Browsing by study line "Molecular and Analytical Health Biosciences"

Adeno-Associated Viruses (AAVs) are quickly becoming one of the most applied vectors for gene therapy applications. In the recent years three new AAV-based gene therapies have been approved by U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA). The regulatory bodies require accurate and reliable characterisation of the clinical grade viral vectors during and after production. Analytic methods measuring the purity, potency and safety of the product support the up-stream and down-stream processes during the production and are used for final-drug substance characterisation. Median Tissue Culture Infectious Dose (TCID50) is a well-established method for measuring the infectious titer of a virus. Here, an assay for determining the infectious titer of AAVs, which has previously been used to characterise the existing AAV2 Reference Standard Material (AAV2RSM) was set up and optimised for research use at Kuopio Center for Gene and Cell Therapy (KCT). The assay utilizes the HeRC32-cell line, a HeLa clone, that stably expresses AAV Rep and Cap -proteins and in presence of adenovirus, enables the replication of recombinant AAV-vectors. The cells were grown in 96-well plates and infected with 10-fold dilution series of AAV vectors (AAV2 and AAV6) using human adenovirus type 5 as the co-infector. 72 hours post infection the vector genome replication of AAV was detected with quantitative PCR (qPCR). Thresholds for qPCR determined copy number and cycle threshold (Ct) were set and used for the determination of infection-positive wells. The 50-percent endpoint was observed and used to calculate the infectious titer according to the Spearman-Kärber method. The assay was set up and optimised with the AAV2 Reference standard material (AAV2RSM) using two different primer-probe sets (targeted sequences were; SV40 polyadenylation signal and AAV inverted terminal repeats (ITRs)). Plates infected with AAV2RSM were analysed separately with both primers resulting in mean infectious titers of 8.07 ± 3.13 x 108 TCID50 Infectious Units (IU) / mL (n = 9) and 1.27 ± 0.464 x 109 TCID50 IU/mL (n = 9) for SV40 and ITR, respectively. After the assay was set up with the AAV2RSM, an in-house AAV6 product was analysed with the ITR primers yielding 6.09 ± 3.94 x 109 TCID50 (IU) / mL (n = 5). The assay protocol was successfully set up for research use at the KCT laboratory. Improvements were added to the original protocol to increase assay robustness, accuracy and precision as well as to minimize the possibility of over-estimation of the infectious titer. The assay can be further optimised for a particular therapeutic AAV product in the research laboratory or technology transferred to a production facility for optimisation and validation for the analytics needs of a production pipeline.

Immunopeptidomics research, focused on HLA-presented peptides, indicates that identifying neoantigens – unique peptides from cancer cell mutations – holds potential for personalized cancer treatment. PeptiCHIP, a compact microfluidic device from ValoTx, facilitates neoantigen identification in small tumor samples. This study evaluates PeptiCHIP against traditional immunopurification methods, assessing its advantages and commercial potential through stakeholder interviews guided by the double diamond model of design thinking. The aim is to establish PeptiCHIP’s unique advantages in immunopeptidomics research and precision oncology. Data for this research were gathered through semi-structured interviews and comparative laboratory analyses. The interviews revealed a positive reception among 19 stakeholders towards PeptiCHIP, highlighting a strong interest in its potential to accelerate workflows and enhance the personalization of cancer treatment. Laboratory comparisons confirmed that PeptiCHIP offers greater sensitivity than competitor products in detecting antigens, pinpointing the most immunogenic peptides from individual tumor samples. This suggests that the data could be effectively utilized as a targeted treatment approach in precision oncology therapies. The results indicate an eagerness to adopt PeptiCHIP, driven by its enhanced detection speed and accuracy. This research not only underscores the technological and commercial potential of PeptiCHIP in impacting precision oncology but also highlights the importance of aligning technological innovations with user needs and market demands. For ValoTx, a strategic commercial approach is needed to set a benchmark in precision oncology innovation.

