PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Cell-type-specific insight into the function of risk factors in coronary artery disease

Cell-type-specific insight into the function of risk factors in coronary artery disease
2021-07-08
(Press-News.org) Using single cell technology, a new study sheds light on the significance of genetic risk factors for, and the diversity of cells involved in, the development of coronary artery disease. The researchers analysed human atherosclerotic lesions to map the chromatin accessibility of more than 7,000 cells. The chromatin accessibility is known to reflect active regions and genes in the genome. The findings were published in Circulation Research.

Genome-wide association studies of the human genome have identified over 200 loci associated with coronary artery disease. More than 90% of them are located outside protein-coding genes, in so called cis-regulatory elements, whose significance in the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease remains unclear.

Previous research has demonstrated that the development of coronary artery disease involves a variety of different cells and their subtypes. The now-published study is the first to use single cell technology to map epigenetic changes in these cells. The researchers used the ATAC-seq sequencing method to discover the nuclear chromatin structure of endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells, as well as immune system monocytes, macrophages, NK/T and B cells, providing a unique resource to study the cell-type specific activity of the cis-regulatory elements in the disease affected vessel wall.

The study demonstrated that genetic risk variants associated with coronary artery disease are particularly enriched in cis-regulatory elements specific to endothelial and smooth muscle cells, indicating that these cells play a significant role in transmitting susceptibility to the disease. Based on chromatin accessibility mapping and gene expression data, the researchers were able to identify putative target genes for approximately 30% of all known loci associated with coronary artery disease. In addition, the researchers performed genome-wide experimental fine-mapping of the variants, allowing them to identify potential causal single-nucleotide polymorphisms and the associated target gene for over 30 loci that have been linked to coronary artery disease. The study also presented a number of examples of how the chromatin accessibility and gene expression data can be used to predict target cells via which the function of the genetic changes associated with the disease is transmitted in the tissue. This is a significant step forward that helps to understand the real functional significance of risk variants in the pathophysiology of coronary artery disease. In the future, this information can be used to develop more effective, safer and more individualised treatments for coronary artery disease.

INFORMATION:

The study was conducted in the Cardiovascular Genomics laboratory led by Associate Professor Minna Kaikkonen-Määttä at the University of Eastern Finland, in close collaboration with the research groups of Tapio Lönnberg (University of Turku), Seppo Ylä-Herttuala (University of Eastern Finland), Mete Civelek (University of Virginia), and Casey Romanoski (University of Arizona).The study was funded by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (Grant No. 802825), the Academy of Finland, the Sigrid Jusélius Foundation, the American Heart Association, and the US National Institutes of Health.

For further information, please contact: Academy Research Fellow, Associate Professor Minna Kaikkonen-Määttä, University of Eastern Finland, A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, minna.kaikkonen (at) uef.fi, tel. +35840 355 2413,

https://uefconnect.uef.fi/en/person/minna.kaikkonen-maatta/

https://uefconnect.uef.fi/en/group/cardiovascular-genomics-kaikkonen-lab/

https://sites.uef.fi/cardiovasculargenomics/

Research article: Örd T, Õunap K, Stolze L, Aherrahrou R, Nurminen V, Selvarajan I, Toropainen A, Lönnberg T, Aavik E, Yla-Herttuala S, Civelek M, Romanoski CE, Kaikkonen MU. Single-Cell Epigenomics and Functional Fine-Mapping of Atherosclerosis GWAS Loci. Circ Res. 2021 May 24. doi: 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.121.318971. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34024118. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34024118/


[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Cell-type-specific insight into the function of risk factors in coronary artery disease

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

What kind of sea ice is that? Ask Knut!

