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Network-Assisted Systems Biology Analysis of the Mitochondrial Proteome in a Pre-Clinical Model of Ischemia, Revascularization and Post-Conditioning. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23042087. [PMID: 35216205 PMCID: PMC8879554 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23042087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2022] [Revised: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Infarct size is the major risk predictor for developing heart failure after an acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The discovery of the conditioning phenomena (i.e., repetitive brief cycles of ischemia applied either before or after a prolonged ischemic insult) has highlighted the existence of endogenous protective mechanisms of the heart potentially limiting infarct size after revascularization. However, most cardioprotective strategies, aiming at infarct size reduction, have failed in clinical studies. Thus, cardioprotection is an unmet clinical need. In the present study, we took a network-assisted systems biology approach to explore the mitochondrial proteomic signature of the myocardium after ischemia, ischemia with direct revascularization, and ischemia with re-establishment of blood flow by post-conditioning in a swine model of AMI. Furthermore, network extension with the ENCODE project human regulatory data allowed the prediction of potential transcription factors at play in the response to post-conditioning of the myocardium. Collectively, our results identify cardiac metabolism as a driver of cardioprotection, highlighting a dual role for post-conditioning promoting metabolic reprogramming of the myocardium, and a protective response mediated by VDAC2 and DJ-1 in the mitochondria.
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Network based systems biology approach to identify diseasome and comorbidity associations of Systemic Sclerosis with cancers. Heliyon 2022; 8:e08892. [PMID: 35198765 PMCID: PMC8841363 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e08892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2021] [Revised: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 01/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune disease associated with changes in the skin's structure in which the immune system attacks the body. A recent meta-analysis has reported a high incidence of cancer prognosis including lung cancer (LC), leukemia (LK), and lymphoma (LP) in patients with SSc as comorbidity but its underlying mechanistic details are yet to be revealed. To address this research gap, bioinformatics methodologies were developed to explore the comorbidity interactions between a pair of diseases. Firstly, appropriate gene expression datasets from different repositories on SSc and its comorbidities were collected. Then the interconnection between SSc and its cancer comorbidities was identified by applying the developed pipelines. The pipeline was designed as a generic workflow to demonstrate a premise comorbid condition that integrate regarding gene expression data, tissue/organ meta-data, Gene Ontology (GO), Molecular pathways, and other online resources, and analyze them with Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA), Pathway enrichment and Semantic Similarity (SS). The pipeline was implemented in R and can be accessed through our Github repository: https://github.com/hiddenntreasure/comorbidity. Our result suggests that SSc and its cancer comorbidities share differentially expressed genes, functional terms (gene ontology), and pathways. The findings have led to a better understanding of disease pathways and our developed methodologies may be applied to any set of diseases for finding any association between them. This research may be used by physicians, researchers, biologists, and others.
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Buchsbaum JC, Jaffray DA, Ba D, Borkon LL, Chalk C, Chung C, Coleman MA, Coleman CN, Diehn M, Droegemeier KK, Enderling H, Espey MG, Greenspan EJ, Hartshorn CM, Hoang T, Hsiao HT, Keppel C, Moore NW, Prior F, Stahlberg EA, Tourassi G, Willcox KE. Predictive Radiation Oncology - A New NCI-DOE Scientific Space and Community. Radiat Res 2022; 197:434-445. [PMID: 35090025 DOI: 10.1667/rade-22-00012.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
With a widely attended virtual kickoff event on January 29, 2021, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the Department of Energy (DOE) launched a series of 4 interactive, interdisciplinary workshops-and a final concluding "World Café" on March 29, 2021-focused on advancing computational approaches for predictive oncology in the clinical and research domains of radiation oncology. These events reflect 3,870 human hours of virtual engagement with representation from 8 DOE national laboratories and the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research (FNL), 4 research institutes, 5 cancer centers, 17 medical schools and teaching hospitals, 5 companies, 5 federal agencies, 3 research centers, and 27 universities. Here we summarize the workshops by first describing the background for the workshops. Participants identified twelve key questions-and collaborative parallel ideas-as the focus of work going forward to advance the field. These were then used to define short-term and longer-term "Blue Sky" goals. In addition, the group determined key success factors for predictive oncology in the context of radiation oncology, if not the future of all of medicine. These are: cross-discipline collaboration, targeted talent development, development of mechanistic mathematical and computational models and tools, and access to high-quality multiscale data that bridges mechanisms to phenotype. The workshop participants reported feeling energized and highly motivated to pursue next steps together to address the unmet needs in radiation oncology specifically and in cancer research generally and that NCI and DOE project goals align at the convergence of radiation therapy and advanced computing.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - David A Jaffray
- The University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030
| | - Demba Ba
- Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
| | - Lynn L Borkon
- Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, Maryland, 21701
