Biology subjects

Shin, J. H.

Publications and source records attributed to Shin, J. H..

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

bioRxiv2020

Single-cell analysis of human trophoblast stem cell specification reveals activation of fetal cytotrophoblast expression programs including coronavirus associated host factors and human endogenous retroviruses

The human placenta is increasingly a focus of research related to early child development and the impact of maternal hyperimmune states. Primary human trophoblast stem cells (hTSC) and human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC) differentiated to hTSC can potentially model placental processes in vitro. Yet, it remains controversial how the differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells to trophectoderm relates to in vivo development and the factors required for this differentiation. Here, we demonstrate that the primed pluripotent state retains potency to generate trophoblast stem cells by activating EGF and WNT and inhibiting TGFb, HDAC and ROCK signaling without exogenous BMP4 (named TS). We map this specification by temporal single cell RNAseq compared to activating BMP4 or activating BMP4 and inhibiting WNT. TS conditions generate a stable proliferating cell type that is highly similar to six-week placental cytotrophoblasts with activation of endogenous retroviral genes and without amnion expression. Multiple primed iPSC and ES lines differentiate to iPS-derived-TSCs that can be passaged for at least 30 passages and differentiate to pure populations of multinucleated syncytiotrophoblasts and extravillous trophoblast cells. Our findings establish that primed iPS cell specification to hTSC with TS conditions involves induction of TMSB4X, BMP5/7, GATA3 and TFAP2A without transitioning through a naive state. Collectively, our results suggest that the primed state is on a continuum of potency and can differentiate to trophoblast stem cells via multiple paths. Significance StatementIn the present study, we map the specification of primed induced pluripotent stem cells to trophoblast stem cells (TSC). Primed iPS-derived-TSC share transcriptional, morphological and functional characteristics with human ex vivo cytotrophoblasts including capacity of self-renewal and the ability to differentiate to pure extravillous and syncytiotrophoblasts. iPS-derived TSC display a uniquely active transcriptional network of human endogenous retroviruses similar to in vivo trophoblast. In addition, the fast conversion of primed iPSC to TSC allows for modeling placental diseases from large pluripotent stem cell cohorts which are traditionally banked at the primed state. Collectively, our results suggest that the primed state is on a continuum of potency which can differentiate to trophoblast stem cells via multiple paths.

developmental biology↗

bioRxiv2020

Fibroblasts close a void in free space by a purse-string mechanism

How stromal cells fill voids in wounded tissue remains one of the most fundamental questions in regenerative medicine. Fibroblasts are known to fill voids by depositing extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins while migrating towards the wound site; however, their ability to adopt an epithelial-like purse-string behaviour remains unexplored. Here, we fabricated an artificial wound with a deep void space to investigate fibroblasts behaviour during gap closure. We found that fibroblasts can form a free-standing bridge on deep microvoids and consequently close the void through the purse-string contraction, which was previously believed to be exclusively an epithelial wound closure mechanism. The results also revealed that the fibroblast gap closure in our fabricated 3D artificial wound depends on myosin II-mediated contractility and intercellular adherent junctions. Our study reveals that stromal cells can gain the structural features of epithelial cells, namely, intercellular contractile rings, to fulfil their functions under the specific microenvironmental conditions of tissue repair. Furthermore, fibroblasts can close artificial wounds with gap widths up to 300 m, approximately twice as large as the critical epithelial gap closure size on non-adherent substrates. Fibroblasts exhibited a zip-up gap closure mechanism with a geometrical size effect. These findings reveal a new mechanism for gap closure by stromal cells during wound healing and pave a way to groundbreaking therapeutic strategies for tissue repair.

biophysics↗

bioRxiv2020

High-resolution positron emission microscopy of patient-derived tumor organoids

Organoid tumor models have found application in a growing array of cancer studies due to their ability to closely recapitulate the structural and functional characteristics of solid tumors. However, organoids are too small to be compatible with common radiological tools used in oncology clinics. Here, we present a microscopy method to image 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose in patient-derived tumor organoids with spatial resolution up to 100-fold better than that of clinical positron emission tomography (PET). When combined with brightfield imaging, this metabolic imaging approach functionally mirrors clinical PET/CT scans and provides a quantitative readout of cell glycolysis. In particular, the specific avidity of a tumor for FDG, or lack thereof, was maintained when the tumor cells were grown ex vivo as tumor organoids. In addition, cisplatin treatment caused a dose-dependent decrease in the metabolic activity of these organoids, with the exception of one patient whose tumor was also resistant to cisplatin treatment. Thus, FDG-imaging of organoids could be used to predict the response of individual patients to different treatments and provide a more personalized approach to cancer care.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2020

