Project description:Using DNA microarray as a global approach to understanding the molecular basis of autism, we examined gene expression profiling in peripheral blood from 21 young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and healthy mothers having children with ASD, between whom there was no blood relationship. Several genes which were significantly changed in the ASD group comparing with their age- and gender-matched healthy subjects were mainly involved in cell morphology, cellular assembly and organization, and nerve system development and function. In addition, mothers having children with ASD possessed a unique gene expression signature shown as significant alterations of protein synthesis despite of their nonautistic diagnostic status. Moreover, an ASD-associated gene expression signature was commonly observed in both individuals with ASD and healthy mothers having children with ASD. Total RNA was prepared from venous blood which was taken from each subject. Gene expression profiling of venous blood from subjects with ASD (21), the healthy women who had children with ASD (21) and their age- and gender-matched healthy subjects (42) were obtained using a whole human genome oligonucleotide microarray (Agilent 44K Human whole genome array G4112F, GPL6480) to measure gene expression in these samples according to the manufacture’s protocol. The one GSM sample of microarray analysis was made by individual subject. Differentially expressed genes were determined across all rationed expression values for age- and gender-matched pairs (ASD vs. control, asdMO vs. ctrlMO) using Genespling analysis.
Project description:Using DNA microarray as a global approach to understanding the molecular basis of autism, we examined gene expression profiling in peripheral blood from 21 young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and healthy mothers having children with ASD, between whom there was no blood relationship. Several genes which were significantly changed in the ASD group comparing with their age- and gender-matched healthy subjects were mainly involved in cell morphology, cellular assembly and organization, and nerve system development and function. In addition, mothers having children with ASD possessed a unique gene expression signature shown as significant alterations of protein synthesis despite of their nonautistic diagnostic status. Moreover, an ASD-associated gene expression signature was commonly observed in both individuals with ASD and healthy mothers having children with ASD.
Project description:We used a DNA microarray chip covering 369 resistance types to investigate the relation of antibiotic resistance gene diversity with humans’ age. Metagenomic DNA from fecal samples of 123 healthy volunteers of four different age groups, i.e. pre-school Children (CH), School Children (SC), High School Students (HSS) and Adults (AD) were used for hybridization. The results showed that 80 different gene types were recovered from the 123 individuals gut microbiota, among which 25 were present in CH, 37 in SC, 58 in HSS and 72 in AD. Further analysis indicated that antibiotic resistance genes in groups of CH, SC and AD can be independently clustered, and those ones in group HSS are more divergent. The detailed analysis of antibiotic resistance genes in human gut is further described in the paper DNA microarray analysis reveals the antibiotic resistance gene diversity in human gut microbiota is age-related submitted to Sentific Reports
Project description:Variation of maternal gut microbiota may increase the risk of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in offspring. Animal studies have indicated that maternal gut microbiota is related to neurodevelopmental abnormalities in mouse offspring, while it is unclear whether there is a correlation between gut microbiota of ASD children and their mothers. We examined the relationships between gut microbiome profiles of ASD children and those of their mothers, and evaluated the clinical discriminatory power of discovered bacterial biomarkers. Gut microbiome was profiled and evaluated by 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing in stool samples of 59 mother–child pairs of ASD children and 30 matched mother–child pairs of healthy children. Significant differences were observed in the gut microbiome composition between ASD and healthy children in our Chinese cohort. Several unique bacterial biomarkers, such as Alcaligenaceae and Acinetobacter, were identified. Mothers of ASD children had more Proteobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, Moraxellaceae, and Acinetobacter than mothers of healthy children. There was a clear correlation between gut microbiome profiles of children and their mothers; however, children with ASD still had unique bacterial biomarkers, such as Alcaligenaceae, Enterobacteriaceae, and Clostridium. Candidate biomarkers discovered in this study had remarkable discriminatory power. The identified patterns of mother–child gut microbiome profiles may be important for assessing risks during the early stage and planning of personalized treatment and prevention of ASD via microbiota modulation.