| | | | - Caroline Chung
- The University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030
| | | | | | | | | | - Heiko Enderling
- H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida 33612
| | | | | | | | - Thuc Hoang
- U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC 20585
| | - H Timothy Hsiao
- American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), Arlington, Virginia 22202
| | | | - Nathan W Moore
- Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87123
| | - Fred Prior
- University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas 72205
| | - Eric A Stahlberg
- Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, Maryland, 21701
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Singla RK, Joon S, Shen L, Shen B. Translational Informatics for Natural Products as Antidepressant Agents. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 9:738838. [PMID: 35127696 PMCID: PMC8811306 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.738838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Depression, a neurological disorder, is a universally common and debilitating illness where social and economic issues could also become one of its etiologic factors. From a global perspective, it is the fourth leading cause of long-term disability in human beings. For centuries, natural products have proven their true potential to combat various diseases and disorders, including depression and its associated ailments. Translational informatics applies informatics models at molecular, imaging, individual, and population levels to promote the translation of basic research to clinical applications. The present review summarizes natural-antidepressant-based translational informatics studies and addresses challenges and opportunities for future research in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajeev K. Singla
- Institutes for Systems Genetics, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
- iGlobal Research and Publishing Foundation, New Delhi, India
| | - Shikha Joon
- Institutes for Systems Genetics, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
- iGlobal Research and Publishing Foundation, New Delhi, India
| | - Li Shen
- Institutes for Systems Genetics, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Bairong Shen
- Institutes for Systems Genetics, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
- *Correspondence: Bairong Shen,
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Santos SDS, Torres M, Galeano D, Sánchez MDM, Cernuzzi L, Paccanaro A. Machine learning and network medicine approaches for drug repositioning for COVID-19. PATTERNS (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2022; 3:100396. [PMID: 34778851 PMCID: PMC8576113 DOI: 10.1016/j.patter.2021.100396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2021] [Revised: 06/21/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
We present two machine learning approaches for drug repurposing. While we have developed them for COVID-19, they are disease-agnostic. The two methodologies are complementary, targeting SARS-CoV-2 and host factors, respectively. Our first approach consists of a matrix factorization algorithm to rank broad-spectrum antivirals. Our second approach, based on network medicine, uses graph kernels to rank drugs according to the perturbation they induce on a subnetwork of the human interactome that is crucial for SARS-CoV-2 infection/replication. Our experiments show that our top predicted broad-spectrum antivirals include drugs indicated for compassionate use in COVID-19 patients; and that the ranking obtained by our kernel-based approach aligns with experimental data. Finally, we present the COVID-19 repositioning explorer (CoREx), an interactive online tool to explore the interplay between drugs and SARS-CoV-2 host proteins in the context of biological networks, protein function, drug clinical use, and Connectivity Map. CoREx is freely available at: https://paccanarolab.org/corex/.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzana de Siqueira Santos
- Escola de Matemática Aplicada, Fundação Getulio Vargas, Rio de Janeiro 22250-900, Brazil
- COVID-19 International Research Team
| | - Mateo Torres
- Escola de Matemática Aplicada, Fundação Getulio Vargas, Rio de Janeiro 22250-900, Brazil
- COVID-19 International Research Team
| | - Diego Galeano
- Escola de Matemática Aplicada, Fundação Getulio Vargas, Rio de Janeiro 22250-900, Brazil
- Facultad de Ingenieria, Universidad Nacional de Asunción, Luque 110948, Paraguay
- COVID-19 International Research Team
| | | | - Luca Cernuzzi
- Universidad Católica “Nuestra Señora de la Asunción”, Asunción C.C. 1683, Paraguay
| | - Alberto Paccanaro
- Escola de Matemática Aplicada, Fundação Getulio Vargas, Rio de Janeiro 22250-900, Brazil
- Department of Computer Science, Centre for Systems and Synthetic Biology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham Hill, Egham TW20 0EX, UK
- COVID-19 International Research Team
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Badkas A, De Landtsheer S, Sauter T. Construction and contextualization approaches for protein-protein interaction networks. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2022; 20:3280-3290. [PMID: 35832626 PMCID: PMC9251778 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2022.06.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Revised: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein-protein interaction network (PPIN) analysis is a widely used method to study the contextual role of proteins of interest, to predict novel disease genes, disease or functional modules, and to identify novel drug targets. PPIN-based analysis uses both generic and context-specific networks. Multiple contextualization methodologies have been described, such as shortest-path algorithms, neighborhood-based methods, and diffusion/propagation algorithms. This review discusses these methods, provides intuitive representations of PPIN contextualization, and also examines how the quality of such context-specific networks could be improved by considering additional sources of evidence. As a heuristic, we observe that tasks such as identifying disease genes, drug targets, and protein complexes should consider local neighborhoods, while uncovering disease mechanisms and discovering disease-pathways would gain from diffusion-based construction.
