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Odon: an ultra-fast viewer for spatial proteomics.

MOTIVATION: Multiplexed spatial proteomics and spatial transcriptomics generate large, high-dimensional imaging datasets that are challenging to visualize efficiently, particularly at whole-slide and cohort scale. Visualization is an essential step for rapid detection of staining artefacts, such as protein aggregates or non-specific staining. RESULTS: Here, we present Odon, a native Rust desktop viewer designed for rapid, interactive exploration of multiplex imaging data on a standard laptop. Odon is primarily built around the OME-Zarr imaging format, and supports annotations via GeoJSON and GeoParquet, with secondary support for SpatialData, Xenium containers, and TIFF. Data can be stored locally or streamed directly from HTTP or S3-compatible object storage using viewport-driven tile loading. Odon incorporates a highly optimized rendering engine designed for viewport-driven tile loading and GPU-based compositing. In scripted benchmarks using synthetic multiplex OME-Zarr datasets, Odon showed lower peak memory use, lower affine-derived zoom-step error, and faster warm-start image loading than napari and QuPath under the tested conditions. Its GPU-based compositing pipeline also enables smooth rendering and interaction with >1 000 000 segmented cells. Odon further supports integrated visual analytics, including live thresholding and cell selection, and a mosaic mode for simultaneous viewing of hundreds of regions of interest in cohort and tissue microarray studies. Together, these features establish Odon as a high-performance platform for scalable visualization of spatial proteomics data. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: Source code and compiled installers are available at https://github.com/alexcoulton/odon.

Proteomics

NME2 modulates HCC progression through 4EBP1 phosphorylation and autophagy regulation independent of mTOR.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the role of nucleoside diphosphate kinase 2 (NME2) in HCC progression, assessing its therapeutic potential. METHODS: Utilizing transcriptome sequencing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and immunohistochemical staining of tissue microarrays, we analyzed NME2 expression in HCC tumor tissues. The effects of NME2 on HCC cell proliferation and autophagy flux were assessed through knockdown and overexpression experiments. Additionally, the relationship between NME2 and 4EBP1 phosphorylation was explored through specific site mutation analysis. RESULTS: NME2 overexpression in HCC correlated with poor prognosis. NME2 knockdown significantly hindered HCC cell proliferation and induced autophagy flux. Notably, NME2 modulates 4EBP1 phosphorylation (Thr37/46) independently of mTOR, unveiling a novel axis in HCC pathogenesis. Additionally, NME2 modulates eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4F (eIF4F) complex formation and autophagy flux. CONCLUSIONS: NME2 plays a crucial role in HCC development by modulating 4EBP1 phosphorylation and autophagy through an mTOR-independent pathway. Our research underscores NME2's significance as a potential therapeutic target in HCC, meriting further exploration of its underlying mechanisms and clinical applicability.

Humans

Widespread Loss of Heterozygosity and Endoreduplication in Odontogenic Myxoma: Expanding the Clinicopathologic Spectrum of An Enigmatic Odontogenic Neoplasm.

Odontogenic myxoma (OM) is an uncommon, locally aggressive odontogenic neoplasm with characteristic histologic and clinico-radiographic features but with potential for histologic overlap with other odontogenic and non-odontogenic entities and a non-specific immunoprofile. Widespread loss of heterozygosity (LOH) has been recently described in rare cases of OM. The aim of this study was to determine whether widespread LOH represents a recurrent molecular signature that can be leveraged for clinical decision-making. Allele-specific copy number variation data from chromosomal microarray were generated from 7 OM, comprising a combined prospective and retrospective cohort. Four tumors arose in the mandible and 3 in the maxilla in patients ranging in age from 18 to 94 years (median: 44), with tumor size ranging from 2.2 to 13.0 cm. Variable amounts of fibrous stroma (odontogenic "fibromyxoma") were present in 4/7 OM, and hypercellularity not typically appreciated in conventional OM was present in 3/7 cases. All OM (7/7) demonstrated widespread LOH, with 5 cases showing a near-haploid/low hypodiploid genomes (multiple monosomies) and 2 cases showing evidence of pseudo-hyperdiploidy due to probable endoreduplication. Both pseudo-hyperdiploid cases were ≥10 cm in size; 1 represented local recurrence. Chromosomes 1 to 3, 6, 9, 11, 13, 15, and 22 demonstrated LOH in ≥75% of cases (chromosomes 1 to 3, 6, and 9 in 100% of cases), while chromosomes 5, 12, 19, and 20 universally retained heterozygosity. Altogether, widespread LOH is a recurrent event in OM and a novel finding in odontogenic pathology, and allele-specific copy number variation analysis can serve as a diagnostic adjunct in challenging cases.

copy number variation

Persistent inflammation, immunosuppression, and catabolism syndrome after severe blunt trauma.

