Project description:MicroRNAs are small noncoding RNA molecules that are involved in the control of gene expression. To investigate the role of microRNA in multiple sclerosis (MS), we performed global microarray analyses of mRNA and microRNA in peripheral blood T-cells from relapsing-remitting MS patients and controls. We identified 2,452 regulated genes and 21 regulated microRNA that differed between MS patients and controls. By Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, 20 of 21 regulated microRNA were shown to affect the expression of their target genes, many of which are involved in the immune system. LIGHT (TNFSF14) was a microRNA target gene significantly decreased in MS. The down-regulation of mir-494 and predicted mRNA-target LIGHT was verified by real-time PCR and we could demonstrate decreased serum levels of LIGHT in MS. Thus, regulated microRNA were significantly associated with both gene and protein expression of a molecule in immunological pathways. These findings indicate that microRNA may be important regulatory molecules in T-cells in MS.
Project description:MicroRNAs are small noncoding RNA molecules that are involved in the control of gene expression. To investigate the role of microRNA in multiple sclerosis (MS), we performed global microarray analyses of mRNA and microRNA in peripheral blood T-cells from relapsing-remitting MS patients and controls. We identified 2,452 regulated genes and 21 regulated microRNA that differed between MS patients and controls. By Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, 20 of 21 regulated microRNA were shown to affect the expression of their target genes, many of which are involved in the immune system. LIGHT (TNFSF14) was a microRNA target gene significantly decreased in MS. The down-regulation of mir-494 and predicted mRNA-target LIGHT was verified by real-time PCR and we could demonstrate decreased serum levels of LIGHT in MS. Thus, regulated microRNA were significantly associated with both gene and protein expression of a molecule in immunological pathways. These findings indicate that microRNA may be important regulatory molecules in T-cells in MS.
Project description:Dimethyl fumarate (DMF) is an oral drug approved for relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) that leads to reduction of neurofilament light (NFL). This may be related to dynamics and persistence of microRNA signatures in the peripheral blood of treatment-naïve MS patients before and after dimethyl fumarate (DMF) at different time points. 210 blood samples were collected from 51 treatment-naïve patients at baseline (BL) and after 1-3, 4-7, 9-15 and 21-27 months of DMF and from 22 controls from the phase IV TREMEND trial. Using microarray, 1,085 miRNAs were two-folds above the background and compared versus NFL. Altered miRNA profiles peaked after 4-7 months. MiR-16-5p and miR-4306, involved in the NF-kB-pathway, were upregulated in low NFL samples, while miR-940 and miR-4665-3p were upregulated in high NFL samples. NFL and miRNA correlations were strongest after 4-7 months DMF. In four patients with blood samples taken at all 5 time points, time-series analysis found miR-146a-5p, the inhibitor of the NF-kB-pathway, increased 1-3 months after treatment. DMF induces dynamic changes in composite miRNA profiles 4-7 months after initiation, several involved in the NF-kB-pathway. Upregulation of miR-16-5p and miR-4306 in low-NFL, while miR-940 and miR-4665-3p in high-NFL samples may indicate a response to DMF treatment.
Project description:MicroRNAs are small noncoding RNA molecules that are involved in the control of gene expression. To investigate the role of microRNA in multiple sclerosis (MS), we performed global microarray analyses of mRNA and microRNA in peripheral blood T-cells from relapsing-remitting MS patients and controls. We identified 2,452 regulated genes and 21 regulated microRNA that differed between MS patients and controls. By Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, 20 of 21 regulated microRNA were shown to affect the expression of their target genes, many of which are involved in the immune system. LIGHT (TNFSF14) was a microRNA target gene significantly decreased in MS. The down-regulation of mir-494 and predicted mRNA-target LIGHT was verified by real-time PCR and we could demonstrate decreased serum levels of LIGHT in MS. Thus, regulated microRNA were significantly associated with both gene and protein expression of a molecule in immunological pathways. These findings indicate that microRNA may be important regulatory molecules in T-cells in MS. Microarray expression analysis of mRNA and miRNA in peripheral blood T-cell of control and MS patients
Project description:Highly specialized cells are fundamental for proper functioning of complex organs. Variations in cell-type specific gene expression and protein composition have been linked to a variety of diseases. Although single cell technologies have emerged as valuable tools to address this cellular heterogeneity, a majority of these workflows lack sufficient in situ resolution for functional classification of cells and are associated with extremely long analysis time, especially when it comes to in situ proteomics. In addition, lack of understanding of single cell dynamics within their native environment limits our ability to explore the altered physiology in disease development. This limitation is particularly relevant in the mammalian brain, where different cell types perform unique functions and exhibit varying sensitivities to insults. The hippocampus, a brain region crucial for learning and memory, is of particular interest due to its obvious involvement in various neurological disorders. Here, we present a combination of experimental and data integration approaches for investigation of cellular heterogeneity and functional disposition within the mouse brain hippocampus using MALDI Imaging mass spectrometry (MALDI-IMS) and shotgun proteomics (LC-MS/MS) coupled with laser-capture microdissection (LCM) along with spatial transcriptomics. Within the dentate gyrus granule cells we identified two proteomically distinct cellular subpopulations that are characterized by a substantial number of discriminative proteins. These cellular clusters contribute to the overall functionality of the dentate gyrus by regulating redox homeostasis, mitochondrial organization, RNA processing, and microtubule organization. Importantly, most of the identified proteins matched their transcripts, verifying the in situ protein identification and supporting their functional analyses. By combining high-throughput spatial proteomics with transcriptomics, our approach enables reliable near-single-cell scale identification of proteins and profiling of inter-cellular heterogeneity within similar cell-types in tissues. This methodology has the potential to be applied to different biological conditions and tissues, providing a deeper understanding of cellular subpopulations in situ.