| 1. |
- Cahoon, Neal, et al.
(author)
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Elinvoima
- 2023
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Other publication (pop. science, debate, etc.)
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Huusko, Johanna M, et al.
(author)
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Integrative genetic, genomic and transcriptomic analysis of heat shock protein and nuclear hormone receptor gene associations with spontaneous preterm birth.
- 2021
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In: Scientific reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322. ; 11:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Heat shock proteins are involved in the response to stress including activation of the immune response. Elevated circulating heat shock proteins are associated with spontaneous preterm birth (SPTB). Intracellular heat shock proteins act as multifunctional molecular chaperones that regulate activity of nuclear hormone receptors. Since SPTB has a significant genetic predisposition, our objective was to identify genetic and transcriptomic evidence of heat shock proteins and nuclear hormone receptors that may affect risk for SPTB. We investigated all 97 genes encoding members of the heat shock protein families and all 49 genes encoding nuclear hormone receptors for their potential role in SPTB susceptibility. We used multiple genetic and genomic datasets including genome-wide association studies (GWASs), whole-exome sequencing (WES), and placental transcriptomics to identify SPTB predisposing factors from the mother, infant, and placenta. There were multiple associations of heat shock protein and nuclear hormone receptor genes with SPTB. Several orthogonal datasets supported roles for SEC63, HSPA1L, SACS, RORA, and AR in susceptibility to SPTB. We propose that suppression of specific heat shock proteins promotes maintenance of pregnancy, whereas activation of specific heat shock protein mediated signaling may disturb maternal-fetal tolerance and promote labor.
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| 4. |
- Kemi, Ulla, et al.
(author)
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Role of vernalization and of duplicated Flowering Locus C in the perennial Arabidopsis lyrata
- 2013
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In: New Phytologist. - : Wiley. - 0028-646X .- 1469-8137. ; 197:1, s. 323-335
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) is one of the main genes influencing the vernalization requirement and natural flowering time variation in the annual Arabidopsis thaliana. Here we studied the effects of vernalization on flowering and its genetic basis in the perennial Arabidopsis lyrata. Two tandemly duplicated FLC genes (FLC1 and FLC2) were compared with respect to expression and DNA sequence. The effect of vernalization on flowering and on the expression of FLC1 was studied in three European populations. The genetic basis of the FLC1 expression difference between two of the populations was further studied by expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) mapping and sequence analysis. FLC1 was shown to have a likely role in the vernalization requirement for flowering in A. lyrata. Vernalization decreased its expression and the northern study populations showed higher FLC1 expression than the southern one. eQTL mapping between two of the populations revealed one eQTL affecting FLC1 expression in the genomic region containing the FLC genes. Most FLC1 sequence differences between the study populations were found in the promoter region and in the first intron. Variation in the FLC1 sequence may cause differences in FLC1 expression between late- and early-flowering A. lyrata populations.
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| 5. |
- Pasanen, Anu, et al.
(author)
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Genome-Wide Association Study of Polymorphisms Predisposing to Bronchiolitis.
- 2017
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In: Scientific reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322. ; 7
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Bronchiolitis is a major cause of hospitalization among infants. Severe bronchiolitis is associated with later asthma, suggesting a common genetic predisposition. Genetic background of bronchiolitis is not well characterized. To identify polymorphisms associated with bronchiolitis, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in which 5,300,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were tested for association in a Finnish-Swedish population of 217 children hospitalized for bronchiolitis and 778 controls. The most promising SNPs (n=77) were genotyped in a Dutch replication population of 416 cases and 432 controls. Finally, we used a set of 202 Finnish bronchiolitis cases to further investigate candidate SNPs. We did not detect genome-wide significant associations, but several suggestive association signals (p<10(-5)) were observed in the GWAS. In the replication population, three SNPs were nominally associated (p<0.05). Of them, rs269094 was an expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) for KCND3, previously shown to be associated with occupational asthma. In the additional set of Finnish cases, the association for another SNP (rs9591920) within a noncoding RNA locus was further strengthened. Our results provide a first genome-wide examination of the genetics underlying bronchiolitis. These preliminary findings require further validation in a larger sample size.
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| 6. |
- Pasanen, Anu, et al.
(author)
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Meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies of gestational duration and spontaneous preterm birth identifies new maternal risk loci.
