scholarly journals Differential DNA methylation and changing cell-type proportions as fibrotic stage progresses in NAFLD

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas D. Johnson ◽  
Xiumei Wu ◽  
Christopher D. Still ◽  
Xin Chu ◽  
Anthony T. Petrick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Disease Stage ◽  
Rna Seq ◽  
Cell Type ◽  
Alcoholic Fatty Liver ◽  
Cell Composition ◽  
Cpg Sites ◽  
Plausible Mechanism ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Background Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is characterized by changes in cell composition that occur throughout disease pathogenesis, which includes the development of fibrosis in a subset of patients. DNA methylation (DNAm) is a plausible mechanism underlying these shifts, considering that DNAm profiles differ across tissues and cell types, and DNAm may play a role in cell-type differentiation. Previous work investigating the relationship between DNAm and fibrosis in NAFLD has been limited by sample size and the number of CpG sites interrogated. Results Here, we performed an epigenome-wide analysis using Infinium MethylationEPIC array data from 325 individuals with NAFLD, including 119 with severe fibrosis and 206 with no histological evidence of fibrosis. After adjustment for latent confounders, we identified 7 CpG sites whose DNAm associated with fibrosis (p < 5.96 × 10–8). Analysis of RNA-seq data collected from a subset of individuals (N = 56) revealed that gene expression at 288 genes associated with DNAm at one or more of the 7 fibrosis-related CpGs. DNAm-based estimates of cell-type proportions showed that estimated proportions of natural killer cells increased, while epithelial cell proportions decreased with disease stage. Finally, we used an elastic net regression model to assess DNAm as a biomarker of fibrotic stage and found that our model predicted fibrosis with a sensitivity of 0.93 and provided information beyond a model based solely on cell-type proportions. Conclusion These findings are consistent with DNAm as a mechanism underpinning or marking fibrosis-related shifts in cell composition and demonstrate the potential of DNAm as a possible biomarker of NAFLD fibrosis.

scholarly journals AdRoit: an accurate and robust method to infer complex transcriptome composition

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tao Yang ◽  
Nicole Alessandri-Haber ◽  
Wen Fury ◽  
Michael Schaner ◽  
Robert Breese ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Single Cell ◽  
Adaptive Learning ◽  
Transcriptome Profiling ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Data Interpretation ◽  
Live Cells ◽  
Rna Seq ◽  
Cell Type ◽  
Computationally Efficient ◽  
Cell Composition

AbstractRNA sequencing technology promises an unprecedented opportunity in learning disease mechanisms and discovering new treatment targets. Recent spatial transcriptomics methods further enable the transcriptome profiling at spatially resolved spots in a tissue section. In controlled experiments, it is often of immense importance to know the cell composition in different samples. Understanding the cell type content in each tissue spot is also crucial to the spatial transcriptome data interpretation. Though single cell RNA-seq has the power to reveal cell type composition and expression heterogeneity in different cells, it remains costly and sometimes infeasible when live cells cannot be obtained or sufficiently dissociated. To computationally resolve the cell composition in RNA-seq data of mixed cells, we present AdRoit, an accurate androbust method to infer transcriptome composition. The method estimates the proportions of each cell type in the compound RNA-seq data using known single cell data of relevant cell types. It uniquely uses an adaptive learning approach to correct the bias gene-wise due to the difference in sequencing techniques. AdRoit also utilizes cell type specific genes while control their cross-sample variability. Our systematic benchmarking, spanning from simple to complex tissues, shows that AdRoit has superior sensitivity and specificity compared to other existing methods. Its performance holds for multiple single cell and compound RNA-seq platforms. In addition, AdRoit is computationally efficient and runs one to two orders of magnitude faster than some of the state-of-the-art methods.

scholarly journals Deconvolution of cellular subsets in human tissue based on targeted DNA methylation analysis at individual CpG sites

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Schmidt ◽  
Tiago Maié ◽  
Edgar Dahl ◽  
Ivan G. Costa ◽  
Wolfgang Wagner
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Basic Research ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Cell Type ◽  
Cpg Sites ◽  
Targeted Analysis ◽  
Cell Type Specific ◽  
Induced Pluripotent ◽  
Genomic Regions ◽  
Cg Dinucleotides

