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Multi-level Transcriptomic and Machine-learning Analyses Identify MZT1 as a Proliferation-associated Prognostic Marker in Lung Adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) exhibits substantial molecular heterogeneity and variable clinical outcomes, highlighting the need for biomarkers that reflect core tumor biological processes. Centrosome-associated proteins regulate mitotic fidelity and genome stability, yet their roles in LUAD remain incompletely defined. In this study, we systematically characterized mitotic spindle organizing protein 1 (MOZART1; MZT1) and related family members in LUAD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed integrated analyses combining bulk transcriptomic datasets, survival modeling, gene set enrichment, immune deconvolution, machine-learning based prognostic modeling, and single-cell RNA sequencing. Expression patterns and clinical associations of MZT family genes were evaluated across pan-cancer and LUAD cohorts. RESULTS: MZT family genes were consistently upregulated in tumor tissues, with MZT1 showing the most robust expression pattern. Elevated MZT1 expression was significantly associated with reduced overall survival. Functional analyses revealed coordinated activation of proliferative and genome maintenance pathways, including G2/M checkpoint regulation, E2F and MYC signaling, and DNA repair. A multivariable analysis indicated that the prognostic association of MZT1 was reduced after adjusting for canonical proliferation markers, suggesting partial overlap with established proliferation signals. The LASSO-based Cox model demonstrated stable time-dependent predictive performance at 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival. Immune analyses indicated associations between MZT1 expression and tumor microenvironmental features. Single-cell analysis showed that MZT1 expression was predominantly enriched in malignant epithelial cells and associated with proliferative cellular states. Protein-level validation supported concordance with transcriptomic findings. CONCLUSION: MZT1 is a proliferation-associated marker that integrates clinical risk, transcriptional programs, cellular heterogeneity, and predictive modeling in LUAD, providing a potential framework for biomarker development and risk stratification.

Humans↗

Rapid transcriptional reprogramming underlies Fusarium wilt resistance in strawberry: insights from comparative physiological and transcriptomic analyses.

INTRODUCTION: Fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. fragariae (Fof) severely constrains strawberry production, yet the underlying resistance mechanisms remain unclear. METHODS: A total of 64 strawberry germplasm accessions were evaluated for Fusarium wilt resistance. Integrated physiological and transcriptomic analyses were subsequently performed using the highly resistant cultivar 'Akihime' (ZJ) and the highly susceptible cultivar 'Ning Yu' (NY). RESULTS: Resistant resources were abundant, particularly among wild strawberry accessions. Compared with NY, ZJ exhibited higher soluble sugar accumulation, reduced oxidative damage, and increased peroxidase (POD) and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) activities. Transcriptomic analyses revealed distinct temporal response patterns: ZJ underwent rapid and extensive transcriptional reprogramming at 24 h post-inoculation, whereas NY showed limited early responses but pronounced changes at 120 h. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses indicated that the early response of ZJ was mainly associated with stress-related processes, jasmonic acid-mediated signaling, transmembrane transport, plant-pathogen interaction, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling, glutathione metabolism, plant hormone signal transduction, and secondary metabolism. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) validation supported the RNA-seq results and identified candidate genes associated with pathogen recognition, signaling, redox regulation, and protein homeostasis. DISCUSSION: These results indicate that rapid early immune activation and coordinated physiological and metabolic reprogramming are closely associated with strawberry resistance to Fof and provide useful germplasm and candidate genes for future functional validation and resistance breeding.

Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. fragariae↗

FM-GPT: Bayesian fine mapping for phenome-wide transcriptome-wide association studies.