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Napoli C, Benincasa G, Ellahham S. Precision Medicine in Patients with Differential Diabetic Phenotypes: Novel Opportunities from Network Medicine. Curr Diabetes Rev 2022; 18:e221221199301. [PMID: 34951369 DOI: 10.2174/1573399818666211222164400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2021] [Revised: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Diabetes mellitus (DM) comprises differential clinical phenotypes ranging from rare monogenic to common polygenic forms, such as type 1 (T1DM), type 2 (T2DM), and gestational diabetes, which are associated with cardiovascular complications. Also, the high- -risk prediabetic state is rising worldwide, suggesting the urgent need for early personalized strategies to prevent and treat a hyperglycemic state. OBJECTIVE We aim to discuss the advantages and challenges of Network Medicine approaches in clarifying disease-specific molecular pathways, which may open novel ways for repurposing approved drugs to reach diabetes precision medicine and personalized therapy. CONCLUSION The interactome or protein-protein interactions (PPIs) is a useful tool to identify subtle molecular differences between precise diabetic phenotypes and predict putative novel drugs. Despite being previously unappreciated as T2DM determinants, the growth factor receptor-bound protein 14 (GRB14), calmodulin 2 (CALM2), and protein kinase C-alpha (PRKCA) might have a relevant role in disease pathogenesis. Besides, in silico platforms have suggested that diflunisal, nabumetone, niflumic acid, and valdecoxib may be suitable for the treatment of T1DM; phenoxybenzamine and idazoxan for the treatment of T2DM by improving insulin secretion; and hydroxychloroquine reduce the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) by counteracting inflammation. Network medicine has the potential to improve precision medicine in diabetes care and enhance personalized therapy. However, only randomized clinical trials will confirm the clinical utility of network- oriented biomarkers and drugs in the management of DM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudio Napoli
- Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences (DAMSS), University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 80138- Naples, Italy
- Clinical Department of Internal and Specialty Medicine (DAI), University Hospital (AOU), University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 80138 Naples, Italy
| | - Giuditta Benincasa
- Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences (DAMSS), University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 80138- Naples, Italy
| | - Samer Ellahham
- Department of Cardiology, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
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Stožer A, Šterk M, Paradiž Leitgeb E, Markovič R, Skelin Klemen M, Ellis CE, Križančić Bombek L, Dolenšek J, MacDonald PE, Gosak M. From Isles of Königsberg to Islets of Langerhans: Examining the Function of the Endocrine Pancreas Through Network Science. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2022; 13:922640. [PMID: 35784543 PMCID: PMC9240343 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2022.922640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Islets of Langerhans are multicellular microorgans located in the pancreas that play a central role in whole-body energy homeostasis. Through secretion of insulin and other hormones they regulate postprandial storage and interprandial usage of energy-rich nutrients. In these clusters of hormone-secreting endocrine cells, intricate cell-cell communication is essential for proper function. Electrical coupling between the insulin-secreting beta cells through gap junctions composed of connexin36 is particularly important, as it provides the required, most important, basis for coordinated responses of the beta cell population. The increasing evidence that gap-junctional communication and its modulation are vital to well-regulated secretion of insulin has stimulated immense interest in how subpopulations of heterogeneous beta cells are functionally arranged throughout the islets and how they mediate intercellular signals. In the last decade, several novel techniques have been proposed to assess cooperation between cells in islets, including the prosperous combination of multicellular imaging and network science. In the present contribution, we review recent advances related to the application of complex network approaches to uncover the functional connectivity patterns among cells within the islets. We first provide an accessible introduction to the basic principles of network theory, enumerating the measures characterizing the intercellular interactions and quantifying the functional integration and segregation of a multicellular system. Then we describe methodological approaches to construct functional beta cell networks, point out possible pitfalls, and specify the functional implications of beta cell network examinations. We continue by highlighting the recent findings obtained through advanced multicellular imaging techniques supported by network-based analyses, giving special emphasis to the current developments in both mouse and human islets, as well as outlining challenges offered by the multilayer network formalism in exploring the collective activity of islet cell populations. Finally, we emphasize that the combination of these imaging techniques and network-based analyses does not only represent an innovative concept that can be used to describe and interpret the physiology of islets, but also provides fertile ground for delineating normal from pathological function and for quantifying the changes in islet communication networks associated with the development of diabetes mellitus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andraž Stožer
- Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Marko Šterk
- Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Eva Paradiž Leitgeb
- Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Rene Markovič
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
- Institute of Mathematics and Physics, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Maša Skelin Klemen
- Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Cara E. Ellis
- Department of Pharmacology and Alberta Diabetes Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | | | - Jurij Dolenšek
- Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Patrick E. MacDonald
- Department of Pharmacology and Alberta Diabetes Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Marko Gosak
- Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
- *Correspondence: Marko Gosak,
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Ye H, Sun M, Huang S, Xu F, Wang J, Liu H, Zhang L, Luo W, Guo W, Wu Z, Zhu J, Li H. Gene Network Analysis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Identifies Modules Associated with Disease Progression, Survival, and Chemo Drug Resistance. Int J Gen Med 2021; 14:9333-9347. [PMID: 34898998 PMCID: PMC8654693 DOI: 10.2147/ijgm.s336729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. HCC transcriptome has been extensively studied; however, the progress in disease mechanisms, prognosis, and treatment is still slow. Methods A rank-based module-centric workflow was introduced to analyze important modules associated with HCC development, prognosis, and drug resistance. The currently largest HCC cell line RNA-Seq dataset from the LIMORE database was used to construct the reference modules by weighted gene co-expression network analysis. Results Thirteen reference modules were identified with validated reproducibility. These modules were all associated with specific biological functions. Differentially expressed module analysis revealed the crucial modules during HCC development. Modules and hub genes are indicative of patient survival. Modules can differentiate patients in different HCC stages. Furthermore, drug resistance was revealed by drug-module association analysis. Based on differentially expressed modules and hub genes, six candidate drugs were screened. The hub genes of those modules merit further investigation. Conclusion We proposed a reference module-based analysis of the HCC transcriptome. The identified modules are associated with HCC development, survival, and drug resistance. M3 and M6 may play important roles during HCV to HCC development. M1, M3, M5, and M7 are associated with HCC survival. High M4, high M9, low M1, and low M3 may be associated with dasatinib, doxorubicin, CD532, and simvastatin resistance. Our analysis provides useful information for HCC diagnosis and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hua Ye
- Department of Gastroenterology, Ningbo Medical Treatment Center Lihuili Hospital, Medical School of Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, 315040, People's Republic of China
| | - Mengxia Sun
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Medical School of Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, 315211, People's Republic of China
| | - Shiliang Huang
- Department of Gastroenterology, Ningbo Medical Treatment Center Lihuili Hospital, Medical School of Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, 315040, People's Republic of China
| | - Feng Xu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Ningbo Medical Treatment Center Lihuili Hospital, Medical School of Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, 315040, People's Republic of China
| | - Jian Wang
- Department of Dermatology, Ningbo Medical Treatment Center Lihuili Hospital, Medical School of Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, 315040, People's Republic of China
| | - Huiwei Liu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Ningbo Medical Treatment Center Lihuili Hospital, Medical School of Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, 315040, People's Republic of China
| | - Liangshun Zhang
- Department of Gastroenterology, Ningbo Medical Treatment Center Lihuili Hospital, Medical School of Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, 315040, People's Republic of China
| | - Wenjing Luo
- Department of Gastroenterology, Ningbo Medical Treatment Center Lihuili Hospital, Medical School of Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, 315040, People's Republic of China
| | - Wenying Guo
- Department of Gastroenterology, Ningbo Medical Treatment Center Lihuili Hospital, Medical School of Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, 315040, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhe Wu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Ningbo Medical Treatment Center Lihuili Hospital, Medical School of Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, 315040, People's Republic of China
| | - Jie Zhu
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Ningbo Medical Treatment Center Lihuili Hospital, Medical School of Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, 315040, People's Republic of China
| | - Hong Li
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Ningbo Medical Treatment Center Lihuili Hospital, Medical School of Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, 315040, People's Republic of China