AbstractBackgroundThe complex composition of different cell types within a tissue can be estimated by deconvolution of omics datasets. For example, DNA methylation (DNAm) profiles have been used to establish an atlas for multiple human tissues and cell types. In this study, we investigated if deconvolution is also feasible with individual cell-type-specific CG dinucleotides (CpG sites), which can be addressed by targeted analysis, such as pyrosequencing.ResultsWe compiled and curated a dataset of 579 samples from Illumina 450k BeadChip technology that comprised 14 different purified and characterized human cell types. A training and validation strategy was applied to identify and test cell-type-specific CpGs. Initially, the amount of fibroblasts was estimated using two CpGs that were either hypermethylated or hypomethylated in fibroblasts. This FibroScore correlated with the state of fibrosis and was associated with overall survival in various types of cancer. Furthermore, we identified hypomethylated CpGs for leukocytes, endothelial cells, epithelial cells, hepatocytes, glia, neurons, fibroblasts and induced pluripotent stem cells. Using previously published BeadChip datasets with cell mixtures the accuracy of this eight CpG signature was comparable to previously published signatures based on several thousand CpGs. Finally, we established and validated pyrosequencing assays for the relevant CpGs that can be utilized for classification and deconvolution of cell types.ConclusionThis proof of concept study demonstrates that DNAm analysis at individual CpGs reflects the cellular composition of cellular mixtures and different tissues. Targeted analysis of these genomic regions facilitates robust methods for application in basic research and clinical settings.

scholarly journals Deconvolution of cellular subsets in human tissue based on targeted DNA methylation analysis at individual CpG sites

BMC Biology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Schmidt ◽  
Tiago Maié ◽  
Edgar Dahl ◽  
Ivan G. Costa ◽  
Wolfgang Wagner
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Expression Profiles ◽  
Gene Expression Profiles ◽  
Basic Research ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Cell Type ◽  
Cpg Sites ◽  
Targeted Analysis ◽  
Cell Type Specific ◽  
Induced Pluripotent

Abstract Background The complex composition of different cell types within a tissue can be estimated by deconvolution of bulk gene expression profiles or with various single-cell sequencing approaches. Alternatively, DNA methylation (DNAm) profiles have been used to establish an atlas for multiple human tissues and cell types. DNAm is particularly suitable for deconvolution of cell types because each CG dinucleotide (CpG site) has only two states per DNA strand—methylated or non-methylated—and these epigenetic modifications are very consistent during cellular differentiation. So far, deconvolution of DNAm profiles implies complex signatures of many CpGs that are often measured by genome-wide analysis with Illumina BeadChip microarrays. In this study, we investigated if the characterization of cell types in tissue is also feasible with individual cell type-specific CpG sites, which can be addressed by targeted analysis, such as pyrosequencing. Results We compiled and curated 579 Illumina 450k BeadChip DNAm profiles of 14 different non-malignant human cell types. A training and validation strategy was applied to identify and test for cell type-specific CpGs. We initially focused on estimating the relative amount of fibroblasts using two CpGs that were either hypermethylated or hypomethylated in fibroblasts. The combination of these two DNAm levels into a “FibroScore” correlated with the state of fibrosis and was associated with overall survival in various types of cancer. Furthermore, we identified hypomethylated CpGs for leukocytes, endothelial cells, epithelial cells, hepatocytes, glia, neurons, fibroblasts, and induced pluripotent stem cells. The accuracy of this eight CpG signature was tested in additional BeadChip datasets of defined cell mixtures and the results were comparable to previously published signatures based on several thousand CpGs. Finally, we established and validated pyrosequencing assays for the relevant CpGs that can be utilized for classification and deconvolution of cell types. Conclusion This proof of concept study demonstrates that DNAm analysis at individual CpGs reflects the cellular composition of cellular mixtures and different tissues. Targeted analysis of these genomic regions facilitates robust methods for application in basic research and clinical settings.

scholarly journals EMeth: An EM algorithm for cell type decomposition based on DNA methylation data

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanyu Zhang ◽  
Ruoyi Cai ◽  
James Dai ◽  
Wei Sun
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Tumor Cells ◽  
T Regulatory Cells ◽  
Simulated Data ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Computational Method ◽  
Methylation Data ◽  
Cell Type ◽  
A Cell ◽  
Type Decomposition

