Project description:Monogenic hyperlipidemias are a group of inherited disorders characterized by elevated plasma concentrations of lipids and lipoproteins. High plasma concentrations of lipids are the most frequent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Monogenic hyperlipidemias are a minor cause with respect to multifactorial hyperlipidemias. Diagnosis is based on clinical findings and lipid panel measurements. Genetic testing is useful for confirming diagnosis and for differential diagnosis, recurrence risk calculation and prenatal diagnosis in families with a known mutation. Monogenic hyperlipidemias can have either autosomal dominant or recessive inheritance.
Project description:The organs require oxygen and other types of nutrients (amino acids, sugars, and lipids) to function, the heart consuming large amounts of fatty acids for oxidation and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) generation.
Project description:Background We asked whether, after excluding familial hypercholesterolemia, individuals with high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( LDL -C) or triacylglyceride levels and a family history of the same hyperlipidemia have greater coronary artery disease risk or different lipidomic profiles compared with population-based hyperlipidemias. Methods and Results We determined incident coronary artery disease risk for 755 members of 66 hyperlipidemic families (≥2 first-degree relatives with similar hyperlipidemia) and 19 644 Finnish FINRISK population study participants. We quantified 151 circulating lipid species from 550 members of 73 hyperlipidemic families and 897 FINRISK participants using mass spectrometric shotgun lipidomics. Familial hypercholesterolemia was excluded using functional LDL receptor testing and genotyping. Hyperlipidemias ( LDL -C or triacylglycerides >90th population percentile) associated with increased coronary artery disease risk in meta-analysis of the hyperlipidemic families and the population cohort (high LDL -C: hazard ratio, 1.74 [95% CI, 1.48-2.04]; high triacylglycerides: hazard ratio, 1.38 [95% CI, 1.09-1.74]). Risk estimates were similar in the family and population cohorts also after adjusting for lipid-lowering medication. In lipidomic profiling, high LDL -C associated with 108 lipid species, and high triacylglycerides associated with 131 lipid species in either cohort (at 5% false discovery rate; P-value range 0.038-2.3×10-56). Lipidomic profiles were highly similar for hyperlipidemic individuals in the families and the population ( LDL -C: r=0.80; triacylglycerides: r=0.96; no lipid species deviated between the cohorts). Conclusions Hyperlipidemias with family history conferred similar coronary artery disease risk as population-based hyperlipidemias. We identified distinct lipidomic profiles associated with high LDL -C and triacylglycerides. Lipidomic profiles were similar between hyperlipidemias with family history and population-ascertained hyperlipidemias, providing evidence of similar and overlapping underlying mechanisms.
Project description:BackgroundHyperlipidemia is a highly heritable risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD). While monogenic familial hypercholesterolemia associates with severely increased CAD risk, it remains less clear to what extent a high polygenic load of a large number of LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol (LDL-C) or triglyceride (TG)-increasing variants associates with increased CAD risk.MethodsWe derived polygenic risk scores (PRSs) with ≈6M variants separately for LDL-C and TG with weights from a UK Biobank-based genome-wide association study with ≈324K samples. We evaluated the impact of polygenic hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia to lipid levels in 27 039 individuals from the National FINRISK Study (FINRISK) cohort and to CAD risk in 135 638 individuals (13 753 CAD cases) from the FinnGen project (FinnGen).ResultsIn FINRISK, median LDL-C was 3.39 (95% CI, 3.38-3.40) mmol/L, and it ranged from 2.87 (95% CI, 2.82-2.94) to 3.78 (95% CI, 3.71-3.83) mmol/L between the lowest and highest 5% of the LDL-C PRS distribution. Median TG was 1.19 (95% CI, 1.18-1.20) mmol/L, ranging from 0.97 (95% CI, 0.94-1.00) to 1.55 (95% CI, 1.48-1.61) mmol/L with the TG PRS. In FinnGen, comparing the highest 5% of the PRS to the lowest 95%, CAD odds ratio was 1.36 (95% CI, 1.24-1.49) for the LDL-C PRS and 1.31 (95% CI, 1.19-1.43) for the TG PRS. These estimates were only slightly attenuated when adjusting for a CAD PRS (odds ratio, 1.26 [95% CI, 1.16-1.38] for LDL-C and 1.24 [95% CI, 1.13-1.36] for TG PRS).ConclusionsThe CAD risk associated with a high polygenic load for lipid-increasing variants was proportional to their impact on lipid levels and partially overlapping with a CAD PRS. In contrast with a PRS for CAD, the lipid PRSs point to known and directly modifiable risk factors providing additional guidance for clinical translation.
