Browsing by Author "Ng, Ozden Hatirnaz"

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Copy-number variations in adult patients with chronic immune thrombocytopenia
(TAYLOR \& FRANCIS LTD, 2020-01-01) Yucesan, Emrah; Ng, Ozden Hatirnaz; Yalniz, Fevzi Firat; Yilmaz, Hulya; Salihoglu, Ayse; Sudutan, Tugce; Eskazan, Ahmet Emre; Ongoren, Seniz; Baslar, Zafer; Soysal, Teoman; Ozbek, Ugur; Sayitoglu, Muge; Ar, M. Cem
Objectives Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an autoimmune disease with heterogeneous background. FCGR2C mutations were defined in one third of the patients but genetic players have not been fully elucidated yet. Although childhood ITP present as benign, ITP in adulthood is chronic disease with treatment challenges. This study aimed to focus on adult ITP patients using a whole genome genotyping that is valuable approach to identify the responsible genomic regions for the disease. Methods Herein 24 adult primary-refractory for ITP patients were evaluated using HumanCytoSNP12BeadChip,Illumina. Forty-six age and sex matched healthy individuals, and ptients awith nonhematological conditions were analyzed as controls. Identified CNV regions were verified by qRTPCR. T-cell receptor beta and delta (TCRB/TCRG) clonality were assessed by heteroduplex analysis in mosaic cases. Results Several CNV losses and gains were defined (losses:2q,7q,17q,19p, and gains: 1q,2p,3q,4q,7q,10q,12p,13q,14q,15q,17p,20q,21p,22q,Xp). Mosaic changes of different sizes (0.2-17.77Mb) were identified in five patients and three of them showed clonality. CNV regions that were unique to ITP patients were identified for the first time and among these genes, those related to immune regulation, and cellular trafficking were noteworthy. Conclusion: Identified CNV regions harbor several candidate genes, the functions of which might shed light on the pathogenesis of chronic ITP.
Gamma-irradiated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate, OZG-38.61.3, confers protection from SARS-CoV-2 challenge in human ACEII-transgenic mice
(NATURE PORTFOLIO, 2021-01-01) Turan, Raife Dilek; Tastan, Cihan; Kancagi, Derya Dilek; Yurtsever, Bulut; Karakus, Gozde Sir; Ozer, Samed; Abanuz, Selen; Cakirsoy, Didem; Tumentemur, Gamze; Demir, Sevda; Seyis, Utku; Kuzay, Recai; Elek, Muhammer; Kocaoglu, Miyase Ezgi; Ertop, Gurcan; Arbak, Serap; Elmas, Merve Acikel; Hemsinlioglu, Cansu; Ng, Ozden Hatirnaz; Akyoney, Sezer; Sahin, Ilayda; Kayhan, Cavit Kerem; Tokat, Fatma; Akpinar, Gurler; Kasap, Murat; Kocagoz, Ayse Sesin; Ozbek, Ugur; Telci, Dilek; Sahin, Fikrettin; Yalcin, Koray; Ratip, Siret; Ince, Umit; Ovali, Ercument
The SARS-CoV-2 virus caused the most severe pandemic around the world, and vaccine development for urgent use became a crucial issue. Inactivated virus formulated vaccines such as Hepatitis A and smallpox proved to be reliable approaches for immunization for prolonged periods. In this study, a gamma-irradiated inactivated virus vaccine does not require an extra purification process, unlike the chemically inactivated vaccines. Hence, the novelty of our vaccine candidate (OZG-38.61.3) is that it is a non-adjuvant added, gamma-irradiated, and intradermally applied inactive viral vaccine. Efficiency and safety dose (either 10(13) or 10(14) viral RNA copy per dose) of OZG-38.61.3 was initially determined in BALB/c mice. This was followed by testing the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of the vaccine. Human ACE2-encoding transgenic mice were immunized and then infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus for the challenge test. This study shows that vaccinated mice have lowered SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA copy numbers both in oropharyngeal specimens and in the histological analysis of the lung tissues along with humoral and cellular immune responses, including the neutralizing antibodies similar to those shown in BALB/c mice without substantial toxicity. Subsequently, plans are being made for the commencement of Phase 1 clinical trial of the OZG-38.61.3 vaccine for the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hydrogen Sulphide and Nitric Oxide Cooperate in Cardioprotection Against Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury in Isolated Rat Heart
(INT INST ANTICANCER RESEARCH, 2020-01-01) Ustunova, Savas; Takir, Selcuk; Yilmazer, Nadim; Bulut, Huri; Altindirek, Didem; Ng, Ozden Hatirnaz; Tansel, Cihan Demirci; Dogan, B. Sonmez Uydes; Ozbek, Ugur; Armutak, Elif Ilkay; Gurevin, Ebru Gurel
Background/Aim: This study was designed to provide further evidence for the interactions between hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and nitric oxide (NO) in ischemia/reperfiision (I/R) injury. Materials and Methods: Rat hearts were studied with the Langendorff technique using the H2S donor sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS, 40 mu M) and the cystathionine gamma-lyase (CTH or CSE) inhibitor DL-propargylglycine (PAG, 1 mM). NO synthase inhibitor L-NG-nitroarginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 30 mg/kg, 7 days) was administered before the isolation. The hearts were homogenized for biochemical and molecular analysis. Results: NaHS reversed I/R-induced cardiac performance impairment, increased tissue nitric oxide production and decreased tissue markers for cardiac injury, while L-NAME inhibited these effects. The expression of CTH was increased with PAG, which was suppressed by L-NAME. Conclusion: H2S and NO increase each other's production suggesting their interaction and cooperation in cardioprotection against I/R injury.