AbstractWe introduce a new computational method named EMeth to estimate cell type proportions using DNA methylation data. EMeth is a reference-based method that requires cell type-specific DNA methylation data from relevant cell types. EMeth improves on the existing reference-based methods by detecting the CpGs whose DNA methylation are inconsistent with the deconvolution model and reducing their contributions to cell type decomposition. Another novel feature of EMeth is that it allows a cell type with known proportions but unknown reference and estimates its methylation. This is motivated by the case of studying methylation in tumor cells while bulk tumor samples include tumor cells as well as other cell types such as infiltrating immune cells, and tumor cell proportion can be estimated by copy number data. We demonstrate that EMeth delivers more accurate estimates of cell type proportions than several other methods using simulated data and in silico mixtures. Applications in cancer studies show that the proportions of T regulatory cells estimated by DNA methylation have expected associations with mutation load and survival time, while the estimates from gene expression miss such associations.

scholarly journals JIND: Joint Integration and Discrimination for Automated Single-Cell Annotation

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohit Goyal ◽  
Guillermo Serrano ◽  
Ilan Shomorony ◽  
Mikel Hernaez ◽  
Idoia Ochoa
Keyword(s):  
Single Cell ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Marker Genes ◽  
Specific Marker ◽  
Rna Seq ◽  
Batch Effects ◽  
Cell Type ◽  
Latent Space ◽  
Cell Type Specific ◽  
Low Dimensional

AbstractSingle-cell RNA-seq is a powerful tool in the study of the cellular composition of different tissues and organisms. A key step in the analysis pipeline is the annotation of cell-types based on the expression of specific marker genes. Since manual annotation is labor-intensive and does not scale to large datasets, several methods for automated cell-type annotation have been proposed based on supervised learning. However, these methods generally require feature extraction and batch alignment prior to classification, and their performance may become unreliable in the presence of cell-types with very similar transcriptomic profiles, such as differentiating cells. We propose JIND, a framework for automated cell-type identification based on neural networks that directly learns a low-dimensional representation (latent code) in which cell-types can be reliably determined. To account for batch effects, JIND performs a novel asymmetric alignment in which the transcriptomic profile of unseen cells is mapped onto the previously learned latent space, hence avoiding the need of retraining the model whenever a new dataset becomes available. JIND also learns cell-type-specific confidence thresholds to identify and reject cells that cannot be reliably classified. We show on datasets with and without batch effects that JIND classifies cells more accurately than previously proposed methods while rejecting only a small proportion of cells. Moreover, JIND batch alignment is parallelizable, being more than five or six times faster than Seurat integration. Availability: https://github.com/mohit1997/JIND.

scholarly journals CellO: Comprehensive and hierarchical cell type classification of human cells with the Cell Ontology

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew N. Bernstein ◽  
Zhongjie Ma ◽  
Michael Gleicher ◽  
Colin N. Dewey
Keyword(s):  
Single Cell ◽  
Web Application ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Rna Seq ◽  
Cell Type ◽  
Training Set ◽  
Sequence Read Archive ◽  
Cell Ontology ◽  
Cell Type Specific ◽  
Type Classification

SummaryCell type annotation is a fundamental task in the analysis of single-cell RNA-sequencing data. In this work, we present CellO, a machine learning-based tool for annotating human RNA-seq data with the Cell Ontology. CellO enables accurate and standardized cell type classification by considering the rich hierarchical structure of known cell types, a source of prior knowledge that is not utilized by existing methods. Furthemore, CellO comes pre-trained on a novel, comprehensive dataset of human, healthy, untreated primary samples in the Sequence Read Archive, which to the best of our knowledge, is the most diverse curated collection of primary cell data to date. CellO’s comprehensive training set enables it to run out-of-the-box on diverse cell types and achieves superior or competitive performance when compared to existing state-of-the-art methods. Lastly, CellO’s linear models are easily interpreted, thereby enabling exploration of cell type-specific expression signatures across the ontology. To this end, we also present the CellO Viewer: a web application for exploring CellO’s models across the ontology.HighlightWe present CellO, a tool for hierarchically classifying cell type from single-cell RNA-seq data against the graph-structured Cell OntologyCellO is pre-trained on a comprehensive dataset comprising nearly all bulk RNA-seq primary cell samples in the Sequence Read ArchiveCellO achieves superior or comparable performance with existing methods while featuring a more comprehensive pre-packaged training setCellO is built with easily interpretable models which we expose through a novel web application, the CellO Viewer, for exploring cell type-specific signatures across the Cell OntologyGraphical Abstract

scholarly journals Cord blood buffy coat DNA methylation is comparable to whole cord blood methylation

