PubMed Health⌕ Search

SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “RNA, Long Noncoding”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 217 records · Page 12Linked to original sources

Methylation similarities of two CpG sites within exon 5 of human H19 between normal tissues and testicular germ cell tumours of adolescents and adults, without correlation with allelic and total level of expression.

Testicular germ cell tumours (TGCTs) of adolescents and adults morphologically mimic different stages of embryogenesis. Established cell lines of these cancers are used as informative models to study early development. We found that, in contrast to normal development, TGCTs show a consistent biallelic expression of imprinted genes, including H19, irrespective of histology. Methylation of particular cytosine residues of H19 correlates with inhibition of expression, which has not been studied in TGCTs thus far. We investigated the methylation status of two CpG sites within the 3' region of H19 (exon 5: positions 3321 and 3324) both in normal tissues as well as in TGCTs. To obtain quantitative data of these specific sites, the ligation-mediated polymerase chain reaction technique, instead of Southern blot analysis, was applied. The results were compared with the allelic status and the total level of expression of this gene. Additionally, the undifferentiated cells and differentiated derivatives of the TGCT-derived cell line NT2-D1 were analysed. While peripheral blood showed no H19 expression and complete methylation, a heterogeneous but consistent pattern of methylation and level of expression was found in the other normal tissues, without a correlation between the two. The separate histological entities of TGCTs resembled the pattern of their nonmalignant tissues. While the CpG sites remained completely methylated in NT2-D1, H19 expression was induced upon differentiation. These data indicate that methylation of the CpG sites within exon 5 of H19 is tissue dependent, without regulating allelic status and/or total level of expression. Of special note is the finding that, also regarding methylation of these particular sites of H19, TGCTs mimic their non-malignant counterparts, in spite of their consistent biallelic expression.

Adolescent↗

Gamete-specific methylation correlates with imprinting of the murine Xist gene.

We have investigated the potential role of DNA methylation as a regulator of imprinted Xist expression in mouse preimplantation embryos. The active paternal allele was found to be unmodified in sperm at CpG loci near the 5' end of the gene transcription unit. In contrast, on the inactive maternal allele, these same sites are initially methylated in the oocyte and then remain modified in the early embryo. In the male germ line, these methyl moieties are removed during spermatogenesis, and this occurs before the programmed reactivation of Xist in the testis. This represents a clear-cut example of a potential methylation imprinting signal that is reprogrammable and gamete derived.

Alleles↗

Methylation of the mouse Xist gene in sperm and eggs correlates with imprinted Xist expression and paternal X-inactivation.

Preferential paternal X-inactivation in the extra-embryonic tissues of the female mouse embryo is correlated with imprinted expression of the paternal allele of the Xist gene in pre-implantation development. Here we examine 11 CpG sites in Xist to determine whether differential methylation might be the molecular basis for imprinting. We find that three sites in the promoter region are methylated in eggs but not in sperm and that this differential methylation is maintained to the blastocyst stage when the paternal X-inactivation occurs. This is the first example of a primary gametic methylation imprint governing differential expression of parental alleles in pre-implantation embryos.

Animals↗

Deregulation of both imprinted and expressed alleles of the insulin-like growth factor 2 gene during beta-cell tumorigenesis.

In a mouse model of multistage carcinogenesis elicited by the SV40 large T-antigen (Tag) oncogene in pancreatic beta cells, the gene for insulin-like growth factor IGF2 is focally up-regulated and functionally implicated in tumour development. The IGF2 gene is differentially regulated in normal tissues: the paternal allele is transiently expressed during embryogenesis, whereas the maternal allele is genomically imprinted and inactive. Crossbred mice carrying the Tag oncogene and a disruption of either the paternal or maternal allele of IGF2 reveal that both alleles are co-activated early during tumour development, and that each contributes to malignant hyperproliferation and consequent tumour volume.

Alleles↗

An imprinting element from the mouse H19 locus functions as a silencer in Drosophila.