Preclinical efficacy and safety analysis of gamma-irradiated inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidates
(NATURE RESEARCH, 2021-01-01) Karakus, Gozde Sir; Tastan, Cihan; Kancagi, Derya Dilek; Yurtsever, Bulut; Tumentemur, Gamze; Demir, Sevda; Turan, Raife Dilek; Abanuz, Selen; Cakirsoy, Didem; Seyis, Utku; Ozer, Samed; Elibol, Omer; Elek, Muhammer; Ertop, Gurcan; Arbale, Serap; Elmas, Merve Acikel; Hermsinlioglu, Canso; Kocagoz, Ayse Sesin; Ng, Ozden Hatirnaz; Akyoney, Sezer; Sahin, Ilayda; Ozbek, Ugur; Telci, Dilek; Sahin, Fikrettin; Yalcin, Koray; Ratip, Siret; Ovali, Ercument
COVID-19 outbreak caused by SARS-CoV-2 created an unprecedented health crisis since there is no vaccine for this novel virus. Therefore, SARS-CoV-2 vaccines have become crucial for reducing morbidity and mortality. In this study, in vitro and in vivo safety and efficacy analyzes of lyophilized vaccine candidates inactivated by gamma-irradiation were performed. The candidate vaccines in this study were OZG-3861 version 1(V1), an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 virus vaccine, and SK-01 version 1 (V1), a GM-CSF adjuvant added vaccine. The candidate vaccines were applied intradermally to BALB/c mice to assess toxicity and immunogenicity. Preliminary results in vaccinated mice are reported in this study. Especially, the vaccine models containing GM-CSF caused significant antibody production with neutralization capacity in absence of the antibody-dependent enhancement feature, when considered in terms of T and B cell responses. Another important finding was that the presence of adjuvant was more important in T cell in comparison with B cell response. Vaccinated mice showed T cell response upon restimulation with whole inactivated SARS-CoV-2 or peptide pool. This study shows that the vaccines are effective and leads us to start the challenge test to investigate the gamma-irradiated inactivated vaccine candidates for infective SARS-CoV-2 virus in humanized ACE2+ mice.
PTEN and AKT1 Variations in Childhood T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
(GALENOS YAYINCILIK, 2020-01-01) Kucukcankurt, Fulya; Erbilgin, Yucel; Firtina, Sinem; Ng, Ozden Hatirnaz; Karakas, Zeynep; Celkan, Tiraje; Unuvar, Aysegul; Ozbek, Ugur; Sayitoglu, Muge
Objective: PTEN/AKT pathway deregulations have been reported to be associated with treatment response in acute leukemia. This study examined pediatric T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) samples for PTEN and AKT1 gene variations and evaluated the clinical findings. Materials and Methods: Fifty diagnostic bone marrow samples of childhood T-ALL cases were investigated for the hotspot regions of the PTEN and AKT1 genes by targeted next-generation sequencing. Results: A total of five PTEN variations were found in three of the 50 T-ALL cases (6\%). Three of the PTEN variations were first reported in this study. Furthermore, one patient clearly had two different mutant clones for PTEN. Two intronic single-nucleotide variations were found in AKT1 and none of the patients carried pathogenic AKT1 variations. Conclusion: Targeted deep sequencing allowed us to detect both low-level variations and clonal diversity. Low-level PTEN/AKT1 variation frequency makes it harder to investigate the clinical associations of the variants. On the other hand, characterization of the PTEN/AKT signaling members is important for improving case-specific therapeutic strategies.