• Molecules and Cells
• /
• 제45권5호
• /
• pp.317-328
• /
• 2022

Trophoblasts, important functional cells in the placenta, play a critical role in maintaining placental function. The heterogeneity of trophoblasts has been reported, but little is known about the trophoblast subtypes and distinctive functions during preeclampsia (PE). In this study, we aimed to gain insight into the cell type-specific transcriptomic changes by performing unbiased single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) of placental tissue samples, including those of patients diagnosed with PE and matched healthy controls. A total of 29,006 cells were identified in 11 cell types, including trophoblasts and immune cells, and the functions of the trophoblast subtypes in the PE group and the control group were also analyzed. As an important trophoblast subtype, extravillous trophoblasts (EVTs) were further divided into 4 subgroups, and their functions were preliminarily analyzed. We found that some biological processes related to pregnancy, hormone secretion and immunity changed in the PE group. We also identified and analyzed the regulatory network of transcription factors (TFs) identified in the EVTs, among which 3 modules were decreased in the PE group. Then, through in vitro cell experiments, we found that in one of the modules, CEBPB and GTF2B may be involved in EVT dysfunction in PE. In conclusion, our study showed the different transcriptional profiles and regulatory modules in trophoblasts between placentas in the control and PE groups at the single-cell level; these changes may be involved in the pathological process of PE, providing a new molecular theoretical basis for preeclamptic trophoblast dysfunction.

• Genomics & Informatics
• /
• 제19권1호
• /
• pp.3.1-3.12
• /
• 2021

Functional interpretation of noncoding genetic variants associated with complex human diseases and traits remains a challenge. In an effort to enhance our understanding of common germline variants associated with lung cancer, we categorize regulatory elements based on eight major cell types of human lung tissue. Our results show that 21.68% of lung cancer-associated risk variants are linked to noncoding regulatory elements, nearly half of which are cell type-specific. Integrative analysis of high-resolution long-range chromatin interactome maps and single-cell RNA-sequencing data of lung tumors uncovers number of putative target genes of these variants and functionally relevant cell types, which display a potential biological link to cancer susceptibility. The present study greatly expands the scope of functional annotation of lung cancer-associated genetic risk factors and dictates probable cell types involved in lung carcinogenesis.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
• /
• 제33권3호
• /
• pp.179-185
• /
• 2003

Purpose: To investigate the effects of irradiation on the phenotypic expression of the MC3T3-El osteoblastic cell line, particularly on the expression of osteocalcin and osteopontin. Materials and Methods: Cells were irradiated with a single dose of 0.5, 1,4, and 8 Gy at a dose rate of 5.38 Gy/min using a cesium 137 irradiator. After the specimens were harvested, RNA was extracted on the 3rd, 7th, 14th, and 21st day after irradiation. The RNA strands were reverse-transcribed and the resulting cDNAs were subjected to amplification by PCR. Results: The irradiated cells demonstrated a dose-dependent increase in osteocalcin and a dose-dependent decrease in osteopontin mRNA expression compared with the non-irradiated control group, The amount of osteocalcin mRNA expression decreased significantly at the 3rd day after irradiation of 0,5, 1,4, and 8 Gy, and also decreased significantly at the 3rd, 14th, and 21 st day after irradiation in the 8 Gy exposed group compared with the control group, The degree of osteopontin mRNA expression increased significantly at the 7th day after irradiation of 0,5, 1,4, and 8Gy, Conclusion: These results showed that each single dose of 0,5, 1, 4, and 8 Gy influenced the mRNA expression of osteocalcin and osteopontin associated with the calcification stage of osteoblastic cells, suggesting that each single dose affected bone formation at the cell level.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
• /
• 제20권4호
• /
• pp.34.1-34.8
• /
• 2020