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Wang S, Wang Z, Su H, Chen F, Ma M, Yu W, Ye G, Cen S, Mi R, Wu X, Deng W, Feng P, Zeng C, Shen H, Wu Y. Effects of long-term culture on the biological characteristics and RNA profiles of human bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells. MOLECULAR THERAPY-NUCLEIC ACIDS 2021; 26:557-574. [PMID: 34631285 PMCID: PMC8479280 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2021.08.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 08/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Expansion in vitro prior to mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) application is a necessary process. Functional and genomic stability has a crucial role in stem-cell-based therapies. However, the exact expression and co-expressed profiles of coding and non-coding RNAs in human bone marrow (BM)-MSCs in vitro aging are still lacking. In the present studies, the change of morphology, immunophenotype, and capacity of proliferation, differentiation, and immunoregulation of MSCs at passage (P) 4, P6, P8, P10, and P12 were investigated. RNA sequencing identified that 439 mRNAs, 65 long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), 59 microRNAs (miRNAs), and 229 circular RNAs (circRNAs) were differentially expressed (DE) in P12 compared with P4, with a similar trend in P6. Gene ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) identified several significant biological processes and pathways, including binding, ossification, and Wnt and PPAR signaling pathways. Interaction and co-expression/localization analyses were performed for DE mRNAs and lncRNAs, and several key lncRNAs, circRNAs, and important pathways like autophagy and mitophagy were identified in the competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network. Some key RNAs found in the bioinformatics analysis were validated. Our studies indicate that replicative senescence of MSCs is a continuous process, including widespread alterations in biological characteristics and global gene expression patterns that need to be considered before therapeutic applications of MSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shan Wang
- Center for Biotherapy, Eighth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518033, P.R. China
| | - Ziming Wang
- Department of Orthopedics, Eighth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518033, P.R. China
| | - Hongjun Su
- Center for Biotherapy, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510120, P.R. China
| | - Fenglei Chen
- Department of Orthopedics, Eighth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518033, P.R. China
| | - Mengjun Ma
- Department of Orthopedics, Eighth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518033, P.R. China
| | - Wenhui Yu
- Department of Orthopedics, Eighth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518033, P.R. China
| | - Guiwen Ye
- Department of Orthopedics, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510120, P.R. China
| | - Shuizhong Cen
- Department of Orthopedics, Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical Universuty, Guangzhou 510280, P.R. China
| | - Rujia Mi
- Center for Biotherapy, Eighth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518033, P.R. China
| | - Xiaohua Wu
- Center for Biotherapy, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510120, P.R. China
| | - Wen Deng
- Center for Biotherapy, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510120, P.R. China
| | - Pei Feng
- Center for Biotherapy, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510120, P.R. China
| | - Chenying Zeng
- Center for Biotherapy, Eighth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518033, P.R. China
| | - Huiyong Shen
- Department of Orthopedics, Eighth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518033, P.R. China.,Department of Orthopedics, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510120, P.R. China
| | - Yanfeng Wu
- Center for Biotherapy, Eighth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518033, P.R. China
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Gupta OP, Deshmukh R, Kumar A, Singh SK, Sharma P, Ram S, Singh GP. From gene to biomolecular networks: a review of evidences for understanding complex biological function in plants. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2021; 74:66-74. [PMID: 34800849 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2021.10.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2021] [Revised: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 10/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Although at the infancy stage, biomolecular network biology is a comprehensive approach to understand complex biological function in plants. Recent advancements in the accumulation of multi-omics data coupled with computational approach have accelerated our current understanding of the complexities of gene function at the system level. Biomolecular networks such as protein-protein interaction, co-expression and gene regulatory networks have extensively been used to decipher the intricacies of transcriptional reprogramming of hundreds of genes and their regulatory interaction in response to various environmental perturbations mainly in the model plant Arabidopsis. This review describes recent applications of network-based approaches to understand the biological functions in plants and focuses on the challenges and opportunities to harness the full potential of the approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Om Prakash Gupta
- Division of Quality and Basic Sciences, ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, Karnal, Haryana, 132 001, India.