Project description:Epidemiological studies have associated maternal metabolic conditions such as obesity and gestational diabetes with poor health outcomes in the offspring. Epigenetic mechanisms may help explain the intrauterine influence that mothers have on their offspring during pregnancy. Here, using Illumina's MethylationEPIC array technology, we have longitudinally profiled the blood methylomes of children born to mothers with obesity and obesity with gestational diabetes, and healthy controls, during the first year of life (measurements at 0, cord blood; 6 and 12 months, peripheral blood).
Project description:In this study, we performed single-cell transcriptional profiling of human embryonic and fetal gut samples obtained from 9 human embryos spanning ages 6-10 PCW and three regions (duo-jejunum, ileum and colon). Additionally, we profile mucosal biopsies from the terminal ileum of healthy children aged 4-12 years (n = 8) as well as a group of children newly diagnosed with Crohn’s disease (CD) (n = 7), a common form of IBD. Tissue samples were treated using an enzymatic dissociation protocol and single cell suspensions were then processed using the 3’v2 10x Genomics Chromium workflow. In a subset of samples, the intestinal epithelial cell fraction was enriched by performing magnetic bead sorting for EPCAM. In total, we generate single cell transcriptomes of ~90,000 primary human intestinal cells providing a rich resource and detailed roadmap. Using this data as well as scRNAseq profiles of human fetal gut derived organoids we describe embryonic and fetal epithelium composition, trace their differentiation dynamics and signaling partners, and provide links to regenerating Crohn’s disease epithelium.
Project description:We used a DNA microarray chip covering 369 resistance types to investigate the relation of antibiotic resistance gene diversity with humansM-bM-^@M-^Y age. Metagenomic DNA from fecal samples of 123 healthy volunteers of four different age groups, i.e. pre-school Children (CH), School Children (SC), High School Students (HSS) and Adults (AD) were used for hybridization. The results showed that 80 different gene types were recovered from the 123 individuals gut microbiota, among which 25 were present in CH, 37 in SC, 58 in HSS and 72 in AD. Further analysis indicated that antibiotic resistance genes in groups of CH, SC and AD can be independently clustered, and those ones in group HSS are more divergent. The detailed analysis of antibiotic resistance genes in human gut is further described in the paper DNA microarray analysis reveals the antibiotic resistance gene diversity in human gut microbiota is age-related submitted to Sentific Reports The antibiotic resistance gene microarray is custom-designed (Roche NimbleGen), based on a single chip containing 3 internal replicated probe sets of 12 probes per resistance gene, covering the whole 315K 12-plex platform spots.
Project description:Epigenetics presents a dynamic approach to assess complex individual variation in obesity susceptibility. However, few studies have examined epigenetic patterns in preschool-age children, despite the relevance of this developmental stage to trajectories of weight gain, because of difficulties obtaining blood tissue samples. This proof of principle study examined DNA methylation in 92 saliva samples, comparing Latino preschool children of normal weight mothers (Body Mass Index [BMI] <27 kg/m2 and WC <90 cm) to children of obese mothers (BMI >30 kg/m2 and WC >100 cm). We hypothesized that salivary DNA methylation patterns in Latino preschool age children born of normal weight vs obese weight mothers would be: 1) associated with maternal BMI phenotype in continuous linear regression analysis; 2) saliva could demonstrate epigenetic variation across individuals; and 3) preschool child saliva would be differentially methylated when comparing those children with obese versus normal weight mothers. One hundred and nineteen CpG sites were significantly (p-value <1.56 X 10-5, p-value adjusted <.05) associated with maternal BMI in linear regression models controlling for child’s age, gender, and BMI. Of these 119 CpG sites, 41 were found within the transcription start site, 5’ UTR, 3’ UTR, or another regulatory region outside of the gene body. Saliva, a practical human tissue to obtain in naturalistic settings and in pediatric populations, was confirmed to be a viable medium for genome-wide epigenetic testing with maternal weight. Although not identical to results yielded from other human tissue types (i.e., cord blood samples), saliva findings indicate potential epigenetic differences in Latino preschool children at risk for pediatric obesity.