What kind of sea ice is that? Ask Knut!
2021-07-08
If you've watched Netflix, shopped online, or run your robot vacuum cleaner, you've interacted with artificial intelligence, AI. AI is what allows computers to comb through an enormous amount of data to detect patterns or solve problems. The European Union says AI is set to be a "defining future technology." And yet, as much as AI is already interwoven into our everyday lives, there's one area of the globe where AI and its applications are in their infancy, says Ekaterina Kim, an associate professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology's (NTNU) Department of Marine Technology. That area is the Arctic, an area where she has specialized in studying sea ice, among other topics. "It's used a lot in marketing, in medicine, but ...

Reading the rocks: Geologist finds clues to ancient climate patterns in chert

2021-07-08
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- A million years ago, dry seasons became more frequent and forests retreated before the encroaching savanna. Meanwhile, clustered around a nearby lake, our ancient ancestors fashioned stone tools. During the long press of years, mud and sediment in that East African lake turned to stone, trapping pollen and microscopic organisms in its lattice. Today, researchers like Kennie Leet analyze samples of these ancient sediments, known as sediment cores, to create a picture of the environment early humans called home. A doctoral student in geological sciences, Leet is the first author ...

Wage inequality negatively impacts customer satisfaction and does not improve long-term firm performance

2021-07-08
Researchers from University of Mannheim published a new paper in the Journal of Marketing that examines the effect of wage inequality on customer satisfaction and firm performance. The study, forthcoming in the Journal of Marketing, is titled "Wage Inequality: Its Impact on Customer Satisfaction and Firm Performance" and is authored by Boas Bamberger, Christian Homburg, and Dominik M. Wielgos. Irrespective of wage cuts and employee layoffs, the wages of top managers rose to record levels during the pandemic and wage inequality continues to grow worldwide. However, according to a 2015 OECD report, "wage inequality is harmful to long-term economic growth and undermines ...

Newborn screening for epilepsy in sight through the discovery of novel disease biomarkers

2021-07-08
The door has finally opened on screening newborn babies for pyridoxine-dependent epilepsy (PDE), a severe inherited metabolic disorder. This screening promises to enable better and earlier treatment of the disease. To identify new biomarkers that can be used in the newborn screening protocol, also known as the neonatal heel prick, researchers at the Radboud University Medical Center joined forces with scientists at the Radboud University's FELIX laser laboratory. They published their findings in The Journal of Clinical Investigation. The discovery and identification ...

Novel study of high-potency cannabis shows some memory effects

2021-07-08
PULLMAN, Wash. - Even before the pandemic made Zoom ubiquitous, Washington State University researchers were using the video conferencing app to research a type of cannabis that is understudied: the kind people actually use. For the study, published in Scientific Reports, researchers observed cannabis users over Zoom as they smoked high-potency cannabis flower or vaped concentrates they purchased themselves from cannabis dispensaries in Washington state, where recreational cannabis use is legal. They then gave the subjects a series of cognitive tests. The researchers found no impact on the users' performance on decision-making tests in comparison to a sober control group but did find some memory impairments related to free ...

EHR alerts go unread, do not lead to deprescribing of medicines linked to dementia

EHR alerts go unread, do not lead to deprescribing of medicines linked to dementia
2021-07-08
INDIANAPOLIS -- The vast majority of electronic health record (EHR) alerts attempting to reduce the prescribing of high-risk medications linked to dementia in older adults went unread in a study led by research scientists from Regenstrief Institute, Purdue University and Indiana University School of Medicine. The goal of the intervention was to facilitate the deprescribing of anticholinergics through both provider and patient-based alerts, however, engagement with the alerts was so low, the study team was unable to conclude if this approach could be ...

Machine-learning improves the prediction of stroke recovery

Machine-learning improves the prediction of stroke recovery
2021-07-08
When blood flow to the brain is somehow reduced or restricted, a person can suffer what we know as a stroke (from "ischemic stroke" in medical jargon). Stroke is one of those conditions that seems fairly common. This isn't a misperception: just in Europe, there are over 1.5 million new cases each year. Some strokes can be lethal, and when they're not they often result in serious damage to the victim's ability to move. In fact, stroke is one of the major causes of long-term disability today. Recovery can be a long and arduous road. Again, in Europe, under 15% of the patients ...