Cryopreservation and thawing of PBMCs are inevitable processes in expanding the scale of experiments in human immunology. Here, we carried out a fundamental study to investigate the detailed effects of PBMC cryopreservation and thawing on transcriptomes. We sorted Tregs from fresh and cryopreserved/thawed PBMCs from an identical donor and performed single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq). We found that the cryopreservation and thawing process minimally affects the key molecular features of Tregs, including FOXP3. However, the cryopreserved and thawed sample had a specific cluster with up-regulation of genes for heat shock proteins. Caution may be warranted in interpreting the character of any cluster of cells with heat shock-related properties when cryopreserved and thawed samples are used for scRNA-seq.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• 제45권10호
• /
• pp.738-748
• /
• 2022

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has posed a serious threat to global public health. A novel vaccine made from messenger RNA (mRNA) has been developed and approved for use at an unprecedented pace. However, an increased risk of myocarditis has been reported after BNT162b2 mRNA vaccination due to unknown causes. In this study, we used single-cell RNA sequencing and single-cell T cell receptor sequencing analyses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) to describe, for the first time, changes in the peripheral immune landscape of a patient who underwent myocarditis after BNT162b2 vaccination. The greatest changes were observed in the transcriptomic profile of monocytes in terms of the number of differentially expressed genes. When compared to the transcriptome of PBMCs from vaccinated individuals without complications, increased expression levels of IL7R were detected in multiple cell clusters. Overall, results from this study can help advance research into the pathogenesis of BNT162b2-induced myocarditis.

• International Journal of Stem Cells
• /
• 제15권2호
• /
• pp.173-182
• /
• 2022

Background and Objectives: Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) show considerable promise in regenerative medicine. Many studies demonstrated that BMSCs cultured in vitro were highly heterogeneous and composed of diverse cell subpopulations, which may be the basis of their multiple biological characteristics. However, the exact cell subpopulations that make up BMSCs are still unknown. Methods and Results: In this study, we used single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-Seq) to divide 6,514 BMSCs into three clusters. The number and corresponding proportion of cells in clusters 1 to 3 were 3,766 (57.81%), 1,720 (26.40%), and 1,028 (15.78%). The gene expression profile and function of the cells in the same cluster were similar. The vast majority of cells expressed the markers defining BMSCs by flow cytometry and gene expression analysis. Each cluster had at least 20 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). We conducted Gene Ontology enrichment analysis on the top 20 DEGs of each cluster and found that the three clusters had different functions, which were related to self-renewal, multilineage differentiation and cytokine secretion, respectively. In addition, the function of the top 20 DEGs of each cluster was checked by the National Center for Biotechnology Information gene database to further verify our hypothesis. Conclusions: This study indicated that scRNA-Seq can be used to divide BMSCs into different subpopulations, demonstrating the heterogeneity of BMSCs.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• 제42권4호
• /
• pp.356-362
• /
• 2019

The binding of MS2 bacteriophage coat protein (MCP) to MS2 binding site (MBS) RNA stem-loop sequences has been widely used to label mRNA for live-cell imaging at single-molecule resolution. However, concerns have been raised recently from studies with budding yeast showing aberrant mRNA metabolism following the MS2-GFP labeling. To investigate the degradation pattern of MS2-GFP-labeled mRNA in mammalian cells and tissues, we used Northern blot analysis of ${\beta}$-actin mRNA extracted from the Actb-MBS knock-in and $MBS{\times}MCP$ hybrid mouse models. In the immortalized mouse embryonic cell lines and various organ tissues derived from the mouse models, we found no noticeable accumulation of decay products of ${\beta}$-actin mRNA compared with the wild-type mice. Our results suggest that accumulation of MBS RNA decay fragments does not always happen depending on the mRNA species and the model organisms used.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• 제45권9호
• /
• pp.610-619
• /
• 2022

