Project description:Fatal familial insomnia (FFI) is a special subtype of genetic human prion diseases that is caused by the D178N mutation of the prion protein gene (PRNP). In this study, global expression patterns of the thalamus and parietal cortex from three patients with FFI were analyzed by Affymetrix Human Genome U133+ 2.0 chip. We used microarrays to detail the global gene expression in tissues from normal human and FFI patients thalamus, or parietal lobe. Tissues from normal human and FFI patients' thalamus, or parietal lobe were for RNA extraction and hybridization on Affymetrix microarrays.
Project description:We have sequenced miRNA libraries from human embryonic, neural and foetal mesenchymal stem cells. We report that the majority of miRNA genes encode mature isomers that vary in size by one or more bases at the 3’ and/or 5’ end of the miRNA. Northern blotting for individual miRNAs showed that the proportions of isomiRs expressed by a single miRNA gene often differ between cell and tissue types. IsomiRs were readily co-immunoprecipitated with Argonaute proteins in vivo and were active in luciferase assays, indicating that they are functional. Bioinformatics analysis predicts substantial differences in targeting between miRNAs with minor 5’ differences and in support of this we report that a 5’ isomiR-9-1 gained the ability to inhibit the expression of DNMT3B and NCAM2 but lost the ability to inhibit CDH1 in vitro. This result was confirmed by the use of isomiR-specific sponges. Our analysis of the miRGator database indicates that a small percentage of human miRNA genes express isomiRs as the dominant transcript in certain cell types and analysis of miRBase shows that 5’ isomiRs have replaced canonical miRNAs many times during evolution. This strongly indicates that isomiRs are of functional importance and have contributed to the evolution of miRNA genes
Project description:Ion channel splice array data from temporal cortex brain tissue samples collected from Alzheimer's disease patients. Temporal cortex (Alzheimer's disease affected brain tissue structure) and cerebellum (Alzheimer's disease unaffected brain tissue structure) samples from control subjects were compared to temporal cortex and cerebellum of patients with Alzheimer's disease.