Transcriptome-wide association studies (TWAS) integrate genome wide association studies with expression quantitative trait locus reference panels to identify genes associated with traits of interest. However, linkage disequilibrium and correlated gene expression can induce spurious TWAS signals, motivating fine mapping methods to prioritize putatively causal genes within associated loci. The rapid growth of large-scale phenomic resources (e.g. electronic health records (EHRs)) has shifted genetic studies from single-trait analyses to phenome-wide investigations that jointly evaluate many closely related phenotypes. We introduce FM-GPT (Fine-mapping of causal Genes for Phenome-wide Transcriptome-wide association studies), a novel Bayesian fine mapping method for prioritizing causal genes across multiple correlated phenotypes with potentially mixed outcome types (e.g., binary, count or continuous) in phenome-wide TWAS. FM-GPT performs gene-guided dimension reduction of the phenotypes and reveals pleiotropic or phenotype-specific effects of the identified genes. In simulations, FM-GPT identified true causal genes more accurately than other fine mapping methods while controlling false positives. We applied FM-GPT to two applications using data from UK Biobank: a brain-wide genetic analysis of MRI data derived regional cortical thickness measures and a phenome-wide genetic analysis of clinical phenotypes derived from EHR data. FM-GPT greatly narrowed down the set size of putatively causal genes and identified: 1. genes with pleiotropic effects on regional cortical thickness across the cerebral cortex, including five genes BCAS3, LRRC37A, NOS2P3, ARL17B and UBB on chromosome 17 regulating neuronal morphology and cortical organization; and 2. genes that influence multiple medical conditions across the circulatory, metabolic, digestive, respiratory and genitourinary systems, revealing two major axes of variation among these conditions that point to a potential trade-off in gene regulation between immune and metabolic functions. These results highlight FM-GPT's power to disentangle complex gene-phenotype relationships in large-scale phenome-wide studies, uncovering shared biological mechanisms across diverse human traits and advancing translational and comorbidity research.

Bayesian fine mapping↗

Retinal Transcriptome-Wide Association Study Identifies Novel Alzheimer's Disease Risk Genes.

INTRODUCTION: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia worldwide. The retina shares molecular pathways with the brain, yet no study has systematically linked retinal gene expression to AD risk. METHODS: We performed transcriptome-wide association studies (TWAS) using two independent retinal eQTL panels (Strunz et al., n = 311; EyeGEx, n = 406) and a large meta-analyzed AD genome-wide association study (GWAS) (Bellenguez et al., 111,326 cases, 677,663 controls). Genes were further validated with GWAS in the independent Alzheimer's Disease Sequencing Project (ADSP) using a matched eQTL-panel strategy. RESULTS: We identified 62 AD-associated genes across the two eQTL panels using Bellenguez et al. as the discovery cohort. Of these, 31 were replicated in the ADSP cohort. The findings highlight shared complement-mediated immune dysregulation (CD55, CD46, TREM2) and provide functional transcriptomic evidence to prioritize novel causal drivers of AD pathogenesis, including STYX and the LRRC37 gene family. DISCUSSION: Retinal data capture core AD genetic architecture and reveal novel risk genes, highlighting the retina as a molecularly informative tissue for dementia research.

Alzheimer’s disease↗

MKMC enables reference-free transcriptomic analysis using k-mer representations.

Traditional RNA-seq analysis depends heavily on genome alignment and gene annotation, limiting its utility in non-model organisms and introducing biases that can obscure regulatory complexity. We present MKMC (Multi-sample Kmer Counter), a scalable, reference-free toolkit for RNA-seq analysis that leverages k-mer-based statistics to detect biological variation without requiring alignment. MKMC integrates fast k-mer counting, abundance matrix generation, normalization, dimensionality reduction, and differential analysis into a unified workflow. Across diverse datasets, MKMC recapitulates key biological signals-including sex differences in killifish liver-and matches alignment-based pipelines in differential expression analysis and transcriptomic age prediction. Notably, MKMC detects isoform-specific events missed by traditional methods, one of which we validated using in situ hybridization. These results reveal previously hidden isoform-level regulatory events that contribute to sex- and age-associated transcriptional programs. MKMC offers a robust, extensible alternative to alignment-based approaches, enabling transcriptomic discovery across both model and non-model systems. While we focus here on RNA-seq as a primary application, MKMC is broadly applicable to any k-mer-based analysis of next-generation sequencing data.

