitric oxide (NO) and reactive nitrogen species and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) that catalyzes the production of prostaglandins. Though the production of these mediators is required for an inflammatory response, it is important that their levels are regulated. Continued production of iNOS results in increased accumulation of reactive nitrogen species (RNS) that might lead to cytotoxicity, whereas lack of/suppression results in endothelial and vascular dysfunction. On the other hand, severe cardiovascular, intestinal and renal side effects are observed with significant suppression of COX-2. Thus, studying factors that could regulate the levels of iNOS and COX-2 could provide useful insights for developing novel therapeutic targets. Regulation of protein levels involves control of protein induction or turnover. Since protein induction requires transcription, in this dissertation we studied the role of a promoter of transcription “Cyclin- dependent kinase 7 (CDK7)” in iNOS and COX-2 protein induction.
    [Show full text]
  • New Insights in RBM20 Cardiomyopathy
    Current Heart Failure Reports (2020) 17:234–246 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11897-020-00475-x TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH IN HEART FAILURE (J BACKS & M VAN DEN HOOGENHOF, SECTION EDITORS) New Insights in RBM20 Cardiomyopathy D. Lennermann1,2 & J. Backs1,2 & M. M. G. van den Hoogenhof1,2 Published online: 13 August 2020 # The Author(s) 2020 Abstract Purpose of Review This review aims to give an update on recent findings related to the cardiac splicing factor RNA-binding motif protein 20 (RBM20) and RBM20 cardiomyopathy, a form of dilated cardiomyopathy caused by mutations in RBM20. Recent Findings While most research on RBM20 splicing targets has focused on titin (TTN), multiple studies over the last years have shown that other splicing targets of RBM20 including Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinase IIδ (CAMK2D) might be critically involved in the development of RBM20 cardiomyopathy. In this regard, loss of RBM20 causes an abnormal intracellular calcium handling, which may relate to the arrhythmogenic presentation of RBM20 cardiomyopathy. In addition, RBM20 presents clinically in a highly gender-specific manner, with male patients suffering from an earlier disease onset and a more severe disease progression. Summary Further research on RBM20, and treatment of RBM20 cardiomyopathy, will need to consider both the multitude and relative contribution of the different splicing targets and related pathways, as well as gender differences. Keywords RBM20 . Dilated cardiomyopathy . CaMKIIδ . Calcium handling . Gender differences . Titin Introduction (ARVC), where a small number of genes account for most of the genetic causes, DCM-causing mutations have been ob- Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), as defined by left ventricular served in a variety of genes of diverse ontology [2].
    [Show full text]
  • TITLE PAGE Oxidative Stress and Response to Thymidylate Synthase
    Downloaded from molpharm.aspetjournals.org at ASPET Journals on October 2, 2021 -Targeted -Targeted 1 , University of of , University SC K.W.B., South Columbia, (U.O., Carolina, This article has not been copyedited and formatted. The final version may differ from this version. This article has not been copyedited and formatted. The final version may differ from this version. This article has not been copyedited and formatted. The final version may differ from this version. This article has not been copyedited and formatted. The final version may differ from this version. This article has not been copyedited and formatted. The final version may differ from this version. This article has not been copyedited and formatted. The final version may differ from this version. This article has not been copyedited and formatted. The final version may differ from this version. This article has not been copyedited and formatted. The final version may differ from this version. This article has not been copyedited and formatted. The final version may differ from this version. This article has not been copyedited and formatted. The final version may differ from this version. This article has not been copyedited and formatted. The final version may differ from this version. This article has not been copyedited and formatted. The final version may differ from this version. This article has not been copyedited and formatted. The final version may differ from this version. This article has not been copyedited and formatted. The final version may differ from this version. This article has not been copyedited and formatted.
    [Show full text]
  • Aneuploidy: Using Genetic Instability to Preserve a Haploid Genome?
    Health Science Campus FINAL APPROVAL OF DISSERTATION Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Science (Cancer Biology) Aneuploidy: Using genetic instability to preserve a haploid genome? Submitted by: Ramona Ramdath In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Science Examination Committee Signature/Date Major Advisor: David Allison, M.D., Ph.D. Academic James Trempe, Ph.D. Advisory Committee: David Giovanucci, Ph.D. Randall Ruch, Ph.D. Ronald Mellgren, Ph.D. Senior Associate Dean College of Graduate Studies Michael S. Bisesi, Ph.D. Date of Defense: April 10, 2009 Aneuploidy: Using genetic instability to preserve a haploid genome? Ramona Ramdath University of Toledo, Health Science Campus 2009 Dedication I dedicate this dissertation to my grandfather who died of lung cancer two years ago, but who always instilled in us the value and importance of education. And to my mom and sister, both of whom have been pillars of support and stimulating conversations. To my sister, Rehanna, especially- I hope this inspires you to achieve all that you want to in life, academically and otherwise. ii Acknowledgements As we go through these academic journeys, there are so many along the way that make an impact not only on our work, but on our lives as well, and I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to all of those people: My Committee members- Dr. James Trempe, Dr. David Giovanucchi, Dr. Ronald Mellgren and Dr. Randall Ruch for their guidance, suggestions, support and confidence in me. My major advisor- Dr. David Allison, for his constructive criticism and positive reinforcement.