Formation of template switching mutation has previously been proposed as a mechanism of RNA evolution. TSM mechanism may contribute to the creation, maintenance, and modification of the RNA Hairpin. The finding of de novo TSM in RNA sequences will provide evidence for this hypothesis. Ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs) appear in multicopy clusters on different chromosomes and evolve through concerted evolution. To study the properties of de novo TSM and the dynamics of the concerted evolution of rRNA, we developed a computational tool to analyze pairwise differences and the phylogenetic relationship of rRNA genes on different chromosomes. The genome assemblies that are based on traditional short-read sequencing methods have limitations on studying long tandem repeat rDNA, because the reading length is shorter than on the rRNA gene. To overcome this limitation. PacBio Hifi long-read sequencing data for human rRNA 18S and 28S genes were studied. By analyzing the diversity of rRNA genes between individuals and families, single nucleotide mutations, multiple nucleotide insertions, and deletions were identified. As expected, genetic variations in ribosomal genes were detected both within and between individuals. A larger sample size may be required for TSM identification. The finding of this research that related to the dynamics and concerted evolution of human rRNA may contribute to a better understanding of rRNA mutation-related genetic disorders.

Exercise-induced hyperinsulinism (EIHI) is a pathological condition characterized by aberrant insulin secretion triggered by physical exercise or pyruvate exposure. The monocarboxylate transporter protein (MCT1), encoded by SLC16A1, is ubiquitously expressed in almost all cell types except pancreatic islet cells. In patients with EIHI, mutations in the regulatory regions of the SLC16A1 gene are thought to lead to the unwanted expression of MCT1 on the beta cell membrane, allowing the influx of elevated lactate and pyruvate blood levels during exercise. These substrates feed into the Krebs cycle, increasing insulin release. This excessive insulin secretion can lead to hypoglycemia during exercise, causing weakness, syncope, and confusion. Since EIHI has never been studied using a human stem cell-derived islets, this thesis aims to establish a robust model in which to investigate the disease mechanism in detail. To achieve this, we reprogrammed EIHI patients’ fibroblasts into a stable pluripotent state and further differentiated them into functional pancreatic stem cell-derived islets (SC-islets) in vitro. These SC-islets were then matured further in vivo (in immunocompromised mice) and compared to healthy SC-islet controls. Rigorous quality control measures were implemented throughout the differentiation process to ensure its efficacy and the expression regulation of SLC16A1 was studied during SC-islet development. Extensive phenotypic characterization was conducted using immunohistochemistry, quantitative gene expression level analysis, and insulin secretion assays with glucose and pyruvate. Contrary to expectations, the results of this study demonstrated that despite the SLC16A1 promoter mutation, the expression of SLC16A1 was downregulated similarly to the control cell line during development in vitro, resulting in similar pyruvate-stimulated insulin secretion to the control cells. Interestingly, immunohistochemical analysis of in vivo implanted SC-islets showed a clear phenotype with an increased number of MCT1-positive cells only in the mutant grafts, some of which were endocrine cells. In conclusion, the phenotypic manifestations of EIHI were not visible in the setting of in vitro modeling, which was attributed to the similar expression levels of MCT1 in both the mutant and control cell lines. However, following in vivo implantation, there was a noticeable increase in MCT1 expression exclusively in the mutant cells. This finding suggests a distinct regulatory mechanism of MCT1 expression, which might be impacted by the in vivo surroundings and the maturation state of human islets.