MKMC↗

A single-nucleus and spatial transcriptomic atlas of poplar leaves reveals the regulation of leaf polarity and cuticle deposition.

Leaf adaxial-abaxial polarity is fundamental for plant morphogenesis and environmental adaptation through asymmetric cell differentiation. Emerging evidence reveals dorsoventral metabolic gradients act downstream of transcriptional networks to fine-tune cellular specialization. While conserved transcription factors (e.g., HD-ZIP III and KANADI) establish initial polarity, the molecular networks driving position-specific cellular differentiation and their integration with metabolic adaptation remain unclear. Leveraging single-nucleus and spatial transcriptomics, we resolve major cell classes (mesophyll, epidermal, and vascular-associated) and their adaxial-abaxial subtypes, revealing dorsoventral polarity in transcriptional profiles and metabolic pathways. Adaxial cells are enriched in phenylpropanoid/flavonoid biosynthesis, while abaxial cells show preferential activation of stress and hormone signaling. Notably, we identify MYC2 as a key regulator of adaxial cuticle biosynthesis, binding to promoters of lipid biosynthetic and transport genes (e.g., CER10 and LTPG1) and promoting cuticle thickening. Our study uncovers how positional identity shapes transcriptional and metabolic polarity in leaves, with MYC2 emerging as a central regulator coordinating organ-specific adaptations. These findings provide insights into the spatial regulation of plant development and stress resilience, offering potential strategies for engineering stress-tolerant woody crops.

Plant Leaves↗

Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics define a progenitor subpopulation and fibroinflammatory niche at the leading edge of parathyroid carcinoma.

Parathyroid carcinoma (PC) is a rare but clinically aggressive endocrine malignancy with limited treatment options and a poorly defined tumor microenvironment (TME). To elucidate its cellular heterogeneity and spatial architecture, we integrated single-cell and spatial transcriptomic profiling with whole-exome sequencing and multiplex immunohistochemistry on eight parathyroid neoplasm specimens, including PC, parathyroid adenoma, and atypical parathyroid tumor. We identified a distinct progenitor-like endocrine subpopulation (Ca-1) enriched in CDC73-mutant PC, exhibiting stem-like properties, elevated cell cycle activity, and pronounced genomic instability. Spatial mapping revealed that Ca-1 cells preferentially localize at the leading edge, forming a fibroinflammatory niche characterized by the enrichment of inflammatory cancer-associated fibroblasts (iCAFs) and SPP1+ macrophages. Within this niche, the dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4) is selectively expressed in Ca-1 cells and iCAFs, implicating a potential paracrine axis driving stromal remodeling and immunosuppression. These findings suggest that a spatially organized ecosystem may promote PC progression through TME remodeling and highlight the DPP4-CXCL2 axis as a candidate pathway for future investigation in aggressive parathyroid neoplasms.

Humans↗

Identification of transcriptome profiles for the DNA-damaging agents bleomycin and hydrogen peroxide in L5178Y mouse lymphoma cells.

It is believed that some aspects of genotoxicity are associated with changes in the transcription levels of certain genes, especially those involved in DNA repair and cell cycle control. Additionally, it is hypothesized that chemicals sharing a common mode of genotoxicity should exhibit similar changes in gene expression. We have evaluated these hypotheses by analyzing transcriptome profiles of mouse lymphoma L5178Y/TK(+/-) cells treated with bleomycin and hydrogen peroxide, two mutagens that produce genotoxicity by generating reactive free radicals. The cells were treated for 4 hr and RNA was isolated at the end of the treatment and after a 20 hr recovery. Transcriptome analyses were performed using the Clontech Mouse 1.2K cDNA microarray (1,185 genes) and hybridization with a (32)[P]-labeled probe. Of the genes examined, each mutagen altered the expression (1.5-fold or greater) of only two genes after the 4 hr treatment. In cells allowed to recover for 20 hr after treatment, bleomycin and hydrogen peroxide altered the expression of 8 and 5 genes, respectively. Many of the altered genes have some association with apoptosis. Of these genes, three (the genes encoding granzyme A, integrin beta 7, and 45 kDa calcium-binding protein precursor) were in common between chemical treatments. The expression of DNA repair and cell cycle controlling genes present on the array was not affected by the treatments. These results show that bleomycin and hydrogen peroxide both have unique and commonly regulated genes that have the potential to serve as biomarkers of exposure to agents causing DNA damage by free radical mechanisms.