- 2023
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In: PLoS genetics. - 1553-7404. ; 19:10
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Preterm birth (<37 weeks of gestation) is a major cause of neonatal death and morbidity. Up to 40% of the variation in timing of birth results from genetic factors, mostly due to the maternal genome.We conducted a genome-wide meta-analysis of gestational duration and spontaneous preterm birth in 68,732 and 98,370 European mothers, respectively.The meta-analysis detected 15 loci associated with gestational duration, and four loci associated with preterm birth. Seven of the associated loci were novel. The loci mapped to several biologically plausible genes, for example HAND2 whose expression was previously shown to decrease during gestation, associated with gestational duration, and GC (Vitamin D-binding protein), associated with preterm birth. Downstream in silico-analysis suggested regulatory roles as underlying mechanisms for the associated loci. LD score regression found birth weight measures as the most strongly correlated traits, highlighting the unique nature of spontaneous preterm birth phenotype. Tissue expression and colocalization analysis revealed reproductive tissues and immune cell types as the most relevant sites of action.We report novel genetic risk loci that associate with preterm birth or gestational duration, and reproduce findings from previous genome-wide association studies. Altogether, our findings provide new insight into the genetic background of preterm birth. Better characterization of the causal genetic mechanisms will be important to public health as it could suggest new strategies to treat and prevent preterm birth.
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| 7. |
- Pasanen, Anu, et al.
(author)
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NKG2D gene variation and susceptibility to viral bronchiolitis in childhood.
- 2018
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In: Pediatric research. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1530-0447 .- 0031-3998. ; 84, s. 451-457
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Genetic factors associated with bronchiolitis are inadequately characterized. We therefore inspected a selected subpopulation of our previous genome-wide association study (GWAS) of bronchiolitis for overlap with known quantitative trait loci (QTLs) to identify susceptibility loci that potentially affect mRNA and protein levels.GWAS included a Finnish-Swedish case-control population (n=187), matched for age and site. We integrated GWAS variants (p<10-4) with QTL data. We subsequently verified allele-specific expression of identified QTLs by flow cytometry. Association of the resulting candidate loci with bronchiolitis was tested in three additional cohorts from Finland and Denmark (n=1201).Bronchiolitis-susceptibility variant rs10772271 resided within QTLs previously associated with NKG2D (NK group 2, member D) mRNA and protein levels. Flow cytometric analysis confirmed the association with protein level in NK cells. The GWAS susceptibility allele (A) of rs10772271 (odds ratio [OR]=2.34) corresponded with decreased NKG2D expression. The allele was nominally associated with bronchiolitis in one Finnish replicate (OR=1.50), and the other showed directional consistency (OR=1.43). No association was detected in Danish population CONCLUSIONS: The bronchiolitis GWAS susceptibility allele was linked to decreased NKG2D expression in the QTL data and in our expression analysis. We propose that reduced NKG2D expression predisposes infants to severe bronchiolitis.
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| 8. |
- Sliz, Eeva, et al.
(author)
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Uniting biobank resources reveals novel genetic pathways modulating susceptibility for atopic dermatitis
- 2021
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In: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0091-6749 .- 1097-6825. ; 149:3
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common chronic inflammatory skin disease with high heritability. Previous genome-wide association studies have identified several loci predisposing to AD. These findings explain approximately 30% of the variance in AD susceptibility, suggesting that further work is required to fully understand the genetic underpinnings. Objective: We sought to gain additional understanding of the genetic contribution to AD risk by using biobank resources. Methods: We completed a genome-wide meta-analysis of AD in 796,661 individuals (Ncases = 22,474) from the FinnGen study, the Estonian Biobank, and the UK Biobank. We further performed downstream in silico analyses to characterize the risk variants at the novel loci. Results: We report 30 loci associating with AD (P < 5 × 10−8), 5 of which are novel. In 2 of the novel loci, we identified missense mutations with deleterious predictions in desmocollin 1 and serpin family B member 7, genes encoding proteins crucial to epidermal strength and integrity. Conclusions: These findings elucidate novel genetic pathways involved in AD pathophysiology. The likely involvement of desmocollin 1 and serpin family B member 7 in AD pathogenesis may offer opportunities for the development of novel treatment strategies for AD in the future.
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