| | - Rupesh Deshmukh
- National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute (NABI), Mohali, Punjab, 160 055, India
| | - Awadhesh Kumar
- Division of Crop Physiology and Biochemistry, ICAR-National Rice Research Institute (ICAR-NRRI), Cuttack, Odisha, 753 006, India
| | - Sanjay Kumar Singh
- Division of Crop Improvement, ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, Karnal, Haryana, 132 001, India
| | - Pradeep Sharma
- Division of Crop Improvement, ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, Karnal, Haryana, 132 001, India
| | - Sewa Ram
- Division of Quality and Basic Sciences, ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, Karnal, Haryana, 132 001, India
| | - Gyanendra Pratap Singh
- Division of Crop Improvement, ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, Karnal, Haryana, 132 001, India
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Malesza IJ, Malesza M, Walkowiak J, Mussin N, Walkowiak D, Aringazina R, Bartkowiak-Wieczorek J, Mądry E. High-Fat, Western-Style Diet, Systemic Inflammation, and Gut Microbiota: A Narrative Review. Cells 2021; 10:cells10113164. [PMID: 34831387 PMCID: PMC8619527 DOI: 10.3390/cells10113164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 200] [Impact Index Per Article: 66.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2021] [Revised: 11/07/2021] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The gut microbiota is responsible for recovering energy from food, providing hosts with vitamins, and providing a barrier function against exogenous pathogens. In addition, it is involved in maintaining the integrity of the intestinal epithelial barrier, crucial for the functional maturation of the gut immune system. The Western diet (WD)—an unhealthy diet with high consumption of fats—can be broadly characterized by overeating, frequent snacking, and a prolonged postprandial state. The term WD is commonly known and intuitively understood. However, the strict digital expression of nutrient ratios is not precisely defined. Based on the US data for 1908–1989, the calory intake available from fats increased from 32% to 45%. Besides the metabolic aspects (hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, sympathetic nervous system and renin-angiotensin system overstimulation, and oxidative stress), the consequences of excessive fat consumption (high-fat diet—HFD) comprise dysbiosis, gut barrier dysfunction, increased intestinal permeability, and leakage of toxic bacterial metabolites into the circulation. These can strongly contribute to the development of low-grade systemic inflammation. This narrative review highlights the most important recent advances linking HFD-driven dysbiosis and HFD-related inflammation, presents the pathomechanisms for these phenomena, and examines the possible causative relationship between pro-inflammatory status and gut microbiota changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ida Judyta Malesza
- Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Metabolic Diseases, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 61-701 Poznań, Poland; (I.J.M.); (J.W.)
| | - Michał Malesza
- Department of Physiology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 61-701 Poznań, Poland; (M.M.); (J.B.-W.)
| | - Jarosław Walkowiak
- Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Metabolic Diseases, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 61-701 Poznań, Poland; (I.J.M.); (J.W.)
| | - Nadiar Mussin
- Department of General Surgery, West Kazakhstan Marat Ospanov Medical University, Aktobe 030012, Kazakhstan;
| | - Dariusz Walkowiak
- Department of Organization and Management in Health Care, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 61-701 Poznań, Poland;
| | - Raisa Aringazina
- Department of Internal Diseases No. 1, West Kazakhstan Marat Ospanov Medical University, Aktobe 030012, Kazakhstan;
| | | | - Edyta Mądry
- Department of Physiology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 61-701 Poznań, Poland; (M.M.); (J.B.-W.)
- Correspondence:
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63
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Kotlyar M, Pastrello C, Ahmed Z, Chee J, Varyova Z, Jurisica I. IID 2021: towards context-specific protein interaction analyses by increased coverage, enhanced annotation and enrichment analysis. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 50:D640-D647. [PMID: 34755877 PMCID: PMC8728267 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab1034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Revised: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Improved bioassays have significantly increased the rate of identifying new protein-protein interactions (PPIs), and the number of detected human PPIs has greatly exceeded early estimates of human interactome size. These new PPIs provide a more complete view of disease mechanisms but precise understanding of how PPIs affect phenotype remains a challenge. It requires knowledge of PPI context (e.g. tissues, subcellular localizations), and functional roles, especially within pathways and protein complexes. The previous IID release focused on PPI context, providing networks with comprehensive tissue, disease, cellular localization, and druggability annotations. The current update adds developmental stages to the available contexts, and provides a way of assigning context to PPIs that could not be previously annotated due to insufficient data or incompatibility with available context categories (e.g. interactions between membrane and cytoplasmic proteins). This update also annotates PPIs with conservation across species, directionality in pathways, membership in large complexes, interaction stability (i.e. stable or transient), and mutation effects. Enrichment analysis is now available for all annotations, and includes multiple options; for example, context annotations can be analyzed with respect to PPIs or network proteins. In addition to tabular view or download, IID provides online network visualization. This update is available at http://ophid.utoronto.ca/iid.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max Kotlyar
