Project description:To further characterize the downstream targets of uc.323, we performed global microarray analysis after knockdown of uc.323 in cardiomyocytes to gain broad insight into uc.323-mediated transcriptome changes.
Project description:A total proctocolectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) is considered the surgery of choice for definitive management of familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) and selected patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). However, this surgical treatment often associates with a long-term complication, pouchitis, which occurs mostly in UC patients. To better define the molecular background of pouchitis, the microarray-based survey was performed using pouch mucosal samples collected from 28 and 8 patients operated for UC and FAP, respectively. A number of 4771 genes was significantly differentiating uninflamed from inflamed mucosal samples, and their functional features were represented mostly by alerted metabolic and cell proliferation pathways. In contrast, functional analyses of aberrantly expressed probe sets between UC and FAP samples, irrespectively of mucosal inflammation status, revealed multiple pathways and terms which were linked to changes in immune response. Noteworthy, the comparison of uninflamed UC and FAP samples distinguished a set of 26 altered mRNAs including inflammation-related transcript encoding a Charcot-Leyden crystal (CLC) protein. The most discrete changes in gene expression profiles differentiating uninflamed UC and FAP mucosal samples were attributed to a Gene Ontology category innate immune response. Our study confirmed alterations of the immune responses as dominant in UC pouchitis which were earlier found in the studies using analyses of singular molecular elements. This observation may be important when managing IPAA patients. Each sample represents three biopsies taken from single patient, from the same areas of the lower part of the pouch mucosa (above the rectal cuff) during endoscopic examination. 28 patients underwent surgery for UC and 8 patients for FAP.
Project description:A total proctocolectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) is considered the surgery of choice for definitive management of familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) and selected patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). However, this surgical treatment often associates with a long-term complication, pouchitis, which occurs mostly in UC patients. To better define the molecular background of pouchitis, the microarray-based survey was performed using pouch mucosal samples collected from 28 and 8 patients operated for UC and FAP, respectively. A number of 4771 genes was significantly differentiating uninflamed from inflamed mucosal samples, and their functional features were represented mostly by alerted metabolic and cell proliferation pathways. In contrast, functional analyses of aberrantly expressed probe sets between UC and FAP samples, irrespectively of mucosal inflammation status, revealed multiple pathways and terms which were linked to changes in immune response. Noteworthy, the comparison of uninflamed UC and FAP samples distinguished a set of 26 altered mRNAs including inflammation-related transcript encoding a Charcot-Leyden crystal (CLC) protein. The most discrete changes in gene expression profiles differentiating uninflamed UC and FAP mucosal samples were attributed to a Gene Ontology category innate immune response. Our study confirmed alterations of the immune responses as dominant in UC pouchitis which were earlier found in the studies using analyses of singular molecular elements. This observation may be important when managing IPAA patients.
Project description:Although miRNA-mediated epigenetic regulation has been investigated as a potential therapeutic strategy for diseases, its exact functional regulatory contributions to neuropathic pain have not yet been fully elucidated. Herein, we revealed miR-323-3p as a key functional noncoding RNA in modulating trigeminal neuropathic pain. Through combined high-throughput sequencing and qPCR analysis, we revealed that miR-323-3p was most significantly upregulated in the injured trigeminal ganglion (TG). The administration of a miR-323-3p antagomir via intra-TG injection or blockade of miR-323-3p through lentiviral delivery specifically targeting neurons in injured TGs suppressed established trigeminal neuropathic pain. While miR-323-3p inhibition had no effect on inflammatory pain, local induction of miR-323-3p in naive TGs directly elicited pain hypersensitivity. Mechanistically, nerve injury caused upregulated protein expression of arginine methyltransferase 2 (PRMT2), which promotes asymmetric demethylation of H3R8 (H3R8me2a), thereby facilitating the binding of the forkhead box A2 (FOXA2) transcription factor to the miR-323-3p promoter and resulting in the upregulation of miR-323-3p expression. Furthermore, the increase in miR-323-3p expression induced significant reductions in Kv2.1 protein expression and channel currents, resulting in TG neuronal hyperexcitability. Conversely, downregulation of miR-323-3p in the injured TG reversed the decrease in Kv2.1 expression and attenuated nerve injury-induced mechanical allodynia. Thus, miR-323-3p upregulation is causally involved in the development of trigeminal neuropathic pain through the regulation of Kv2.1 channels in the TG. The mechanistic understanding of the PRMT2/FOXA2/miR-323-3p/Kv2.1 signaling axis in sensory neurons may enable the discovery of new therapeutic targets for neuropathic pain management.