Project description:Gene expression analysis was performed on 30 Neuroblastomas to identify genes whose transcription is significantly altered by recurrent chromosomal alterations. Genomic copy number losses and gains had been delineated in the tumours using FISH and SNP arrays. We have identified genes significantly altered by 7 recurrent alterations: 1p, 3p, 4p, 10q and 11q loss, 2p and 17q gain, and genes co-amplified and over-expressed as a result of MYCN amplification. Subsequently, correlation of microarray data with survival and expression within rodent neuroblastomas were used to identify genes likely to be involved in the disease progression, and identified a significant excess of differentially expressed genes which correlated with survival within the minimally altered regions on 17q and 4p Identifying genes whose expression is consistently altered by chromosomal gains or losses is an important step in defining genes of biological relevance in a wide variety of tumour types. However, additional criteria are needed to discriminate further among the large number of candidate genes identified. This is particularly true for neuroblastoma, where multiple genomic copy number changes of proven prognostic value exist. We have used Affymetrix microarrays and a combination of fluorescent in-situ hybridisation and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) microarrays to establish expression profiles and delineate copy number alterations in 30 primary neuroblastomas. Correlation of microarray data with patient survival and analysis of expression within rodent neuroblastoma cell lines were then used to further define genes likely to be involved in the disease process. Using this approach we identify >1000 genes within 8 recurrent genomic alterations (loss of 1p, 3p, 4p, 10q and 11q, 2p gain, 17q gain, and the MYCN amplicon) whose expression is consistently altered by copy number change. Of these, 84 correlate with patient survival, with the minimal regions of 17q gain and 4p loss being significantly enriched for such genes. Orthologues of all but one of these genes on 17q are overexpressed in rodent neuroblastoma cell lines. A significant excess of SNPs whose copy number correlates with survival is also observed on proximal 4p in stage 4 tumours, and we find that deletion of 4p is associated with improved outcome in an extended cohort of tumours. These results define the major impact of genomic copy number alterations upon transcription within neuroblastoma, and highlight genes on distal 17q and proximal 4p for downstream analyses. They also suggest that integration of discriminators such as survival and comparative gene expression with microarray data may be useful in the identification of critical genes within regions of loss or gain in many human cancers. Keywords: Disease State Analysis

Project description:Gene expression analysis was performed on 30 Neuroblastomas to identify genes whose transcription is significantly altered by recurrent chromosomal alterations. Genomic copy number losses and gains had been delineated in the tumours using FISH and SNP arrays. We have identified genes significantly altered by 7 recurrent alterations: 1p, 3p, 4p, 10q and 11q loss, 2p and 17q gain, and genes co-amplified and over-expressed as a result of MYCN amplification. Subsequently, correlation of microarray data with survival and expression within rodent neuroblastomas were used to identify genes likely to be involved in the disease progression, and identified a significant excess of differentially expressed genes which correlated with survival within the minimally altered regions on 17q and 4p; Identifying genes whose expression is consistently altered by chromosomal gains or losses is an important step in defining genes of biological relevance in a wide variety of tumour types. However, additional criteria are needed to discriminate further among the large number of candidate genes identified. This is particularly true for neuroblastoma, where multiple genomic copy number changes of proven prognostic value exist. We have used Affymetrix microarrays and a combination of fluorescent in-situ hybridisation and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) microarrays to establish expression profiles and delineate copy number alterations in 30 primary neuroblastomas. Correlation of microarray data with patient survival and analysis of expression within rodent neuroblastoma cell lines were then used to further define genes likely to be involved in the disease process. Using this approach we identify >1000 genes within 8 recurrent genomic alterations (loss of 1p, 3p, 4p, 10q and 11q, 2p gain, 17q gain, and the MYCN amplicon) whose expression is consistently altered by copy number change. Of these, 84 correlate with patient survival, with the minimal regions of 17q gain and 4p loss being significantly enriched for such genes. Orthologues of all but one of these genes on 17q are overexpressed in rodent neuroblastoma cell lines. A significant excess of SNPs whose copy number correlates with survival is also observed on proximal 4p in stage 4 tumours, and we find that deletion of 4p is associated with improved outcome in an extended cohort of tumours. These results define the major impact of genomic copy number alterations upon transcription within neuroblastoma, and highlight genes on distal 17q and proximal 4p for downstream analyses. They also suggest that integration of discriminators such as survival and comparative gene expression with microarray data may be useful in the identification of critical genes within regions of loss or gain in many human cancers. Experiment Overall Design: Chromosomal gains and losses were delineated in Stage 4 neuroblastomas to facilitate, in combination with expression array data, the identification of genes within regions of gain and loss whose expression is significantly altered by copy number change.

Project description:Contemporary high throughput technologies permit the rapid identification of transcription factor (TF) target genes on a genome-wide scale, yet the functional significance of TFs requires knowledge of target gene expression patterns, cooperating TFs and cis-regulatory element (CRE) structures. Here we investigated the myogenic regulatory network downstream of the Drosophila zinc finger TF Lame duck (Lmd) by combining both previously published and newly performed genomic data sets, including chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq), genome-wide mRNA profiling, cell-specific expression patterns of putative transcriptional targets, analysis of histone mark signatures, studies of TF co-occupancy by additional mesodermal regulators, TF binding site determination using protein binding microarrays (PBMs), and machine learning of candidate CRE motif compositions. Our findings suggest that Lmd orchestrates an extensive myogenic regulatory network, a conclusion supported by the identification of Lmd-dependent genes, histone signatures of Lmd-bound genomic regions, and the relationship of these features to cell-specific gene expression patterns. The heterogeneous co-occupancy of Lmd-bound regions with additional mesodermal regulators revealed that different transcriptional inputs are used to mediate similar myogenic gene expression patterns. Machine learning further demonstrated diverse combinatorial motif patterns within tissue-specific Lmd-bound regions. PBM analysis established the complete spectrum of Lmd DNA binding specificities, and site-directed mutagenesis of Lmd and additional, newly discovered motifs in known enhancers demonstrated the critical role of these TF binding sites in supporting full enhancer activity. Collectively, these findings provide new insights into the transcriptional codes regulating muscle gene expression, and offer a generalizable approach for similar studies in other systems. Examination of Lmd occupancy to genomic DNA from sorted mesodermal cells

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