BACKGROUND: We recently proffered that a new syndrome persistent inflammation, immunosuppression, and catabolism syndrome (PICS) has replaced late multiple-organ failure as a predominant phenotype of chronic critical illness. Our goal was to validate this by determining whether severely injured trauma patients with complicated outcomes have evidence of PICS at the genomic level. METHODS: We performed a secondary analysis of the Inflammation and Host Response to Injury database of adults with severe blunt trauma. Patients were classified into complicated, intermediate, and uncomplicated clinical trajectories. Existing genomic microarray data were compared between cohorts using Ingenuity Pathways Analysis. Epidemiologic data and outcomes were also analyzed between cohorts on admission, Day 7, and Day 14. RESULTS: Complicated patients were older, were sicker, and required increased ventilator days compared with the intermediate/uncomplicated patients. They also had persistent leukocytosis as well as low lymphocyte and albumin levels compared with uncomplicated patients. Total white blood cell leukocyte analysis in complicated patients showed that overall genome-wide expression patterns and those patterns on Days 7 and 14 were more aberrant from control subjects than were patterns from uncomplicated patients. Complicated patients also had significant down-regulation of adaptive immunity and up-regulation of inflammatory genes on Days 7 and 14 (vs. magnitude in fold change compared with control and in magnitude compared with uncomplicated patients). On Day 7, complicated patients had significant changes in functional pathways involved in the suppression of myeloid cell differentiation, increased inflammation, decreased chemotaxis, and defective innate immunity compared with uncomplicated patients and controls. Subset analysis of monocyte, neutrophil, and T-cells supported these findings. CONCLUSION: Genomic analysis of patients with complicated clinical outcomes exhibit persistent genomic expression changes consistent with defects in the adaptive immune response and increased inflammation. Clinical data showed persistent inflammation, immunosuppression, and protein depletion. Overall, the data support the hypothesis that patients with complicated clinical outcomes are exhibiting PICS. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Epidemiologic study, level III.

Adolescent

Identification of Sample Processing Errors in Microbiome Studies Using Host Genetic Profiles.

In microbiome studies, sample processing errors are frequent and difficult to detect, especially in large studies involving multiple sites, personnel, and sample types. We present two complementary approaches to identify such errors using host DNA profiled via metagenomic sequencing of microbiome samples. The first approach compares host SNPs inferred from metagenomics to independently obtained genotypes (e.g., microarray genotypes) to match samples to their donors, while the second method compares metagenomics-inferred SNPs between samples to identify samples supplied by the same donor. Furthermore, we demonstrate that combining these methods with experimental metadata provides greater confidence in the identification of errors. Analyzing a longitudinal vaginal microbiome dataset, we demonstrate the ability of our approach to identify mislabeled samples. Using subsampling, we further show that our methods are robust to low sequencing coverage. Overall, our analysis highlights the frequency of processing errors in microbiome studies. We therefore recommend applying error-detection methods in all studies with suitable data.

Journal Article

Targeting RAD52 overcomes PARP inhibitor resistance in preclinical Brca2-deficient ovarian cancer model.

BRCA-mutated ovarian cancer commonly develops resistance to poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors. Here, we investigated the DNA repair protein RAD52 as a potential target to overcome resistance. In analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas datasets and immunohistochemistry of tissue microarrays, elevated RAD52 expression correlated with poor overall survival in patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancers. We tested two PARP inhibitor-resistant Brca2-deficient mouse ovarian cancer models, ID8-OR and HGS2-OR. HGS2-OR cells had higher RAD52 expression than parental lines. Rad52 knockout or knockdown restored PARP inhibitor sensitivity in both models. In syngeneic mice, ID8-OR cells in which Rad52 was knocked out yielded lower tumor burden and longer overall survival than control cells. Rad52 depletion impaired single-strand annealing and homologous recombination and led to accumulation of DNA double-strand breaks after PARP inhibitor treatment. RNA sequencing demonstrated that PARP inhibitor treatment induced Polq expression in Brca2- and Rad52-deficient cells, suggesting a switch to microhomology-mediated end joining. Finally, the RAD52 inhibitor D-I03 synergized with a PARP inhibitor to reduce cell viability and tumor burden and prolong survival. Collectively, our findings establish RAD52 as a promising therapeutic target to overcome PARP inhibitor resistance in BRCA2-mutated ovarian cancer and offer mechanistic insights to inform future clinical strategies.