Intestinal-derived FGF15 preserves muscle and bone mass following sleeve gastrectomy

Bariatric surgeries such as the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy (VSG) are invasive, but provide the most effective long-term metabolic improvements in obese and Type 2 diabetic patients. These powerful effects of manipulating the gastrointestinal tract point to an important role of gastrointestinal signals in regulating both energy balance and metabolism. To that end, we have used mouse models of VSG to identify key gut signals that mediate these beneficial effects. Preliminary data from our rodent model of VSG led us to hypothesize a potential role for the hormone Fibroblast-Growth Factor15/19 (mouse/human ortholog) which pharmacologically can regulate many aspects of energy homeostasis and glucose handling. FGF15 is expressed in ileal enterocytes of the small intestine and is released postprandially. Like many other gut hormones, postprandial plasma levels in humans and ileal FGF15 expression in mice increase after VSG. We generated intestinal-specific FGF15 knock out (VilCreERT2; Fgf15f/f) mice and controls, which were maintained on 60% high-fat diet. Interestingly, ablation of intestinal FGF15 in adult mice results in little change to body weight or glucose regulation when challenged with a high-fat diet. Unlike what we had predicted, intestinal-specific FGF15 knock out mice lost more weight after VSG and this was a result of increased lean tissue loss compared to control mice. Further, the loss of bone mineral density observed after VSG in control mice was increased in intestinal-specific FGF15 knock out mice. Finally the effect of VSG to reduce hepatic cholesterol was also absent in intestinal-specific FGF15 knock out mice. These data point to an important role for intestinal FGF15 to protect the organism from deleterious effects of rapid weight loss that occurs after VSG.Competing Interest StatementRJS has received research support from Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Zafgen, Novo Nordisk, Kallyope, and MedImmune. RJS has served on scientific advisory boards for Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi, Janssen, Kallyope, Scohia, and Ironwood Pharma. RJS is a stakeholder of Zafgen. KMH is a paid-employee of Novo Nordisk.View Full Text

physiology↗

bioRxiv2020

The role of elevated branched chain amino acids in the potent effects of vertical sleeve gastrectomy to reduce weight and improve glucose regulation in mice

Obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) are growing epidemics resulting in increased morbidity and mortality. An emerging body of evidence has shown that elevated levels of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) and their metabolites are strongly positively associated with obesity, insulin-resistance and T2D. Bariatric surgery is among the best treatments for weight loss and the alleviation of T2D. Additionally, clinical studies have reported that bariatric surgery decreases the circulating levels of BCAA. The objective of these studies was to test the hypothesis that reduced BCAA levels contribute to the metabolic improvements after VSG. We find that, as in humans, circulating BCAA levels are significantly lower in VSG rats and mice compared to Sham controls. In order to increase circulating BCAA levels, we tested mice with either increased dietary intake of BCAA or impaired BCAA catabolism by total body deletion of mitochondrial phosphatase 2C, Pp2cm, a key enzyme in the rate-limiting step in BCAA catabolism. Our results show that a decrease in circulating BCAA levels is not necessary for sustained body weight loss and improved glucose tolerance after VSG. While it is clear that circulating levels of BCAAs are excellent biomarkers for metabolic status, the current data do not support a causal role in determining metabolic regulation and the response to VSG.

physiology↗

bioRxiv2020

Axonal mechanisms mediating GABA-A receptor inhibition of striatal dopamine release

