| 71. |
- Lappalainen, Tuuli, et al.
(författare)
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Genomic landscape of positive natural selection in Northern European populations.
- 2010
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Ingår i: European Journal of Human Genetics. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 1018-4813 .- 1476-5438. ; 18:4, s. 471-478
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Analyzing genetic variation of human populations for detecting loci that have been affected by positive natural selection is important for understanding adaptive history and phenotypic variation in humans. In this study, we analyzed recent positive selection in Northern Europe from genome-wide data sets of 250 000 and 500 000 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a total of 999 individuals from Great Britain, Northern Germany, Eastern and Western Finland, and Sweden. Coalescent simulations were used for demonstrating that the integrated haplotype score (iHS) and long-range haplotype (LRH) statistics have sufficient power in genome-wide data sets of different sample sizes and SNP densities. Furthermore, the behavior of the F(ST) statistic in closely related populations was characterized by allele frequency simulations. In the analysis of the North European data set, 60 regions in the genome showed strong signs of recent positive selection. Out of these, 21 regions have not been discovered in previous scans, and many contain genes with interesting functions (eg, RAB38, INFG, NOS1AP, and APOE). In the putatively selected regions, we observed a statistically significant overrepresentation of genetic association with complex disease, which emphasizes the importance of the analysis of positive selection in understanding the evolution of human disease. Altogether, this study demonstrates the potential of genome-wide data sets to discover loci that lie behind evolutionary adaptation in different human populations.
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| 72. |
- Liu, Jing-Xia, et al.
(författare)
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Different impact of ALS on laminin isoforms in human extraocular muscles versus limb muscles
- 2011
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Ingår i: Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science. - : Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. - 0146-0404 .- 1552-5783. ; 52:7, s. 4842-4852
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose. To determ ine the impact of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) on the extraocular muscles (EOMs) by examining the laminin isoform composition of the basement membranes (BMs) in EOMs and limb muscles from donors with ALS.Methods. Muscle samples collected at autopsy from ALS donors and from transgenic mice overexpressing human SOD1 mutations (D90A or G93A), and age-matched controls were analyzed with immunohistochemistry using antibodies against laminin chain α2 (Lnα2), Lnα4, Lnα5, Lnβ1, Lnβ2 and Lnγ1. Neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) were identified with α-bungarotoxin.Results. Lnα2, the hallmark chain of skeletal muscle, and Lnβ2 were absent or partially absent from the BMs in a variable number of muscle fibers in most of the ALS EOMs. Three ALS donors showed dramatic decrease in the levels of these chains around their muscle fibers and NMJs. Changes in Lnα2 were not age-related and were also present in EOMs of ALS mouse models. Lnα4 was preserved in the majority of NMJs in EOM but absent in the majority of NMJs in limb muscle of ALS. The BMs around muscle fibers, NMJs, nerves and blood vessels of the majority of EOMs of ALS donors had rather normal appearance and laminin composition, but heterogeneity was observed among EOM samples of individual ALS donors and between ALS donors.Conclusions. The present study showed distinct impact of ALS on EOMs as compared to limb muscles. The EOMs maintained a normal laminin composition in their NMJs which may be instrumental for the fact that they are not typically affected in ALS.
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| 73. |
- Liu, Jing-Xia, et al.
(författare)
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Distinct changes in synaptic protein composition at neuromuscular junctions of extraocular muscles versus limb muscles of ALS donors
- 2013
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 8:2, s. e57473-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The pathophysiology of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is very complex and still rather elusive but in recent years evidence of early involvement of the neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) has accumulated. We have recently reported that the human extraocular muscles (EOMs) are far less affected than limb muscles at the end-stage of ALS from the same donor. The present study aimed to compare the differences in synaptic protein composition at NMJ and in nerve fibers between EOM and limb muscles from ALS donors and controls. Neurofilament light subunit and synaptophysin decreased significantly at NMJs and in nerve fibers in limb muscles with ALS whereas they were maintained in ALS EOMs. S100B was significantly decreased at NMJs and in nerve fibers in both EOMs and limb muscles of ALS donors, but other markers confirmed the presence of terminal Schwann cells in these NMJs. p75 neurotrophin receptor was present in nerve fibers but absent at NMJs in ALS limb muscles. The EOMs were able to maintain the integrity of their NMJs to a very large extent until the end-stage of ALS, in contrast to the limb muscles. Changes in Ca2+ homeostasis, reflected by altered S100B distribution, might be involved in the breakdown of nerve-muscle contact at NMJs in ALS.
