| 1. |
- Forsberg, Lars A., et al.
(author)
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Mosaic loss of chromosome Y in peripheral blood is associated with shorter survival and higher risk of cancer
- 2014
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In: Nature Genetics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1061-4036 .- 1546-1718. ; 46:6, s. 624-628
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Incidence and mortality for sex-unspecific cancers are higher among men, a fact that is largely unexplained(1,2). Furthermore, age-related loss of chromosome Y (LOY) is frequent in normal hematopoietic cells(3,4), but the phenotypic consequences of LOY have been elusive(5-10). From analysis of 1,153 elderly men, we report that LOY in peripheral blood was associated with risks of all-cause mortality (hazards ratio (HR) = 1.91, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.17-3.13; 637 events) and non-hematological cancer mortality (HR = 3.62, 95% CI = 1.56-8.41; 132 events). LOY affected at least 8.2% of the subjects in this cohort, and median survival times among men with LOY were 5.5 years shorter. Association of LOY with risk of all-cause mortality was validated in an independent cohort (HR = 3.66) in which 20.5% of subjects showed LOY. These results illustrate the impact of post-zygotic mosaicism on disease risk, could explain why males are more frequently affected by cancer and suggest that chromosome Y is important in processes beyond sex determination. LOY in blood could become a predictive biomarker of male carcinogenesis.
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| 2. |
- Israelsson, Charlotte, et al.
(author)
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Appearance of Cxcl10-expressing cell clusters is common for traumatic brain injury and neurodegenerative disorders
- 2010
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In: European Journal of Neuroscience. - : Wiley. - 0953-816X .- 1460-9568. ; 31:5, s. 852-863
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the mouse results in the rapid appearance of scattered clusters of cells expressing the chemokine Cxcl10 in cortical and subcortical areas. To extend the observation of this unique pattern, we used neuropathological mouse models using quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, gene array analysis, in-situ hybridization and flow cytometry. As for TBI, cell clusters of 150–200 μm expressing Cxcl10 characterize the cerebral cortex of mice carrying a transgene encoding the Swedish mutation of amyloid precursor protein, a model of amyloid Alzheimer pathology. The same pattern was found in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in mice modelling multiple sclerosis. In contrast, mice carrying a SOD1G93A mutant mimicking amyotrophic lateral sclerosis pathology lacked such cell clusters in the cerebral cortex, whereas clusters appeared in the brainstem and spinal cord. Mice homozygous for a null mutation of the Cxcl10 gene did not show detectable levels of Cxcl10 transcript after TBI, confirming the quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and in-situ hybridization signals. Moreover, unbiased microarray expression analysis showed that Cxcl10 was among 112 transcripts in the neocortex upregulated at least threefold in both TBI and ageing TgSwe mice, many of them involved in inflammation. The identity of the Cxcl10+ cells remains unclear but flow cytometry showed increased numbers of activated microglia/macrophages as well as myeloid dendritic cells in the TBI and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis models. It is concluded that the Cxcl10+ cells appear in the inflamed central nervous system and may represent a novel population of cells that it may be possible to target pharmacologically in a broad range of neurodegenerative conditions.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Philipson, Ola, et al.
(author)
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The Arctic amyloid-β precursor protein (AβPP) mutation results in distinct plaques and accumulation of N- and C-truncated Aβ
- 2012
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In: Neurobiology of Aging. - : Elsevier BV. - 0197-4580 .- 1558-1497. ; 33:5, s. 1010.e1-1010.e13
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Arctic (p. E693G) mutation in the amyloid-β precursor protein (AβPP) facilitates amyloid-β (Aβ) protofibril formation and generates clinical symptoms of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here, molecular details of Aβ in post mortem brain were investigated with biochemical and morphological techniques. The basic structure of Arctic plaques resembled cotton wool plaques. However, they appeared ring-formed with Aβ42-specific antibodies, but were actually targetoid, since the periphery and center of many parenchymal Aβ deposits stained differently with mid-domain, N- and C-terminal Aβ antibodies. Aβ fibrils were similar in shape, albeit shorter than in sporadic AD brain, when examined by electron microscopy. Aβwild-type and Aβarctic codeposited and parenchymal deposits were highly enriched in both N- and C-terminally truncated Aβ. In contrast, cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) contained a substantial amount of Aβ1-40. The absence of plaques with cores of fibrillary Aβ might be due to the scarcity of full-length Aβ, although other mechanisms could be involved. Our findings are discussed in relation to mechanisms and relevance of amyloid formation and to the clinical features of AD.