Axons of midbrain dopaminergic neurons innervate the striatum where they contribute to movement and reinforcement learning. Past work has shown that striatal GABA tonically inhibits dopamine release, but whether GABA-A receptors directly modulate transmission or act indirectly through circuit elements is unresolved. Here, we use whole-cell and perforated-patch recordings to test for GABA-A receptors on the main dopaminergic neuron axons and branching processes within striatum. Application of GABA depolarized axons, but also decreased the amplitude of axonal spikes, limited propagation and reduced striatal dopamine release. The mechanism of inhibition involved sodium channel inactivation and shunting. Lastly, we show that the positive allosteric modulator diazepam enhanced GABA-A currents on dopaminergic neuron axons and directly inhibited release, but also likely acts by reducing excitatory drive from cholinergic interneurons. Thus, we reveal the mechanisms of GABA-A receptor modulation of dopamine release and provide new insight into the actions of benzodiazepines within the striatum.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2020

SynGAP splice isoforms differentially regulate synaptic plasticity and dendritic development

SynGAP is a synaptic Ras GTPase-activating protein (GAP) with four C-terminal splice variants: 1, 2, {beta}, and {gamma}. Although recent studies have implicated SYNGAP1 haploinsufficiency in ID/ASD pathogenesis, the degree to which each SynGAP isoform contributes to disease pathogenesis remains elusive. Here we demonstrate that individual SynGAP isoforms exhibit unique spatiotemporal expression and have distinct roles in neuronal and synaptic development. The SynGAP-1 isoform, which undergoes robust liquid-liquid phase-separation with PSD-95 and is highly-enriched in synapses, is expressed late in development and disperses from synaptic spines in response to LTP-inducing synaptic activity to allow for AMPA receptor insertion and spine enlargement. In contrast, the SynGAP-{beta} isoform, which undergoes less liquid-liquid phase-separation with PSD95 and is less synaptically targeted, is expressed early in development and promotes dendritic arborization. Interestingly, a SynGAP-1 mutation that disrupts phase separation and synaptic targeting abolishes its function in plasticity and instead drives dendritic arbor development like the {beta} isoform. These results demonstrate that distinct phase separation and synaptic targeting properties of SynGAP isoforms determine their function. HighlightsO_LISynGAP-1, 2, {beta}, {gamma} isoforms have distinct spatiotemporal expression and function in the brain. C_LIO_LISynGAP-1 is required for plasticity, while {beta} is required for dendritic development. C_LIO_LILiquid-liquid phase separation of SynGAP-1 is required for its role in plasticity. C_LIO_LISynGAP isoforms may differentially contribute to SYNGAP1 related human NDDs. C_LI

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2019

Molecularly-Defined Hippocampal Inputs Regulate Population Dynamics in the Prelimbic Cortex to Suppress Context Fear Memory Recall

Associating fearful events with the context in which they occur is critical for survival. Dysregulation of context-fear memory processing is a hallmark symptom of several neuropsychiatric disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Both the hippocampus and prelimbic subregion (PrL) of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) have been linked with context fear memory recall in rodents, but the mechanisms by which hippocampal-prelimbic circuitry regulates this process remains poorly understood. Spatial and genetic targeting of this circuit in mice allowed us to use molecular profiling to show that hippocampal neurons with projections to the PrL (vHC-PrL projectors) are a transcriptomically-distinct sub-population that is enriched for expression of genes associated with both GAD and PTSD. We further show that stimulation of this population of vHC-PrL projectors suppresses context fear memory recall and impairs the ability of PrL neurons to dynamically distinguish between distinct phases of fear learning. Using transgenic and circuit-specific molecular targeting approaches, we demonstrate that unique patterns of activity-dependent gene transcription within vHC-PrL projectors causally regulate excitatory/inhibitory balance in the PrL during context fear memory recall. Together, our data illuminate the molecular mechanisms by which hippocampal-prelimbic circuitry regulates the retrieval of contextually-mediated fear memories.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2019

Feasibility of real-time in vivo 89Zr-DFO-labeled CAR T-cell trafficking using PET imaging

IntroductionChimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells have been developed recently, producing impressive outcomes in patients with hematologic malignancies. However, there is no standardized method for cell trafficking and in vivo CAR T-cell monitoring. We assessed the feasibility of real-time in vivo 89Zr-p-Isothiocyanatobenzyl-desferrioxamine (Df-Bz-NCS, DFO) labeled CAR T-cell trafficking using positron emission tomography (PET).\n\nResultsThe 89Zr-DFO radiolabeling efficiency of Jurkat/CAR and human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (hPBMC)/CAR T-cells was 70-79%, and cell radiolabeling activity was 98.1-103.6 kBq/106 cells. Cell viability after radiolabeling was >95%. Compared with unlabeled cells, cell proliferation was not significantly different during the early period after injection; however, the proliferative capacity decreased over time (p = 0.02, day 7 after labeling). IL-2 or IFN-{gamma} secretion was not significantly different between unlabeled and labeled CAR T-cells. PET/magnetic resonance images in the xenograft model showed that most of the 89Zr-DFO-labeled Jurkat/CAR T-cells were distributed in the lung (24.4% {+/-} 3.4%ID) and liver (22.9% {+/-} 5.6%ID) by 1 hour after injection. The cells gradually migrated from lung to the liver and spleen by day 1, and remained stably until day 7 (on day 7: lung 3.9% {+/-} 0.3%ID, liver 36.4% {+/-} 2.7%ID, spleen 1.4% {+/-} 0.3%ID). No significant accumulation of labeled cells was identified in tumors. A similar pattern was observed in ex vivo biodistributions on day 7 (lung 3.0% {+/-} 1.0%ID, liver 19.8% {+/-} 2.2%ID, spleen 2.3% {+/-} 1.7%ID). 89Zr-DFO-labeled hPBMC/CAR T-cells showed the similar distribution on serial PET images as Jurkat/CAR T-cells. The distribution of CAR T-cells was cross-confirmed by flow cytometry, Alu polymerase chain reaction, and immunohistochemistry.\n\nConclusionUsing PET imaging of 89Zr-DFO-labeled CAR T-cells, real time in vivo cell trafficking is feasible. It can be used to investigate cellular kinetics, initial in vivo biodistribution, and the safety profile in future CAR T-cell development.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2019

Cell type-specific genetic regulation of expression in the granule cell layer of the human dentate gyrus

Laser capture microdissection followed by RNA-seq (LCM-seq) was used to profile the transcriptional landscape of the granule cell layer of the dentate gyrus (DG-GCL) in human hippocampus, and contrasted to homogenate tissue. We identified widespread cell type-specific aging and genetic effects in the DG-GCL that were either missing or directionally discordant in corresponding bulk hippocampus RNA-seq data from largely the same subjects. Of the [~]9 million eQTLs in the DG-GCL, 15% were not in bulk hippocampus, including 15 schizophrenia genome-wide association study (GWAS) risk variants. We then created custom transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS) genetic weights from the DG-GCL which identified many novel schizophrenia-associated genetic signals not found in TWAS from bulk hippocampus, including GRM3 and CACNA1C. These results highlight the biological resolution of cell type-specific expression profiling using targeted sampling strategies like LCM, and complement homogenate and single nuclei approaches in human brain.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2018

Comprehensive assessment of multiple biases in small RNA sequencing reveals significant differences in the performance of widely used methods

High-throughput sequencing offers advantages over other quantification methods for microRNA (miRNA), yet numerous biases make reliable quantification challenging. Previous evaluations of the biases associated with small RNA sequencing have focused on adapter ligation bias with limited evaluation of reverse transcription or amplification biases. Furthermore, evaluations of the accuracy of quantifications of isomiRs (miRNA isoforms) or the influence of starting amount on performance have been very limited and no study has yet evaluated differences in the quantification of isomiRs of altered length. In addition, no studies have yet compared the consistency of results derived from multiple moderate starting inputs. We therefore evaluated quantifications of miRNA and isomiRs using four library preparation kits, with various starting amounts, as well as quantifications following removal of duplicate reads using unique molecular identifiers (UMIs) to mitigate reverse transcription and amplification biases. All methods resulted in false isomiR detection; however, the adapter-free method tested was especially prone to false isomiR detection. We demonstrate that using UMIs improves accuracy and we provide a guide for input amounts to improve consistency. Our data show differences and limitations of current methods, thus raising concerns about the validity of quantification of miRNA and isomiRs across studies. We advocate for the use of UMIs to improve accuracy and reliability of miRNA quantifications.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2018

Cholinergic interneurons as a novel target of CRF in the striatum that is spared by repeated stress

