Project description:To date, single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been the most intensively investigated class of polymorphisms in genome wide associations studies (GWAS), however, other classes such as insertion-deletion or multiple nucleotide length polymorphism (MNLPs) may also confer disease risk. Multiple reports have shown that the 5p15.33 prostate cancer (PCa) risk region is a particularly strong expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) for IRX4 transcripts. Here, we demonstrate using epigenome and genome editing that a biallelic (47bp/21bp) MNLP is the causal variant regulating IRX4 transcript levels. In LNCaP PCa cells (homozygous for the short allele), a single copy knock-in of the long allele potently alters the chromatin state, enabling de novo functional binding of the androgen receptor (AR) associated with increased chromatin accessibility, H3K27 acetylation, and ~3-fold upregulation of IRX4 expression. We further show that an MNLP is amongst the strongest candidate susceptibility variants at two additional PCa risk loci. We estimated that at least 5% of PCa risk loci could be explained by functional non-SNP causal variants, which may have broader implications for other cancers GWAS. More generally, our results underscore the importance of investigating other classes of inherited variation as causal mediators of human traits.
Project description:To date, single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been the most intensively investigated class of polymorphisms in genome wide associations studies (GWAS), however, other classes such as insertion-deletion or multiple nucleotide length polymorphism (MNLPs) may also confer disease risk. Multiple reports have shown that the 5p15.33 prostate cancer (PCa) risk region is a particularly strong expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) for IRX4 transcripts. Here, we demonstrate using epigenome and genome editing that a biallelic (47bp/21bp) MNLP is the causal variant regulating IRX4 transcript levels. In LNCaP PCa cells (homozygous for the short allele), a single copy knock-in of the long allele potently alters the chromatin state, enabling de novo functional binding of the androgen receptor (AR) associated with increased chromatin accessibility, H3K27 acetylation, and ~3-fold upregulation of IRX4 expression. We further show that an MNLP is amongst the strongest candidate susceptibility variants at two additional PCa risk loci. We estimated that at least 5% of PCa risk loci could be explained by functional non-SNP causal variants, which may have broader implications for other cancers GWAS. More generally, our results underscore the importance of investigating other classes of inherited variation as causal mediators of human traits.
Project description:To date, single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been the most intensively investigated class of polymorphisms in genome wide associations studies (GWAS), however, other classes such as insertion-deletion or multiple nucleotide length polymorphism (MNLPs) may also confer disease risk. Multiple reports have shown that the 5p15.33 prostate cancer (PCa) risk region is a particularly strong expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) for IRX4 transcripts. Here, we demonstrate using epigenome and genome editing that a biallelic (47bp/21bp) MNLP is the causal variant regulating IRX4 transcript levels. In LNCaP PCa cells (homozygous for the short allele), a single copy knock-in of the long allele potently alters the chromatin state, enabling de novo functional binding of the androgen receptor (AR) associated with increased chromatin accessibility, H3K27 acetylation, and ~3-fold upregulation of IRX4 expression. We further show that an MNLP is amongst the strongest candidate susceptibility variants at two additional PCa risk loci. We estimated that at least 5% of PCa risk loci could be explained by functional non-SNP causal variants, which may have broader implications for other cancers GWAS. More generally, our results underscore the importance of investigating other classes of inherited variation as causal mediators of human traits.
Project description:During oocyte maturation and early embryonic development, poly(A)-tail lengths strongly influence mRNA translation. However, how tail lengths are controlled at different developmental stages has been unclear. Here, we performed tail-length and translational profiling of mRNA reporter libraries (each with > 10 million 3ʹ-UTR sequence variants) in frog oocytes and embryos, and fish embryos. These analyses revealed that the UUUUA motif specifies cytoplasmic polyadenylation and identified diverse context features that modulate the activity of this 5-mer. Additional sequence motifs drive stage-specific deadenylation in embryos, and UUUUA and C-rich motifs drive tail-length-independent translational repression in oocytes. A neural network model accurately predicts tail-length change during oocyte maturation in frogs, mice, and humans. Analyses of human sequence variants showed that those predicted to disrupt tail-length control have been under negative selection, implying that our insights into control of poly(A)-tail length and translation have implications for human health and fertility.