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| 5. |
- Blom, Elin S, et al.
(author)
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Increased mRNA Levels of TCF7L2 and MYC of the Wnt Pathway in Tg-ArcSwe Mice and Alzheimer's Disease Brain
- 2010
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In: International journal of Alzheimer's disease. - : Hindawi Limited. - 2090-0252 .- 2090-8024. ; 2011, s. 936580-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Several components in the Wnt pathway, including β-catenin and glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta, have been implied in AD pathogenesis. Here, mRNA brain levels from five-month-old tg-ArcSwe and nontransgenic mice were compared using Affymetrix microarray analysis. With surprisingly small overall changes, Wnt signaling was the most affected pathway with altered expression of nine genes in tg-ArcSwe mice. When analyzing mRNA levels of these genes in human brain, transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2) and v-myc myelocytomatosis viral oncogene homolog (MYC), were increased in Alzheimer's disease (AD) (P < .05). Furthermore, no clear differences in TCF7L2 and MYC mRNA were found in brains with frontotemporal lobar degeneration, suggesting that altered regulation of these Wnt-related genes could be specific to AD. Finally, mRNA levels of three neurogenesis markers were analyzed. Increased mRNA levels of dihydropyrimidinase-like 3 were observed in AD brain, suggesting that altered Wnt pathway regulation may signify synaptic rearrangement or neurogenesis.
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| 6. |
- Codita, Alina, et al.
(author)
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Impaired behavior of female tg-ArcSwe APP mice in the IntelliCage : A longitudinal study
- 2010
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In: Behavioural Brain Research. - : Elsevier BV. - 0166-4328 .- 1872-7549. ; 215:1, s. 83-94
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Transgenic animals expressing mutant human amyloid precursor protein (APP) are used as models for Alzheimer disease (AD). Ideally, behavioral tests improve the predictive validity of studies on animals by mirroring the functional impact of AD-like neuropathology. Learning and memory studies in APP transgenic models have been difficult to replicate. Standardization of procedures, automatization or improved protocol design can improve reproducibility. Here the IntelliCage, an automated system, was used for behavioral testing of APP female transgenic mice with both the Arctic and Swedish mutations, the tg-ArcSwe model. Protocols covering exploration, operant learning, place learning and extinction of place preference as well as passive avoidance tests were used for longitudinal characterization of behavior. Differences in exploratory activity were significant at four months of age, when plaque-free tg-ArcSwe mice visited less frequently the IntelliCage corners and initially performed fewer visits with licks compared to non-tg animals, inside the new environment. Fourteen months old tg-ArcSwe mice required a longer time to re-habituate to the IntelliCages than non-tg mice. At both ages tg-ArcSwe mice perseverated in place preference extinction test. Fourteen months old tg-ArcSwe mice were impaired in hippocampus-dependent spatial passive avoidance learning. This deficit was found to inversely correlate to calbindin-D28k immunoreactivity in the polymorphic layer of the dentate gyrus. Reduced water intake and body weight were observed in 4 months old tg-ArcSwe animals. The body weight difference increased with age. Thus behavioral and metabolic changes in the tg-ArcSwe APP model were detected using the IntelliCage, a system which provides the opportunity for standardized automated longitudinal behavioral phenotyping.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Forsberg, Lars A., et al.