Acute stressors can stimulate appetitive and exploratory behaviors, not just produce negative affect that impair performance. Corticotropin releasing factor (CRF), which is released in the brain in response to stress, acts on different targets and circuits to mediate both the negative and positive effects of stress. In the nucleus accumbens, CRF facilitates appetitive behavior through mechanisms not fully understood. Here we report that cholinergic interneurons (CINs) are a novel target for CRF actions in the striatum. CRF enhances the spontaneous firing via activation of CRF-type 1 receptors expressed on CINs. This causes the activation muscarinic acetylcholine receptors type 5, which mediate CRF potentiation of dopamine transmission in the striatum. Repeated stress selectively dampens some CRF functions but spare effect on CINs and changes CRF-R1 expression in a cell-specific manner. These data highlight the existence of diverse CRF targets within the striatum, which vary in their resilience to stress.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2018

Divergent neuronal DNA methylation patterns across human cortical development: Critical periods and a unique role of CpH methylation

We have characterized the landscape of DNA methylation (DNAm) across the first two decades of human neocortical development in NeuN+ neurons using whole-genome bisulfite sequencing and compared them to non-neurons (primarily glia) and prenatal homogenate cortex. We show that DNAm changes more dramatically during the first five years of postnatal life than during the entire remaining period. We further refined global patterns of increasingly divergent neuronal CpG and CpH methylation (mCpG and mCpH) into six developmental trajectories and found that in contrast to genome-wide patterns, neighboring mCpG and mCpH levels within these regions were highly correlated. We then integrated paired RNA-seq data and identified direct regulation of hundreds of transcripts and their splicing events exclusively by mCpH levels, independently from mCpG levels, across this period. We finally explored the relationship between DNAm patterns and development of brain-related phenotypes and found enriched heritability for many phenotypes within DNAm features we identify.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2018

Integrated DNA methylation and gene expression profiling across multiple brain regions implicate novel genes in Alzheimer’s disease

BackgroundLate-onset Alzheimers disease (AD) is a complex age-related neurodegenerative disorder that likely involves epigenetic factors. To better understand the epigenetic state associated with AD represented as variation in DNA methylation (DNAm), we surveyed 420,852 DNAm sites from neurotypical controls (N=49) and late-onset AD patients (N=24) across four brain regions (hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and cerebellum).\n\nResultsWe identified 858 sites with robust differential methylation, collectively annotated to 772 possible genes (FDR<5%, within 10kb). These sites were overrepresented in AD genetic risk loci (p=0.00655), and nearby genes were enriched for processes related to cell-adhesion, immunity, and calcium homeostasis (FDR<5%). We analyzed corresponding RNA-seq data to prioritize 130 genes within 10kb of the differentially methylated sites, which were differentially expressed and had expression levels associated with nearby DNAm levels (p<0.05). This validated gene set includes previously reported (e.g. ANK1, DUSP22) and novel genes involved in Alzheimers disease, such as ANKRD30B.\n\nConclusionsThese results highlight DNAm changes in Alzheimers disease that have gene expression correlates, implicating DNAm as an epigenetic mechanism underlying pathological molecular changes associated with AD. Furthermore, our framework illustrates the value of integrating epigenetic and transcriptomic data for understanding complex disease.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2018

Regional heterogeneity in gene expression, regulation and coherence in hippocampus and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex across development and in schizophrenia

Recent large-scale genomics efforts have better characterized the molecular correlates of schizophrenia in postmortem human neocortex, but not hippocampus which is a brain region prominently implicated in its pathogenesis. Here in the second phase of the BrainSeq Consortium (Phase II), we have generated RiboZero RNA-seq data for 900 samples across both the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and the hippocampus (HIPPO) for 551 individuals (286 affected by schizophrenia disorder: SCZD). We identify substantial regional differences in gene expression, in both pre- and post-natal life, and find widespread differences in how genes are regulated across development. By extending quality surrogate variable analysis (qSVA) to multiple brain regions, we identified 48 and 245 differentially expressed genes (DEG) by SCZD diagnosis (FDR<5%) in HIPPO and DLPFC, respectively, with surprisingly minimal overlap in DEG between the two brain regions. We further identified 205,618 brain region-dependent eQTLs (FDR<1%) and found that 124 GWAS risk loci contain eQTLs in at least one of the regions. We also identify potential molecular correlates of in vivo evidence of altered prefrontal-hippocampal functional coherence in schizophrenia. These results underscore the complexity and regional heterogeneity of the transcriptional correlates of schizophrenia, and suggest future schizophrenia therapeutics may need to target molecular pathologies localized to specific brain regions.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2018

