Project description:Purpose: To identify significantly differentially expressed genes and to investigate the intricate molecular regulatory network underlying anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis associated with ovarian teratoma. Methods: This retrospective study analyzed ovarian teratoma samples from patients with and without NMDAR-E. We employed RNA sequencing for gene expression profiling. qPCR and Western blotting were used for gene and protein expression validation. Results: We identified 2524 significantly differentially expressed genes. The changes were notable in mRNA levels in ovarian teratomas associated with NMDAR-E. Functional enrichment analysis highlighted extracellular matrix and immune activation pathways. Key genes and proteins involved in ferroptosis and immune activation, including SLC40A1, GGH, FKBP11, CCDC80, and ANK3, showed significant expression differences.Conclusions: Our findings offer deeper insights into the pathophysiology of NMDAR-encephalitis associated with ovarian teratomas. The identified biomarkers, particularly in ferroptosis and immune activation pathways, provide potential targets for diagnosis and treatment.
Project description:Ovarian immature teratoma (IM) is a type of germinal malignant tumor, affecting children, adolescents and young adults. Event-free survival is below 25% in high-grade IM. Pediatric IM is rare and seldom studied, raising controversial issues such as histopathological standard and lack of specific biomarkers. This study aimed to perform microRNA (miRNA) microarray and identify specific differentially expressed miRNAs in IMs than in other types of ovarian tumors. Our work enables practitioners to optimally exploit relevant characteristics for precise diagnostic and therapeutic strategies in IM.
Project description:MicroRNA sequencing of slow and rapid growing teratoma. Teratoma without a growth trend were included as controls. In total, 9 samples were analyzed for their expressed microRNAs by sequencing. YST and EC tissues were identified from the biobank of the Department of Urology (University Hospital Düsseldorf). Total RNA has been isolated and subsequently microRNA sequencing has been performed.
Project description:In germ cell tumors (GCT), a growing mature teratoma during or after chemotherapy with decreasing tumor markers is defined as ´growing teratoma syndrome` (GTS) according to its first describer Logothetis et al. in 1982. Due to the small number of available cases worldwide, not much is known about this continuously growing tumor and its pathogenesis. Especially in cases with extensive and surgical uncontrollable tumor mass, specific therapeutic options and biomarkers early indicating presence of GTS are still lacking. In this study, GTS was stratified into a slow (< 0.5 cm / month), medium (0.5 – 1.5 cm / month) and rapid (> 1.5 cm / month) group based on the tumor growth rate. We analyzed the secretome of 3 GTS samples of each subgroup and 3 teratomas. The secreted proteins were isolated from ex vivo cultivated tissues and analyzed by liquid-chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LS-MS).
Project description:Teratoma formation is key for evaluating differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells into embryonic germ layers and serves as a model for understanding stem cell differentiation and developmental processes. Its potential for insights into epigenome and transcriptome profiling is significant. This study integrates the analysis of the epigenome and transcriptome of hESC-generated teratomas, comparing transcriptomes between hESCs and teratomas. It employs cell type-specific expression patterns from single-cell data to deconvolve RNA-Seq data and identify cell types within teratomas. Our results provide a catalog of activating and repressive histone modifications, while also elucidating distinctive features of chromatin states. Construction of an epigenetic signature matrix enabled the quantification of diverse cell populations in teratomas and enhanced the ability to unravel the epigenetic landscape in heterogeneous tissue contexts. This study also includes a single cell multiome atlas of expression (scRNA-Seq) and chromatin accessibility (scATAC-Seq) of human teratomas, further revealing the complexity of these tissues. A histology-based digital staining tool further complemented the annotation of cell types in teratomas, enhancing our understanding of their cellular composition. This research is a valuable resource for examining teratoma epigenomic and transcriptomic landscapes and serves as a model for epigenetic data comparison.