Journal Article

EnsMart: a generic system for fast and flexible access to biological data.

The EnsMart system (www.ensembl.org/EnsMart) provides a generic data warehousing solution for fast and flexible querying of large biological data sets and integration with third-party data and tools. The system consists of a query-optimized database and interactive, user-friendly interfaces. EnsMart has been applied to Ensembl, where it extends its genomic browser capabilities, facilitating rapid retrieval of customized data sets. A wide variety of complex queries, on various types of annotations, for numerous species are supported. These can be applied to many research problems, ranging from SNP selection for candidate gene screening, through cross-species evolutionary comparisons, to microarray annotation. Users can group and refine biological data according to many criteria, including cross-species analyses, disease links, sequence variations, and expression patterns. Both tabulated list data and biological sequence output can be generated dynamically, in HTML, text, Microsoft Excel, and compressed formats. A wide range of sequence types, such as cDNA, peptides, coding regions, UTRs, and exons, with additional upstream and downstream regions, can be retrieved. The EnsMart database can be accessed via a public Web site, or through a Java application suite. Both implementations and the database are freely available for local installation, and can be extended or adapted to 'non-Ensembl' data sets.

Animals

Decoding randomly ordered DNA arrays.

We have developed a simple and efficient algorithm to identify each member of a large collection of DNA-linked objects through the use of hybridization, and have applied it to the manufacture of randomly assembled arrays of beads in wells. Once the algorithm has been used to determine the identity of each bead, the microarray can be used in a wide variety of applications, including single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping and gene expression profiling. The algorithm requires only a few labels and several sequential hybridizations to identify thousands of different DNA sequences with great accuracy. We have decoded tens of thousands of arrays, each with 1520 sequences represented at approximately 30-fold redundancy by up to approximately 50,000 beads, with a median error rate of <1 x 10(-4) per bead. The approach makes use of error checking codes and provides, for the first time, a direct functional quality control of every element of each array that is manufactured. The algorithm can be applied to any spatially fixed collection of objects or molecules that are associated with specific DNA sequences.

Algorithms

Prenatal exome sequencing of fetuses with central nervous system anomalies based on prenatal ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging diagnosis: A retrospective cohort study with a systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Fetal central nervous system (CNS) abnormalities have diverse etiologies, with genetic factors as a major contributor. Prenatal exome sequencing (ES) is a powerful tool for precise molecular diagnosis of CNS anomalies, but its diagnostic yield varies among studies. This study aimed to evaluate the additional diagnostic yield of prenatal ES compared with chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) in fetuses with CNS anomalies detected by prenatal imaging. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We collected ES results from fetuses diagnosed with CNS anomalies by prenatal imaging (2019-2024) who had negative results. Subgroup analyses assessed phenotype-specific ES diagnostic yield for associated genes and variants. A systematic review and meta-analysis incorporating our data and published studies further explored the association between phenotype and diagnostic yield. RESULTS: In the cohort study of 219 cases, ES identified pathogenic/likely pathogenic single nucleotide variations in 36 cases (16%). The highest diagnostic yield of ES was in cases with multisystem malformations (25%, 14/55), followed by multiple CNS anomalies (15%, 2/13) and isolated CNS anomalies (13%, 20/151). The most commonly identified isolated CNS anomaly was agenesis of the corpus callosum (31%, 5/16). Neural tube defects with urogenital anomalies were associated with a positive ES finding in 57% (4/7) of cases. The meta-analysis of 989 cases from 22 studies showed a pooled diagnostic yield of ES of 27% (95% CI, 21%-34%). The highest diagnostic yield of ES was in cases of corpus callosum anomalies with facial abnormalities (75%, 8/11) and neural tube defects with urogenital malformations (80%, 12/15). The diagnostic yield of ES for three or more CNS abnormalities was 43% (95% CI, 31%-58%), significantly higher than that for only two abnormalities (10%, 95% CI, 4%-18%). No significant difference in diagnostic yield was found between cases identified by prenatal MRI combined with ultrasound (27%, 95% CI, 20%-36%) and those identified by ultrasound alone (25%, 95% CI, 17%-35%). CONCLUSIONS: ES provided a significantly higher diagnostic yield than CMA for fetal CNS abnormalities, with diagnostic yields varying by phenotype. The systematic review and meta-analysis confirmed that the complexity and combination of malformations are key factors associated with differences in ES diagnostic yield.

