Project description:Inflammaging is the name given to this chronic and asymptomatic inflammatory state generated by the aging process and by chronic and infectious diseases. Chronic diseases can alter the epigenetic profile of tissues leading to an increased epigenetic aging and some of the differentially methylated genes can be used to characterize the disease and as disease biomarkers. Leprosy is an infection caused by Mycobacterium leprae and can be lifelong, exposing the individual to a low-grade inflammation environment. In this study, we evaluated the inflammatory profile in 35 individuals from a leprosy endemic area from Brazil by cytokine analysis with a luminex assay. In adition, we investigated the leucocytes genome-wide DNA methylation profile using the Infinium MethylationEPIC BeadChip array. A total number of 31 CpGs were significantly methylated, between cases and controls, which belonged to 8 genes potentially peripherally perturbed in the pathogenesis of the disease. Affected individuals from endemic area were epigenetically aged in relation to control samples and interesting control samples from endemic area were aged in relation to unaffected control samples from non-endemic area. In conclusion, leprosy showed a deregulated methylation profile in comparison with control samples. The epigenetic analysis provided valuable clues for further investigations in understanding peripherical blood leprosy alterations and the use of these genes as biomarkers.
Project description:Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) related nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is an epithelial malignancy with higher incidence in Asian endemic area (EA) than in non-endemic area (NEA), where frequency is below 1/105/year. The causes of such difference are unclear and might be related to viral, environmental (e.g. diet) and genomic factors. We aimed at dissecting the gene expression (GE) and microenvironment landscape in NPC leading to the identification of molecular subtypes explaining the differences between EA and NEA.
Project description:Leprosy is classified from paucibacillary leprosy (TT and BT) to multibacillary leprosy (BB, BL, and LL). In our study, we focus on selecting or classfying the significant genes to discriminate between paucibacillary and multibacillary group and the important genes to distinguish between blood and the corresponding tissue in patients.
Project description:Leprosy is classified from paucibacillary leprosy (TT and BT) to multibacillary leprosy (BB, BL, and LL). In our study, we focus on selecting or classfying the significant genes to discriminate between paucibacillary and multibacillary group and the important genes to distinguish between blood and the corresponding tissue in patients. · Human Adult Normal Skin Sample (Commercial;Cat#1234218); 6 patients of leprosy (Blood and Tissue sample (Pathologic classification: BT); 6 patients of leprosy (Blood and Tissue sample (Pathologic classification: MB)) · In blood sample, BT sample vs MB sample · In tissue sample, Normal Skin sample vs tissue BT sample or tissue MB sample · Single Color Microarray · All experiments are performed one replicate
Project description:Exploratory RNA expression analysis during development of leprosy allows identification of RISK4LEP, a 4-gene blood RNA signature predicting leprosy years before clinical onset.
Project description:Skin biopsy specimens of skin lesions were profiled for miRNA expression. In this study, we indentified miRNA species that were differentially expressed in the skin lesions of either the lepromatous or tuberculoid forms of leprosy. One miRNA species, hsa-mir-21, found in the lepromatous lesions was capable of downregulating the vitamin D-dependent antimicrobial pathway. Scalpel or punch skin biopsy specimens were obtained after informed consent from patients with tuberculoid leprosy and patients with lepromatous leprosy at the time of diagnosis. Specimens were embedded in OCT medium, snap-frozen in liquid nitrogen and stored at 80°C until sectioning.
Project description:8 leprosy patients including 4 multibacillary (MB) and 4 paucibacillary (PB), and 8 non-leprosy controls including 4 healthy house contacts (HHCs) and 4 endemic controls (ECs) were included in the study. The immune response differences between leprosy patients and controls were evaluated by analyzing the transcriptional profiles of PBMCs to M. leprae sonicate antigens by RNA-seq. The analyses revealed potential biomarkers (including mRNAs and lncRNAs) preferentially expressed in PBMCs in leprosy patients that may be useful for early diagnosis of leprosy.
Project description:Leprosy is a chronic disease of the skin and peripheral nerves caused by Mycobacterium leprae. A major public health and clinical problem are leprosy reactions, which are inflammatory episodes that often contribute to nerve damage and disability. Type I reversal reactions (T1R) can occur after microbiological cure of leprosy and affect up to 50% of leprosy patients. Early intervention to prevent T1R and, hence, nerve damage, is a major focus of current leprosy control efforts. In this study, we compared transcript (i.e. isoform) expression and usage profiles from leprosy patients free of T1R at enrollment (who eventually developed T1R) against T1R-free leprosy patients. Our results showed that, at baseline, cells from T1R-destined and T1R-free subjects had no main difference in their transcripts expression and usage. However, the cells of T1R patients displayed a transcriptomic immune response to M. leprae antigens that was significantly different from the one of cells from leprosy patients who remained T1R-free. Transcripts with significantly higher upregulation in the T1R-destined group, compared to the cells from T1R-free patients, were enriched for pathways and GO terms involved in response to intracellular pathogens, apoptosis regulation and inflammatory processes. Similarly, transcript usage analysis pinpointed different transcript proportions in response to the in-vitro challenge of cells from T1R-destined patients. Hence, transcript usage in concert with transcript expression suggested a dysregulated inflammatory response including increased apoptosis regulation in the peripheral blood cells of T1R-destined patients before the onset of T1R symptoms. Combined, these results provided detailed insight into the pathogenesis of T1R.