Dental pulp stem cells as a promising model to study imprinting diseases / 国际口腔科学杂志·英文版

Parental imprinting is an epigenetic process leading to monoallelic expression of certain genes depending on their parental origin. Imprinting diseases are characterized by growth and metabolic issues starting from birth to adulthood. They are mainly due to methylation defects in imprinting control region that drive the abnormal expression of imprinted genes. We currently lack relevant animal or cellular models to unravel the pathophysiology of growth failure in these diseases. We aimed to characterize the methylation of imprinting regions in dental pulp stem cells and during their differentiation in osteogenic cells (involved in growth regulation) to assess the interest of this cells in modeling imprinting diseases. We collected dental pulp stem cells from five controls and four patients (three with Silver-Russell syndrome and one with Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome). Methylation analysis of imprinting control regions involved in these syndromes showed a normal profile in controls and the imprinting defect in patients. These results were maintained in dental pulp stem cells cultured under osteogenic conditions. Furthermore, we confirmed the same pattern in six other loci involved in imprinting diseases in humans. We also confirmed monoallelic expression of H19 (an imprinted gene) in controls and its biallelic expression in one patient. Extensive imprinting control regions methylation analysis shows the strong potential of dental pulp stem cells in modeling imprinting diseases, in which imprinting regions are preserved in culture and during osteogenic differentiation. This will allow to perform in vitro functional and therapeutic tests in cells derived from dental pulp stem cells and generate other cell-types.

Clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis of regions of homozygosity and uniparental disomy / 中华医学遗传学杂志

The overall prevalence of uniparental disomy (UPD) across all chromosomes was estimated to be around one birth in 2000. To date, more than 4170 UPD cases have been registered. UPD for chromosomes 6, 7, 11, 14, 15, and 20 can result in clinically recognizable imprinting disorders due to abnormal levels of imprinted gene expression. For other chromosomes, the clinical consequences associated with UPD are not apparent, unless when a recessive genetic disorder is unmasked by UPD or regions of homozygosity (ROH). A clinical practice guideline will assist in strengthening the precise analysis and interpretation of the clinical significance of ROH/UPD. This guideline summarizes the conception, mechanism and clinical consequences of ROH/UPD, as well as the principles for data analysis, with an aim to standardize the clinical application and data interpretation.

Clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis of regions of homozygosity and uniparental disomy / 中华医学遗传学杂志

The overall prevalence of uniparental disomy (UPD) across all chromosomes was estimated to be around one birth in 2000. To date, more than 4170 UPD cases have been registered. UPD for chromosomes 6, 7, 11, 14, 15, and 20 can result in clinically recognizable imprinting disorders due to abnormal levels of imprinted gene expression. For other chromosomes, the clinical consequences associated with UPD are not apparent, unless when a recessive genetic disorder is unmasked by UPD or regions of homozygosity (ROH). A clinical practice guideline will assist in strengthening the precise analysis and interpretation of the clinical significance of ROH/UPD. This guideline summarizes the conception, mechanism and clinical consequences of ROH/UPD, as well as the principles for data analysis, with an aim to standardize the clinical application and data interpretation.

Síndrome de Silver-Russell. Aspectos clínicos y etiopatológicos de una entidad ejemplo de impronta genómica / Silver-Russell syndrome. Clinical and etiopathological aspects of a model genomic imprinting entity

El síndrome de Silver-Russell se caracteriza por retraso del crecimiento intrauterino asimétrico, con circunferencia craneal normal, barbilla pequeña y puntiaguda, que proporciona un aspecto de rostro triangular. Puede, además, presentar asimetría corporal, entre otros. Tiene una incidencia mundial estimada de 1 en 30 000-100 000 nacimientos, aunque este número es, probablemente, subestimado. En alrededor del 60 % de los casos, se puede identificar una causa molecular y la principal es la hipometilación del alelo paterno en la región de control de impresión 1 localizado en 11p15.5-p15.4. Realizar el diagnóstico de esta entidad, excluir los diagnósticos diferenciales y conocer las correlaciones (epi)genotipo-fenotipo son necesarios para realizar el adecuado seguimiento, brindar las opciones terapéuticas disponibles y el oportuno asesoramiento genético familiar. El objetivo del presente artículo es mostrar el estado actual del síndrome de Silver-Russell, un ejemplo de trastorno de impronta genómica.