Genomic imprinting as originally described in Sciara is displayed by many organisms. In mammals, X-inactivation and the parent-of-origin-specific silencing of imprinted genes are examples of this phenomenon. A heritable chromatin structural modification may be the critical mechanism in such instances of chromosome condensation and preferential gene inactivation. H19 is an imprinted gene in which the repressed paternal allele is hypermethylated and the compacted chromatin is relatively resistant to digestion by nucleases. In order to uncover underlying conserved epigenetic mechanisms we have introduced a mouse H19 transgene into Drosophila. We show here that a 1.2-kb H19 upstream sequence functions in cis as a parent-of-origin independent silencing element in Drosophila. Strikingly, this cis-acting element is located within an upstream region that is necessary for H19 imprinting in mice. These results suggest involvement of an evolutionary conserved mechanism in both genes silencing in Drosophila and imprinting in mice.

Animals↗

Establishment of functional imprinting of the H19 gene in human developing placentae.

We have found that the imprinted H19 gene can be expressed either biallelically or monoallelically in the developing human placentae. H19 biallelic expression is confined to the placenta until 10 weeks of gestation, after which it becomes exclusively maternal, and does not affect allele-specificity or levels of IGF2 expression. The promoter region of H19 is hypomethylated at all stages of placental development, while the 3' portion shows progressive methylation of the paternal allele with gestation. Our observations demonstrate that the establishment of functional H19 imprinting occurs during the early development of the placenta and provide an opportunity to understand the mechanism by which the H19 primary imprint is manifested in somatic cells.

Alleles↗

Expression of the X-inactivation-associated gene XIST during spermatogenesis.

Mammalian X-chromosome inactivation is thought to be controlled by the X inactivation centre (XIC, X-controlling element -Xce-in mice). A human gene, XIST and its mouse counterpart, Xist, which map to the XIC/Xce, are expressed exclusively from inactive X chromosomes, suggesting their involvement in the process of X-inactivation. We now report the presence of Xist/XIST transcripts in newborn and adult mouse testes, and in human testicular tissue with normal spermatogenesis, but not in the testes of patients who lack germ cells. Our results indicate that while the X chromosome in males is active in somatic cells, it undergoes inactivation during spermatogenesis.

Animals↗

Expression of Xist in mouse germ cells correlates with X-chromosome inactivation.

Mammals compensate for different doses of X-chromosome-linked genes in male (XY) and female (XX) somatic cells by terminally inactivating all but one X chromosome in each cell. A transiently inactive X chromosome is also found in germ cells, specifically in premeiotic oogenic cells and in meiotic and postmeiotic spermatogenic cells. Here we show that the Xist gene, which is a expressed predominantly from the inactive X-chromosome in female somatic cells, is also expressed in germ cells of both sexes, but only at those stages when an inactive X chromosome is present. This suggests support for the putative role of Xist as a regulator of X-chromosome inactivation and suggest a common mechanism for the initiation and/or maintenance of X-chromosome inactivation in all cell types.

Animals↗

A promoter mutation in the XIST gene in two unrelated families with skewed X-chromosome inactivation.

X-chromosome inactivation is the process by which a cell recognizes the presence of two copies of an X chromosome early in the development of XX embryos and chooses one to be active and one to be inactive. Although it is commonly believed that the initiation of X inactivation is random, with an equal probability (50:50) that either X chromosome will be the inactive X in a given cell, significant variation in the proportion of cells with either X inactive is observed both in mice heterozygous for alleles at the Xce locus and among normal human females in the population. Families in which multiple females demonstrate extremely skewed inactivation patterns that are otherwise quite rare in the general population are thought to reflect possible genetic influences on the X-inactivation process. Here we report a rare cytosine to guanine mutation in the XIST minimal promoter that underlies both epigenetic and functional differences between the two X chromosomes in nine females from two unrelated families. All females demonstrate preferential inactivation of the X chromosome carrying the mutation, suggesting that there is an association between alterations in the regulation of XIST expression and X-chromosome inactivation.