- Osteoarthritis Research Program, Division of Orthopedic Surgery, Schroeder Arthritis Institute and Data Science Discovery Centre for Chronic Diseases, Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5T 0S8, Canada
| | - Chiara Pastrello
- Osteoarthritis Research Program, Division of Orthopedic Surgery, Schroeder Arthritis Institute and Data Science Discovery Centre for Chronic Diseases, Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5T 0S8, Canada
| | - Zuhaib Ahmed
- Osteoarthritis Research Program, Division of Orthopedic Surgery, Schroeder Arthritis Institute and Data Science Discovery Centre for Chronic Diseases, Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5T 0S8, Canada
| | - Justin Chee
- Osteoarthritis Research Program, Division of Orthopedic Surgery, Schroeder Arthritis Institute and Data Science Discovery Centre for Chronic Diseases, Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5T 0S8, Canada
| | - Zofia Varyova
- Osteoarthritis Research Program, Division of Orthopedic Surgery, Schroeder Arthritis Institute and Data Science Discovery Centre for Chronic Diseases, Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5T 0S8, Canada
| | - Igor Jurisica
- Osteoarthritis Research Program, Division of Orthopedic Surgery, Schroeder Arthritis Institute and Data Science Discovery Centre for Chronic Diseases, Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5T 0S8, Canada.,Departments of Medical Biophysics and Computer Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A4, Canada.,Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
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64
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Petti M, Farina L, Francone F, Lucidi S, Macali A, Palagi L, De Santis M. MOSES: A New Approach to Integrate Interactome Topology and Functional Features for Disease Gene Prediction. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:1713. [PMID: 34828319 PMCID: PMC8624742 DOI: 10.3390/genes12111713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Revised: 10/16/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Disease gene prediction is to date one of the main computational challenges of precision medicine. It is still uncertain if disease genes have unique functional properties that distinguish them from other non-disease genes or, from a network perspective, if they are located randomly in the interactome or show specific patterns in the network topology. In this study, we propose a new method for disease gene prediction based on the use of biological knowledge-bases (gene-disease associations, genes functional annotations, etc.) and interactome network topology. The proposed algorithm called MOSES is based on the definition of two somewhat opposing sets of genes both disease-specific from different perspectives: warm seeds (i.e., disease genes obtained from databases) and cold seeds (genes far from the disease genes on the interactome and not involved in their biological functions). The application of MOSES to a set of 40 diseases showed that the suggested putative disease genes are significantly enriched in their reference disease. Reassuringly, known and predicted disease genes together, tend to form a connected network module on the human interactome, mitigating the scattered distribution of disease genes which is probably due to both the paucity of disease-gene associations and the incompleteness of the interactome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuela Petti
- Department of Computer, Control and Management Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy; (L.F.); (F.F.); (S.L.); (A.M.); (L.P.); (M.D.S.)
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65
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Faenza M, Benincasa G, Docimo L, Nicoletti GF, Napoli C. Clinical epigenetics and restoring of metabolic health in severely obese patients undergoing batriatric and metabolic surgery. Updates Surg 2021; 74:431-438. [PMID: 34599748 PMCID: PMC8995275 DOI: 10.1007/s13304-021-01162-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 08/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Epigenetic-sensitive mechanisms, mainly DNA methylation, mirror the relationship between environmental and genetic risk factors able to affect the sensitiveness to development of obesity and its comorbidities. Bariatric and metabolic surgery may reduce obesity-related cardiovascular risk through tissue-specific DNA methylation changes. Among the most robust results, differential promoter methylation of ACACA, CETP, CTGF, S100A8, and S100A9 genes correlated significantly with the levels of mRNA before and after gastric bypass surgery (RYGB) in obese women. Additionally, promoter hypermethylation of NFKB1 gene was significantly associated with reduced blood pressure in obese patients after RYGB suggesting useful non-invasive biomarkers. Of note, sperm-related DNA methylation signatures of genes regulating the central control of appetite, such as MC4R, BDNF, NPY, and CR1, and other genes including FTO, CHST8, and SH2B1 were different in obese patients as compared to non-obese subjects and patients who lost weight after RYGB surgery. Importantly, transgenerational studies provided relevant evidence of the potential effect of bariatric and metabolic surgery on DNA methylation. For example, peripheral blood biospecimens isolated from siblings born from obese mothers before bariatric surgery showed different methylation signatures in the insulin receptor and leptin signaling axis as compared to siblings born from post-obese mothers who underwent surgery. This evidence suggests that bariatric and metabolic surgery of mothers may affect the epigenetic profiles of the offspring with potential implication for primary prevention of severe obesity. We update on tissue-specific epigenetic signatures as potential mechanisms underlying the restoration of metabolic health after surgery suggesting useful predictive biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario Faenza
- Multidisciplinary Department of Medical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, Plastic Surgery Unit, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Giuditta Benincasa
- Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences (DAMSS), University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy.
