Project description:Alterations in endometrial DNA methylation profile have been proposed as one potential mechanism initiating the development of endometriosis. However, the normal endometrial methylome is influenced by the cyclic hormonal changes and the menstrual cycle phase-dependent epigenetic signature should be considered when studying endometrial disorders. So far, no studies have been performed to evaluate the menstrual cycle influences and endometriosis-specific endometrial methylation pattern at the same time. Therefore, we used Infinium HumanMethylation 450K BeadChip arrays to explore DNA methylation profiles of endometrial tissues from various menstrual cycle phases. Infinium HumanMethylation 450K BeadChip arrays were used to explore DNA methylation profiles of endometrial tissues from various menstrual cycle phases from 24 patients with endometriosis
Project description:Alterations in endometrial DNA methylation profile have been proposed as one potential mechanism initiating the development of endometriosis. However, the normal endometrial methylome is influenced by the cyclic hormonal changes and the menstrual cycle phase-dependent epigenetic signature should be considered when studying endometrial disorders. So far, no studies have been performed to evaluate the menstrual cycle influences and endometriosis-specific endometrial methylation pattern at the same time. Therefore, we used Infinium HumanMethylation 450K BeadChip arrays to explore DNA methylation profiles of endometrial tissues from various menstrual cycle phases. Infinium HumanMethylation 450K BeadChip arrays were used to explore DNA methylation profiles of endometrial tissues from mid secretory cycle phase from 17 patients without endometriosis
Project description:Alterations in endometrial DNA methylation profile have been proposed as one potential mechanism initiating the development of endometriosis. However, the normal endometrial methylome is influenced by the cyclic hormonal changes and the menstrual cycle phase-dependent epigenetic signature should be considered when studying endometrial disorders. So far, no studies have been performed to evaluate the menstrual cycle influences and endometriosis-specific endometrial methylation pattern at the same time. Therefore, we used Infinium HumanMethylation 450K BeadChip arrays to explore DNA methylation profiles of endometrial tissues from various menstrual cycle phases.
Project description:Alterations in endometrial DNA methylation profile have been proposed as one potential mechanism initiating the development of endometriosis. However, the normal endometrial methylome is influenced by the cyclic hormonal changes and the menstrual cycle phase-dependent epigenetic signature should be considered when studying endometrial disorders. So far, no studies have been performed to evaluate the menstrual cycle influences and endometriosis-specific endometrial methylation pattern at the same time. Therefore, we used Infinium HumanMethylation 450K BeadChip arrays to explore DNA methylation profiles of endometrial tissues from various menstrual cycle phases.
Project description:Endometriosis is a debilitating gynecological disorder affecting approximately 10% of the female population. Despite its prevalence, robust methods to classify and treat endometriosis remain elusive. Changes throughout the menstrual cycle in tissue size, architecture, cellular composition, and individual cell phenotypes make it extraordinarily challenging to identify markers or cell types associated with uterine pathologies since disease-state alterations in gene and protein expression are convoluted with cycle phase variations. Here, we developed an integrated workflow to generate both proteomic and single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) data sets using tissues and cells isolated from the uteri of control and endometriotic donors. Using a linear mixed effect model (LMM), we identified proteins associated with cycle stage and disease, revealing a set of genes that drive separation across these two biological variables. Further, we analyzed our scRNA-seq data to identify cell types expressing cycle and disease- associated genes identified in our proteomic data. A module scoring approach was used to identify cell types driving the enrichment of certain biological pathways, revealing several pathways of interest across different cell subpopulations. Finally, we identified ligand-receptor pairs including Axl/Tyro3 – Gas6, that may modulate interactions between endometrial macrophages and/or endometrial stromal/epithelial cells. Analysis of these signaling pathways in an independent cohort of endometrial biopsies revealed a significant decrease in Tyro3 expression in patients with endometriosis compared to controls, both transcriptionally and through histological staining. This measured decrease in Tryo3 in patients with disease could serve as a novel diagnostic biomarker or treatment avenue for patients with endometriosis. Taken together, this integrated approach provides a framework for integrating LMMs, proteomic and RNA-seq data to deconvolve the complexities of complex uterine diseases and identify novel genes and pathways underlying endometriosis.