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Dou ◽  
Rebecca J. Schmidt ◽  
Kelly S. Benke ◽  
Craig Newschaffer ◽  
Irva Hertz-Picciotto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Blood Cell ◽  
Cord Blood ◽  
Whole Blood ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Buffy Coat ◽  
Sample Type ◽  
Blood Samples ◽  
Cell Composition ◽  
Cell Counts

AbstractBackgroundCord blood DNA methylation is associated with numerous health outcomes and environmental exposures. Whole cord blood DNA reflects all nucleated blood cell types, while centrifuging whole blood separates red blood cells by generating a white blood cell buffy coat. Both sample types are used in DNA methylation studies. Cell types have unique methylation patterns and processing can impact cell distributions, which may influence comparability.ObjectivesTo evaluate differences in cell composition and DNA methylation between buffy coat and whole cord blood samples.MethodsCord blood DNA methylation was measured with the Infinium EPIC BeadChip (Illumina) in 8 individuals, each contributing buffy coat and whole blood samples. We analyzed principal components (PC) of methylation, performed hierarchical clustering, and computed correlations of mean-centered methylation between pairs. We conducted moderated t-tests on single sites and estimated cell composition.ResultsDNA methylation PCs were associated with individual (PPC1=1.4x10-9; PPC2=2.9x10-5; PPC3=3.8x10-5; PPC4=4.2x10-6; PPC5=9.9x10-13), and not with sample type (PPC1-5>0.7). Samples hierarchically clustered by individual. Pearson correlations of mean-centered methylation between paired individual samples ranged from r=0.66 to r=0.87. No individual site significantly differed between buffy coat and whole cord blood when adjusting for multiple comparisons (5 sites had unadjusted P<10-5). Estimated cell type proportions did not differ by sample type (P=0.86), and estimated cell counts were highly correlated between paired samples (r=0.99).ConclusionsDifferences in methylation and cell composition between buffy coat and whole cord blood are much lower than inter-individual variation, demonstrating that both sample preparation types can be analytically combined and compared.

scholarly journals CellMap: Characterizing the types and composition of iPSC-derived cells from RNA-seq data

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhengyu Ouyang ◽  
Nathanael Bourgeois ◽  
Eugenia Lyashenko ◽  
Paige Cundiff ◽  
Patrick F Cullen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Single Cell ◽  
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Model Systems ◽  
Rna Seq ◽  
Cell Type ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Single Nucleus ◽  
Induced Pluripotent

Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) derived cell types are increasingly employed as in vitro model systems for drug discovery. For these studies to be meaningful, it is important to understand the reproducibility of the iPSC-derived cultures and their similarity to equivalent endogenous cell types. Single-cell and single-nucleus RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) are useful to gain such understanding, but they are expensive and time consuming, while bulk RNA-seq data can be generated quicker and at lower cost. In silico cell type decomposition is an efficient, inexpensive, and convenient alternative that can leverage bulk RNA-seq to derive more fine-grained information about these cultures. We developed CellMap, a computational tool that derives cell type profiles from publicly available single-cell and single-nucleus datasets to infer cell types in bulk RNA-seq data from iPSC-derived cell lines.

scholarly journals Differences in DNA methylation of white blood cell types at birth and in adulthood reflect postnatal immune maturation and influence accuracy of cell type prediction

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meaghan J Jones ◽  
Louie Dinh ◽  
Hamid Reza Razzaghian ◽  
Olivia de Goede ◽  
Julia L MacIsaac ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Blood Cell ◽  
Cord Blood ◽  
White Blood Cell ◽  
Blood Cells ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Cell Type ◽  
Cell Type Specific ◽  
The Impact

