Project description:Spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) is the only extant species of the genus Crocuta, which once occupied a much wider range during the Pliocene and Pleistocene. However, its origin and evolutionary history is somewhat contentious due to discordances being found between morphological, nuclear, and mitochondrial data. Due to the limited molecular data from east Asian Crocuta, and the difficulty of extracting ancient DNA from this area, here we present proteomic analysis of cave hyenas from three locations in northern China. This marks the first proteomic data generated from cave hyenas, adding new molecular data to the east Asian populations. Phylogenetic analysis based on these protein sequences reveals two different groups of cave hyenas in east Asia, one of which could not be distinguished from modern spotted hyenas from northern Africa, tentatively the result of previously suggested gene flow between these lineages. With developments of instrumentation and analytical methods, proteomics holds promising potential for the phylogenetic reconstruction of ancient fauna previously thought to be unreachable using ancient DNA.
Project description:Single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) of pancreatic islets have reported on α- and β-cell gene expression in mice and subjects of predominantly European ancestry. We aimed to assess these findings in East-Asian islet-cells. 448 islet-cells were captured from three East-Asian non-diabetic subjects for scRNA-seq. Hierarchical clustering using pancreatic cell lineage genes was used to assign cells into cell-types. Differentially expressed transcripts between α- and β-cells were detected using ANOVA and in silico replications of mouse and human islet cell genes were performed. We identified 118 α, 105 β, 6 δ endocrine cells and 47 exocrine cells. Besides INS and GCG, 26 genes showed differential expression between α- and β-cells. 10 genes showed concordant expression as reported in rodents, while FAM46A was significantly discordant. Comparing our East-Asian data with data from primarily European subjects, we replicated several genes implicated in nuclear receptor activations, acute phase response pathway, glutaryl-CoA/tryptophan degradations and EIF2/AMPK/mTOR signaling. Additionally, we identified protein ubiquitination to be associated among East-Asian β-cells. We report on East-Asian α- and β-cell gene signatures and substantiate several genes/pathways. We identify expression signatures in East-Asian β-cells that perhaps reflects increased susceptibility to cell-death and warrants future validations to fully appreciate their role in East-Asian diabetes pathogenesis.
Project description:FAAH expresson is induced in Sle2 splenic B cells. Increased peripheral B cell receptor revision, or selective peripheral expansion of BCR-revised B-cells, may lead to systemic autoimmunity, and FAAH is a lupus susceptibility gene that could regulate this process in Sle2 mice.
Project description:Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps is a hallmaerk disease in the field of upper airway immunity and chronic inflammation. Diverse inflammatory patterns between nasal polyps have been described in patients that hail from disparate racial and geographic backgrounds. However, it remains unclear whether these immunologic differences in nasal polyps between racial groups are driven by unique molecular mechanisms. We interrogated the gene expression profiles of nasal polyp tissues from Western (United States) and East Asian (Japan) descent, compared to ethmoid sinus tissue controls.
Project description:Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps is a hallmaerk disease in the field of upper airway immunity and chronic inflammation. Diverse inflammatory patterns between nasal polyps have been described in patients that hail from disparate racial and geographic backgrounds. However, it remains unclear whether these immunologic differences in nasal polyps between racial groups are driven by unique molecular mechanisms. We interrogated the gene expression profiles of nasal polyp tissues from Western (United States) and East Asian (Japan) descent, compared to ethmoid sinus tissue controls.
Project description:East-Asian (EA) patients with Non Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) are associated with a high proportion of non-smoking women, EGFR activating somatic mutations, and clinical responses to tyrosine kinase inhibitors. We identify copy number alterations specific to EA and Western European (WE) NSCLCs and conducted an integrative analysis using transcritomic data for identifying copy-number-driven candidate genes. Samples were hybridized to Affymetrix Genome-Wide Human SNP 6.0 arrays according to the manufacturer’s specifications in the same center. 226 lung adenocarcinomas (90 East-Asian and 136 Western-European) were analyzed for copy-number aberrations (CNAs) using a common high resolution SNP microarray platform.
