Project description:Use of archival resources has been limited to date by inconsistent methods for genomic profiling of degraded RNA from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples. RNA-seq offers a novel way to address this problem. In this study we evaluated transcriptomic dose responses using RNA-seq in paired FFPE and frozen (FROZ) samples from two archival studies in mice, one recent (<2 years old) and the other older (>20 years old). Experimental treatments included di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) and dichloroacetic acid (DCA) for the <2 and >20 year-old studies, respectively. Total RNA was ribodepleted and sequenced using the Illumina HiSeq platform. In the recent study, FFPE samples showed high concordance in total reads (98% vs FROZ), fold-change values of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) (R2 = 0.99), highly enriched target pathways (90% overlap with FROZ), and benchmark dose estimates for preselected target genes (-2% overall vs FROZ). In contrast, RNA-seq data from older FFPE samples had lower total reads (70% vs FROZ) and poor concordance in global DEGs and pathways. Despite a 99% loss of counts, dose responses were still evident for target genes in FFPE samples and positively correlated with paired FROZ samples. These findings highlight potential variability in the quality of RNA-seq data from FFPE samples. More recent FFPE samples were highly similar to FROZ samples in sequencing quality metrics, DEG profiles, and dose-response parameters, while further methods development is needed for older or lower-quality FFPE samples. This work should help broaden the use of archival resources in both chemical safety and translational science.
Project description:Bulk RNA sequencing was performed on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tumor samples to compare transcriptomic profiles between treatment-sensitive and treatment-resistant breast cancer cases.
Project description:The reliability of differential expression analysis on FFPE expression profiles from Affymetrix arrays is questionable, due to the wide range of percent-present values reported in studies which profiled FFPE samples on Affymetrix arrays. Moreover the validity of externally defined gene-modules in FFPE microarray expression profiles is unknown. Using eight breast cancer tumors with available frozen and FFPE samples, five sample-matched data sets were generated from different combination of Affymetrix arrays, amplification-and-labeling kit and sample preservation method. The reliability of differential expression analysis was investigated by developing de novo ER/HER2 pathway gene-modules from matched data sets and validating it on external data set using ROC analysis. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient of module scores between matched FFPE-frozen expression profiles was used to measure reliability of externally defined gene-modules in FFPE expression profiles. Independent of array/amplification-kit/sample preservation method used, de novo ER/HER2 gene-modules derived from all matching data sets showed similar prediction performance during independent validation (AUC range; ER: 0.92-0.95, HER2: 0.88-0.91), except for de novo HER2 gene-module derived from FFPE data set with 3'IVT kit (AUC: 0.67-0.72). Further not all gene-module based biological signals present in frozen expression profiles can be recovered from matching FFPE microarray expression profiles using the currently available FFPE specific sample preparation kits. The gene-module based biological signal extracted from FFPE RNA, using microarrays, may not be as reliable as that from their frozen counterpart, if the sample preparation protocol used with FFPE RNA failed to recover relevant genes involved in the biological signal.
Project description:Archival Formalin-Fixed Paraffin Embedded (FFPE) tissue represents an abundant and more easily transferable source of patient tissue than live specimens. Furthermore cancer FFPE tissue deposited at major cancer research institutes is often paired with survival data increasing the value of biomarker and prediction based research from these samples. However the known fragility of RNA and artifacts introduced through the processes of tissue preservation and storage introduce the possibility of unfaithful RNA expression signatures from these sources. To evaluate this we established an RNA isolation, library prepration and data analysis pipeline at Oregon Health and Science University to evaluate the fidelity of RNA expression profiles from FFPE tissues utilizing gene and pathway expression comparisons between ER positive and ER negative samples in archival FFPE specimens compared to those obtained from public available data sets of fresh specimens.
Project description:The reliability of differential expression analysis on FFPE expression profiles from Affymetrix arrays is questionable, due to the wide range of percent-present values reported in studies which profiled FFPE samples on Affymetrix arrays. Moreover the validity of externally defined gene-modules in FFPE microarray expression profiles is unknown. Using eight breast cancer tumors with available frozen and FFPE samples, five sample-matched data sets were generated from different combination of Affymetrix arrays, amplification-and-labeling kit and sample preservation method. The reliability of differential expression analysis was investigated by developing de novo ER/HER2 pathway gene-modules from matched data sets and validating it on external data set using ROC analysis. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient of module scores between matched FFPE-frozen expression profiles was used to measure reliability of externally defined gene-modules in FFPE expression profiles. Independent of array/amplification-kit/sample preservation method used, de novo ER/HER2 gene-modules derived from all matching data sets showed similar prediction performance during independent validation (AUC range; ER: 0.92-0.95, HER2: 0.88-0.91), except for de novo HER2 gene-module derived from FFPE data set with 3'IVT kit (AUC: 0.67-0.72). Further not all gene-module based biological signals present in frozen expression profiles can be recovered from matching FFPE microarray expression profiles using the currently available FFPE specific sample preparation kits. The gene-module based biological signal extracted from FFPE RNA, using microarrays, may not be as reliable as that from their frozen counterpart, if the sample preparation protocol used with FFPE RNA failed to recover relevant genes involved in the biological signal.
Project description:The reliability of differential expression analysis on FFPE expression profiles from Affymetrix arrays is questionable, due to the wide range of percent-present values reported in studies which profiled FFPE samples on Affymetrix arrays. Moreover the validity of externally defined gene-modules in FFPE microarray expression profiles is unknown. Using eight breast cancer tumors with available frozen and FFPE samples, five sample-matched data sets were generated from different combination of Affymetrix arrays, amplification-and-labeling kit and sample preservation method. The reliability of differential expression analysis was investigated by developing de novo ER/HER2 pathway gene-modules from matched data sets and validating it on external data set using ROC analysis. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient of module scores between matched FFPE-frozen expression profiles was used to measure reliability of externally defined gene-modules in FFPE expression profiles. Independent of array/amplification-kit/sample preservation method used, de novo ER/HER2 gene-modules derived from all matching data sets showed similar prediction performance during independent validation (AUC range; ER: 0.92-0.95, HER2: 0.88-0.91), except for de novo HER2 gene-module derived from FFPE data set with 3'IVT kit (AUC: 0.67-0.72). Further not all gene-module based biological signals present in frozen expression profiles can be recovered from matching FFPE microarray expression profiles using the currently available FFPE specific sample preparation kits. The gene-module based biological signal extracted from FFPE RNA, using microarrays, may not be as reliable as that from their frozen counterpart, if the sample preparation protocol used with FFPE RNA failed to recover relevant genes involved in the biological signal.
Project description:Genome wide DNA methylation profiling of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) meningioma samples. The Illumina Infinium MethylationEPIC BeadChip was used to obtain DNA methylation profiles across approximately 850,000 methylation sites across the genome at single-nucleotide resolution.