Biology subjects

Pettersen, K.

Publications and source records attributed to Pettersen, K..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2022

Loss of the protein disrupted in schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) impairs cardiac resistance against ischemia.

Molecular targets that contribute to post-myocardial infarction heart failure remains elusive. Here we studied the global transcriptional landscape of human inducible pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes under simulated ischemia at the whole genome level in an unbiased manner. Unexpectedly, we identified Disrupted in Schizophrenia 1 (DISC1), which has been almost exlusively studied in neurodevelopment/neurosignaling, as a key molecule. Reduced DISC1 levels increase infarct size in mouse hearts, increases cTnT release following surgery in coronary artery bypass grafting patients and decrease the survival of human AC16 cardiomyocytes exposed to ischemic conditions by disrupting cardioprotective pathways. Mechanistically, the loss of DISC1 interaction with Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 Beta (GSK3{beta}) heightens GSK3{beta} activity, promoting cell death. Conversely, increasing DISC1 levels enhances cardioprotective signaling by maintaining the DISC1-GSK3{beta} interaction. Although DISC1 is known to interact with many proteins as an intracellular hub, we have identified that its specific interaction with GSK3{beta} is crucial for cardioprotection. These data also indicate that a key molecule involved in brain health and disease also contributes to cardiac health and disease, supporting the idea that neuropsychiatric conditions are systemic. SummaryThrough an unbiased screening at the whole genome level, we underscore that DISC1 is a key molecule for cardiomyocyte resilience post-myocardial infarction. DISC1 has been studied almost exclusively in neuroscience, involving in multiple cellular mechanisms. In contrast, we highlight DISC1s interaction with GSK3{beta} as specific mechanism that drives cardioprotection. We also report DISC1s implication in cardiac health following coronary artery bypass grafting.

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2019

Common gene expression signatures in Parkinson’s disease are driven by changes in cell composition

BackgroundThe etiology of Parkinsons disease (PD) is largely unknown. Genome-wide transcriptomic studies in bulk brain tissue have identified several molecular signatures associated with the disease. While these studies have the potential to shed light into the pathogenesis of PD, they are also limited by two major confounders: RNA post mortem degradation and heterogeneous cell type composition of bulk tissue samples. We performed RNA sequencing following ribosomal RNA depletion in the prefrontal cortex of 49 individuals from two independent case-control cohorts. Using cell-type specific markers, we estimated the cell-type composition for each sample and included this in our analysis models to compensate for the variation in cell-type proportions.\n\nResultsRibosomal RNA depletion results in substantially more even transcript coverage, compared to poly(A) capture, in post mortem tissue. Moreover, we show that cell-type composition is a major confounder of differential gene expression analysis in the PD brain. Correcting for cell-type proportions attenuates numerous transcriptomic signatures that have been previously associated with PD, including vesicle trafficking, synaptic transmission, immune and mitochondrial function. Conversely, pathways related to endoplasmic reticulum, lipid oxidation and unfolded protein response are strengthened and surface as the top differential gene expression signatures in the PD prefrontal cortex.\n\nConclusionsDifferential gene expression signatures in PD bulk brain tissue are significantly confounded by underlying differences in cell-type composition. Modeling cell-type heterogeneity is crucial in order to unveil transcriptomic signatures that represent regulatory changes in the PD brain and are, therefore, more likely to be associated with underlying disease mechanisms.

neuroscience↗