Project description:Background: This study addresses whether existing specific transcriptional profiles can improve and support the current status of the definition of ulcerative colitis (UC) remission apart from the existing endoscopic, histologic, and laboratory scoring systems. For that purpose, a well-stratified UC patient population in remission was compared to active UC and control patients and was investigated by applying the next-generation technology RNA-Seq. Methods: Mucosal biopsies from patients in remission (n = 14), patients with active UC (n = 14), and healthy control patients (n = 16) underwent whole-transcriptome RNA-Seq. Principal component analysis, cell deconvolution methods, gene profile enrichment, and pathway enrichment methods were applied to define a specific transcriptional signature of UC in remission. Results: Analyses revealed specific transcriptional signatures for UC in remission with increased expression of genes involved in O-glycosylation (MUC17, MUC3A, MUC5AC, MUC12, SPON1, B3GNT3), ephrin-mediated repulsion of cells (EFNB2E, EFNA3, EPHA10, EPHA1), GAP junction trafficking (TUBA1C, TUBA4A, TUBB4B, GJB3, CLTB), and decreased expression of several toll-like receptors (TLR1, TLR3, TLR5, TLR6). Conclusions: This study reveals specific transcriptional signatures for remission. Partial restoration and improvement of homeostasis in the epithelial mucus layer and revival of immunological functions were observed. A clear role for bacterial gut flora composition can be implied. The results can be useful for the development of treatment strategies for UC in remission and may be useful targets for further investigations aiming to predict the outcome of UC in the future.
Project description:This randomized, pilot phase I trial studies the side effects of berberine chloride in treating patients with ulcerative colitis and who are in remission (a decrease in or disappearance of signs and symptoms of cancer) to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer. Patients with ulcerative colitis are at increased risk for colorectal cancer. Chemoprevention is the use of drugs, such as berberine chloride, to keep a disease/condition from forming or coming back. The use of berberine chloride may keep colorectal cancer from forming in patients with ulcerative colitis.
Project description:Objective: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic disease with rising incidence and unclear etiology. The application of mass spectrometry-based post-genomic analysis methods shall support the development of molecular biomarker signatures providing status information with regard to UC pathomechanisms. Design: Pathomechanisms characteristic for UC were assessed by proteome profiling of human tissue specimen, obtained from five distinct colon locations each of 12 patients. Systemic disease-associated alterations were investigated by mass spectrometry-based multi-omics analyses comprising proteins, metabolites and eicosanoids of plasma obtained from UC patients during disease and upon remission in comparison to healthy controls. Results: Proteome profiling results identified colitis-associated activation of neutrophils, macrophages, B- and T-cells, platelets, fibroblasts and endothelial cells and indicated hypoxic stress, as well as a general reduction of mitochondrial proteins accompanying the establishment of apparent healing-promoting activities as well as scar formation. While the immune cells mainly contributed pro-inflammatory proteins, the colitis-associated epithelial cells, fibroblasts, endothelial cells and platelets predominantly formed anti-inflammatory and healing-promoting proteins. Blood plasma proteomics indicated chronic inflammation and platelet activation, whereas plasma metabolomics identified disease-associated deregulation of bile acids, eicosanoids and gut microbiome-derived metabolites. Upon remission, several, but not all, molecular candidate biomarker levels recovered to normal levels. These findings may indicate that pathomechanisms related to gut functions, gut microbiome status, microvascular damage and metabolic dysregulation associated with hypoxia may do not resolve uniformly upon remission. Conclusions: The establishment of disease-associated biomarker profiles related to molecular UC pathomechanisms may support the establishment of bioassays with improved prognostic power aiding individualized therapy.
Project description:Comparison of faecal flora of three healthy individuals and a patient suffering from Ulcerative Colitis during disease and remission states. Faecal samples were taken and frozen at -80 within one hour.
Project description:The samples are a part of a study aiming at diagnosing ulcerative colitis from genome-wide gene expression analysis of the colonic mucosa. Colonic mucosal samples were collected as endoscopic pinch biopsies from ulcerative colitis patients and from control subjects. Samples with and without macroscopic signs of inflammation were collected from the patients. Experiment Overall Design: The series contain eight UC samples with macroscopic signs of inflammation, 13 UC smaples without macroscopic signs of inflammation, five control subjects.
Project description:BackgroundThis study addresses whether existing specific transcriptional profiles can improve and support the current status of the definition of ulcerative colitis (UC) remission apart from the existing endoscopic, histologic, and laboratory scoring systems. For that purpose, a well-stratified UC patient population in remission was compared to active UC and control patients and was investigated by applying the next-generation technology RNA-Seq.MethodsMucosal biopsies from patients in remission (n = 14), patients with active UC (n = 14), and healthy control patientss (n = 16) underwent whole-transcriptome RNA-Seq. Principal component analysis, cell deconvolution methods, gene profile enrichment, and pathway enrichment methods were applied to define a specific transcriptional signature of UC in remission.ResultsAnalyses revealed specific transcriptional signatures for UC in remission with increased expression of genes involved in O-glycosylation (MUC17, MUC3A, MUC5AC, MUC12, SPON1, B3GNT3), ephrin-mediated repulsion of cells (EFNB2E, EFNA3, EPHA10, EPHA1), GAP junction trafficking (TUBA1C, TUBA4A, TUBB4B, GJB3, CLTB), and decreased expression of several toll-like receptors (TLR1, TLR3, TLR5, TLR6).ConclusionsThis study reveals specific transcriptional signatures for remission. Partial restoration and improvement of homeostasis in the epithelial mucus layer and revival of immunological functions were observed. A clear role for bacterial gut flora composition can be implied. The results can be useful for the development of treatment strategies for UC in remission and may be useful targets for further investigations aiming to predict the outcome of UC in the future.
Project description:This scRNA-seq dataset of five human subjects with ulcerative colitis (derived from colonic lamina propria samples), was analyzed and published as part of a larger manuscript (Mitsialis, V et al, "“Single-Cell Analyses of Colon and Blood Reveal Distinct Immune Cell Signatures of Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s Disease” in Gastroenterology), which reported immune signatures of blood and intestinal tissue differentiating ulcerative colitis from Crohn's disease from non-IBD human subjects using mass cytometry as well as scRNA-seq.
Project description:Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory disorder in the lower part of the digestive system. Despite of many functional studies, the hidden mechanisms of this complex disease limit complete remission. Here, we investigated transcriptomic signature of ulcerative colitis using RNA sequencing obtained from 15 active (inflamed), 15 inactive (non-inflamed) samples of ulcerative colitis, and 15 healthy controls. The transcriptomics profiling revealed that inflammatory transcriptomic signature was highly enriched in active samples compared to inactive or healthy control samples. However, this bulk RNAseq cannot provide the cell type information, which play a key role in such a chronic inflammation. To overcome this limitation, we borrowed the power of single cell RNAseq. Deconvolution of bulk RNAseq based on the single cell expression estimated active UC enriched cell types including inflammatory fibroblast and inflammatory monocytes. This integrative approach using bulk and single cell transcriptomics provide not only target genes but also target cell types of ulcerative colitis for therapeutic purpose.
Project description:Infliximab, an anti-TNF-alpha monoclonal antibody, is an effective treatment for ulcerative colitis (UC) with over 60% of patients responding to treatment and up to 30% reaching remission. The mechanism of resistance to anti-TNF-alpha is unknown. This study used colonic mucosal gene expression to provide a predictive response signature for infliximab treatment in UC. Keywords: drug response