Silver-Russell syndrome is characterized by asymmetrical intrauterine growth retardation, with normal head circumference and small, pointed chin, which results in a triangular face. It can also include body asymmetry, among other characteristics. Its global incidence is estimated at 1 in 30 000-100 000 births, even though this figure may be underestimated. In approximately 60 % of cases, a molecular cause can be identified, and the main one is hypomethylation of the paternal allele at the imprinting control region 1 located at 11p15.5-p15.4. It is necessary to make the diagnosis of this entity, exclude differential diagnoses, and know (epi)genotype-phenotype correlations in order to ensure an adequate follow-up, provide available therapeutic options, and offer a timely family genetic counseling. The objective of this article is to describe the current status of the Silver-Russell syndrome, a model of genomic imprinting disorder.

Imprinting genes modified parthenogenetic embryonic stem cells produce full-term mouse via tetraploid complementation / 生物工程学报

Parthenogenetic embryonic stem cells (pESCs) derived from bi-maternal genomes do not have competency of tetraploid complementation, due to lacking of paternal imprinting genes. To make pESCs possess fully development potentials and similar pluripotency to zygote-derived ESCs, we knocked out one allelic gene of the two essential maternal imprinting genes (H19 and IG) in their differentially methylated regions (DMR) via CRISPR/Cas9 system and obtained double knock out (DKO) pESCs. Maternal pESCs had similar morphology, expression levels of pluripotent makers and in vitro neural differentiation potentials to zygotes-derived ESCs. Besides that, DKO pESCs could contribute to full-term fetuses through tetraploid complementation, proving that they held fully development potentials. Derivation of DKO pESCs provided a type of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) matched pluripotent stem cells, which would benefit research in regenerative medicine.

Alteration of Genomic Imprinting Status of Human Parthenogenetic Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells during Neural Lineage Differentiation

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Genomic imprinting modulates growth and development in mammals and is associated with genetic disorders. Although uniparental embryonic stem cells have been used to study genomic imprinting, there is an ethical issue associated with the destruction of human embryos. In this study, to investigate the genomic imprinting status in human neurodevelopment, we used human uniparental induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) that possessed only maternal alleles and differentiated into neural cell lineages. METHODS: Human somatic iPSCs (hSiPSCs) and human parthenogenetic iPSCs (hPgiPSCs) were differentiated into neural stem cells (NSCs) and named hSi-NSCs and hPgi-NSCs respectively. DNA methylation and gene expression of imprinted genes related neurodevelopment was analyzed during reprogramming and neural lineage differentiation. RESULTS: The DNA methylation and expression of imprinted genes were altered or maintained after differentiation into NSCs. The imprinting status in NSCs were maintained after terminal differentiation into neurons and astrocytes. In contrast, gene expression was differentially presented in a cell type-specific manner. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that genomic imprinting should be determined in each neural cell type because the genomic imprinting status can differ in a cell type-specific manner. In addition, the in vitro model established in this study would be useful for verifying the epigenetic alteration of imprinted genes which can be differentially changed during neurodevelopment in human and for screening novel imprinted genes related to neurodevelopment. Moreover, the confirmed genomic imprinting status could be used to find out an abnormal genomic imprinting status of imprinted genes related with neurogenetic disorders according to uniparental genotypes.