Animals↗

Stage-specific alterations of the genome, transcriptome, and proteome during colorectal carcinogenesis.

To identify sequential alterations of the genome, transcriptome, and proteome during colorectal cancer progression, we have analyzed tissue samples from 36 patients, including the complete mucosa-adenoma-carcinoma sequence from 8 patients. Comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) revealed patterns of stage specific, recurrent genomic imbalances. Gene expression analysis on 9K cDNA arrays identified 58 genes differentially expressed between normal mucosa and adenoma, 116 genes between adenoma and carcinoma, and 158 genes between primary carcinoma and liver metastasis (P < 0.001). Parallel analysis of our samples by CGH and expression profiling revealed a direct correlation of chromosomal copy number changes with chromosome-specific average gene expression levels. Protein expression was analyzed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and subsequent mass spectrometry. Although there was no direct match of differentially expressed proteins and genes, the majority of them belonged to identical pathways or networks. In conclusion, increasing genomic instability and a recurrent pattern of chromosomal imbalances as well as specific gene and protein expression changes correlate with distinct stages of colorectal cancer progression. Chromosomal aneuploidies directly affect average resident gene expression levels, thereby contributing to a massive deregulation of the cellular transcriptome. The identification of novel genes and proteins might deliver molecular targets for diagnostic and therapeutic interventions.

Adult↗

Altered gene expression in acute systemic inflammation detected by complete coverage of the human liver transcriptome.

The goal of the current study was to provide complete coverage of the liver transcriptome with human probes corresponding to every gene expressed in embryonic, adult, and/or cancerous liver. We developed dedicated tools, namely, the Liverpool nylon array of complementary DNA (cDNA) probes for approximately 10,000 nonredundant genes and the LiverTools database. Inflammation-induced transcriptome changes were studied in liver tissue samples from patients with an acute systemic inflammation and from control subjects. One hundred and fifty-four messenger RNAs (mRNA) correlated statistically with the extent of inflammation. Of these, 134 mRNA samples were not associated previously with an acute-phase (AP) response. The hepatocyte origin and proinflammatory cytokine responsiveness of these mRNAs were confirmed by quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (Q-RT-PCR) in cytokine-challenged hepatoma cells. The corresponding gene promoters were enriched in potential binding sites for inflammation-driven transcription factors in the liver. Some of the corresponding proteins may provide novel blood markers of clinical relevance. The mRNAs whose level is most correlated with the AP extent (P <.05) were enriched in intracellular signaling molecules, transcription factors, glycosylation enzymes, and up-regulated plasma proteins. In conclusion, the hepatocyte responded to the AP extent by fine tuning some mRNA levels, controlling most, if not all, intracellular events from early signaling to the final secretion of proteins involved in innate immunity. Supplementary material for this article can be found on the HEPATOLOGY website (http://interscience.wiley.com/jpages/0270-9139/suppmat/index.html).

Acute Disease↗

Transcriptome profiling of individual larvae of two different developmental modes in the poecilogonous polychaete Streblospio benedicti (Spionidae).