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| 74. |
- Meikle, W. P. S., et al.
(författare)
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Dust and the type II-Plateau supernova 2004dj
- 2011
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 732:2, s. 109-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy of a Type II-plateau supernova, SN 2004dj, obtained with the Spitzer Space Telescope, spanning 106-1393 days after explosion. MIR photometry plus optical/near-IR observations are also reported. An early-time MIR excess is attributed to emission from non-silicate dust formed within a cool dense shell (CDS). Most of the CDS dust condensed between 50 days and 165 days, reaching a mass of 0.3 x 10(-5) M(circle dot). Throughout the observations, much of the longer wavelength (> 10 mu m) part of the continuum is explained as an IR echo from interstellar dust. The MIR excess strengthened at later times. We show that this was due to thermal emission from warm, non-silicate dust formed in the ejecta. Using optical/near-IR line profiles and the MIR continua, we show that the dust was distributed as a disk whose radius appeared to be shrinking slowly. The disk radius may correspond to a grain destruction zone caused by a reverse shock which also heated the dust. The dust-disk lay nearly face-on, had high opacities in the optical/near-IR regions, but remained optically thin in the MIR over much of the period studied. Assuming a uniform dust density, the ejecta dust mass by 996 days was (0.5 +/- 0.1) x 10(-4) M(circle dot) and exceeded 10(-4) M(circle dot) by 1393 days. For a dust density rising toward the center the limit is higher. Nevertheless, this study suggests that the amount of freshly synthesized dust in the SN 2004dj ejecta is consistent with that found from previous studies and adds further weight to the claim that such events could not have been major contributors to the cosmic dust budget.
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| 75. |
- Robroek, Bjorn J. M., et al.
(författare)
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Microclimatological consequences for plant and microbial composition in Sphagnum-dominated peatlands
- 2014
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Ingår i: Boreal environment research. - Helsinki, Finland : Finnish Environment Institute. - 1239-6095 .- 1797-2469. ; 19:3, s. 195-208
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In three Scandinavian peatlands we studied to what extent plant and microbial community compositions are governed by local-scale microhabitat, with a special interest in the effect of aspect (i.e. exposition of slopes). Despite differences in solar irradiance between the south- and north-facing slopes, maximum temperature was elevated in the south-facing slopes at the most northern site only. Pore-water nutrient concentrations were not affected by aspect, yet dissolved organic carbon concentrations were higher in the south-facing microhabitats. This was likely caused by higher vascular plant biomass. Plant and microbial community composition clearly differed among sites. In all three sites, microhabitat (i.e. prevailing water-table depth) affected the plant and microbial community compositions. Aspect, however, did not affect community composition, even though microclimate significantly differed between the south- and the north-facing aspects at the northernmost site. Our results highlight the complex link between plant community composition, microbial community and environmental conditions, which deserves much more attention than currently in order to fully understand the effects of climate change on peatland ecosystem function.
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| 76. |
- Rosenbohm, Angela, et al.
(författare)
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Can lesions to the motor cortex induce amyotrophic lateral sclerosis?
- 2014
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Ingår i: Journal of Neurology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0340-5354 .- 1432-1459. ; 261:2, s. 283-290
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A recent staging effort for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has demonstrated that the TDP-43 neuropathology may initiate focally in the motor cortex in the majority of patients. We searched our data bank for patients with lesions of the motor cortex which preceded disease onset. We performed a search of our patient- and MRI-data bank and screened 1,835 patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis for frontal lobe/motor cortex lesions. We found 18 patients with definite ALS who had documented and defined lesions of the motor cortex, which preceded the initial ALS symptoms by 8-42 years. In the vast majority (15/18) of the patients, the onset of ALS was closely related to the focal lesion since it started in a body region reflecting the damaged cortical area. The findings suggest that initial lesions to the motor cortex may be a contributing initiating factor in some patients with ALS or determine the site of onset in individuals pre-disposed to ALS.