Project description:Background. Endometriosis is a common, complex disorder which is underrecognized and subject to prolonged delays in diagnosis. It is accompanied by significant changes in the eutopic endometrial lining. Methods . We have undertaken the first single cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-Seq) comparison of endometrial tissues in freshly collected menstrual effluent (ME) from 33 subjects, including confirmed endometriosis patients (cases) and controls as well as symptomatic subjects (who have chronic symptoms of endometriosis but have not been diagnosed). Results . We identify a unique subcluster of proliferating uterine natural killer (uNK) cells in ME-tissues from controls that is almost absent from endometriosis cases, along with a striking reduction of total uNK cells in the ME of cases (p<10 -16 ). In addition, an IGFBP1+ decidualized subset of endometrial stromal cells are abundant in the shed endometrium of controls when compared to cases (p<10 -16 ) confirming findings of compromised decidualization of cultured stromal cells from cases. By contrast, endometrial stromal cells from cases are enriched in cells expressing pro-inflammatory and senescent phenotypes. An enrichment of B cells in the cases (p=5.8 x 10 -6 ) raises the possibility that some may have chronic endometritis, a disorder which predisposes to endometriosis. Conclusions . We propose that characterization of endometrial tissues in ME will provide an effective screening tool for identifying endometriosis in patients with chronic symptoms suggestive of this disorder. This constitutes a major advance, since delayed diagnosis for many years is a major clinical problem in the evaluation of these patients. Comprehensive analysis of ME is expected to lead to new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to endometriosis and other associated reproductive disorders such as female infertility.
Project description:BackgroundAlterations in endometrial DNA methylation profile have been proposed as one potential mechanism initiating the development of endometriosis. However, the normal endometrial methylome is influenced by the cyclic hormonal changes, and the menstrual cycle phase-dependent epigenetic signature should be considered when studying endometrial disorders. So far, no studies have been performed to evaluate the menstrual cycle influences and endometriosis-specific endometrial methylation pattern at the same time.ResultsInfinium HumanMethylation 450K BeadChip arrays were used to explore DNA methylation profiles of endometrial tissues from various menstrual cycle phases from 31 patients with endometriosis and 24 healthy women. The DNA methylation profile of patients and controls was highly similar and only 28 differentially methylated regions (DMRs) between patients and controls were found. However, the overall magnitude of the methylation differences between patients and controls was rather small (?? ranging from -0.01 to -0.16 and from 0.01 to 0.08, respectively, for hypo- and hypermethylated CpGs). Unsupervised hierarchical clustering of the methylation data divided endometrial samples based on the menstrual cycle phase rather than diseased/non-diseased status. Further analysis revealed a number of menstrual cycle phase-specific epigenetic changes with largest changes occurring during the late-secretory and menstrual phases when substantial rearrangements of endometrial tissue take place. Comparison of cycle phase- and endometriosis-specific methylation profile changes revealed that 13 out of 28 endometriosis-specific DMRs were present in both datasets.ConclusionsThe results of our study accentuate the importance of considering normal cyclic epigenetic changes in studies investigating endometrium-related disease-specific methylation patterns.
Project description:The aim of this research was to determined the plasma miRNA expresion profile in each stage of the endometriosis during menstrual cycle.
Project description:The transition of regularly cycling endometrium from the proliferative or Estrogen-dominant phase of the menstrual cycle to the Progesterone-dominant Early and Mid Secretory phases requires wide-spread changes in gene expression that shift the endometrium from a proliferative capacity to a differentiated 'decidual' phenotype in preparation for implantation. This process appears delayed in women with severe endometriosis, suggestive of a progesterone resistant endometrium in this disease. Experiment Overall Design: Endometrial biopsies were obtained from women both with normal endometrial pathologies and no history of endometriosis and from women with laporoscopy proven moderate-severe stage endometriosis. Samples were collected from the Proliferative(PE), Early Secretory (ESE) and Midsecretory (MSE) phases. Samples were then processed for Total RNA isolation and Affymetrix chip hybridization.