Evolutionary Hypotheses of Mental Disorder and Their Limitations / 생물치료정신의학

Like the body of Hominin, mind is the result of natural selection. Therefore, an evolutionary approach in the biological aspects is essential for an intrinsic understanding of mental disorders. However, the evolutionary medical approach to mental disordershas not been well researched because evolutionary psychiatry is not widely accepted, and the conceptual paradigm has not been unified. Nevertheless, some evolutionary hypotheses about some mental disorders have been proposed, including the following: 1) thesimple disease argument that mental disorder is a mere disease, 2) the genomic lag hypothesis that current genes are incompatible with evolutionary environmental changes, 3) the developmental mismatch hypothesis that brain development cannot reflect entire-information of surrounding environment, 4) the trade-off hypothesis that costs are offset by other adaptive benefits, 5) the by-product hypothesis that mental disorders are inevitable outcome of evolutionary design, 6) the cliff-edge model that the encephalizationin the Hominin caused mental disorders, 7) the inclusive fitness hypothesis that costs of individual are compensated by benefits of kinship, 8) the antagonistic polymorphism hypothesis that differential costs and benefits according to sex or age cause ofpolymorphic psychological traits 9) the heterozygote advantage hypothesis that the heterozygous genotypes have higher relative fitness, so they can persist even though homozygous genotypes cause mental disorders, and 10) a genomic imprinting hypothesis that conflicts between maternal genes and paternal genes cause mental disorders. I will summarize and compare the evolutionary hypotheses of mental disorders and present the lim itations of each hypothesis.

Research progress on uniparental disomy in cancer / 浙江大学学报·医学版

Uniparental disomy (UPD) refers to a chromosome defect that an individual's homologous chromosome or segments are inherited from one parent. UPD can cause either aberrant patterns of genomic imprinting or homozygosity of mutations, leading to various diseases, including cancer. The mechanisms of UPD formation are diverse but largely due to the incorrect chromosome separation during cell division. UPD does not alter the number of gene copies, thus is difficult to be detected by conventional cytogenetic techniques effectively. Assisted by the new techniques such as single nucleotide polymorphism arrays, more and more UPD-related cases have been reported recently. UPD events are non-randomly distributed across cancer types, which play important role in the occurrence, development and metastasis of cancer. Here we review the research progress on the formation mechanisms, detection methods, the involved chromosomal regions and genes, and clinical significance of UPD; and also discuss the directions for future studies in this field.

Methylation status of H19/IGF2 differentially methylated region in in vitro human blastocysts donated by healthy couples

Backgrund: Imprinted genes are a unique subset of few genes, which have been differentially methylated region [DMR] in a parental origin-dependent manner during gametogenesis, and these genes are highly protected during pre-implantation epigenetic reprogramming. Several studies have shown that the particular vulnerability of imprinting genes during suboptimal pre- and peri-conception micro-environments often is occurred by assisted reproduction techniques [ART]. This study investigated the methylation status of H19/IGF2 DMR at high-quality expanding/expanded human blastocysts donated by healthy individuals to evaluate the risks linked to ART

Method: Methylation levels of H19/IGF2 DMR were analyzed by bisulfite conversion and sequencing at 18 CpG sites [CpGs] located in this region

Result: The overall percentage of methylated CpGs and the proportion of hyper-methylated clones of H19/IGF2 DMR in analyzed blastocysts were 37.85 +/- 4.87% and 43.75 +/- 5.1%, respectively. For validation of our technique, the corresponding methylation levels of peripheral human lymphocytes were defined [49.52 +/- 1.86% and 50%, respectively]

Conclusion: Considering the absence of in vivoproduced human embryos, it is not possible to conclude that the methylation found in H19/IGF2 DMR is actually normal or abnormal. Regarding the possible risks associated with ART, the procedures should be optimized in order to at least reduce some of the epigenetic risks

Effects of obesity on global genome DNA methylation and gene imprinting in mouse spermatozoa / 中华男科学杂志

