Project description:Patients with Celiac Disease, first degree relatives of celiac patients and control groups displayed significant differential gene expression.
Project description:First Degree Relatives (FDRs) of Patients with Celiac Disease Harbour an Intestinal Transcriptomic Signature that Might Protect Them from Enterocyte Damage
Project description:Celiac disease (CeD) is an intestinal immune-mediated disorder caused by gluten ingestion in genetically predisposed subjects. CeD is characterized by villous atrophy, altered intestinal permeability, crypt hyperplasia and innate and adaptive immune response. This study aimed to develop and validate the use of intestinal organoids from celiac patients to study CeD. A repository of organoids from duodenum of non-celiac and celiac patients was generated and characterized accordingly to standard procedures. RNA-seq analysis was employed to study the global gene expression program of CeD (n=3) and non-CeD (n=3) organoids sets. While the three celiac derived organoids shared similar transcriptional signatures the NC samples set appeared more heterogeneous. We found 486 genes differentially expressed between the two groups. Of them, 299 genes were downregulated (FC<2; FDR<0.05) and 187 were upregulated in CeD (FC >2; FDR<0.05). We observed CeD organoids had significantly altered expression of genes associated with barrier function, innate immunity, and stem cell function.
Project description:To study V-gene usage among antigen-specific and non-antigen-specific serum IgA antibodies in celiac disease patients, purified antibody fractions were subjected to proteomic analysis. Patients either had eastablished, untreated disease with severe intestinal inflammation or "potential" celiac disease characterized by presence of antibodies but no or mild inflammation. Quantification of the fraction of antibodies using different IGHV segments revealed that antibodies specific to the autoantigen transglutaminase 2 (TG2) displayed a bias toward usage of IGHV5-51 in agreement with previous observations. The fraction of antibodies using IGHV5-51 correlated with the degree of intestinal inflammation, indicating that production of hallmark IGHV5-51 anti-TG2 antibodies coincides with onset of clinical celiac disease.
Project description:Patients with autoimmune disorders exhibit highly reproducible gene expression profiles in their peripheral blood mononuclear cells. These signatures may result from chronic inflammation, other disease manifestations, or may reflect family resemblance. To test the latter hypothesis, we determined gene expression profiles in unaffected first-degree relatives of individuals with autoimmune disease. Gene expression profiles in unaffected first-degree relatives resembled the profiles found in individuals with autoimmune diseases. A high percentage of differentially expressed genes in unaffected first-degree relatives were previously identified as autoimmune signature genes. Examination of the linear regression relationship of gene transcript levels between parent-offspring pairs revealed that autoimmune signature genes display high levels of family resemblance. Taken together, these results support the hypothesis that these variations in gene transcript levels are associated with family resemblance rather than clinical manifestations of disease. Keywords: Gene expression profiling
Project description:The current treatment for Celiac Disease (CD) is adhering to a gluten-free diet (GFD), although its long-term molecular effects are still undescribed. New molecular features detectable in faecal samples may improve and facilitate non-invasive clinical management of CD on GFD. For this purpose, faecal small non-coding RNAs (sncRNAs) and gut microbiome profiles were concomitantly explored in CD subjects in relation to strict (or not) GFD adherence over time. In the present observational study, we performed small RNA and shotgun metagenomic sequencing in stool from 63 treated CD (tCD) subjects and 66 sex- and age-matched healthy controls. tCD included 51 individuals on strict GFD and with negative transglutaminase (TG) serology (tCD-TG-) and 12 symptomatic with not strict/short-time of GFD adherence and positive TG serology (tCD-TG+). Samples from additional 40 adult healthy individuals and from a cohort of 19 untreated paediatric CD subjects and 19 sex/age matched controls were analyzed to further test the outcomes. Several miRNA, other sncRNA (piRNA and tRNA) and microbiota profiles were altered in tCD subjects(adj.p<0.05). Findings were validated in one external group of controls. In tCD-TG-, GFD duration correlated with five miRNA levels (p<0.05): for miR-4533-3p and miR-2681-3p, the longer the diet adherence, the less the expression differed from controls. tCD-TG+ and untreated paediatric CD patients showed a similar miRNA dysregulation. Immune-response, trans-membrane transport and cell death pathways were enriched in targets of identified miRNAs. Bifidobacterium longum, Ruminococcus bicirculans and Haemophilus parainfluenzae abundances shifted (adj. p<0.05) with a progressive reduction of denitrification pathways with GFD length. Integrative analysis highlighted 121 miRNA-bacterial relationships (adj.p<0.05). Specific faecal sncRNA and microbial patterns characterise CD subjects on GFD, reflecting either the long-term effects or the gut inflammatory status, in case of a not strict/short-time adherence. Our findings suggest novel host-microbial interplays and could help the discovery of biomarkers for the clinical monitoring of GFD over time.