Lynch syndrome (LS) is the most common cancer predisposition disease caused by dominantly inherited pathogenic variant (PV) of a mismatch repair (MMR) gene leading to a defective gene allele. The four major MMR genes encode MMR proteins – MSH2, MSH6, MLH1 ja PMS2 – that participate in the proofreading and repairing of the daughter strand for mismatches after every replication. The inherited PVs predispose to cancer development as only one somatic allele loss is required for biallelic loss according to the Knudson’s “two-hit” hypothesis. The biallelic loss of an MMR-gene leads to disrupted protein function altering the MMR process. When mismatches are left unrepaired, genomic instability is caused, which can eventually lead to tumorigenesis. Especially, the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) and endometrial cancer (EC) is increased in LS. The predisposition syndrome, LS, is important to detect as early as possible to decrease the risk of cancer by prevention and surveillance. The MMR genes and their defects vary in their consequences to the repair process considerably, and thus, it is crucial to know the different characteristics and functional effects of them when estimating the level of cancer risk. Variants of uncertain significance (VUS) are especially prevalent among LS variants. More information about their impact to the disease can be acquired by in vitro and in silico methods, for instance. The main goal of the efforts for early detection and prevention is to reduce cancer morbidity and mortality. In this thesis, the pathogenicities of MSH2 and MSH6 variants were studied with DiagMMR assay, which has been developed for studying the protein function of these genes. In addition to the traditional agarose gel electrophoresis (AGE), the samples were also analyzed by a fragment analyzer, Labchip, that bases its function on capillary electrophoresis. This way the MMR detection efficiency of the methods could be compared. Samples were collected as skin biopsies from controls and LS patients with known MMR gene variants by Helsinki University Central Hospital (HUCH). InSiGHT database, that collects the different MMR-gene variants and their pathogenicity classification, was used to ensure that different kinds of variations, both pathogenic (class 5) and currently internationally unlisted variants, were analysed. The skin samples were cultured to acquire primary fibroblasts for nuclear protein extraction. The level of pathogenicity was revealed by MMR-protein activity when substrate DNA with a mismatch was added to the extract. Then, restriction enzymes were used for producing fragments of different lengths, depending on the repair action, and the MMR efficiency was visualized by both electrophoretic methods. Additionally, MAPP-MMR tool was used for studying the MSH2 mismatch variants in silico. By comparing the results from these two methods, we show that the more quantitative Labchip brings diagnostic value to DiagMMR suggesting 100% specificity (n=10) and 90,9% (n=11) sensitivity in reference to the variant information. For example, MSH6 c.3103C>T, which is listed as pathogenic in InSiGHT, was more consistent in giving a MMR deficient (dMMR) result with Labchip. Difference in the functional detection could be seen particularly with the MSH6 variants, but the differences were less notable when Labchip results were compared to the previous interpretations of the samples made based on the validated DiagMMR protocol. With the unlisted MSH6 variants, c.3139dupT was detected as dMMR by Labchip which was in unison with the previous interpretation. Another one, MSH6 c.551delA, was seen as MMR proficient (pMMR) in all the results by both the methods, and with the previous interpretation being unclear, which highlights the importance of further testing of this variant. There was also one unlisted variant (c.1805T>C) among MSH2 for which we got uniform dMMR results in two patients. The high MAPP-MMR score (25.150) for the MSH2 p.Leu602Pro amino acid change also supported the evidence gained of the pathogenic nature of this variant. As a conclusion, DiagMMR can be used reliably for MMR efficiency analysis, especially when performed together with a more quantitative analysis method.

Mature T-cell leukemias/lymphomas (MaTCLs) represent a rare and clinically heterogenous group of diseases that vary from indolent stages to aggressive malignancies with very limited therapy options due to the resistance development against conventional chemotherapies. T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia (T-PLL) is the most common subtype of MaTCLs and was therefore selected as a model disease to study the genetic mechanisms leading to the resistance development with eight clinically relevant cancer drugs. In this Master’s thesis genome-wide CRISPR/Cas9 knock-out screen with Brunello lentiviral library was used to study genetic aberrations that could induce resistance or sensitivity towards the selected cancer drugs. Two main pathways were enriched in multiple drug conditions including p53 regulating genes as well as epigenetic regulation, suggesting these pathways could be related to resistance development mechanisms. p53 pathway is dysregulated in most cancer types and therefore it can also be seen as a positive control of the screen. Epigenetic modulations play an important role regulating cell proliferation and genes related to this pathway are frequently altered in MaTCL patients. The screening results show enrichment of epigenetic regulation and suggest that it has a role in drug resistance development. This thesis work included results only from one genome-wide screening experiment and in the future is important to compare the findings with replicate screen results as well as with other cell lines to confirm the findings. In addition, validation of the most biologically interesting genes should be performed, most optimally in primary cells.