Humans

Elucidating the Role of SET as a Key Contributor to Neurodevelopmental Disability Within the 9q34.11 Deletion Syndrome Interval.

The 9q34.11 chromosomal region contains multiple neurodevelopmental genes involved in synaptic transmission, axonal structure and neuronal maturation. Pathogenic microdeletions, duplications and single nucleotide variants in numerous genes were previously linked with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). Amongst them, SET has recently been implicated in a rare NDD with speech delay and facial dysmorphism. This study reports a female with a heterozygous de novo deletion impacting SET but not other NDD-associated genes at 9q34.11. The proband was initially diagnosed with atypical Rett syndrome with overlapping clinical features of SET haploinsufficiency. The deletion was confirmed using microarray and long-read sequencing. Subsequent quantitative proteomic evaluation identified a significant decrease of SET protein in patient-derived fibroblasts compared to control lines. This study provides insights into the proband's clinical course over their 28 year diagnostic odyssey, and emphasises the benefits of early speech therapy interventions. The proband had no functional speech, but regained the capacity to meaningfully communicate and articulate a limited vocabulary in adulthood, concordant with other reported non-paediatric cases of SET-NDD. This study expands current knowledge on the genotypic and phenotypic spectra of SET-NDD, and pinpoints a smaller 9q34.11 critical region excluding upstream NDD-associated genes, STXBP1 and SPTAN1, implicating SET as a significant NDD-associated gene.

Humans

MET expression by immunohistochemistry as a biomarker in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours.

INTRODUCTION: MET (c-MET) is a receptor tyrosine kinase implicated in numerous cancers, including pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours (pNETs), by promoting cell proliferation, survival, invasion and angiogenesis. Recognizing its oncogenic potential, there is significant interest in MET-targeted therapies for malignancies like pNETs, which often develop treatment resistance. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) has become a practical method for detecting MET overexpression in cancers. This study evaluates MET expression in pNETs by IHC and assesses its correlation with prognostic variables and survival outcomes. METHODS AND RESULTS: Tissue microarrays containing well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumours from the gastrointestinal tract were analysed. The study included 125 pNET cores from 112 patients after application of inclusion criteria. MET expression was determined using the H-score system. Different variables were assessed for H-score distribution and cross-tables. Survival analyses were conducted based on progression-free survival and overall survival. Positive MET expression was found in 83.5% of cases. Higher MET H-scores were seen in patients with lymphovascular invasion (LVI), distant metastases and higher tumour grade (P&#x2009;<&#x2009;0.05). When assessing different variables for higher MET H-scores, a significant association emerged at the 150-cut-off-point for LVI, perineural invasion, radiological evidence of progression and overall survival. For survival analysis, at a MET H-score threshold of 200, high MET expression was significantly associated with shorter progression-free survival (mean 8.7 versus 13.4&#x2009;years, P&#x2009;<&#x2009;0.05) and overall survival (mean 3.6 versus 7.7&#x2009;years, P&#x2009;<&#x2009;0.05). CONCLUSION: Elevated MET expression is linked to adverse histopathological features and worse clinical outcomes in pNET. Standardizing MET IHC evaluation is critical as anti-MET therapies develop, and identifying patients likely to benefit from these treatments remains essential.

MET protein

Simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) cake fermentation: A new, sustainable technology for advanced skin and scalp care ingredients.