Project description:In humans, a primate-specific variable-number tandem-repeat (VNTR) polymorphism (4 or 5 repeats 54 nt in length) in the circadian gene PER3 is associated with differences in sleep timing and homeostatic responses to sleep loss. We investigated the effects of this polymorphism on circadian rhythmicity and sleep homeostasis by introducing the polymorphism into mice and assessing circadian and sleep parameters at baseline and during and after 12 h of sleep deprivation (SD). Microarray analysis was used to measure hypothalamic and cortical gene expression. Circadian behavior and sleep were normal at baseline. The response to SD of 2 electrophysiological markers of sleep homeostasis, electroencephalography (EEG) θ power during wakefulness and δ power during sleep, were greater in the Per35/5 mice. During recovery, the Per35/5 mice fully compensated for the SD-induced deficit in δ power, but the Per34/4 and wild-type mice did not. Sleep homeostasis-related transcripts (e.g., Homer1, Ptgs2, and Kcna2) were differentially expressed between the humanized mice, but circadian clock genes were not. These data are in accordance with the hypothesis derived from human data that the PER3 VNTR polymorphism modifies the sleep homeostatic response without significantly influencing circadian parameters.-Hasan, S., van der Veen, D. R., Winsky-Sommerer, R., Hogben, A., Laing, E. E., Koentgen, F., Dijk, D.-J., Archer, S. N. A human sleep homeostasis phenotype in mice expressing a primate-specific PER3 variable-number tandem-repeat coding-region polymorphism.
Project description:In humans, a primate-specific variable-number tandem-repeat (VNTR) polymorphism (4 or 5 repeats 54 nt in length) in the circadian gene PER3 is associated with differences in sleep timing and homeostatic responses to sleep loss. We investigated the effects of this polymorphism on circadian rhythmicity and sleep homeostasis by introducing the polymorphism into mice and assessing circadian and sleep parameters at baseline and during and after 12 h of sleep deprivation (SD). Microarray analysis was used to measure hypothalamic and cortical gene expression. Circadian behavior and sleep were normal at baseline. The response to SD of 2 electrophysiological markers of sleep homeostasis, electroencephalography (EEG) θ power during wakefulness and δ power during sleep, were greater in the Per35/5 mice. During recovery, the Per35/5 mice fully compensated for the SD-induced deficit in δ power, but the Per34/4 and wild-type mice did not. Sleep homeostasis-related transcripts (e.g., Homer1, Ptgs2, and Kcna2) were differentially expressed between the humanized mice, but circadian clock genes were not. These data are in accordance with the hypothesis derived from human data that the PER3 VNTR polymorphism modifies the sleep homeostatic response without significantly influencing circadian parameters.-Hasan, S., van der Veen, D. R., Winsky-Sommerer, R., Hogben, A., Laing, E. E., Koentgen, F., Dijk, D.-J., Archer, S. N. A human sleep homeostasis phenotype in mice expressing a primate-specific PER3 variable-number tandem-repeat coding-region polymorphism.
Project description:A microarray analysis of whole-genome gene expression and single feature polymorphism in a (Populus trichocarpa X Populus deltoides) X Populus deltoides pseudo-backcross pedigree. Genetic variation in gene expression was quantified for 55,793 predicted gene models based on a single probe per gene. Concurrently, sequence-level polymorphism was analyzed based on dedicated probes identified in a pilot study comprised of the two parent genotypes (GPL7169). Resultant data contributed to a high density genetic map and to analysis of the genetic architecture of gene expression in Populus. Keywords: Genetic analysis of gene expression and polymorphism, eQTL
Project description:A microarray analysis of whole-genome gene expression and single feature polymorphism in a (Populus trichocarpa X Populus deltoides) X Populus deltoides pseudo-backcross pedigree. Genetic variation in gene expression was quantified for 55,793 predicted gene models based on a single probe per gene. Concurrently, sequence-level polymorphism was analyzed based on dedicated probes identified in a pilot study comprised of the two parent genotypes (GPL7169). Resultant data contributed to a high density genetic map and to analysis of the genetic architecture of gene expression in Populus. Keywords: Genetic analysis of gene expression and polymorphism, eQTL Data include one biological replicate of 178 segregating pseudobackcross progeny analyzed for gene expression (GE) using one probe per gene for 55793 independent gene models (probes E_POPLARSxxxxxPxxxxx) and single feature sequence polymorphism (SFP) using one probe per gene for 12084 independent gene models (probes G_POPLARSxxxxxPxxxxx). GE and SFP probes were selected from 6-7 probes per gene previously tested in a pilot study of the two parent trees of the cross (Populus deltoides X Populus trichocarpa).