    [Show full text]
  • A Critical Role for Kalirin in NGF Signaling Through Trka
    MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR BIOLOGY, June 2005, p. 5106–5118 Vol. 25, No. 12 0270-7306/05/$08.00ϩ0 doi:10.1128/MCB.25.12.5106–5118.2005 Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved. Critical Role for Kalirin in Nerve Growth Factor Signaling through TrkA Kausik Chakrabarti,1 Rong Lin,1 Noraisha I. Schiller,1 Yanping Wang,1 David Koubi,2 Ying-Xin Fan,3 Brian B. Rudkin,2 Gibbes R. Johnson,3 and Martin R. Schiller1* University of Connecticut Health Center, Department of Neuroscience, 263 Farmington Ave., Farmington, Connecticut 06030-43011; Laboratoire de Biologie Moleculaire de la Cellule, UMR 5161 CNRS, INRA U1237, Ecole Normale Supe´rieure de Lyon, IFR 128 “BioSciences Lyon-Gerland,” 69364 Lyon cedex 07, France2; and Division of Therapeutic Proteins, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Bethesda, Maryland 208923 Received 30 June 2004/Returned for modification 16 September 2004/Accepted 10 March 2005 Kalirin is a multidomain guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) that activates Rho proteins, inducing cytoskeletal rearrangement in neurons. Although much is known about the effects of Kalirin on Rho GTPases and neuronal morphology, little is known about the association of Kalirin with the receptor/signaling systems that affect neuronal morphology. Our experiments demonstrate that Kalirin binds to and colocalizes with the TrkA neurotrophin receptor in neurons. In PC12 cells, inhibition of Kalirin expression using antisense RNA decreased nerve growth factor (NGF)-induced TrkA autophosphorylation and process extension. Kalirin overexpression potentiated neurotrophin-stimulated TrkA autophosphorylation and neurite outgrowth in PC12 cells at a low concentration of NGF.
    [Show full text]
  • Genome-Wide DNA Methylation Profiles in Community Members Exposed to the World Trade Center Disaster
    International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Article Genome-Wide DNA Methylation Profiles in Community Members Exposed to the World Trade Center Disaster Alan A. Arslan 1,2,3,* , Stephanie Tuminello 2, Lei Yang 2, Yian Zhang 2, Nedim Durmus 4, Matija Snuderl 5, Adriana Heguy 5,6, Anne Zeleniuch-Jacquotte 2,3, Yongzhao Shao 2,3 and Joan Reibman 4 1 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, New York University Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA 2 Department of Population Health, New York University Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA; [email protected] (S.T.); [email protected] (L.Y.); [email protected] (Y.Z.); [email protected] (A.Z.-J.); [email protected] (Y.S.) 3 NYU Perlmutter Comprehensive Cancer Center, New York, NY 10016, USA 4 Department of Medicine, New York University Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA; [email protected] (N.D.); [email protected] (J.R.) 5 Department of Pathology, New York University Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA; [email protected] (M.S.); [email protected] (A.H.) 6 NYU Langone’s Genome Technology Center, New York, NY 10016, USA * Correspondence: [email protected] Received: 30 June 2020; Accepted: 25 July 2020; Published: 30 July 2020 Abstract: The primary goal of this pilot study was to assess feasibility of studies among local community members to address the hypothesis that complex exposures to the World Trade Center (WTC) dust and fumes resulted in long-term epigenetic changes. We enrolled 18 WTC-exposed cancer-free women from the WTC Environmental Health Center (WTC EHC) who agreed to donate blood samples during their standard clinical visits.
    [Show full text]
  • The Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factor Kalirin-7 Is a Novel Synphilin-1 Interacting Protein and Modifies Synphilin-1 Aggregate Transport and Formation
    The Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factor Kalirin-7 Is a Novel Synphilin-1 Interacting Protein and Modifies Synphilin-1 Aggregate Transport and Formation Yu-Chun Tsai, Olaf Riess, Anne S. Soehn., Huu Phuc Nguyen*. Department of Medical Genetics, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany Abstract Synphilin-1 has been identified as an interaction partner of a-synuclein, a key protein in the pathogenesis of Parkinson disease (PD). To further explore novel binding partners of synphilin-1, a yeast two hybrid screening was performed and kalirin-7 was identified as a novel interactor. We then investigated the effect of kalirin-7 on synphilin-1 aggregate formation. Coexpression of kalirin-7 and synphilin-1 caused a dramatic relocation of synphilin-1 cytoplasmic small inclusions to a single prominent, perinuclear inclusion. These perinuclear inclusions were characterized as being aggresomes according to their colocalization with microtubule organization center markers, and their formation was microtubule-dependent. Furthermore, kalirin-7 increased the susceptibility of synphilin-1 inclusions to be degraded as demonstrated by live cell imaging and quantification of aggregates. However, the kalirin-7-mediated synphilin-1 aggresome response was not dependent on the GEF activity of kalirin-7 since various dominant negative small GTPases could not inhibit the formation of aggresomes. Interestingly, the aggresome response was blocked by HDAC6 catalytic mutants and the HDAC inhibitor trichostatin A (TSA). Moreover, kalirin-7 decreased the level of acetylated a-tubulin in response to TSA, which suggests an effect of kalirin-7 on HDAC6-mediated protein transportation and aggresome formation. In summary, this is the first report demonstrating that kalirin-7 leads to the recruitment of synphilin-1 into aggresomes in a HDAC6-dependent manner and also links kalirin-7 to microtubule dynamics.
    [Show full text]