Open-source software to help cities plant in pursuit of clean air

2021-07-08
Software to help towns and cities use street-planting to reduce citizens' exposure to air pollution has been developed by researchers at the University of Birmingham. Street planting, or 'green infrastructure', is an essential part of the urban realm, but there is a misconception that plants remove or 'soak up' a lot of pollution. Instead, planting at this scale primarily serves to redistribute pollution by changing air currents within streets and beside open roads. Because of this, not only the position and amount of planting within a street, but also ...

Thousands of galaxies classified in a blink of an eye

Thousands of galaxies classified in a blink of an eye
2021-07-08
Astronomers have designed and trained a computer program which can classify tens of thousands of galaxies in just a few seconds, a task that usually takes months to accomplish. In research published today, astrophysicists from Australia have used machine learning to speed up a process that is often done manually by astronomers and citizen scientists around the world. "Galaxies come in different shapes and sizes" said lead author Mitchell Cavanagh, a PhD candidate based at The University of Western Australia node of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR). "Classifying the shapes of galaxies is an important step in understanding their formation and evolution, and can even shed light on the nature of the Universe itself." Mr Cavanagh said that ...

Most common joint procedures not backed by high quality evidence

2021-07-08
Most common bone and joint (orthopaedic) procedures, such hip replacements and shoulder repair surgery, are not backed up by high quality evidence, mainly because of a lack of definitive trials, suggests an analysis of data published by The BMJ today. Yet despite the lack of strong supporting evidence, some of these procedures are still recommended by national guidelines in certain situations, the findings show. Musculoskeletal conditions affect around 1 in 4 UK adults and account for over 25% of all NHS surgical interventions at a cost of £4.76 billion each year. National ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Reality check: making indoor smartphone-based augmented reality work

Overthinking what you said? It’s your ‘lizard brain’ talking to newer, advanced parts of your brain

Black men — including transit workers — are targets for aggression on public transportation, study shows

Troubling spike in severe pregnancy-related complications for all ages in Illinois

Alcohol use identified by UTHealth Houston researchers as most common predictor of escalated cannabis vaping among youths in Texas

Need a landing pad for helicopter parenting? Frame tasks as learning

New MUSC Hollings Cancer Center research shows how Golgi stress affects T-cells' tumor-fighting ability

#16to365: New resources for year-round activism to end gender-based violence and strengthen bodily autonomy for all

Earliest fish-trapping facility in Central America discovered in Maya lowlands

São Paulo to host School on Disordered Systems

New insights into sleep uncover key mechanisms related to cognitive function

USC announces strategic collaboration with Autobahn Labs to accelerate drug discovery

Detroit health professionals urge the community to act and address the dangers of antimicrobial resistance

3D-printing advance mitigates three defects simultaneously for failure-free metal parts 

Ancient hot water on Mars points to habitable past: Curtin study

In Patagonia, more snow could protect glaciers from melt — but only if we curb greenhouse gas emissions soon

Simplicity is key to understanding and achieving goals

Caste differentiation in ants

Nutrition that aligns with guidelines during pregnancy may be associated with better infant growth outcomes, NIH study finds

New technology points to unexpected uses for snoRNA

Racial and ethnic variation in survival in early-onset colorectal cancer

Disparities by race and urbanicity in online health care facility reviews

Exploring factors affecting workers' acquisition of exercise habits using machine learning approaches

Nano-patterned copper oxide sensor for ultra-low hydrogen detection

Maintaining bridge safer; Digital sensing-based monitoring system

A novel approach for the composition design of high-entropy fluorite oxides with low thermal conductivity

A groundbreaking new approach to treating chronic abdominal pain

ECOG-ACRIN appoints seven researchers to scientific committee leadership positions

New model of neuronal circuit provides insight on eye movement

Cooking up a breakthrough: Penn engineers refine lipid nanoparticles for better mRNA therapies

[Press-News.org] Cell-type-specific insight into the function of risk factors in coronary artery disease