OBJECTIVE: Simmondsia chinensis is a well-known commercially popular plant from which jojoba oil is extracted. Jojoba cake is a sustainably produced, intractable by-product of the jojoba seed oil extraction currently used principally as a fertilizer or burned as fuel. Fermentation work conducted with various microorganisms, including Lactobacillus plantarum, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Streptococcus thermophilus, sustainably grown on aqueous jojoba cake fermented the cake, liberating jojoba-based amino acids, peptides and proteins. The ferments have been examined chemically and via in&#xa0;vitro cell and tissue studies to develop new skin and scalp care targeted ingredients. METHODS: The jojoba cake contained nutrients (proteins, sugars and lipids) that self-sustain aqueous bacterial fermentation. The ferments were examined on 3D tissue models in&#xa0;vitro via human genomic microarrays. A ferment produced by Lactobacillus plantarum was further tested in&#xa0;vitro using ELISA protein assays on skin cell cultures. A 56-day clinical study on 46 individuals examined the influence of 1.0% of the Lactobacillus ferment on collagen expression using Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS). RESULTS: Gene responses were measured on 244+ genes known to have skin functions. It was found that the Lactobacillus ferment showed the greatest upregulation of skin-associated genes, and three highly upregulated proteins were examined more closely in&#xa0;vitro using ELISA protein assays: collagen-1A1, protocadherin-18 and opioid growth factor receptor. Each protein was upregulated in a dose-dependent fashion. The collagen analysis by DRS demonstrated a statistically significant increase in collagen fluorescence on Day 28 and Day 56 compared to baseline and placebo cream. Further mapping of the collagen fluorescence was done on the individuals using the active formulation at Days 0, 28 and 56. CONCLUSION: Jojoba cake presents a new source of sustainably grown biomass, but the cake is not suitable for topical applications. Fermentation produces components more suitable for topical care. In&#xa0;vitro studies demonstrated upregulation of three skin proteins associated with healing skin. Further studies also employed a newly emerging spectroscopic technique to measure collagen fluorescence in the skin in&#xa0;vivo, the results supporting in&#xa0;vitro work indicating the ferment made with Lactobacillus was able to stimulate collagen synthesis in the skin.

Lactobacillus

Expanding the Clinical Spectrum of DHX30-Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder: A Case Report and a Scoping Review.

BACKGROUND: Whole exome sequencing (WES) has improved diagnostic rates for neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) while introducing challenges in novel variant interpretation. DHX30-related NDD (DHX30-NDD) is a recently described condition with an evolving phenotypic spectrum. OBJECTIVES: To expand the understanding of the DHX30-NDD genotype-phenotype spectrum by integrating a case-based WES interpretation with a scoping review. METHODS: We performed comprehensive genetic analysis (karyotyping, microarray, WES) on a proband with global developmental delay (GDD). A systematic literature search of PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus and Google Scholar from database inception to April 2026 identified 10 publications including 51 individuals with DHX30-NDD. Clinical and genetic data were extracted to characterize the genotype-phenotype spectrum. RESULTS: The proband presented with GDD and right microtia, harbouring a de novo heterozygous pathogenic DHX30 missense variant (c.1478G&#x2009;>&#x2009;A; p.Arg493His), confirming DHX30-NDD. To our knowledge, this is the first reported individual with DHX30-NDD and microtia. The scoping review confirmed DHX30 variants are formed predominantly de novo and affected both sexes (22 males; 29 females). Hallmark manifestations were motor delay (50/51; 98.0%), GDD/ID (48/49; 98.0%), hypotonia (48/51; 94.1%), feeding difficulties (38/51; 74.5%), ataxia (17/23; 73.9%), abnormal brain imaging (36/49; 73.5%) and absent expressive language (35/48; 72.9%). Digital anomalies (31/51; 60.8%), eye anomalies (28/51; 54.9%), autistic behaviours (24/44; 54.5%), sleep disturbances (26/51; 51.0%), joint hypermobility (25/51; 49.0%), microcephaly (23/51; 45.1%) and ear anomalies (22/51; 43.1%) were also frequent. CONCLUSIONS: This study potentially expands the phenotypic spectrum of DHX30-NDD, highlights the clinical utility of WES for diagnosing GDD and underscores the importance of ongoing WES reanalysis for evolving variant interpretation.

DHX30

MAdLandExpression: integrating sexual reproduction into the Physcomitrium patens expression atlas.