Project description:Cis-regulatory elements (CRE) are critical for coordinating gene expression programs that dictate cell-specific differentiation and homeostasis. Recently developed self-transcribing active regulatory region sequencing (STARR-Seq) has allowed for genome-wide annotation of functional CREs. Despite this, STARR-Seq assays are only employed in cell lines, in part, due to difficulties in delivering reporter constructs. Herein, we implemented and validated a STARR-Seq-based screen in human CD4+ T cells using a non-integrating lentiviral transduction system. Lenti-STARR-Seq is the first example of a genome-wide assay of CRE function in human primary cells, identifying thousands of functional enhancers and negative regulatory elements (NREs) in human CD4+ T cells. We find an unexpected difference in nucleosome organization between enhancers and NRE: enhancers are located between nucleosomes, whereas NRE are occupied by nucleosomes in their endogenous locations. We also describe chromatin modification, eRNA production, and transcription factor binding at both enhancers and NREs. Our findings support the idea of silencer repurposing as enhancers in alternate cell types. Collectively, these data suggest that Lenti-STARR-Seq is a successful approach for CRE screening in primary human cell types, and provides an atlas of functional CREs in human CD4+ T cells.
Project description:BackgroundThe purpose of this study is to present a series of primary intracranial sarcomas (PIS), a rare type of tumor of the central nervous system, in order to improve our understanding of the disease. These tumors are heterogeneous and prone to recurrence after resection, exhibiting a high mortality rate. As PIS has yet to be understood and studied on a large scale, it is vital for further evaluation and research.MethodsOur study included 14 cases of PIS. The patients' clinical, pathological, and imaging features were retrospectively analyzed. Additionally, targeted DNA next-generation sequencing (NGS) was applied for the 481-gene panel to detect gene mutations.ResultsThe average age for PIS patients was 31.4 years. Headache (7, 50.0%) was the most common symptom leading to the hospital visit. Twelve cases had PIS located in the supratentorial area and two in the cerebellopontine angle region. The maximum tumor diameter ranged from 19.0 mm to 130.0 mm, with an average diameter of 50.3 mm. Pathological types of tumors were heterogeneous, with chondrosarcoma being the most common, followed by fibrosarcoma. Eight of the 10 PIS cases that underwent MRI scanning showed gadolinium enhancement; 7 of these cases were heterogeneous, and 1 of them was garland-like. Targeted sequencing was performed in two cases and identified mutations in genes such as NRAS, PIK3CA, BAP1, KDR, BLM, PBRM1, TOP2A, DUSP2, and CNV deletions of SMARCB1. Additionally, the SH3BP5::RAF1 fusion gene was also detected. Of the 14 patients, 9 underwent a gross total resection (GTR), and 5 chose subtotal resection. Patients who underwent GTR displayed a trend toward superior survival. Among the 11 patients with available follow-up information, one had developed lung metastases, three had died, and eight were alive.ConclusionPIS is extremely rare compared to extracranial soft sarcomas. The most common histological type of intracranial sarcoma (IS) is chondrosarcoma. Patients who underwent GTR of these lesions showed improved survival rates. Recent advancements in NGS aided in the identification of diagnostic and therapeutic PIS-relevant targets.
Project description:With the advent of ultra-high field (7T), high spatial resolution functional MRI (fMRI) has allowed the differentiation of the cortical representations of each of the digits at an individual-subject level in human primary somatosensory cortex (S1). Here we generate a probabilistic atlas of the contralateral SI representations of the digits of both the left and right hand in a group of 22 right-handed individuals. The atlas is generated in both volume and surface standardised spaces from somatotopic maps obtained by delivering vibrotactile stimulation to each distal phalangeal digit using a travelling wave paradigm. Metrics quantify the likelihood of a given position being assigned to a digit (full probability map) and the most probable digit for a given spatial location (maximum probability map). The atlas is validated using a leave-one-out cross validation procedure. Anatomical variance across the somatotopic map is also assessed to investigate whether the functional variability across subjects is coupled to structural differences. This probabilistic atlas quantifies the variability in digit representations in healthy subjects, finding some quantifiable separability between digits 2, 3 and 4, a complex overlapping relationship between digits 1 and 2, and little agreement of digit 5 across subjects. The atlas and constituent subject maps are available online for use as a reference in future neuroimaging studies.