Project description:Data represent genome-wide DNA methylation profiles obtained by MethylCap-seq (Diagenode’s MethylCap-kit based purification followed by Illumina GAIIx sequencing), for 70 brain tissue samples, including 65 glioblastoma samples and 5 non-tumoral tissues (obtained from epilepsy surgery).
Project description:Genome wide DNA methylation profiling of human normal and epileptic brain tissue. The Illumina Infinium 850K Human DNA methylation Beadchip was used to obtain DNA methylation profiles across approximately 850.000 CpGs in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded surgical brain samples. Samples included 316 cases diagnosed with malformations of cortical development (MCD), non-MCD epilepsy or no-epilepsy autopsy controls.
Project description:Analysis of 80 glioblastoma specimen of patients treated within clinical trials and 4 samples of "normal" brain tissue (non-tumoral). The data was used to identify factors of resistance to a chemoradiation therapy protocol of radiotherapy and concomitant and adjuvant temozolomide (alkylating agent). Experiment Overall Design: 80 glioblastoma specimen and 4 non-tumoral brain samples
Project description:Cortical tubers in patients with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) are associated with cognitive disability and intractable epilepsy. While these developmental malformations are believed to result from the effects of TSC1 or TSC2 Gene mutations, the molecular mechanisms leading to tuber formation during brain development as well as the onset of seizures remain largely unknown. We used the Affymetrix Gene Chip platform as a genome-wide strategy to define the Gene expression profile of cortical tubers resected during epilepsy surgery compared to histologically normal perituberal tissue (adjacent to the cortical tuber) from the same patients or autopsy control tissue.
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.