Deoxyribonucleases, Type II Site-Specific↗

Somatic overgrowth associated with overexpression of insulin-like growth factor II.

Overexpression of the normally imprinted fetal insulin-like growth factor II (IGF2) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of the cancer-predisposing Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS). We have detected constitutional relaxation of imprinting of IGF2 in four children with somatic overgrowth who do not show diagnostic features of BWS. Three children showed constitutional abnormalities of H19 methylation. All four children showed nephromegaly and two developed Wilms' tumors. Gene methylation is known to be associated with gene silencing, and three children showed constitutional abnormalities of H19 gene methylation. Disruption of H19 methylation, and concomitant relaxation of IGF2 imprinting, provides another mechanism that can increase IGF2 expression in children with overgrowth. The accumulated data on normal and pathologic IGF2 expression are now sufficient to define an entity, "IGF2 overgrowth disorder," of which BWS may be one extreme manifestation. These findings have broad implications for the characterization of idiopathic overgrowth.

Base Sequence↗

Expression regulation network in papillae of sea cucumbers: Whole-transcriptome and DNA methylation datasets.

To elucidate the expression regulation network of papilla size of sea cucumbers (Apostichopus japonicus), the whole-transcriptome and DNA methylome datasets of different sizes of papillae in sea cucumbers were generated. Average clean bases of whole-transcriptome (16.35 G) and DNA methylome (28.92 G) were obtained using RNA sequencing and whole-genome bisulfite sequencing techniques. A total of 3,188 ceRNA networks were also identified including 3,081 long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA)/microRNAs (miRNA)/mRNA networks and 107 circular RNA (circRNA)/miRNA/mRNA networks. Methylome data indicate that there were 3,307 and 3,776 differentially methylated regions (DMRs) with high-level methylation as well as 3,125 and 3,016 DMRs with low-level methylation in big papillae compared to small papillae. The identified DMRs were mainly distributed in introns, promotors, or exons. The whole-transcriptome and DNA methylome datasets generated from this study not only established a robust theoretical foundation (especially from the epigenetic aspect) for elucidating expression regulation network determining papilla size in sea cucumbers but also can be a valuable resource of biomarker mining for papilla appearance-based selective breeding in sea cucumbers.

DNA Methylation↗

Unique expression patterns of H19 in human testicular cancers of different etiology.

The expression pattern of the imprinted human H19 gene was investigated in testicular cancers of different etiology, as well as in normal testicular parenchyma, parenchyma without germ cells, and adjacent to testicular germ cell tumors of adolescents and adults (TGCTs), using RNase protection analysis, mRNA in situ hybridization and reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. While different total expression levels were detected in spermatocytic seminomas, lymphomas, a Sertoli cell tumor and Leydig cell tumors, none showed a disturbance of monoallelic expression. Strikingly, the majority of invasive TGCTs revealed expression of both parental alleles. The total level of expression highly correlated with differentiation lineage and stage of maturation, similar to that as reported during early normal embryogenesis. Biallelic expression could also be determined specifically in testis parenchyma containing the preinvasive lesion of this cancer. We therefore conclude that within the adult testis, biallelic H19 expression is specific for TGCTs, and that the level of expression is dependent on differentiation lineage and maturation stage. This is in agreement with the proposed primordial germ cell-origin of this cancer, and might be related to retention of embryonic characteristics in TGCTs. In addition, our data argue against H19 being a tumor suppressor gene.

Adolescent↗

Expression and parental imprinting of the H19 gene in human rhabdomyosarcoma.