Understanding the range of biochemical and physiological phenotypes in a cohort of embryos or larvae is crucial to understanding the lifespan, dispersal potential, and recruitment success of the early life history stages of a species. In this study, a novel kinetic assay has been employed to profile the transcriptome pool complexity in individual larvae of both planktotrophic and lecithotrophic developmental modes in the poecilogonous polycheate Streblospio benedicti. Using a nano-scale synthesis strategy, the mRNA pool in a single embryo or larva can be amplified into cDNA for quantitative characterization in a high-throughput, kinetic reannealing assay in a 96-well, microtiterplate format. This assay generates transcript-pool complexity estimates at 1 degrees C temperature increments for each sample producing 3,360 quantitative measurements per 96-well plate. Measuring transcriptome complexity on 8 individual planktotrophic and 8 individual lecithotrophic larvae (with 4 duplicate assays for each individual) reveals a more complex gene expression profile in planktotrophic larvae and a lower level of interindividual variation in expression patterns in lecithotrophic larvae. Although differences in these gene expression patterns are more likely due to physiological differences between feeding and non-feeding larval types in these late-stage individuals, this is one of the first assessments of inter-individual variation in gene expression patterns in marine invertebrate larvae and indicates a large potential for developmental variability.

Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena↗

Transcriptome of mouse uterus by serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE): comparison with skeletal muscle.

The aim of this study was to identify the transcriptome of the normal mouse uterus by Serial Analysis of Gene Expression method. mRNA was extracted from the uterus and also from the gastrocnemius muscle of mice. Short sequences (tags), each one usually corresponding to a distinct transcript, were isolated and concatemerized into long DNA molecules which were cloned and sequenced. We detected 44,484 tags for the uterus and 42,518 tags for the muscle, representing 14,543 and 14,958 potential transcript species, respectively. Seventy-five and sixty-nine genes were expressed at more than 0.1%, thus corresponding to 37 and 34% of the mRNA population detected in the respective tissues. In both cases, the most highly expressed genes are especially involved in muscle contraction, energy metabolism, and protein synthesis. Compared to skeletal muscle, some differentially expressed genes in the uterus are likely to correspond to its specific reproductive functions. The majority of these genes remain to be characterized. More than 70% of the different tags detected in the uterus did not match any sequence in the public databases and can represent novel or poorly identified genes. This study is the first quantitative description of the transcriptome of the uterus.

Animals↗

Zea mays Drought-Overly Sensitive1/TUBA4 Is Wilty3, and Transcriptome Co-Expression Analysis of Shoot Meristem Mutant Tissues Reveals Wilty2/TUB6:Wi3 Interactions Associated With Stem Vascular Bundle Development.

Plant vasculature is essential for the transport of water, nutrients, and signaling molecules across organs, while also providing critical mechanical support for growth and development. Disruptions in vascular bundle formation can therefore lead to severe physiological and developmental defects. In maize, ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS)-induced dominant nonallelic Wilty mutants exhibit a pronounced wilting phenotype even under well-watered conditions, indicating underlying defects in vascular function. In this study, we characterized the Wi3 mutant, identified as ZmDrought-Overly-Sensitive1/DOS1, and compared it with the previously described Wi2 mutant to uncover shared mechanisms underlying their phenotypes. We provide evidence, by bulk segregant resequencing linkage disequilibrium of SNPs adjacent to the causal Wilty SNPs in respective &#xdf;- and &#x3b1;-tubulin genes, for the personal communication from Gerry Neuffer that Wi2/&#xdf;-tub6 provenance is from ACR-related stock, whereas Wi3/&#x3b1;-tub4 allele is from Mo17, not B73 as claimed by the authors who cloned Dos1. Histochemical staining and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy of vascular bundles in Wi3 indicated apparent alterations in cellulose and lignin content consistent with those observed in Wi2. Transcriptome analysis of shoot meristems further indicated that similar sets of genes and pathways are differentially expressed in both mutants, suggesting convergence on common biological pathways. Using bulk-segregant whole-genome resequencing, we identified alpha-tubulin4 (TUA4) as the causal gene in Wi3 (ZmDOS1), harboring a C-to-T substitution within the N-terminal GTPase-binding domain. This mutation results in a glutamic acid196-to-lysine substitution. Given that &#x3b1;- and &#x3b2;-tubulin subunits heterodimerize, and in many plants and animal mutant alleles are dominant-negative gains-of-function, we infer Wi2, Wi3, and likely Wi4, based on very similar FTIR biophysical difference spectra, may act as effectors of vascular bundle cell wall deposition, potentially involving vesicle trafficking as recently shown for asymmetric cell divisions in maize stomatal development. Together, these findings highlight the functional interdependence of tubulin subunits and provide a plausible mechanistic framework for the striking biophysical, transcriptomic, and phenotypic similarities observed between Wi2, Wi3/ZmDOS1, and Wi4 mutants.

