Dr Josine L. Min

JoisineI am a postdoctoral researcher on the data analysis team for the MolPAGE project.

The EU-funded MolPAGE (Molecular Phenotyping to Accelerate Genomic Epidemiology) consortium comprises 19 leading academic institutions, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. The project aims to identify biomarkers (genes, proteins and other molecules) that are able to highlight individuals likely to suffer from diabetes and vascular disease in the future long before conventional diagnostic techniques can prove effective. An early diagnosis of the disease or the identification of those at risk will lead to more effective prevention programmes and better treatment. Our role in MolPAGE is to analyse datasets generated from a range of molecular phenotyping platforms (transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabonomics). Before these technologies can be used in large-scale clinical studies to identify informative biomarkers, it is crucial to understand the sources of variability (e.g. genetic, biological, environmental and experimental). My role is to characterise variation of gene expression data generated from different tissues.

Integration of datasets across platforms will attribute importantly in the identification of stable biomarkers. In one of our integrative studies, we investigated the utility of gene expression levels in uncovering associations with a more regulatory and functional role between clinical traits and underlying genetic variants. Specifically, rather than focussing solely on the direct association between genetic variants and a single clinical trait, or between genetic variants and expression phenotypes (eQTL signals), we sought to determine whether an integrated driven approach would enable the detection of clinically relevant associations. For this purpose, we used data from the St Thomas' UK Adult Twin registry as well eQTL data from three datasets of HapMap individuals.

I am also involved in eQTL projects that investigate the robustness of eQTL signals. In this project, we compare eQTL signals measured on the same individuals both within and between research centres across multiple expression profiling platforms.

 

Publications

  1. Min JL & Taylor JM, Broxholme J, Pettersson FH, Watts T, Lowy E, Ragoussis I, Lindgren CM, Morris AP, Cardon LR, Zondervan KT (2009) Analysis of robustness of expression quantitative trait loci in independent and replicate datasets. Submitted
  2. Min JL, Taylor JM, Richards JB, Watts T, Broxholme J, Pettersson FH, Lowy E, Ahmadi KR, Lindgren CM, Ragoussis I, Morris AP, Spector TD, Cardon LR, Zondervan KT (2009) The use of genome-wide eQTL associations to identify novel genetic pathways involved in complex traits. Submitted
  3. Min JL, Barrett A, Lockstone HE, Taylor JM, Holmes CC, Zondervan KT, McCarthy MI. (2009) Variability analysis of gene expression data generated from whole blood, PBMC, B-cells and EBV-transformed lymphoblasts Submitted
  4. Jain M, Pettersson FH, Taylor JM, Min JL, Barrett JC, Broxholme J, Ragoussis I, McCarthy MI, Zondervan KT, Cardon LR, Lindgren CM (2009) Large-Scale Evaluation of Polymorphisms in Predicted microRNA Binding Sites Reveal Effect on mRNA Expression Levels. Submitted
  5. Pettersson FH, Gloyn AL, Jain M., Taylor JM, Min JL, Barrett JC, Broxholme J, Evans DE, Ragoussis I, McCarthy MI, Zondervan KT, Cardon LR, Lindgren CM (2009) Large-scale evaluation of genetic variation in microRNA precursor genes and their effect on gene expression. Submitted
  6. Meulenbelt I & Min JL, Bos S, Riyazi N, Houwing-Duistermaat JJ, van der Wijk HJ, Kroon HM, Nakajima M, Ikegawa S, Uitterlinden AG, van Meurs JB, van der Deure WM, Visser TJ, Seymour AB, Lakenberg N, van der Breggen R, Kremer D, van Duijn CM, Kloppenburg M, Loughlin J, Slagboom PE (2008) Identification of DIO2 as a new susceptibility locus for symptomatic osteoarthritis. Hum Mol Genet 17(12):1867-75 PMID: 18334578
  7. Loughlin J, Meulenbelt I, Min J, Mustafa Z, Sinsheimer JS, Carr A, Slagboom PE (2007) Genetic association analysis of RHOB and TXNDC3 in osteoarthritis. Am J Hum Genet 80(2):383-6. PMID: 17304710
  8. Min JL, Meulenbelt I, Kloppenburg M, van Duijn CM, PE Slagboom (2006). Mutation analysis of candidate genes within the 2q33.3 linkage area for familial early onset generalised osteoarthritis. Eur J of Hum Genet 15(7):791-9. PMID: 17406639
  9. Meulenbelt I, Min JL, Van Duijn CM, Kloppenburg M, Breedveld FC, Slagboom PE (2006). Strong linkage on 2q33.3 to familial early onset generalized osteoarthritis and a consideration of two positional candidate genes. Eur J Hum Genet 14(12):1280-7. PMID: 16912703
  10. Min JL, Lakenberg N, Bakker-Verweij M, Suchiman HED, Boomsma DI,Slagboom PE, Meulenbelt I (2006). High microsatellite and SNP genotyping success rates established in a large number of genomic DNA samples extracted from mouth swabs and genotypes. Twin Res Hum Genet. 9(4):501-6. PMID: 16899157
  11. Min JL, Meulenbelt I, Riyazi N, Kloppenburg M, Houwing-Duistermaat JJ, Seymour AB, Van Duijn CM, Slagboom PE. (2006) Association of matrilin-3 polymorphisms with spinal disc degeneration and with osteoarthritis of the CMC1 joint of the hand. Ann Rheum Dis. 65(8):1060-6. PMID: 16396979
  12. Min JL, Meulenbelt I, Riyazi N, Kloppenburg M, Houwing-Duistermaat JJ, Seymour AB, Pols HA, Van Duijn CM, Slagboom PE. (2005) Association of the Frizzled-related protein gene with symptomatic osteoarthritis at multiple sites. Arthritis Rheum 52:1077-1080. PMID: 15818669