Dissecting transcriptomic signatures of neuronal differentiation and maturation using iPSCs

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) are a powerful model of neural differentiation and maturation. We present a hiPSC transcriptomics resource on corticogenesis from 5 iPSC donor and 13 subclonal lines across nine time points over 5 broad conditions: self-renewal, early neuronal differentiation, neural precursor cells (NPCs), assembled rosettes, and differentiated neuronal cells that were validated using electrophysiology. We identified widespread changes in the expression of individual transcript features and their splice variants, gene networks, and global patterns of transcription. We next demonstrated that co-culturing human NPCs with rodent astrocytes resulted in mutually synergistic maturation, and that cell type-specific expression data can be extracted using only sequencing read alignments without potentially disruptive cell sorting. We lastly developed and validated a computational tool to estimate the relative neuronal maturity of iPSC-derived neuronal cultures and human brain tissue, which were maturationally heterogeneous but contained subsets of cells most akin to adult human neurons.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2018

xMD-miRNA-seq to generate near in vivo miRNA expression estimates in colon epithelial cells

Accurate, RNA-seq based, microRNA (miRNA) expression estimates from primary cells have recently been described. However, this in vitro data is mainly obtained from cell culture, which is known to alter cell maturity/differentiation status, significantly changing miRNA levels. What is needed is a robust method to obtain in vivo miRNA expression values directly from cells. We introduce expression microdissection miRNA small RNA sequencing (xMD-miRNA-seq), a method to isolate cells directly from formalin fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues. xMD-miRNA-seq is a low-cost, high-throughput, immunohistochemistry-based method to capture any cell type of interest. As a proof-of-concept, we isolated colon epithelial cells from two specimens and performed low-input small RNA-seq. We generated up to 600,000 miRNA reads from the samples. Isolated epithelial cells, had abundant epithelial-enriched miRNA expression (miR-192; miR-194; miR-200b; miR-200c; miR-215; miR-375) and overall similar miRNA expression patterns to other epithelial cell populations (colonic enteroids and flow-isolated colon epithelium). xMD-derived epithelial cells were generally not contaminated by other adjacent cells of the colon as noted by t-SNE analysis. xMD-miRNA-seq allows for simple, economical, and efficient identification of cell-specific miRNA expression estimates. Further development will enhance rapid identification of cell-specific miRNA expression estimates in health and disease for nearly any cell type using archival FFPE material.

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2018

Prefrontal co-expression of schizophrenia risk genes is associated with treatment response in patients

Gene co-expression networks are relevant to functional and clinical translation of schizophrenia (SCZ) risk genes. We hypothesized that SCZ risk genes may converge into coexpression pathways which may be associated with gene regulation mechanisms and with response to treatment in patients with SCZ. We identified gene co-expression networks in two prefrontal cortex post-mortem RNA sequencing datasets (total N=688) and replicated them in four more datasets (total N=227). We identified and replicated (all p-values<.001) a single module enriched for SCZ risk loci (13 risk genes in 10 loci). In silico screening of potential regulators of the SCZ risk module via bioinformatic analyses identified two transcription factors and three miRNAs associated with the risk module. To translate post-mortem information into clinical phenotypes, we identified polymorphisms predicting co-expression and combined them to obtain an index approximating module co-expression (Polygenic Co-expression Index: PCI). The PCI-co-expression association was successfully replicated in two independent brain transcriptome datasets (total N=131; all p-values<.05). Finally, we tested the association between the PCI and short-term treatment response in two independent samples of patients with SCZ treated with olanzapine (total N=167). The PCI was associated with treatment response in the positive symptom domain in both clinical cohorts (all p-values<.05).\n\nIn summary, our findings in a large sample of human post-mortem prefrontal cortex show that coexpression of a set of genes enriched for schizophrenia risk genes is relevant to treatment response. This co-expression pathway may be co-regulated by transcription factors and miRNA associated with it.

neuroscience↗