Project description:Bisphenol A (BPA) is a xenobiotic endocrine disrupting chemical. In vitro and in vivo studies indicated that BPA alters endocrine-metabolic pathways in adipose tissue increasing the risk of developing metabolic disorders. BPA effects on human adipocytes, specifically in children, are poorly investigated. To investigate in childhood the effect of exposure to BPA on metabolic disorders we analyzed in vitro the effects of environmentally relevant doses of BPA on gene expression of mature human adipocytes from pre-pubertal lean patients and on related physiological outcomes. Adipocytes from children were treated in vitro with BPA and gene expression was evaluated by qRT-PCR. Genome wide analyses were performed using GeneChip Human Gene 1.0 ST array. Lipid content in adipocytes was estimated by ORO staining and Triglyceride Quantification Kit. Secreted IL-1beta, in adipocytes culture medium, and insulin, in PANC-1 culture medium, were performed using ELISA assays. BPA was found to promote up-regulation of ER? and ERR?, and down-regulation of GPR30 expression modulating estrogen signaling and following a non-linear dose-response. Microarray data analysis demonstrated that BPA increases the gene expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and lipid metabolism-related FABP4 and CD36 in adipocytes. PCSK1 resulted the most interesting gene being down-regulated by BPA thus impairing insulin production in pancreas. BPA promotes inflammation and lipid metabolism dysregulation in adipocytes from lean children. Moreover, PCSK1 can be a key gene in BPA action modulating insulin production. Exposure to BPA in childhood may be an important risk factor in developing obesity and metabolic disorders. Three prototypic situations were analyzed (5 replication each): untreated cells (C), 10 nM BPA treated cells (BPA), 1 nM 17-beta Estradiol treated cells (ES).
Project description:Bisphenol A (BPA) is a xenobiotic endocrine disrupting chemical. In vitro and in vivo studies indicated that BPA alters endocrine-metabolic pathways in adipose tissue increasing the risk of developing metabolic disorders. BPA effects on human adipocytes, specifically in children, are poorly investigated. To investigate in childhood the effect of exposure to BPA on metabolic disorders we analyzed in vitro the effects of environmentally relevant doses of BPA on gene expression of mature human adipocytes from pre-pubertal lean patients and on related physiological outcomes. Adipocytes from children were treated in vitro with BPA and gene expression was evaluated by qRT-PCR. Genome wide analyses were performed using GeneChip® Human Gene 1.0 ST array. Lipid content in adipocytes was estimated by ORO staining and Triglyceride Quantification Kit. Secreted IL-1β, in adipocytes culture medium, and insulin, in PANC-1 culture medium, were performed using ELISA assays. BPA was found to promote up-regulation of ERα and ERRγ, and down-regulation of GPR30 expression modulating estrogen signaling and following a non-linear dose-response. Microarray data analysis demonstrated that BPA increases the gene expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and lipid metabolism-related FABP4 and CD36 in adipocytes. PCSK1 resulted the most interesting gene being down-regulated by BPA thus impairing insulin production in pancreas. BPA promotes inflammation and lipid metabolism dysregulation in adipocytes from lean children. Moreover, PCSK1 can be a key gene in BPA action modulating insulin production. Exposure to BPA in childhood may be an important risk factor in developing obesity and metabolic disorders.
Project description:Transcriptional profiling of human mesenchymal stem cells comparing normoxic MSCs cells with hypoxic MSCs cells. Hypoxia may inhibit senescence of MSCs during expansion. Goal was to determine the effects of hypoxia on global MSCs gene expression.
Project description:Gene methylation profiling of immortalized human mesenchymal stem cells comparing HPV E6/E7-transfected MSCs cells with human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT)- and HPV E6/E7-transfected MSCs. hTERT may increase gene methylation in MSCs. Goal was to determine the effects of different transfected genes on global gene methylation in MSCs.