bulk segregant analysis↗

A combination of proteomics, principal component analysis and transcriptomics is a powerful tool for the identification of biomarkers for macrophage maturation in the U937 cell line.

The monocyte-like human histiocytic lymphoma cell line U937 can be induced by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) to undergo differentiation into a macrophage-like phenotype. We have used two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE), oligonucleotide microarrays and principal component analysis (PCA) to characterize the U937 cell line as a model system for the differentiation of monocytes into macrophages. A total of 226 differentially expressed proteins were found, of which 41 were selected by PCA for identification using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization tandem mass spectrometry. Based on the PCA results, three marker proteins were selected for confirmation of differential expression using Western blot and quantitative real time-PCR. The selected marker proteins were: gamma interferon inducible lysosomal thiol reductase, cathepsin D and adipocyte-fatty acid binding protein. All three proved to be good differentiation markers for macrophage maturation of U937 cells as well as peripheral blood-derived macrophages. The transcriptomics data revealed a large number of additional putative differentiation markers in U937 macrophages, many of which are known to be expressed in peripheral blood-derived macrophages. These include osteospontin, matrix metalloproteinase 9, and HC-gp39. Our results show that the characteristics of U937 macrophages resemble those of inflammatory (exudate) macrophages, exemplified by the down-regulation of 5' nucleotidase and the up-regulation of leucine aminopeptidase mRNAs. In conclusion, using the powerful combination of transcriptomics, 2-DE and PCA, our results show that U937 cells differentiated by PMA treatment are an excellent model system for monocyte derived macrophage generation from blood.

Cell Differentiation↗

Modulation of gene expression by hypoxia in human umbilical cord vein endothelial cells: A transcriptomic and proteomic study.

Hypoxia is a characteristic feature of many human pathologies, including cancer. The sustained proliferation rate of tumor cells leads to alterations of the tumor microenvironment, that progressively becomes more acidic, nutrient-deprived, and hypoxic. The reduced partial pressure of oxygen triggers the onset of an adaptive response, aimed at increasing the local oxygen concentration by several complementary actions. Although directly exposed to the blood stream, endothelial cells lining the vascular lumen in tumors also can be exposed to hypoxia and therefore can contribute to the onset of the adaptive response that leads to tumor angiogenesis. Aiming at getting a detailed insight into the oxygen-dependent regulation of the transcriptional program of vascular endothelial cells and at identifying new relevant markers that may be used as targets for therapeutic intervention in tumor angiogenesis, we have performed a broad-range transcriptomic analysis, using the Affymetrix HG-U133A Gene Chips, of mRNA expression levels in human umbilical cord vein endothelial cells (HUVEC), exposed in vitro to hypoxia for different time periods. The transcriptomic analysis was complemented by a semiquantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis of mRNA levels and alternative splicing for some selected extracellular matrix protein genes, and by a proteomic analysis, using two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2-D PAGE) and tandem mass spectrometry for protein separation and identification, of hypoxic and normoxic HUVEC whole-cell lysates and subcellular fractions. Our analysis confirmed previous findings on genes whose expression is regulated by oxygen concentration but also identified new genes (e.g., CXCR4, claudin 3, CD24, tetranectin, Del-1, procollagen lysyl hydroxylase 1 and 2) which are transcriptionally upregulated in hypoxic conditions.