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| 77. |
- Salmela, Elina, et al.
(författare)
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Swedish population substructure revealed by genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism data
- 2011
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 6:2, s. e16747-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The use of genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data has recently proven useful in the study of human population structure. We have studied the internal genetic structure of the Swedish population using more than 350,000 SNPs from 1525 Swedes from all over the country genotyped on the Illumina HumanHap550 array. We have also compared them to 3212 worldwide reference samples, including Finns, northern Germans, British and Russians, based on the more than 29,000 SNPs that overlap between the Illumina and Affymetrix 250K Sty arrays. The Swedes--especially southern Swedes--were genetically close to the Germans and British, while their genetic distance to Finns was substantially longer. The overall structure within Sweden appeared clinal, and the substructure in the southern and middle parts was subtle. In contrast, the northern part of Sweden, Norrland, exhibited pronounced genetic differences both within the area and relative to the rest of the country. These distinctive genetic features of Norrland probably result mainly from isolation by distance and genetic drift caused by low population density. The internal structure within Sweden (F(ST) = 0.0005 between provinces) was stronger than that in many Central European populations, although smaller than what has been observed for instance in Finland; importantly, it is of the magnitude that may hamper association studies with a moderate number of markers if cases and controls are not properly matched geographically. Overall, our results underline the potential of genome-wide data in analyzing substructure in populations that might otherwise appear relatively homogeneous, such as the Swedes.
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| 78. |
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| 79. |
- Synofzik, Matthis, et al.
(författare)
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The human G93A SOD1 phenotype closely resembles sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
- 2010
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Ingår i: Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry. - : BMJ. - 0022-3050 .- 1468-330X. ; 81:7, s. 764-767
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Transgenic mouse models of human SOD1 mutations have opened up an area of intense investigation into the pathogenesis of familial and sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). However, the human phenotype of the G93A SOD1 mutation-the most commonly studied mutation in rodent models-has remained essentially unknown. This complicates the interpretation and transfer of results from animal models. Here clinical, electrophysiological and genealogical data are presented from a large German pedigree with a G93A mutation in the SOD1 gene. This pedigree shows a highly homogenous phenotype which closely resembles the typical phenotype of sporadic ALS, thus implicating comparable disease pathology of G93A SOD1 ALS and sporadic ALS.
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| 80. |
- Taes, I, et al.
(författare)
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Tau levels do not influence human ALS or motor neuron degeneration in the SOD1G93A mouse
- 2010
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Ingår i: Neurology. - : American Academy of Neurology & Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins. - 0028-3878 .- 1526-632X. ; 74:21, s. 1687-1693
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The microtubule-associated protein tau is thought to play a pivotal role in neurodegeneration. Mutations in the tau coding gene MAPT are a cause of frontotemporal dementia, and the H1/H1 genotype of MAPT, giving rise to higher tau expression levels, is associated with progressive supranuclear palsy, corticobasal degeneration, and Parkinson disease (PD). Furthermore, tau hyperphosphorylation and aggregation is a hallmark of Alzheimer disease (AD), and reducing endogenous tau has been reported to ameliorate cognitive impairment in a mouse model for AD. Tau hyperphosphorylation and aggregation have also been described in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), both in human patients and in the mutant SOD1 mouse model for this disease. However, the precise role of tau in motor neuron degeneration remains uncertain. Methods: The possible association between ALS and the MAPT H1/H2 polymorphism was studied in 3,540 patients with ALS and 8,753 controls. Furthermore, the role of tau in the SOD1G93A mouse model for ALS was studied by deleting Mapt in this model. Results: The MAPT genotype of the H1/H2 polymorphism did not influence ALS susceptibility (odds ratio = 1.08 [95% confidence interval 0.99–1.18], p = 0.08) and did not affect the clinical phenotype. Lowering tau levels in the SOD1G93A mouse failed to delay disease onset (p = 0.302) or to increase survival (p = 0.557). Conclusion: These findings suggest that the H1/H2 polymorphism in MAPT is not associated with human amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and that lowering tau levels in the mutant SOD1 mouse does not affect the motor neuron degeneration in these animals.
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