Project description:In humans, a primate-specific variable-number tandem-repeat (VNTR) polymorphism (4 or 5 repeats 54 nt in length) in the circadian gene PER3 is associated with differences in sleep timing and homeostatic responses to sleep loss. We investigated the effects of this polymorphism on circadian rhythmicity and sleep homeostasis by introducing the polymorphism into mice and assessing circadian and sleep parameters at baseline and during and after 12 h of sleep deprivation (SD). Microarray analysis was used to measure hypothalamic and cortical gene expression. Circadian behavior and sleep were normal at baseline. The response to SD of 2 electrophysiological markers of sleep homeostasis, electroencephalography (EEG) M-NM-8 power during wakefulness and M-NM-4 power during sleep, were greater in the Per35/5 mice. During recovery, the Per35/5 mice fully compensated for the SD-induced deficit in M-NM-4 power, but the Per34/4 and wild-type mice did not. Sleep homeostasis-related transcripts (e.g., Homer1, Ptgs2, and Kcna2) were differentially expressed between the humanized mice, but circadian clock genes were not. These data are in accordance with the hypothesis derived from human data that the PER3 VNTR polymorphism modifies the sleep homeostatic response without significantly influencing circadian parameters.-Hasan, S., van der Veen, D. R., Winsky-Sommerer, R., Hogben, A., Laing, E. E., Koentgen, F., Dijk, D.-J., Archer, S. N. A human sleep homeostasis phenotype in mice expressing a primate-specific PER3 variable-number tandem-repeat coding-region polymorphism. Mice recievied 12 hours of sleep restriction during the 12 hours of light in the light-dark cycle Boxhill represents Per35/5 mice and Coach represents Per34/4 mice. A total of 48 samples comprising 24 mice
Project description:In humans, a primate-specific variable-number tandem-repeat (VNTR) polymorphism (4 or 5 repeats 54 nt in length) in the circadian gene PER3 is associated with differences in sleep timing and homeostatic responses to sleep loss. We investigated the effects of this polymorphism on circadian rhythmicity and sleep homeostasis by introducing the polymorphism into mice and assessing circadian and sleep parameters at baseline and during and after 12 h of sleep deprivation (SD). Microarray analysis was used to measure hypothalamic and cortical gene expression. Circadian behavior and sleep were normal at baseline. The response to SD of 2 electrophysiological markers of sleep homeostasis, electroencephalography (EEG) M-NM-8 power during wakefulness and M-NM-4 power during sleep, were greater in the Per35/5 mice. During recovery, the Per35/5 mice fully compensated for the SD-induced deficit in M-NM-4 power, but the Per34/4 and wild-type mice did not. Sleep homeostasis-related transcripts (e.g., Homer1, Ptgs2, and Kcna2) were differentially expressed between the humanized mice, but circadian clock genes were not. These data are in accordance with the hypothesis derived from human data that the PER3 VNTR polymorphism modifies the sleep homeostatic response without significantly influencing circadian parameters.-Hasan, S., van der Veen, D. R., Winsky-Sommerer, R., Hogben, A., Laing, E. E., Koentgen, F., Dijk, D.-J., Archer, S. N. A human sleep homeostasis phenotype in mice expressing a primate-specific PER3 variable-number tandem-repeat coding-region polymorphism. Mice were kept under 3.5h light- 3.5 hours dark cycles and samples were collected in the 17th light cycle Boxhill represents Per35/5 mice and Coach represents Per34/4 mice. A total of 30 samples comprizing 30 mice