Project description:Chronic kidney disease of uncertain etiology (CKDu) is an increasing problem in Sri Lanka especially among the farming community. The etiologies although uncertain, have been associated with occupational and environmental factors. The expression pattern of genes in blood of these CKDu patients in an endemic region of Sri Lanka was analyzed compared to healthy individuals from a non-endemic region to see any expression changes that could be associated to environmental factors. Pattern of expression changes could lead to either strengthen or weaken current hypotheses for the causes.
Project description:In Asia, oral cancer (OC) and oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) constitute major health problems linked to use of betel quid. This work performed CGH genome-wide analysis of OC (12 from India, 12 from Sri Lanka) and OSF (6 from India) cases with normal controls.
Project description:Background: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a major world health problem with over 400,000 new cases diagnosed annually. Despite advances in surgery and chemo-radiotherapy, the 5 year survival has remained roughly constant at approximately 50% for several decades. The disease is characterized by both clinical and genetic heterogeneity, so elucidating the molecular basis of this heterogeneity would have significant clinical implications. It is well recognized that OSCCs from Asia that are associated with betel quid chewing are phenotypically distinct from those from the West that are predominantly caused by smoking/drinking, but the genetic basis of these differences are largely unknown. The aim of this study is to examine the most related genetic factors, carcinogenic related pathways, and molecular processes that might be responsible for the phenotypic heterogeneity of OSCC between UK and Sri Lankan population groups. Methods: We have compared the gene expression profiles of OSCCs and normal oral mucosal tissues from both Sri Lankan and UK individuals using Affymetrix gene expression arrays. Results: The gene expression profiles of UK and Sri Lankan OSCC are similar in many respects to other oral cancer expression profiles reported in the literature and were mainly similar to each other. However, genes involved in tumor invasion, metastasis and recurrence were more obviously associated with UK tumors as opposed to those from Sri Lanka. Interestingly, Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) revealed a highly activated cell-mediated immune response in both Sri Lankan normal and tumor samples relative to UK cohorts, which may, in part, explain the less aggressive behavior of these betel quid-induced OSCCs. Conclusion: The development of OSCCs in both UK and Sri Lankan populations appears largely mediated by similar biological pathways despite the differences related to race, ethnicity, lifestyle, and/or exposure to environmental carcinogens. However, IPA revealed a highly activated M-bM-^@M-^\Cell-mediated Immune ResponseM-bM-^@M-^] in Sri Lankan normal and tumor samples relative to UK cohorts. It seems likely, therefore, that any future attempts to personalize treatment for OSCC patients will need to be different in Western and Asian countries to reflect differences in gene expression and the immune status of the patients. All biopsy specimens of OSCC and normal oral mucosa were harvested with appropriate ethical approval and informed consent of individual patients (LREC 0769). Identical protocols for tissue collection and processing were used in both countries. OSCC samples were obtained from sequential incident cases treated by a single consultant surgeon from 2001 to 2004 at University Hospital of Birmingham, NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK, and Kandy General Hospital, Kandy, Sri Lanka. A total of 21 UK and 27 Sri Lankan samples yielded RNA of sufficient quality and quantity for microarray analysis. In addition, 8 normal oral mucosa specimens (five samples from UK & three samples from Sri Lankan population) were also profiled. All normal samples were from non-smokers, who did not chew betel quid and did not consume in excess of the national recommended weekly gender allowance of alcohol. Normal samples were taken from individuals with no history of cancer and had no first degree relatives with a history of cancer.
Project description:Hypnale hypnale (hump-nosed pit viper) is considered to be one among the medically important venomous snake species of India and Sri Lanka. In the present study, venom proteome profiling of a single Hypnale hypnale from Western Ghats of India was achieved using SDS-PAGE based protein separation followed by LC-MS/MS analysis
Project description:In order to study the proteome of Echis carinatus venom from Sri Lanka (SL ECV), crude SL ECV was subjected to 12.5% SDS-PAGE analysis. The resulting SDS-PAGE bands were subjected to in-gel trypsin digestion and subsequent tandem mass spectrometry analysis. The raw data were then analysed using PEAKS 8.5 software to finally decipher the complex venom proteome.