Physcomitrium patens is a bryophyte model system particularly valuable for evolutionary developmental and comparative genomics studies. Sexual reproduction in bryophytes offers unique insights into the evolution of land plant reproduction. Unlike seed plants, bryophytes have a dominant gametophyte phase and provide significant advantages for studying sexual reproduction, such as the possibility to maintain embryo-lethal mutants through vegetative propagation or the presence of motile male gametes. More than 25&#x2009;years after the first publications of transcriptomic data for P. patens, expression data of most developmental stages of P. patens as well as its responses to various biotic and abiotic perturbations have been represented by microarrays or RNA-seq datasets. To facilitate the use of such data, we introduce the MAdLandExpression atlas as a successor of PEATmoss (Physcomitrium Expression Atlas Tool), integrating its 109 P. patens expression experiments and expanding it with 20 recently published RNA-seq samples of sexual reproduction stages, thus completing the coverage of the P. patens life cycle. The MAdLandExpression atlas also introduces new features for data visualization and analysis, such as the comparison of samples from multiple datasets and gene set normalization. Using this tool, the sexual reproduction dataset was analyzed, identifying genes potentially important for egg and sperm cell development, and confirming the behavior of known key genes in sexual development observed in previous studies.

Bryopsida

Multi-level aggregation analysis of microbiome composition and host gene expression reveals associations with systemic and local immunity.

The human gut microbiome plays a critical role in immune regulation, yet the molecular links between microbiome composition and host gene expression remain incompletely understood. We analyzed associations between host gene expression and microbiome composition in a cohort of 315 healthy individuals, integrating microarray-based gene expression data from three intestinal sites (ileum, transverse colon, and rectum) and six immune cell types with microbiome sequencing data. Using a hierarchical feature aggregation strategy combining principal component analysis, clustering, and covariate correction, we discovered significant associations primarily related to immunity. While microbial profiles were similar across the three intestinal sites, the transverse colon yielded the most "microbiome-host gene expression" associations. Among the immune cell types, CD8+ cells showed the highest number of associations. The first principal component of microbiome composition, reflecting a gradient from commensals (e.g., Ruminococcaceae and Christensenellaceae) to proinflammatory taxa ([Ruminococcus] gnavus and Lachnoclostridium), correlated with the expression of TNF-&#x3b1;-linked genes (HMOX1, CPI17, HSD3B2, and SLC5A1). Among individual genera, Catenibacterium abundance was associated with gene expression in both intestinal and immune cells, including negative associations with MRPS21 (related to mitochondrial function) in the transverse colon and with CD8+ gene programs related to T cell differentiation. These findings align with emerging evidence implicating mitochondrial dysfunction in intestinal inflammation. Our results identify multi-level associations between the gut microbiome and host gene expression, suggesting potential mechanisms by which microbiota shape local and systemic immunity and vice versa. The implicated genes and taxa represent candidates for experimental validation to improve understanding of host-microbiome homeostasis and its disruption in disease.IMPORTANCEThe gut microbiome and immune system are engaged in a complex interplay throughout human life. While most associative studies focus on case-control comparisons-typically examining patients with conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease or metabolic diseases-less is known about the molecular links between the microbiome and immune system in healthy individuals. In this study of a large cohort of healthy individuals, we addressed this gap by applying multiscale modeling to tackle the high dimensionality of host-microbiome data. We identified multi-level associations between microbiome composition and host gene expression in both intestinal tissues and immune cells. These findings offer a valuable reference for understanding baseline host-microbiome communication and highlight molecular candidates-such as TNF-&#x3b1;-related genes and mitochondrial pathways-for future experimental validation.

Humans

Similarities and differences between smoking-related gene expression in nasal and bronchial epithelium.

