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: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 Sequence library of miRNAs from a single sample of human foetal mesenchymal stem cells. Results tested and confirmed by northern blotting. Please note that only raw data files are available for the embryonic and neual samples and thus, directly submitted to SRA (SRX547311, SRX548700, respectively under SRP042115/PRJNA247767)
Project description:The identification of novel oncogenic and druggable targets in patient subgroups with poor prognosis may help to develop corresponding targeted therapy approaches. Microarray data analyses of 59 prostate cancer and 39 benign tissue samples revealed major transcriptional differences. More than 5.000 genes were identified to be differentially expressed between matched tumor and benign samples. In the prostate cancer samples we identified 144 differentially expressed associated with Gleason pattern. Illumina microarray experiments were done from of 59 prostate cancer and 39 matched benign tissue samples. We analyzed for differentially expressed genes between tumor and benign tissues, and between tumors with higher Gleason patter (4+3 and higher) against lower Gleason patter (3+4 and lower).
Project description:African American (AA) men have a significantly higher mortality rate from prostate cancer (PCa) compared to European American (EA) men. AA men are twice as likely to die from PCa compared to EA men and 8 times as likely as Asian American men to die from PCa. The biological basis for these differences in PCa mortality are unclear. We carried out Copy Number Alteration (CNA) studies on a new set of 40 highly tumor-enriched primary PCas and matched benign prostate tissues from AA men using high resolution Affymetrix 6.0 SNP arrays and expression array analysis using RNAs (GSE71016) from the same tissues using high purity tumors from AA men and matched benign tissue. We have confirmed the specific loss of 4p16.3 described previously and identified a novel tumor suppressor gene, RGS12 at this locus that shows significantly decreased expression in AA PCa but not EA EA PCa.
Project description:miRNA expression differences between FFPE prostate cancer and adjacent normal tissues using real-time quantitative PCR array analysis