Project description:Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) affects approximately 18% of pregnancies in the United States and increases the risk of adverse health outcomes in the offspring. These adult disease propensities may be set by anatomical and molecular alterations in the placenta associated with GDM. To assess the mechanistic aspects of fetal programming, we measured genome-wide methylation (Infinium HumanMethylation450 Beadchips) and expression (Affymetrix Transcriptome Microarrays) in placental tissue of 41 GDM cases and 41 matched pregnancies without maternal complications from the Harvard Epigenetic Birth Cohort. Specific transcriptional and epigenetic perturbations associated with GDM status included alterations in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) region, which were validated in an independent cohort, the Rhode Island Child Health Study. Gene ontology enrichment among gene regulation influenced by GDM revealed an over-representation of immune response pathways among differential expression, reflecting these coordinated changes in the MHC region. Our study represents the largest investigation of transcriptomic and methylomic differences associated with GDM, providing comprehensive insight into the molecular basis of GDM induced fetal (re)programming. Bisulphite converted DNA extracted from the placentas (maternal-side) of 41 clinically-confirmed cases of GDM and 41 pregnancies without maternal complications were hybridised to the Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation450 Beadchips
Project description:We performed genome-wide methylation analysis of primary feto-placental arterial and venous endothelial cells from healthy (AEC and VEC) and GDM complicated pregnancies (dAEC and dVEC). Parallel transcriptome analysis identified variation in gene expression linked to GDM-associated DNA methylation, implying a direct functional link. Pathway analysis found that genes altered by exposure to GDM clustered to functions associated with ’Cell Morphology’ and ’Cellular Movement’ in both AEC and VEC. Further functional analysis demonstrated that GDM exposed cells have altered actin organization and barrier function. Our data indicate that exposure to GDM programs atypical morphology and barrier function in feto-placental endothelial cells by DNA methylation and gene expression change. The effects differ between AEC and VEC, indicating a stringent cell-specific sensitivity to adverse exposures associated with developmental programming in utero.
Project description:We performed genome-wide methylation analysis of primary feto-placental arterial and venous endothelial cells from healthy (AEC and VEC) and GDM complicated pregnancies (dAEC and dVEC). Parallel transcriptome analysis identified variation in gene expression linked to GDM-associated DNA methylation, implying a direct functional link. Pathway analysis found that genes altered by exposure to GDM clustered to functions associated with ’Cell Morphology’ and ’Cellular Movement’ in both AEC and VEC. Further functional analysis demonstrated that GDM exposed cells have altered actin organization and barrier function. Our data indicate that exposure to GDM programs atypical morphology and barrier function in feto-placental endothelial cells by DNA methylation and gene expression change. The effects differ between AEC and VEC, indicating a stringent cell-specific sensitivity to adverse exposures associated with developmental programming in utero.
Project description:Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) affects approximately 18% of pregnancies in the United States and increases the risk of adverse health outcomes in the offspring. These adult disease propensities may be set by anatomical and molecular alterations in the placenta associated with GDM. To assess the mechanistic aspects of fetal programming, we measured genome-wide methylation (Infinium HumanMethylation450 Beadchips) and expression (Affymetrix Transcriptome Microarrays) in placental tissue of 41 GDM cases and 41 matched pregnancies without maternal complications from the Harvard Epigenetic Birth Cohort. Specific transcriptional and epigenetic perturbations associated with GDM status included alterations in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) region, which were validated in an independent cohort, the Rhode Island Child Health Study. Gene ontology enrichment among gene regulation influenced by GDM revealed an over-representation of immune response pathways among differential expression, reflecting these coordinated changes in the MHC region. Our study represents the largest investigation of transcriptomic and methylomic differences associated with GDM, providing comprehensive insight into the molecular basis of GDM induced fetal (re)programming. RNA extracted from the placentas (maternal-side) of 30 clinically-confirmed cases of GDM and 25 pregnancies without maternal complications was hybridised to the GeneChip® Human Transcriptome Array 2.0 (Affymetrix). Four samples were run in triplicate.
Project description:Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), a common pregnancy complication with profound effects on maternal and offspring health, involves epigenetic modifications, particularly DNA methylation, but the molecular mechanisms elevating metabolic disease risk in offspring remain elusive. Methods: Integrating public data with whole-genome methylation data from umbilical cord blood of GDM fetuses as the validation cohort, this study characterizes GDM-associated epigenetic features and develops a predictive model validated across external datasets to assess potential long-term health risks in offspring. Results:We identified consistent patterns of differential methylation in the offspring of GDM, with key DMPs associated with glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity genes. Pathway analysis revealed enrichment in insulin signaling, AMPK activation, and adipocytokine signaling pathways. Our predictive model demonstrated robust performance across different sample sizes (AUC=0.89 in public data, AUC=0.82 in validation cohort). CpG sites associated with PPARG and INS genes showed persistent predictive significance across datasets. Conclusions:This study provides a comprehensive characterization of the epigenetic landscape in the offspring of GDM, revealing consistent methylation patterns and pathway enrichments across diverse datasets. The developed predictive model holds potential for assessing health risks of GDM in offspring, advancing understanding of GDM pathophysiology and offering epigenetic biomarkers for future diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive strategies.
Project description:Inflammation is a key component of pathological angiogenesis. Here we induce cornea neovascularisation using sutures placed into the cornea, and sutures are removed to induce a regression phase. We used whole transcriptome microarray to monitor gene expression profies of several genes
Project description:The Norway rat has important impacts on our life. They are amongst the most used research subjects, resulting in ground-breaking advances. At the same time, wild rats live in close association with us, leading to various adverse interactions. In face of this relevance, it is surprising how little is known about their natural behaviour. While recent laboratory studies revealed their complex social skills, little is known about their social behaviour in the wild. An integration of these different scientific approaches is crucial to understand their social life, which will enable us to design more valid research paradigms, develop more effective management strategies, and to provide better welfare standards. Hence, I first summarise the literature on their natural social behaviour. Second, I provide an overview of recent developments concerning their social cognition. Third, I illustrate why an integration of these areas would be beneficial to optimise our interactions with them.
Project description:BackgroundMurine kobuviruses (MuKV) are newly recognized picornaviruses first detected in murine rodents in the USA in 2011. Little information on MuKV epidemiology in murine rodents is available. Therefore, we conducted a survey of the prevalence and genomic characteristics of rat kobuvirus in Guangdong, China.ResultsFecal samples from 223 rats (Rattus norvegicus) were collected from Guangdong and kobuviruses were detected in 12.6% (28) of samples. Phylogenetic analysis based on partial 3D and complete VP1 sequence regions showed that rat kobuvirus obtained in this study were genetically closely related to those of rat/mouse kobuvirus reported in other geographical areas. Two near full-length rat kobuvirus genomes (MM33, GZ85) were acquired and phylogenetic analysis of these revealed that they shared very high nucleotide/amino acids identity with one another (95.4%/99.4%) and a sewage-derived sequence (86.9%/93.5% and 87.5%/93.7%, respectively). Comparison with original Aichivirus A strains, such human kobuvirus, revealed amino acid identity values of approximately 80%.ConclusionOur findings indicate that rat kobuvirus have distinctive genetic characteristics from other Aichivirus A viruses. Additionally, rat kobuvirus may spread via sewage.