title: A global analysis of tandem 3'UTRs in eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Alternative polyadenylation (APA) is emerging as a widespread mechanism of gene regulation. The usage of APA sites allows a single gene to encode multiple mRNA transcripts with different 3'-untranslated region (3'UTR) lengths. Many disease processes reflect the importance of the regulation of APA site switching. The objective of this study was to explore the profiling of tandem APA sites in nasal polyps compared with nasal uncinate process mucosa.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sequencing of APA sites (SAPAS) based on second-generation sequencing technology was undertaken to investigate the use of tandem APA sites and identify gene expression patterns in samples from the nasal polyps and nasal uncinate process mucosa of two patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps. The findings of the SAPAS analysis were validated via quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR).
  
  
  RESULTS
  First, the results showed a switching of 3'UTR lengths in nasal polyps compared with nasal uncinate process mucosa. From the two patients, 105 genes that were detected in both patients in the nasal polyps were switched to distal poly(A) sites, and 90 such genes were switched to proximal poly(A) sites. Several Gene Ontology terms were enriched in the list of genes with switched APA sites, including transcription regulation, cell cycle, apoptosis, and metabolism. Second, we detected genes that showed differential expression with at least a 3-fold difference between nasal polyp tissue and nasal uncinate process mucosa. Between the two sample types, 627 genes exhibited differential expression. The qRT-PCR results confirmed our SAPAS results.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  APA site-switching events of 3'UTRs are prevalent in nasal polyp tissue, and the regulation of gene expression mediated by APA may play an important role in the formation and persistence of nasal polyps. Our results may provide new insights into the possible pathophysiologic processes involved in nasal polyps.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, PR China.
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Yuxin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wan
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Anlong
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Yonggui
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zou
mesh_terms: D020413:3' Untranslated Regions / Q000235:genetics*; D000328:Adult; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000235:genetics; D044466:Asian People / Q000235:genetics; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002681:China; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004804:Eosinophils / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D059014:High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D058977:Molecular Sequence Annotation; D009297:Nasal Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D009298:Nasal Polyps / Q000150:complications / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D026723:Polyadenylation / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012852:Sinusitis / Q000150:complications / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D020080:Tandem Repeat Sequences / Q000235:genetics*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D020413:3' Untranslated Regions; D012333:RNA, Messenger