Objective@#To investigate the influence of high fat diet-induced obesity (HFDIO) on the differentially methylated region (DMR) of the imprinted gene and global genome methylation of sperm DNA.@*METHODS@#We performed bisulfite sequencing on the DMR of the imprinted gene and global genome methylation of sperm DNA in the mouse model of HFDIO.@*RESULTS@#No statistically significant differences were found between the HFDIO model and normal control mice in MEG3-IG (93.73 vs 97.26%, P = 0.252), H19 (98.00 vs 97.83%, P = 0.920), IGF2 (97.34 vs 96.25%, P =0.166), IGF2R (1.43 vs 1.11%, P = 0.695), PEG3 (0.19 vs 0.38%, P = 0.537), MEST (0.23 vs 0.68%, P = 0.315), NNAT (0.31 vs 0.00%, P = 0.134), or SNRPN (1.88 vs 3.13%, P = 0.628). A total of 8 942 DMRs were detected across the sperm genome (P <0.05). Gene functional enrichment analysis indicated that the enriched terms with the largest numbers of genes were the metabolic process (n = 1 482), RNA synthesis (n = 779), and transcription (n = 767).@*CONCLUSIONS@#The methylation level underwent no significant change in the DMRs of the imprinted genes from the mice with HFDIO, but the CG methylation of the genes involved in the metabolic process, RNA synthesis and transcription were significantly altered.

Genetic analysis of two pediatric patients with Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome / 中华医学遗传学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the genetic cause for two children with omphalocele.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The patients were examined, and the medical history of their families was collected. Methylation-specific multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MS-MLPA) was performed to detect potential mutation in the patients.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Loss of methylation of imprinting center 2 (IC2) at the 11p15.5 region of the maternal chromosome was detected in both children.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The two patients were diagnosed with Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome by MS-MLPA. The loss of methylation of IC2 probably underlies the disease in both patients.</p>

Mutações inativadoras no gene MKRN3 são causa de puberdade precoce central familial / Inactivating mutations in the MKRN3 gene are cause of familial central precocious puberty

A maioria dos casos de puberdade precoce central (PPC) em meninas permanece idiopática. A hipótese de uma causa genética vem se fortalecendo após a descoberta de alguns genes associados a este fenótipo, sobretudo aqueles implicados com o sistema kisspeptina (KISS1 e KISS1R). Entretanto, apenas casos isolados de PPC foram relacionados à mutação na kisspeptina ou em seu receptor. Até recentemente, a maioria dos estudos genéticos em PPC buscava genes candidatos selecionados com base em modelos animais, análise genética de pacientes com hipogonadismo hipogonadotrófico, ou ainda, nos estudos de associação ampla do genoma. Neste trabalho, foi utilizado o sequenciamento exômico global, uma metodologia mais moderna de sequenciamento, para identificar variantes associadas ao fenótipo de PPC. Trinta e seis indivíduos com a forma de PPC familial (19 famílias) e 213 casos aparentemente esporádicos foram inicialmente selecionados. A forma familial foi definida pela presença de mais de um membro afetado na família. DNA genômico foi extraído dos leucócitos do sangue periférico de todos os pacientes. O estudo de sequenciamento exômico global realizado pela técnica ILLUMINA, em 40 membros de 15 famílias com PPC, identificou mutações inativadoras em um único gene, MKRN3, em cinco dessas famílias. Pesquisa de mutação no MKRN3 realizada por sequenciamento direto em duas famílias adicionais (quatro pacientes) identificou duas novas variantes nesse gene. O MKRN3 é um gene de um único éxon, localizado no cromossomo 15 em uma região crítica para a síndrome de Prader Willi. O gene MKRN3 sofre imprinting materno, sendo expresso apenas pelo alelo paterno. A descoberta de mutações em pacientes com PPC familial despertou o interesse para a pesquisa de mutações nesse gene em 213 pacientes com PPC aparentemente esporádica por meio de reação em cadeia de polimerase seguida de purificação enzimática e sequenciamento automático direto (Sanger). Três novas mutações e duas...