Project description:Kynureninase is a member of a large family of catalytically diverse but structurally homologous pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) dependent enzymes known as the aspartate aminotransferase superfamily or alpha-family. The Homo sapiens and other eukaryotic constitutive kynureninases preferentially catalyze the hydrolytic cleavage of 3-hydroxy-l-kynurenine to produce 3-hydroxyanthranilate and l-alanine, while l-kynurenine is the substrate of many prokaryotic inducible kynureninases. The human enzyme was cloned with an N-terminal hexahistidine tag, expressed, and purified from a bacterial expression system using Ni metal ion affinity chromatography. Kinetic characterization of the recombinant enzyme reveals classic Michaelis-Menten behavior, with a Km of 28.3 +/- 1.9 microM and a specific activity of 1.75 micromol min-1 mg-1 for 3-hydroxy-dl-kynurenine. Crystals of recombinant kynureninase that diffracted to 2.0 A were obtained, and the atomic structure of the PLP-bound holoenzyme was determined by molecular replacement using the Pseudomonas fluorescens kynureninase structure (PDB entry 1qz9) as the phasing model. A structural superposition with the P. fluorescens kynureninase revealed that these two structures resemble the "open" and "closed" conformations of aspartate aminotransferase. The comparison illustrates the dynamic nature of these proteins' small domains and reveals a role for Arg-434 similar to its role in other AAT alpha-family members. Docking of 3-hydroxy-l-kynurenine into the human kynureninase active site suggests that Asn-333 and His-102 are involved in substrate binding and molecular discrimination between inducible and constitutive kynureninase substrates.
Project description:Transcriptional profiling of human mesenchymal stem cells comparing normoxic MSCs cells with hypoxic MSCs cells. Hypoxia may inhibit senescence of MSCs during expansion. Goal was to determine the effects of hypoxia on global MSCs gene expression. Two-condition experiment, Normoxic MSCs vs. Hypoxic MSCs.
Project description:As the evolution of miRNA genes has been found to be one of the important factors in formation of the modern type of man, we performed a comparative analysis of the evolution of miRNA genes in two archaic hominines, Homo sapiens neanderthalensis and Homo sapiens denisova, and elucidated the expression of their target mRNAs in bain.A comparative analysis of the genomes of primates, including species in the genus Homo, identified a group of miRNA genes having fixed substitutions with important implications for the evolution of Homo sapiens neanderthalensis and Homo sapiens denisova. The mRNAs targeted by miRNAs with mutations specific for Homo sapiens denisova exhibited enhanced expression during postnatal brain development in modern humans. By contrast, the expression of mRNAs targeted by miRNAs bearing variations specific for Homo sapiens neanderthalensis was shown to be enhanced in prenatal brain development.Our results highlight the importance of changes in miRNA gene sequences in the course of Homo sapiens denisova and Homo sapiens neanderthalensis evolution. The genetic alterations of miRNAs regulating the spatiotemporal expression of multiple genes in the prenatal and postnatal brain may contribute to the progressive evolution of brain function, which is consistent with the observations of fine technical and typological properties of tools and decorative items reported from archaeological Denisovan sites. The data also suggest that differential spatial-temporal regulation of gene products promoted by the subspecies-specific mutations in the miRNA genes might have occurred in the brains of Homo sapiens denisova and Homo sapiens neanderthalensis, potentially contributing to the cultural differences between these two archaic hominines.
Project description:PurposeWe investigated the evidence of recent positive selection in the human phototransduction system at single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and gene level.MethodsSNP genotyping data from the International HapMap Project for European, Eastern Asian, and African populations was used to discover differences in haplotype length and allele frequency between these populations. Numeric selection metrics were computed for each SNP and aggregated into gene-level metrics to measure evidence of recent positive selection. The level of recent positive selection in phototransduction genes was evaluated and compared to a set of genes shown previously to be under recent selection, and a set of highly conserved genes as positive and negative controls, respectively.ResultsSix of 20 phototransduction genes evaluated had gene-level selection metrics above the 90th percentile: RGS9, GNB1, RHO, PDE6G, GNAT1, and SLC24A1. The selection signal across these genes was found to be of similar magnitude to the positive control genes and much greater than the negative control genes.ConclusionsThere is evidence for selective pressure in the genes involved in retinal phototransduction, and traces of this selective pressure can be demonstrated using SNP-level and gene-level metrics of allelic variation. We hypothesize that the selective pressure on these genes was related to their role in low light vision and retinal adaptation to ambient light changes. Uncovering the underlying genetics of evolutionary adaptations in phototransduction not only allows greater understanding of vision and visual diseases, but also the development of patient-specific diagnostic and intervention strategies.