The expression of Insulin-like Growth Factor 2 (IGF-2) and H19, two genes located on human chromosome 11p15 and provided with cell growth modulating activity, is regulated by parental imprinting, in that the activity of their alleles is dependent on the parental origin. Parental bias in the genetic alterations of chromosome 11p15 observed in several pediatric cancers suggests the involvement of imprinted genes in tumor development. We have previously reported that the number of functional IGF-2 alleles is frequently increased in rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), as a consequence of either relaxation of imprinting (LOI) or gene duplication. Here we show that the expression of the H19 gene is significantly suppressed with respect to normal muscle tissue in 13 out of 15 rhabdomyosarcomas with embryonal histology (ERMS) and in three out of 11 rhabdomyosarcomas classified as alveolar subtype (ARMS). Since a growth-inhibitory activity has been found associated with the H19 gene, the extinction of its expression can contribute to RMS development. Parental imprinting of the H19 gene was found conserved in all informative RMSs, including those whose ICF-2 imprinting was relaxed, indicating that LOI is a gene-specific event. Seven ERMSs and one ARMS displaying low H19 RNA levels showed an underrepresentation of the expressed allele in their genotype. This result is consistent with the paternal imprinting of the H19 gene and with the preferential loss of the maternal 11p15 alleles in these neoplasms. Low H19 expression was also found in four out of eight RMSs retaining the heterozygosity at 11p15, but showing IGF-2 LOI. These findings suggest that the genetic and epigenetic alterations affecting chromosome 11p15 in a high number of RMSs cause deregulation of more than one imprinted gene, possibly affecting tumor growth, including the extinction of H19 expression and an increase in the number of active IGF-2 alleles.

Alleles↗

The expression of the imprinted genes H19 and IGF-2 in choriocarcinoma cell lines. Is H19 a tumor suppressor gene?

H19 is a paternally imprinted gene with unknown function. It is located in close proximity to the maternally imprinted IGF-2 gene on chromosome 11p15.5. In this study no consistent relationship between the expression of these two genes in clones derived from JEG-3 and JAr cell lines could be detected. Nor could a consistent relationship be detected between the expression levels of these two genes and between certain characteristic tumorigenic properties of these clones. We included in this study clones, expressing low H19 levels, which after transfection with an H19 expression construct highly expressed the H19 gene. In tumors, formed by the injection of cells of JAr or JEG-3 clones into nude mice, the H19 expression was high and irrelevant to the expression level in the cells before the injection. The same phenomenon was found for IGF-2 expression during tumorigenesis caused by cells of different JEG-3 clones and in some but not all JAr derived clones. Both H19 and IGF-2 are biallelicly expressed in all the JAr and JEG-3 clones. In summary, our observations point to the conclusion that H19 is not a tumor suppressor gene. However, its high expression in all the tumors formed after injection of cells of the JAr and JEG-3 clones, leaves its role, if any, in choriocarcinogenesis an open question.

Animals↗

Hypervariable allelic expression patterns of the imprinted IGF2 gene in tumor cells.

The IGF2 gene, which encodes a growth factor, is subject to genomic imprinting. The frequently observed loss of IGF2 imprinting in a variety of tumors has been suggested to contribute to neoplasia. Since these reports have not documented the imprinting status of IGF2 at the cellular level, it cannot be excluded that the imprinting status might vary within the tumor. The possibility that loss of IGF2 imprinting in neoplastic cells reflects random imprinting patterns, was therefore addressed. We show here that individual cell populations of the JEG-3 choriocarcinoma cell line display heterogenous imprinting patterns of both IGF2 and H19. In addition, a lack of correlation between IGF2 and H19 imprinting status suggests that any regional parental imprint has been functionally lost. This notion is reinforced by the observation that JEG-3 cell subclones display a range of promoter-specific IGF2 allele usage. Moreover, we observed that the imprinting status of H19 and IGF2 were differentially modulated in JEG-3-derived tumors generated in nude mice. The results suggest that allele-specific expression of IGF2 operates in the absence of a parental imprint. Finally, our observations urge caution with respect to the general interpretation of biallelic expression as 'loss of imprinting'.

Alleles↗