Most cases of central precocious puberty (CPP) in girls remain idiopathic. The hypothesis of a genetic cause has been strengthened after the discovery of some genes associated with this phenotype, particularly those involved with the kisspeptin system (KISS1 and KISS1R). However, genetic defects in KISS1 and its receptor are rare and have been identified in only a few patients with CPP.over the past years. To date, most genetic studies in CPP was based mainly on a candidate gene approach, including genes selected in animal studies, human models of patients with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism or in genome wide association studies. In the present study, we used whole exome sequencing, a more advanced method of sequencing, to identify variants associated with CPP. Thirty-six patients with the familial form of CPP (19 families) and 213 apparently sporadic cases were initially selected. The familial form was defined by the presence of more than one member affected in the family. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood leukocytes in all patients. Whole exome sequencing performed by ILLUMINA technique in 40 members of 15 families with CPP, identified inactivating mutations in a single gene, MKRN3, in five out of these families. Analysis of MKRN3 mutations performed by automatic sequencing in two additional families (four patients) identified two novel mutations. MKRN3 is an introless gene located on chromosome 15, in the Prader Willi syndrome critical region, and it is expressed only by the paternal allele due to the maternal imprinting. Following the initial findings, we searched for MKRN3 mutations in 213 patients with apparently sporadic CPP using polymerase chain reaction followed by direct enzymatic purification and automated sequencing (Sanger). Three new mutations and two previously reported, including four frameshifts and one missense variant was identified in six unrelated girls with CPP. All variants were not described in...

Análise comparativa entre as metodologias de PCR metilação-específica (MSP), southern blot (SB) e FISH utilizadas no diagnóstico genético molecular de pacientes com suspeita clínica das síndromes de Prader-Willi ou Angelman / Comparative analysis of methylation-specific PCR (MSP), southern blot (SB) and FISH in molecular genetic diagnosis of patients with clinical picture suggestive of Prader-Willi or Angelman syndromes

Introdução: Prader-Willi (SPW) e Angelman (SA) são síndromes clinicamente distintas, causadas pela perda de expressão de genes na região cromossômica 15q11.2-q13, de origem paterna ou materna, respectivamente. Ambas compartilham os mesmos métodos diagnósticos. Nossos objetivos foram: a) analisar por PCR metilação-específica (MSP) pacientes com suspeita clínica de SPW/SA; b) comparar resultados de diferentes metodologias de diagnóstico molecular; c) aplicar a técnica MSP na rotina assistencial de pacientes encaminhados ao Serviço de Genética Médica/Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (SGM/HCPA). Métodos: Foram analisados 123 pacientes com suspeita clínica de SPW (n = 71) ou SA (n = 52) por MSP. Desses, 79 possuíam análise prévia por hibridação in situ fluorescente (FISH) e/ou Southern blot (SB). Resultados: Foram detectados 21 casos positivos – 15 de SPW (12,19%) e 6 de SA (4,88%). Nove pacientes tiveram etiologia molecular determinada, sendo sete com diagnóstico de SPW (quatro dissomias uniparentais – UPD15 materna – e três deleções na região 15q11-13) e dois com diagnóstico de SA (um com UPD15 paterna e um com deleção na região 15q11-13). Foram observados resultados equivalentes entre MSP e SB e resultados discrepantes entre MSP e FISH (n = 4). Foram padronizados dois protocolos de MSP para confirmação dos resultados e controle interno de qualidade. Conclusão: O perfil de detecção de cada técnica varia de acordo com o mecanismo etiológico presente. A análise por MSP detecta alterações no padrão de metilação geradas por deleção, UPD e defeitos de imprinting, sem identificar o mecanismo etiológico responsável...

Introduction: Prader-Willi (PWS) and Angelman (AS) are clinically different syndromes caused by loss of expression of genes located on the chromosome 15q11.2-q13, of paternal or maternal origin, respectively. Both syndromes have the same diagnostic methods. The aims of the present study were: a) to perform a molecular analysis of 123 patients with clinical findings suggestive of PWS or AS using methylation-specific PCR (MSP); b) to compare the results obtained using different molecular diagnostic methodologies; c) to standardize MSP to be used in the routine care of patients at Medical Genetics Service/Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (SGM/HCPA). Methods: 123 patients with clinical findings suggestive of PWS (n = 71) or AS (n = 52) were analyzed by MSP. 79 had undergone previous laboratory analysis by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and/or Southern blot (SB). Results: MSP detected 21 positive cases – 15 PWS (12,19%) and 6 AS (4,88%). Molecular etiology was determined in 9 patients only – 7 were diagnosed with PWS (4 had uniparental disomy – maternal UPD15 – and 3 had deletions at 15q11-13) and 2 were diagnosed with AS (1 of paternal UPD15 and 1 deletion at 15q11-13). Comparing both methodologies, it was possible to observe concordant results between MSP and SB and discordant results between MSP and FISH (n = 4). We standardized two MSP methods in order to confirm the results and for internal quality control. Conclusion: The resulting profile of each technique varies according to the existing etiological mechanism. The methylation analysis by MSP technique detects changes on methylation pattern caused by deletion, UPD and imprinting defects, but it does not identify the responsible etiologic mechanism...