Hypercholesterolemia is characterized by elevated levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in the bloodstream and contributes substantially to the global burden of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Low-density lipoprotein receptor adaptor protein 1 (LDLRAP1) is an endocytic adaptor protein which assists LDL internalization by promoting LDLR localization in clathrin-coated pits and mutations in LDLRAP1 are associated with autosomal recessive hypercholesterolemia. However, the clinical relevance of many LDLRAP1 variants is yet to be fully determined. The aim of this master’s thesis is to adopt an analysis pipeline for bulk generation and functional characterization of such LDLRAP1 variants. To accomplish this goal, a cell model with impaired LDLR internalization is validated and the activity of LDLRAP1 and LDLRAP1 variants are evaluated within this system. This involves implementing a semi-automated variant generation pipeline to produce LDLRAP1 variants in large-scale, and LDLRAP1 variants are introduced into this cell system. The main finding of this thesis is that impaired LDLRAP1 function results in LDL-LDLR complexes to be retained on plasma membrane. The expression of LDLRAP1-GFP in internalization deficient cells reduced LDL and LDLR accumulation on plasma membrane. These features were evaluated for variant characterization, revealing three variants that may have impaired LDLRAP1 functionality. In conclusion, the findings of this thesis underscore the imperative for large-scale variant generation efforts and highlight the pivotal role of LDLRAP1 functionality in LDL internalization.

Chemoresistance is a significant contributor to the lethality of high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC). Treatment response to traditional platinum-based chemotherapy is poor, and the need for improvement is urgent, as more than 50% of the patients pass within 5-years from diagnosis. Mitochondrial metabolism has emerged as a potential target in HGSOC, and enhanced capacity in mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) has been shown to correlate with a better chemoresponse. The vital metabolic cofactor for mitochondrial enzymatic reactions, during e.g. OXPHOS, is nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+). It is now well-established that NAD+ precursor supplementation can boost intracellular NAD+ content and, consequently, mitochondrial function. In cancer, NAD+ boosting shows mitochondrial activation mediated anticancer and chemosensitizing effects and presents an intriguing route to modulate cancer metabolism and treatment response. In HGSOC, NAD+ metabolism and its association with tumours’ metabolic profile is poorly understood. Also, the impact of mitochondrial activation on HGSOC chemoresponse remains unexplored. This thesis aimed to evaluate patient-derived HGSOC tumour NAD metabolite content and its association with OXPHOS. Also, the aim was to explore whether in vitro NAD+ boosting promotes mitochondrial function and subsequently enhances chemosensitivity to platinum-based treatment. Thus, I measured the NAD metabolite concentrations in HGSOC tumours and two HGSOC cell lines, OVCAR-5 and COV318. The impact of NAD+ boosting on HGSOC cells OXPHOS and chemoresponse was assessed with respirometry and cell viability assays. I found that the HGSOC tumours presented alterations in NAD metabolite content, with an increase in the reduced forms and a decrease in the metabolite redox ratios. Also, the change in the NAD metabolite seemed to be impacted by the tumours’ anatomical location and OXPHOS capacity. In vitro HGSOC cells differed in their OXPHOS capacity, with the OXPHOS-high cell line exhibiting enhanced sensitivity to chemotherapy. The NAD+ boosting increased intracellular NAD+ content and mitochondrial OXPHOS without impacting the cells’ chemoresponse or growth. In conclusion, the altered NAD+ metabolism in HGSOC tumours presents potential target pathways for the disease with poor treatment response. The NAD+ boosting mediated metabolic modulation increased the OXPHOS capacity independently of the cell lines’ OXPHOS-status. In OXPHOS-low cells’ mitochondrial activation enhanced OXPHOS to the level of chemosensitive OXPHOS-high cells but did not alter the cell lines’ chemoresponse within a short-term treatment period. These observations have increased the understanding of NAD+ metabolism. Also, as a proof-of-principle, NAD+ boosting was presented as a tool for mitochondrial activation and metabolic modulation in HGSOC cells, opening an intriguing approach to explore HGSOC mitochondrial function and chemoresponse.