AbstractBackgroundDNA methylation profiling of peripheral blood leukocytes has many research applications, and characterizing the changes in DNA methylation of specific white blood cell types between newborn and adult could add insight into the maturation of the immune system. As a consequence of developmental changes, DNA methylation profiles derived from adult white blood cells are poor references for prediction of cord blood cell types from DNA methylation data. We thus examined cell-type specific differences in DNA methylation in leukocyte subsets between cord and adult blood, and assessed the impact of these differences on prediction of cell types in cord blood.ResultsThough all cell types showed differences between cord and adult blood, some specific patterns stood out that reflected how the immune system changes after birth. In cord blood, lymphoid cells showed less variability than in adult, potentially demonstrating their naïve status. In fact, cord CD4 and CD8 T cells were so similar that genetic effects on DNA methylation were greater than cell type effects in our analysis, and CD8 T cell frequencies remained difficult to predict, even after optimizing the library used for cord blood composition estimation. Myeloid cells showed fewer changes between cord and adult and also less variability, with monocytes showing the fewest sites of DNA methylation change between cord and adult. Finally, including nucleated red blood cells in the reference library was necessary for accurate cell type predictions in cord blood.ConclusionChanges in DNA methylation with age were highly cell type specific, and those differences paralleled what is known about the maturation of the postnatal immune system.

Development of a multiomics and functional drug sensitivity platform to investigate cell type specific drug effects in AML.

2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e19013-e19013
Author(s):  
Marianne T. Santaguida ◽  
Ryosuke Kita ◽  
Steven A. Schaffert ◽  
Erica K. Anderson ◽  
Kamran A Ali ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Flow Cytometry ◽  
Drug Response ◽  
Drug Sensitivity ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Specific Cell ◽  
Rna Seq ◽  
Cell Type ◽  
Drug Sensitivity Assay ◽  
Cell Type Specific

e19013 Background: Understanding the heterogeneity of AML is necessary for developing targeted drugs and diagnostics. A key measure of heterogeneity is the variance in response to treatments. Previously, we developed an ex vivo flow cytometry drug sensitivity assay (DSA) that predicted response to treatments in myelodysplastic syndrome. Unlike bulk cell viability measures of other drug sensitivity assays, our flow cytometry assay provides single cell resolution. The assay measures a drug’s effect on the viability or functional state of specific cell types. Here we present the development of this technology for AML, with additional measurements of DNA-Seq and RNA-Seq. Using the data from this assay, we aim to characterize the heterogeneity in AML drug sensitivity and the molecular mechanisms that drive it. Methods: As an initial feasibility analysis, we assayed 1 bone marrow and 3 peripheral blood AML patient samples. For the DSA, the samples were cultured with six AML standard of care (SOC) compounds across seven doses, in addition to two combinations. The cells were stained to detect multiple cell types including tumor blasts, and drug response was measured by flow cytometry. For the multi-omics, the cells were magnetically sorted to enrich for blasts and then assayed using a targeted 400 gene DNA-Seq panel and whole bulk transcriptome RNA-Seq. For comparison with BeatAML, Pearson correlations between gene expression and venetoclax sensitivity were investigated. Results: In our drug sensitivity assay, we measured dose response curves for the six SOC compounds, for each different cell type across each sample. The dose responses had cell type specific effects, including differences in drug response between CD11b+ blasts, CD11b- blasts, and other non-blast populations. Integrating with the DNA-Seq and RNA-Seq data, known associations between ex vivo drug response and gene expression were identified with additional cell type specificity. For example, BCL2A1 expression was negatively correlated with venetoclax sensitivity in CD11b- blasts but not in CD11b+ blasts. To further corroborate, among the top 1000 genes associated with venetoclax sensitivity in BeatAML, 93.7% had concordant directionality in effect. Conclusions: Here we describe the development of an integrated ex vivo drug sensitivity assay and multi-omics dataset. The data demonstrated that ex vivo responses to compounds differ between cell types, highlighting the importance of measuring drug response in specific cell types. In addition, we demonstrated that integrating these data will provide unique insights on molecular mechanisms that affect cell type specific drug response. As we continue to expand the number of patient samples evaluated with our multi-dimensional platform, this dataset will provide insights for novel drug target discovery, biomarker development, and, in the future, informing treatment decisions.

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