Evaluation of a father and son with atypical chronic myeloid leukemia with SETBP1 mutations and a review of the literature

We report the case of a father and son diagnosed with atypical chronic myeloid leukemia (aCML). Both patients harbored SETBP1 mutations, which are present in 24.3% of aCML patients. Moreover, both shared the variant encoding p.Pro737His, but the aCML severity was greater in the son because of the presence of two other missense mutations causing p.Asp868Asn and p.Ser885Arg alterations. SETBP1 mutations may be associated with an adverse prognosis, so their detection would help in the diagnosis of aCML and the determination of a patient's prognosis.

Trofoblasto, impronta y conflicto genómico en gineco-obstetricia / Trophoblast, imprinting and genomic conflict in gynecology-obstetrics

La teoría del Conflicto Genómico es parte de la biología evolutiva y actúa en los mamíferos a través del mecanismo de impronta genética, estos genes cumplen un rol central en el desarrollo fetal y del trofoblasto contribuyendo a un balance entre los requerimientos nutricionales fetales (genes con impronta paterna) y el aporte materno (genes con impronta materna). El desbalance de estos genes tiene implicancias en la etiopatogenia de diversas patologías en Gineco-Obstetricia: en Medicina Fetal (preeclampsia, diabetes gestacional, síndrome de Beckwith-Wiedemann), oncología (mola completa, mola incompleta, teratomas) y fertilidad. Se presenta un caso de displasia mesenquimática placentaria asociado a Beckwith-Wiedemann.

The theory of Genomic Conflict is part of evolutionary biology and acts in mammals through the mechanism of genetic imprinting, these genes play a central role in fetal and trophoblastic development producing a balance between fetal nutritional requirements (genes with paternal imprinting) and maternal supply (genes with maternal imprinting). The imbalance of these genes has implications in the pathogenesis of various diseases in Obstetrics and Gynecology: in Fetal Medicine (preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome), oncology (complete and partial hydatiform mole, teratomas) and fertility. A case of placental mesenchymal dysplasia associated with Beckwith-Wiedemann is presented.

Progress in research on imprinted gene associated with male infertility / 中华医学遗传学杂志

The connection between male infertility and abnormal methylation of imprinted genes has attracted much attention. Some imprinted genes, e.g., H19, MEG3, MEST and SNRPN, are known to be related with male infertility. Abnormal imprinted information may influence sperm concentration, motility and morphology, but the mechanism is still unclear. Sperm genomic imprinting reconstruction and erase respectively occur at the time of spermatogenesis and before embryo transfer. Many studies have shown that the probability of imprinting disorder syndrome of offspring born through assisted reproductive technology (ART) was significantly higher, leading to the worry about the safety of ART and speculation that the operation and in vitro environment may affect sperm imprinted information, which in turn may lead to imprinting diseases in the offspring. However, above connection still lacks convincing evidence. This paper has conducted a literature review of recent literature and explored the impact of abnormal methylation of imprinted genes on male fertility and the offspring.

Stability of XIST repression in relation to genomic imprinting following global genome demethylation in a human cell line