Coronary artery disease is a leading cause of death and disability globally. The complement system has an important role in vascular health by defending against pathogens and regulating inflammation. Dysregulation of complement activation can lead to inflammation and the weakening of the vascular wall. The study investigated polymorphisms in the complement factor H (CFH) - complement factor H related (CFHR) genes region, which can predispose to inflammation and thus lead to coronary artery diseases. This study specifically focused on the CFHR 1 gene region because it competes with complement factor H, which plays a protective role. The protein structure of CFH and CFHR1 is similar. CFH protects the complement attacks, and on the other hand, CFHR1 does not prevent complement activation. 225 samples were selected for this study to evaluate the CFH-CFHR gene region in different patient groups from the COROGENE Cohort. Patients were assigned for coronary angiograms at the Helsinki University Central Hospital, and samples were collected every 5 years within 12 months to study trends in heart disease and coronary risk factors. Samples were analysed by SALSA MLPA (Multiplex Ligation-dependent Probe Amplification) to detect the presence of copy number variations (CNVs) in the CFH-CFHR gene region. The results of analysis indicate that the mortality rate was higher in this follow-up among males with CFHR 1 deletion compared to males with a normal genotype (p= 0.013). Furthermore, males with myocardial infarction (MI) and CFHR 1 deletion have a higher mortality rate than males with a normal genotype (p = 0.032). The results of logistic regression analysis indicate that CFHR 1 deletion, combined with other risk factors, is more likely to lead to non-ST elevated myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), than ST elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI). NSTEMI is more difficult to detect on an ECG compared to STEMI. A limitation of this study was the small sample size in each group. This study adds to the understanding that STEMI and NSTEMI have different risk factors. These differences should perhaps be considered in diagnostics and treatment once we understand them.

Suuresta tarpeesta huolimatta, ei työvälineitä geeniekspression endogeeniseen säätelyyn ole nykypäivänä tarjolla lääketieteellisiin eikä tutkimuksellisiinkaan tarkoituksiin. Vuonna 2017 karakterisoitiin uuden CRISPR-Cas tyypin VI kompleksit. Nämä kompleksit hyödyntävät endonukleaasiaktiivisuudessaan uudenlaista Cas13 -efektoria, jonka kohteena toimii yksijuosteiset RNA-molekyylit. Cas13 tunnistaa kohteensa opas-RNA:n (gRNA) avulla. Tätä komplementaarisuutta hyödyntämällä on onnistuttu kohdistamaan Cas13:n aktiivisuus spesifisiin lähetti-RNA molekyyleihin nisäkässolukokeissa ilman kohde-RNA:n ulkopuolisia hajoamistuotteita. Tämän lisäksi nukleaasiinaktivoituja Cas13 efektoreita (dCas13) on käytetty esimerkiksi kohdennettuun nukleotidien deaminaatioon ja vaihtoehtoisen silmikoinnin indusointiin. Tämä todistaa dCas13 efektorien kyvyn toimia ohjelmoitavina apuproteiineina, joiden avulla voidaan ohjata kompleksiin liitetyn proteiinin toiminta spesifisille kohde-RNA:n alueille. Tässä tutkimuksessa, kaksi eukaryoottien translaatioon osallistuvaa proteiinia, ELAVL1 ja EIF4E, yhdistettiin dCas13b efektorin kanssa C- ja N-terminaalisesti, tarkoituksena lisätä kohteena olevan lähetti-RNA:n ekspressiota parantamalla tämän translatiivisuutta tai stabiliteettia. Koeasetelmassa vertailtiin näiden neljän fuusioproteiinin sekä aktiivisen Cas13b:n vaikutusta lusiferaasin ekspressioon käyttäen kuutta eri gRNA:ta aktivaation ohjaamisessa. Kokeet suoritettiin in vitro ympäristössä HEK293T-soluissa. Natiivi Cas13b vähensi merkittävästi lusiferaasisignaalia, kun taas samassa asetelmassa C-terminaalinen dCas13b-ELAVL1 fuusio lisäsi tätä tilastollisesti merkittävästi eli aikaansai kasvaneen lusiferaasiekspression. Vastaavaa vaikutusta ei ollut havaittavissa muissa fuusioproteiineissa. Tulokset todistavat onnistuneen Cas13b-välitteisen degradaation, sekä dCas13bELAVL1-välitteisen lisääntyneen lusiferaasitranskriptin translaation. Jatkotutkimusta vaaditaan fuusioproteiinin toiminnallisuuden ja varsinaisen kohteen ulkopuolisen aktiivisuuden määrityksessä. Siitä huolimatta tutkimuksessa esitelty fuusoproteiinikonstrukti voisi hyvin olla toimiva työkalu geeniekspression spesifin lisäyksen mahdollistamisessa endogeenisessa kontekstissa