(author)
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Age-related somatic structural changes in the nuclear genome of human blood cells
- 2012
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In: American Journal of Human Genetics. - : Elsevier BV. - 0002-9297 .- 1537-6605. ; 90:2, s. 217-228
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Structural variations are among the most frequent interindividual genetic differences in the human genome. The frequency and distribution of de novo somatic structural variants in normal cells is, however, poorly explored. Using age-stratified cohorts of 318 monozygotic (MZ) twins and 296 single-born subjects, we describe age-related accumulation of copy-number variation in the nuclear genomes in vivo and frequency changes for both megabase- and kilobase-range variants. Megabase-range aberrations were found in 3.4% (9 of 264) of subjects ≥60 years old; these subjects included 78 MZ twin pairs and 108 single-born individuals. No such findings were observed in 81 MZ pairs or 180 single-born subjects who were ≤55 years old. Recurrent region- and gene-specific mutations, mostly deletions, were observed. Longitudinal analyses of 43 subjects whose data were collected 7-19 years apart suggest considerable variation in the rate of accumulation of clones carrying structural changes. Furthermore, the longitudinal analysis of individuals with structural aberrations suggests that there is a natural self-removal of aberrant cell clones from peripheral blood. In three healthy subjects, we detected somatic aberrations characteristic of patients with myelodysplastic syndrome. The recurrent rearrangements uncovered here are candidates for common age-related defects in human blood cells. We anticipate that extension of these results will allow determination of the genetic age of different somatic-cell lineages and estimation of possible individual differences between genetic and chronological age. Our work might also help to explain the cause of an age-related reduction in the number of cell clones in the blood; such a reduction is one of the hallmarks of immunosenescence.
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| 9. |
- Giedraitis, Vilmantas, et al.
(author)
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CALHM1 P86L polymorphism does not alter amyloid-beta or tau in cerebrospinal fluid
- 2010
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In: Neuroscience Letters. - : Elsevier BV. - 0304-3940 .- 1872-7972. ; 469:2, s. 265-267
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Recently, the P86L alteration in CALHM1 (calcium homeostasis modulator-1) was reported to be associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Moreover, the risk allele increased amyloid-beta (A beta) levels in conditioned media from cultured cells. Therefore, we hypothesized that CALHM1 P86L may modulate A beta or tau levels in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Nearly 200 individuals with AD or other cognitive disorders were included for CSF analysis and CALHM1 genotyping. No significant differences in CSF levels of A beta 42, tau or phospho-tau were found across the various CALHM1 genotypes. In conclusion, we found no evidence that CALHM1 P86L is associated with altered CSF levels of the investigated AD biomarkers.
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| 10. |
- Gumucio, Astrid, et al.
(author)
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Lack of exon 10 in the murine tau gene results in mild sensorimotor defects with aging
- 2013
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In: BMC Neuroscience. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1471-2202. ; 14, s. 148-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Complex species-specific, developmental-and tissue-dependent mechanisms regulate alternative splicing of tau, thereby diversifying tau protein synthesis. The functional role of alternative splicing of tau e. g. exon 10 has never been examined in vivo, although genetic studies suggest that it is important to neurodegenerative disease. Results: Gene-targeting was used to delete exon 10 in murine tau on both alleles (E10-/-) to study its functional role. Moreover, mice devoid of exon 10 (E10+/-) on one allele were generated to investigate the effects of 1: 1 balanced expression of 4R-/3R-tau protein, since equal amounts of 4R-/3R-tau protein are synthesized in human brain. Middle-aged E10-/-mice displayed sensorimotor disturbances in the rotarod when compared to age-matched E10+/- and wild-type mice, and their muscular grip strength was less than that of E10+/-mice. The performance of E10+/-mice and wild-type mice (E10+/+) was similar in sensorimotor tests. Cognitive abilities or anxiety-like behaviours did not depend on exon 10 in tau, and neither pathological inclusions nor gene-dependent morphological abnormalities were found. Conclusion: Ablation of exon 10 in the murine tau gene alters alternative splicing and tau protein synthesis which results in mild sensorimotor phenotypes with aging. Presumably related microtubule-stabilizing genes rescue other functions.
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