Project description:MiRNAs are non-protein-coding small RNA molecules negatively regulating gene through inhibition of mRNA. The characteristics of microRNA expression patterns obtained from sickle cell diseases are not clearly elucidated. In this study, we recruited 12 children and adults suffering from sickle cells diseases with high HbF fetal hemoglobin (HbF) group (6 subjects) and lower HbF (6 subjects). The peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMN) were processed using a MACS column with magnetic anti-CD71 antibody to isolate reticulocytes according to the manufacturer’s instructions (Miltenyi Biotec, San Diego, CA). After data normalization, 327 miRNA were identified by PCA (principal component analysis) as differentially expressed in low HbF group compared to high HbF groups.
Project description:Room temperature whole blood mRNA stabilization procedures, such as the PAX gene system, are critical for the application of transcriptional analysis to population-based clinical studies. Global transcriptome analysis of whole blood RNA using microarrays has proven to be challenging due to the high abundance of globin transcripts that constitute 70% of whole blood mRNA in the blood. This is a particular problem in patients with sickle-cell disease, secondary to the high abundance of globin-expressing nucleated red blood cells and reticulocytes in the circulation . In order to more accurately measure the steady state whole blood transcriptome in sickle-cell patients, we evaluated the efficacy of reducing globin transcripts in PAXgene stabilized RNA samples for genome-wide transcriptome analyses using oligonucleotide arrays. We demonstrate here by both microarrays and Q-PCR that the globin mRNA depletion method resulted in 55-65 fold reduction in globin transcripts in whole blood collected from healthy volunteers and sickle-cell disease patients. This led to an improvement in microarray data quality with increased detection rate of expressed genes and improved overlap with the expression signatures of isolated peripheral blood mononuclear (PBMC) preparations. The differentially modulated genes from the globin depleted samples had a higher correlation coefficient to the 112 genes identified to be significantly altered in our previous study on sickle-cell disease using PBMC preparations. Additionally, the analysis of differences between the whole blood transcriptome and PBMC transcriptome reveals important erythrocyte genes that participate in sickle-cell pathogenesis and compensation. The combination of globin mRNA reduction after whole-blood RNA stabilization represents a robust clinical research methodology for the discovery of biomarkers for hematologic diseases and in multicenter clinical trials investigating a wide range of nonhematologic disorders where fractionation of cell types is impracticable. Keywords: Microarrays, PAXgene, globin reduction, whole blood, PBMC There are 10 samples for each of PBMC, PAX and PAX globin-reduced, where 5 samples come from sickle-cell patients and 5 from healthy controls.
Project description:Sickle cell disease and Beta-thalassemia represent hemoglobinopathies arising from dysfunctional or under produced beta-globin chains, respectively. In both diseases, red blood cell injury and anemia are the impetus for end organ injury. Because persistent erythrophagocytosis is a hallmark of these genetic maladies it is critical to understand how macrophage phenotype polarizations in tissue compartments can inform on disease progression. Murine models of sickle cell disease and Beta-thalassemia allow for a basic understanding of mechanisms and provide for translation to human disease. A multi-omics approach to understanding macrophage metabolism and protein changes in two murine models of beta-globinopathy was performed on peripheral blood mononuclear cells as well as spleen and liver macrophages isolated from Berkley sickle cell disease (Berk-ss) and heterozygous B1/B2 globin gene deletion (Hbbth3/+) mice. Results from these experiments revealed the metabolome and proteome of macrophages are polarized to a distinct phenotype in Berk-ss and Hbbth3/+ compared each other and their common background mice (C57BL6/J). Further, spleen and liver macrophages revealed distinct disease specific phenotypes, suggesting macrophages become differentially polarized and reprogrammed within tissue compartments. We conclude that tissue recruitment, polarization, metabolic and proteomic reprogramming of macrophages in Berk-ss and Hbb mice may be relevant to disease to progression in other tissue.
Project description:Room temperature whole blood mRNA stabilization procedures, such as the PAX gene system, are critical for the application of transcriptional analysis to population-based clinical studies. Global transcriptome analysis of whole blood RNA using microarrays has proven to be challenging due to the high abundance of globin transcripts that constitute 70% of whole blood mRNA in the blood. This is a particular problem in patients with sickle-cell disease, secondary to the high abundance of globin-expressing nucleated red blood cells and reticulocytes in the circulation . In order to more accurately measure the steady state whole blood transcriptome in sickle-cell patients, we evaluated the efficacy of reducing globin transcripts in PAXgene stabilized RNA samples for genome-wide transcriptome analyses using oligonucleotide arrays. We demonstrate here by both microarrays and Q-PCR that the globin mRNA depletion method resulted in 55-65 fold reduction in globin transcripts in whole blood collected from healthy volunteers and sickle-cell disease patients. This led to an improvement in microarray data quality with increased detection rate of expressed genes and improved overlap with the expression signatures of isolated peripheral blood mononuclear (PBMC) preparations. The differentially modulated genes from the globin depleted samples had a higher correlation coefficient to the 112 genes identified to be significantly altered in our previous study on sickle-cell disease using PBMC preparations. Additionally, the analysis of differences between the whole blood transcriptome and PBMC transcriptome reveals important erythrocyte genes that participate in sickle-cell pathogenesis and compensation. The combination of globin mRNA reduction after whole-blood RNA stabilization represents a robust clinical research methodology for the discovery of biomarkers for hematologic diseases and in multicenter clinical trials investigating a wide range of nonhematologic disorders where fractionation of cell types is impracticable. Keywords: Microarrays, PAXgene, globin reduction, whole blood, PBMC
Project description:Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a serious complication of sickle cell disease (SCD) associated with increased mortality. Gene expression profiles of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) have been studied in pulmonary arterial hypertension and in SCD. We hypothesized that a PBMC-derived gene signature in SCD patients may be utilized as a PH biomarker. Twenty-seven patients with homozygous SCD underwent transthoracic echocardiography and PBMC isolation. PH was defined as estimated right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP)>30 mmHg with a peak tricuspid regurgitation velocity (TRV)>2.5m/s. Genome-wide gene expression profiles were correlated against PH severity using RVSP and TRV as surrogates, which yielded 631 potentially dysregulated transcripts. Total RNA was isolated from PBMCs using standard molecular biology protocols without DNA contamination or RNA degradation. Sample processing (e.g., cDNA generation, fragmentation, end labeling, hybridization to Affymetrix GeneChip Human Exon 1.0 ST arrays) was performed per manufacturer’s instructions. A total of 27 African descent American patients with sickle cell disease were included in the microarray analysis.