Previous studies have shown that physiological responses to cigarette smoke can be detected via bronchial airway epithelium gene expression profiling and that heterogeneity in this gene expression response to smoking is associated with lung cancer. In this study, we sought to determine the similarity of the effects of tobacco smoke throughout the respiratory tract by determining patterns of smoking-related gene expression in paired nasal and bronchial epithelial brushings collected from 14 healthy nonsmokers and 13 healthy current smokers. Using whole genome expression arrays, we identified 119 genes whose expression was affected by smoking similarly in both bronchial and nasal epithelium, including genes related to detoxification, oxidative stress, and wound healing. While the vast majority of smoking-related gene expression changes occur in both bronchial and nasal epithelium, we also identified 27 genes whose expression was affected by smoking more dramatically in bronchial epithelium than nasal epithelium. Both common and site-specific smoking-related gene expression profiles were validated using independent microarray datasets. Differential expression of select genes was also confirmed by RT-PCR. That smoking induces largely similar gene expression changes in both nasal and bronchial epithelium suggests that the consequences of cigarette smoke exposure can be measured in tissues throughout the respiratory tract. Our findings suggest that nasal epithelial gene expression may serve as a relatively noninvasive surrogate to measure physiological responses to cigarette smoke and/or other inhaled exposures in large-scale epidemiological studies.

Adult

SPEN inactivation drives resistance to androgen receptor pathway inhibitors in metastatic prostate cancer.

PURPOSE: Treatment intensification with androgen receptor pathway inhibitors (ARPIs) has become the standard of care for patients with metastatic prostate cancer. However, there remains an unmet need to identify biomarkers for treatment resistance. Here, we identify SPEN inactivation as a driver of ARPI resistance. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Pre-clinical studies were performed in LNCaP and VCaP cell lines. Data from a nationwide prostate cancer clinico-genomic database were extracted. Log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards models were used to compare time to next treatment (TTNT) on ARPI with/without SPEN mutations. SPEN immunohistochemistry was performed on a rapid autopsy metastatic tissue microarray. RESULTS: SPEN was identified as a top enzalutamide resistance hit in an unbiased genome-wide loss-of-function screen. SPEN inactivation results in upregulation of cell cycle proliferation and basal/stem cell activity as well as increased translation of pro-oncogenic genes. In a large patient cohort (N=6828), SPEN mutations are enriched following treatment with ARPIs (2.1% to 3.6%, p=0.001) and correlate with shorter TTNT on ARPI in patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (6.4 vs 29.7 months, HR 2.67, p=0.02). In a metastatic rapid autopsy cohort (N=181), low SPEN H-score is associated with shorter time on abiraterone (5.0 vs 7.9 months, p=0.023) in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. CONCLUSIONS: In real-world cohorts, loss of SPEN function across genomic, transcriptomic, and protein levels is associated with reduced benefit from ARPI therapy in metastatic prostate cancer. These findings identify SPEN inactivation as a clinically relevant biomarker of ARPI resistance that warrants prospective evaluation to guide treatment selection.

Journal Article

Target Antigen Identification for Antibody Drug Conjugate Therapy in Biliary Tract Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Data on antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) target expression prevalence, intertumoral heterogeneity, genomic concordance, and its effect on clinical outcomes is limited in biliary tract cancers (BTC). METHODS: Resected primary BTC specimens, and when available, matched metastatic samples were assembled into tissue microarrays and tested for CLDN18.2, c-MET, Nectin-4, TROP2, and HER2 expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC). A subset underwent targeted next-generation sequencing using MSK-IMPACT (NCT01775072). Exploratory associations of target expression with clinicopathologic parameters, genomic alterations, recurrence-free (RFS), and overall (OS) survival were evaluated. RESULTS: 65 patients with resected BTC and 18 paired metastatic sites were identified-43% extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, 40% intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, and 17% gallbladder cancer. All evaluated target antigens were expressed; percent positivity and H-score &#x2265;200 were: TROP2 (83%, 26%), c-MET (75%, 26%), Nectin-4 (66%, 35%), and CLDN18.2 (46%, 7.7%). HER2 overexpression occurred in 3.1% of tumors. Overall agreement among paired primary and metastatic samples on calling either positive or negative ranged from 43% to 75% with the highest observed for HER2 [75%; &#x3ba;=0.29 (95%CI: -0.32 to 0.91)] and TROP2 (71%; &#x3ba; not available) and lowest for c-MET, CLDN18.2, and Nectin-4. Frequently altered genes included TP53 (36%), SMAD4 (27%), ELF3 (21%). We observed no significant association between target antigen expression with genomics, RFS, or OS. CONCLUSIONS: BTC displays frequent but heterogeneous expression of multiple ADC targets. These hypothesis generating findings suggest inherent complexity of target protein quantification, target threshold determination, and target sampling discordance. Future studies will be required to refine our understanding the utlitiy of ADCs in BTC.

Journal Article