Brief Article
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World J Gastroenterol. Jun 7, 2013; 19(21): 3339-3346
Published online Jun 7, 2013. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i21.3339
Gene expression profiles in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of ulcerative colitis patients
Ying-Lei Miao, Yu-Liang Xiao, Yan Du, Li-Ping Duan
Ying-Lei Miao, Li-Ping Duan, Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650032, Yunan Province, China
Yu-Liang Xiao, Department of Gastroenterology, The Second People’s Hospital of Yunnan Province, Kunming 650021, Yunan Province, China
Yan Du, Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650032, Yunan Province, China
Author contributions: Miao YL designed the research; Miao YL, Duan LP, Xiao YL and Du Y performed the research and analyzed the data; Xiao YL wrote the paper; Miao YL and Xiao YL contributed equally to this manuscript.
Supported by Grants from National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 81260074/H0310 and 81160055/H0310; Confederative Special Foundation of Science and Technology, Department of Yunnan Province and Kunming Medical College, No. 2011FB183 and 2007C0010R; and Medical Academic Leader of Yunnan Provincial Bureau of Health, No. D-201215
Correspondence to: Ying-Lei Miao, MD, Professor, Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, 295 Xichang road, Kunming 650032, Yunan Province, China. myldu@sina.com
Telephone: +86-871-5387669 Fax: +86-871-5387669
Received: July 10, 2012
Revised: September 27, 2012
Accepted: March 15, 2013
Published online: June 7, 2013
Processing time: 328 Days and 14.6 Hours
Abstract

AIM: To identify peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) gene expression profiles of ulcerative colitis (UC) patients, using oligonucleotide microarrays, to gain insights into UC molecular mechanisms.

METHODS: The Human OneArray microarrays were used for a complete genome-wide transcript profiling of PBMCs from 12 UC patients and 6 controls. Differential analysis per gene was performed with a random variance model; t test and P values were adjusted to control the false discovery rate (5%). Gene ontology (GO) was deployed to analyze differentially expressed genes at significant levels between patients and controls to identify the biological processes involved in UC.

RESULTS: Comparative analysis revealed that 4438 probes (4188 genes) were differentially expressed between the two groups, of which 3689 probes (3590 genes) were down-regulated whereas 749 probes (598 genes) were up-regulated. Many disregulated genes in our data have been reported by previous microarray studies carried out on intestinal mucosa samples, such as S100A8, CEACAM1 and S100A9. GO enrichment analysis revealed 67 high enrichment up-regulated categories and one significant down-regulated category. The up-regulated genes were mainly involved in immune and inflammatory response, cell cycle and proliferation, DNA metabolism and repair.

CONCLUSION: Gene expression profiling of PBMCs from patients with UC has highlighted several novel gene categories that could contribute to the pathogenesis of UC.

Keywords: Ulcerative colitis; Microarray; Gene ontology; Peripheral blood mononuclear cells

Core tip: Evidence indicates that peripheral blood immune cells play a vital role in the pathogeny of ulcerative colitis (UC). This study identified genome-wide gene expression profiles of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in UC, and gene ontology analysis highlighted the significance of several categories related to immune and inflammatory responses, cell cycle and proliferation, and DNA repair. The gene enrichment analysis provides greater understanding of the processes that may be involved in UC.