Biomedical subjects

Igor Leykin

Publications and source records attributed to Igor Leykin.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Comparative linkage analysis and visualization of high-density oligonucleotide SNP array data.

BACKGROUND: The identification of disease-associated genes using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) has been increasingly reported. In particular, the Affymetrix Mapping 10 K SNP microarray platform uses one PCR primer to amplify the DNA samples and determine the genotype of more than 10,000 SNPs in the human genome. This provides the opportunity for large scale, rapid and cost-effective genotyping assays for linkage analysis. However, the analysis of such datasets is nontrivial because of the large number of markers, and visualizing the linkage scores in the context of genome maps remains less automated using the current linkage analysis software packages. For example, the haplotyping results are commonly represented in the text format. RESULTS: Here we report the development of a novel software tool called CompareLinkage for automated formatting of the Affymetrix Mapping 10 K genotype data into the "Linkage" format and the subsequent analysis with multi-point linkage software programs such as Merlin and Allegro. The new software has the ability to visualize the results for all these programs in dChip in the context of genome annotations and cytoband information. In addition we implemented a variant of the Lander-Green algorithm in the dChipLinkage module of dChip software (V1.3) to perform parametric linkage analysis and haplotyping of SNP array data. These functions are integrated with the existing modules of dChip to visualize SNP genotype data together with LOD score curves. We have analyzed three families with recessive and dominant diseases using the new software programs and the comparison results are presented and discussed. CONCLUSIONS: The CompareLinkage and dChipLinkage software packages are freely available. They provide the visualization tools for high-density oligonucleotide SNP array data, as well as the automated functions for formatting SNP array data for the linkage analysis programs Merlin and Allegro and calling these programs for linkage analysis. The results can be visualized in dChip in the context of genes and cytobands. In addition, a variant of the Lander-Green algorithm is provided that allows parametric linkage analysis and haplotyping.

Family Health↗

PubMed2005

HumanUpstream and MouseUpstream: databases of promoter sequences in the human and mouse genomes.

Large-scale genome annotations, based largely on gene prediction programs, may be inaccurate in their predictions of transcription start sites, so that the identification of promoter regions remains unreliable. Here we focus on the identification of reliable gene promoter regions, critical to the understanding of transcriptional regulation. We report the construction of databases of upstream sequences Human Upstream and Mouse Upstream based on information from both the human and mouse genomes and the database of expressed sequence tags (dbEST). Using the ENSEMBL generic genome annotation system, our approach allows more reliable identification of transcript start sites, and therefore extraction of more reliable promoters regions. The Human Upstream and Human Upstream databases are available free of charge.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Mixed hematopoietic chimerism allows cure of autoimmune diabetes through allogeneic tolerance and reversal of autoimmunity.

Bone marrow transplantation from diabetes-resistant strains with complete replacement of the recipient immune system by the allogeneic donor has led to tolerance to donor islets and cure of diabetes in a mouse model of type 1 diabetes. However, the ability to tolerize host T-cells of diabetic NOD mice is unknown. We demonstrate that nonmyeloablative conditioning achieves mixed hematopoietic chimerism across major histocompatibility complex (MHC) barriers in spontaneously diabetic NOD mice. This conditioning preserves alloreactive and autoreactive diabetogenic host NOD T-cells, but when mixed chimerism was established, diabetic NOD mice accepted donor-type allogeneic islet grafts and were cured of diabetes, despite a significant recipient T-cell contribution. Furthermore, induction of mixed chimerism permitted acceptance of NOD islet grafts, demonstrating reversal of autoimmunity. Allogeneic bone marrow transplantation was critical for tolerization of diabetogenic and alloreactive host T-cells. Thus, mixed hematopoietic chimerism induces tolerance to donor islets and reverses established autoimmunity in diabetic NOD mice.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Chemical genetic modifier screens: small molecule trichostatin suppressors as probes of intracellular histone and tubulin acetylation.

Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors are being developed as new clinical agents in cancer therapy, in part because they interrupt cell cycle progression in transformed cell lines. To examine cell cycle arrest induced by HDAC inhibitor trichostatin A (TSA), a cytoblot cell-based screen was used to identify small molecule suppressors of this process. TSA suppressors (ITSAs) counteract TSA-induced cell cycle arrest, histone acetylation, and transcriptional activation. Hydroxamic acid-based HDAC inhibitors like TSA and suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) promote acetylation of cytoplasmic alpha-tubulin as well as histones, a modification also suppressed by ITSAs. Although tubulin acetylation appears irrelevant to cell cycle progression and transcription, it may play a role in other cellular processes. Small molecule suppressors such as the ITSAs, available from chemical genetic suppressor screens, may prove to be valuable probes of many biological processes.

Acetylation↗

PubMed2002

Extensive and divergent circadian gene expression in liver and heart.

Many mammalian peripheral tissues have circadian clocks; endogenous oscillators that generate transcriptional rhythms thought to be important for the daily timing of physiological processes. The extent of circadian gene regulation in peripheral tissues is unclear, and to what degree circadian regulation in different tissues involves common or specialized pathways is unknown. Here we report a comparative analysis of circadian gene expression in vivo in mouse liver and heart using oligonucleotide arrays representing 12,488 genes. We find that peripheral circadian gene regulation is extensive (> or = 8-10% of the genes expressed in each tissue), that the distributions of circadian phases in the two tissues are markedly different, and that very few genes show circadian regulation in both tissues. This specificity of circadian regulation cannot be accounted for by tissue-specific gene expression. Despite this divergence, the clock-regulated genes in liver and heart participate in overlapping, extremely diverse processes. A core set of 37 genes with similar circadian regulation in both tissues includes candidates for new clock genes and output genes, and it contains genes responsive to circulating factors with circadian or diurnal rhythms.

Animals↗