Alternative Splicing↗

Characterization and comparative analyses of transcriptomes from the normal and neoplastic human prostate.

BACKGROUND: The prostate gland is a highly specialized organ with functional attributes that serve to enhance the fertility of mammalian species. Pathological processes affecting the prostate include benign prostate hypertrophy and prostate carcinoma; diseases that account for major morbidity and mortality in middle-aged and elderly men. To facilitate studies of biological processes uniquely represented in the prostate and assess molecular alterations associated with prostate carcinoma, we sought to establish the diversity of gene expression in the normal and neoplastic prostate through the compilation and analysis of a prostate transcriptome. METHODS: We assembled and annotated ESTs derived from prostate cDNA libraries that were either produced in our laboratory or available from public sequence repositories such as CGAP, dbEST, and Unigene. Determinations of differential gene expression between the normal prostate, other normal tissues, and neoplastic prostate tissues was performed using statistical algorithms. Confirmation of differential expression was performed by quantitative PCR and Northern analysis. RESULTS: A total of 99,448 high-quality ESTs were assembled and annotated to produce a prostate transcriptome comprised of 24,580 distinct TUs. Comparative analyses of gene expression levels identified 61 TUs with exclusive expression in the prostate and 45 TUs with high levels of expression in the prostate relative to at least 25 other normal tissues (P > 0.99). Comparative analyses of ESTs derived from neoplastic prostate tissues identified 75 genes with dysregulated expression in cancer (P > 0.99). CONCLUSIONS: The human prostate expresses a diverse repertoire of genes that reflect a functionally complex organ. The identification of genes with prostate-restricted or enhanced expression may provide additional insights into the biochemical processes that interact to form the developmental, signaling, and metabolic pathways of the normal and neoplastic gland.

Algorithms↗

A partial transcriptome of human epidermis.

Serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) is a powerful technique for global expression profiling without prior knowledge of the genes of interest. We carried out SAGE analysis of purified keratinocytes derived from human skin biopsy specimens, resulting in a partial transcriptome of human epidermis. We identified 7645 unique SAGE tags with quantitative information from 15,131 collected SAGE tags obtained from approximately 3 x 10(6) epidermal cells. This catalog contains a large number of genes that were not previously known to be expressed by human epidermis. Comparison with the databases of all known human SAGE tags allowed us to identify a number of keratinocyte-specific tags that putatively correspond to formerly unknown genes. Surprisingly, human epidermal keratinocytes in vivo show relatively low expression levels of genes typically associated with epidermal differentiation, whereas the expression levels of housekeeping genes are considerably higher than in cultured keratinocytes. This study provides a first step toward a transcriptome of human epidermis and, as such, harbors a wealth of information to identify genes involved in skin function, and candidate genes for genetic skin disorders.

Base Sequence↗

A quantitative and validated SAGE transcriptome reference for adult mouse heart.

Transcriptome comparisons facilitate the identification of developmental, aging, and disease-related genes. To quantify the functionally active genome of adult C57BL/6 mouse heart (AMH), we used serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) to sequence a total of 88,860 tags or 23,941 unique tags. Over 66% of the unique tags matched either known genes or ESTs. Mitochondrial transcripts accounted for 18.7% of the total transcripts, whereas sarcomeric proteins accounted for 3.2% of all tags. After comparison of AMH expression profiles obtained by SAGE and cDNA arrays, we observed numerous quantitative discrepancies (for example: arrays, mt-Co1 > mt-Co2 > mt-Co3; SAGE, mt-Co1 >> mt-Co3 >or= mt-Co2). We carried out quantitative PCR analyses as an independent test of transcript abundance and determined that SAGE yielded quantitatively reliable data. These SAGE results thus represent the first quantitative expression profile of AMH and serve as a reliable transcriptome reference to identify dynamic changes in cardiac gene expression.

Animals↗