Cellular senescence plays a paradoxical role in tumorigenesis through the expression of diverse senescence-associated (SA) secretory phenotypes (SASPs). The heterogeneity of SA gene expression in cancer cells not only promotes cancer stemness but also protects these cells from chemotherapy. Despite the potential correlation between cancer and SA biomarkers, many transcriptional changes across distinct cell populations remain largely unknown. During the past decade, single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) technologies have emerged as powerful experimental and analytical tools to dissect such diverse senescence-derived transcriptional changes. Here, we review the recent sequencing efforts that successfully characterized scRNA-seq data obtained from diverse cancer cells and elucidated the role of senescent cells in tumor malignancy. We further highlight the functional implications of SA genes expressed specifically in cancer and stromal cell populations in the tumor microenvironment. Translational research leveraging scRNA-seq profiling of SA genes will facilitate the identification of novel expression patterns underlying cancer susceptibility, providing new therapeutic opportunities in the era of precision medicine.

• KSBB Journal
• /
• 제20권4호
• /
• pp.323-327
• /
• 2005

조직을 이용한 역전사 (RT)-PCR법을 이용하면 원하는 특정유전자의 발현을 비교적 정확하게 알 수 있지만 조직의 RNA를 이용하므로 세포단위의 정확한 유전자 발현을 알기에는 한계가 있다. 특히 그 기능과 성질이 다른 세포가 무수하게 많이 혼재하는 두뇌와 같은 조직은 신경계의 각종 뉴런(신경세포), 글리어 (glial cell) 등이 서로 얽혀 있다. 대표적인 신경세포의 degeneration 질병으로는 파킨슨병 (Parkinson's disease; PD)이 있다. 파킨슨병은 사람의 신경세포 관련 질병에 있어서 가장 일반적인 질병의 하나이다. PD의 가장 중요한 원인은 도파민 생성 신경세포의 퇴행 혹은 사멸에 기인하여 도파민 (dopamine)이라는 신경전달물질이 감소하는 것이 그 원인이다. 도파민과 같은 카테콜아민의 생합성에 관련된 효소는 타이로신 하이드록실레이스 (TH), 도파 데카르복실레이스 (DDC) 등이 알려져 있다. 그러나 그런 효소들의 생화학적 연구는 많이 되어 있음에도 불구하고 단일 흑질 신경세포에서의 이들 관련 유전자의 발현 양상에 대해서는 알려진 바가 거의 없다. PD와 관련된 유전자의 발현 정도를 밝히기 위하여, 레이저 다이섹터 (laser micro-dissector)에 의한 단일 신경세포의 분리에 착수하였다. 정해진 방법에 따라 정상 대조구 (비PD)와 PD 환자에서 각각 한 개 또는 여러 개를 성공적으로 분리한 흑질 신경세포를 이용하여 유전자 특이적 프라이머를 사용하여 RT-PCR을 행하였다. 그 결과, 단 한 개의 신경세포에서도 여러 개의 세포를 사용한 것과 같은 동일한 결과를 얻는 데 성공하였다. PD환자의 뇌에서 분리한 10개의 독립적인 세포의 예에서는 각 세포간의 발현차이가 인정되었으며, 특히 TH 유전자의 발현은 상당히 높은 확률로 검출되지 않았다. 이 결과로 단일 신경세포에서의 mRNA양을 검출하기 위해서는 본 본문의 RT-PCR법이 효과적인 방법임을 알 수 있다.

• Genomics & Informatics
• /
• 제11권1호
• /
• pp.55-57
• /
• 2013

Growing numbers of studies employ cell line-based systematic short interfering RNA (siRNA) screens to study gene functions and to identify drug targets. As multiple sources of variations that are unique to siRNA screens exist, there is a growing demand for a computational tool that generates normalized values and standardized scores. However, only a few tools have been available so far with limited usability. Here, we present siMacro, a fast and easy-to-use Microsoft Office Excel-based tool with a graphic user interface, designed to process single-condition or two-condition synthetic screen datasets. siMacro normalizes position and batch effects, censors outlier samples, and calculates Z-scores and robust Z-scores, with a spreadsheet output of >120,000 samples in under 1 minute.