DNA methylation is essential in X chromosome inactivation and genomic imprinting, maintaining repression of XIST in the active X chromosome and monoallelic repression of imprinted genes. Disruption of the DNA methyltransferase genes DNMT1 and DNMT3B in the HCT116 cell line (DKO cells) leads to global DNA hypomethylation and biallelic expression of the imprinted gene IGF2 but does not lead to reactivation of XIST expression, suggesting that XIST repression is due to a more stable epigenetic mark than imprinting. To test this hypothesis, we induced acute hypomethylation in HCT116 cells by 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine (5-aza-CdR) treatment (HCT116-5-aza-CdR) and compared that to DKO cells, evaluating DNA methylation by microarray and monitoring the expression of XIST and imprinted genes IGF2, H19, and PEG10. Whereas imprinted genes showed biallelic expression in HCT116-5-aza-CdR and DKO cells, the XIST locus was hypomethylated and weakly expressed only under acute hypomethylation conditions, indicating the importance of XIST repression in the active X to cell survival. Given that DNMT3A is the only active DNMT in DKO cells, it may be responsible for ensuring the repression of XIST in those cells. Taken together, our data suggest that XIST repression is more tightly controlled than genomic imprinting and, at least in part, is due to DNMT3A.

[Evaluation of imprinting pattern in patients with obsessive- compulsive disorder [OCD] in Sanandaj]

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is [OCD] one of the serious problems which imposes high economic and social expenses on the society. The aim of this study was to identify a probable transmission pattern in the families of the patients with OCD. This cross sectional study included 150 patients in the psychiatric centers in Sanandaj. Diagnosis of the disorder was confirmed by a psychiatrist. History of signs and symptoms of OCD in the maternal and paternal relatives of the patients, including the type, severity and duration of the signs and symptoms were recorded in a questionnaire for every patient. We used descriptive statistics to determine relative and absolute frequencies, and chi-square test to analyze the relationship among the nominal variables. The results of this study showed that contamination and pathological doubt were the most frequent patterns. Washing was the most frequent pattern of obsession which was observed in 42% of the patients. The family history of OCD were18% in paternal and 44.7% in maternal relatives. 35.3% of the patients had no family history of OCD. The results indicated that family history of OCD, especially maternal, is important and OCD is more likely to occur in the subjects with family history of this disorder. However more studies are needed to identify the exact genetic pattern

The Molecular Nature of Very Small Embryonic-Like Stem Cells in Adult Tissues

Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) have been considered as the most important cells in regenerative medicine as they are able to differentiate into all types of cells in the human body. PSCs have been established from several sources of embryo tissue or by reprogramming of terminally differentiated adult tissue by transduction of so-called Yamanaka factors (Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and cMyc). Interestingly, accumulating evidence has demonstrated the residence of PSCs in adult tissue and with the ability to differentiate into multiple types of tissue-committed stem cells (TCSCs). We also recently demonstrated that a population of pluripotent Oct4(+) SSEA-1(+)Sca-1(+)Lin-CD45(-) very small embryonic-like stem cells (VSELs) resides in the adult murine bone marrow (BM) and in other murine tissue. These very small (~3-6 microm) cells express pluripotent markers such as Oct4, Nanog, and SSEA-1. VSELs could be specified into several tissue-residing TCSCs in response to tissue/organ injury, and thus suggesting that these cells have a physiological role in the rejuvenation of a pool of TCSCs under steady-state conditions. In this review article, we discuss the molecular nature of the rare population of VSELs which have a crucial role in regulating the pluripotency, proliferation, differentiation, and aging of these cells.

Transcriptional Profiles of Imprinted Genes in Human Embryonic Stem Cells During In vitro Differentiation

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Genomic imprinting is an inheritance phenomenon by which a subset of genes are expressed from one allele of two homologous chromosomes in a parent of origin-specific manner. Even though fine-tuned regulation of genomic imprinting process is essential for normal development, no other means are available to study genomic imprinting in human during embryonic development. In relation with this bottleneck, differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) into specialized lineages may be considered as an alternative to mimic human development. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this study, hESCs were differentiated into three lineage cell types to analyze temporal and spatial expression of imprinted genes. Of 19 imprinted genes examined, 15 imprinted genes showed similar transcriptional level among two hESC lines and two human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) lines. Expressional patterns of most imprinted genes were varied in progenitors and fully differentiated cells which were derived from hESCs. Also, no consistence was observed in the expression pattern of imprinted genes within an imprinting domain during in vitro differentiation of hESCs into three lineage cell types. CONCLUSIONS: Transcriptional expression of imprinted genes is regulated in a cell type-specific manner in hESCs during in vitro differentiation.