| | - Ludovico Docimo
- Division of General, Mininvasive and Bariatric Surgery, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Via Pansini 5, 80100, Naples, Italy
| | - Giovanni Francesco Nicoletti
- Multidisciplinary Department of Medical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, Plastic Surgery Unit, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Claudio Napoli
- Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences (DAMSS), University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy.,Clinical Department of Internal Medicine and Specialistics, Division of Clinical Immunology, Transfusion Medicine and Transplant Immunology, AOU University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
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66
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Wang Y, Zhao M, Zhang Y. Identification of fibronectin 1 (FN1) and complement component 3 (C3) as immune infiltration-related biomarkers for diabetic nephropathy using integrated bioinformatic analysis. Bioengineered 2021; 12:5386-5401. [PMID: 34424825 PMCID: PMC8806822 DOI: 10.1080/21655979.2021.1960766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Immune cell infiltration (ICI) plays a pivotal role in the development of diabetic nephropathy (DN). Evidence suggests that immune-related genes play an important role in the initiation of inflammation and the recruitment of immune cells. However, the underlying mechanisms and immune-related biomarkers in DN have not been elucidated. Therefore, this study aimed to explore immune-related biomarkers in DN and the underlying mechanisms using bioinformatic approaches. In this study, four DN glomerular datasets were downloaded, merged, and divided into training and test cohorts. First, we identified 55 differentially expressed immune-related genes; their biological functions were mainly enriched in leukocyte chemotaxis and neutrophil migration. The CIBERSORT algorithm was then used to evaluate the infiltrated immune cells; macrophages M1/M2, T cells CD8, and resting mast cells were strongly associated with DN. The ICI-related gene modules as well as 25 candidate hub genes were identified to construct a protein-protein interactive network and conduct molecular complex detection using the GOSemSim algorithm. Consequently, FN1, C3, and VEGFC were identified as immune-related biomarkers in DN, and a related transcription factor-miRNA-target network was constructed. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was estimated in the test cohort; FN1 and C3 had large area under the curve values (0.837 and 0.824, respectively). Clinical validation showed that FN1 and C3 were negatively related to the glomerular filtration rate in patients with DN. Six potential therapeutic small molecule compounds, such as calyculin, phenamil, and clofazimine, were discovered in the connectivity map. In conclusion, FN1 and C3 are immune-related biomarkers of DN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuejun Wang
- Department of Nephrology, Zhejiang Aged Care Hospital, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Mingming Zhao
- Department of Nephrology, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yu Zhang
- Department of Nephrology, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
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67
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Sibilio P, Bini S, Fiscon G, Sponziello M, Conte F, Pecce V, Durante C, Paci P, Falcone R, Norata GD, Farina L, Verrienti A. In silico drug repurposing in COVID-19: A network-based analysis. Biomed Pharmacother 2021; 142:111954. [PMID: 34358753 PMCID: PMC8316014 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2021.111954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2021] [Revised: 07/15/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is a worldwide public health emergency. Despite the beginning of a vaccination campaign, the search for new drugs to appropriately treat COVID-19 patients remains a priority. Drug repurposing represents a faster and cheaper method than de novo drug discovery. In this study, we examined three different network-based approaches to identify potentially repurposable drugs to treat COVID-19. We analyzed transcriptomic data from whole blood cells of patients with COVID-19 and 21 other related conditions, as compared with those of healthy subjects. In addition to conventionally used drugs (e.g., anticoagulants, antihistaminics, anti-TNFα antibodies, corticosteroids), unconventional candidate compounds, such as SCN5A inhibitors and drugs active in the central nervous system, were identified. Clinical judgment and validation through clinical trials are always mandatory before use of the identified drugs in a clinical setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pasquale Sibilio
- Department of Translational and Precision Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy; Institute for Systems Analysis and Computer Science "Antonio Ruberti", National Research Council, Rome, Italy
| | - Simone Bini
- Department of Translational and Precision Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Giulia Fiscon
- Institute for Systems Analysis and Computer Science "Antonio Ruberti", National Research Council, Rome, Italy; Fondazione per la Medicina Personalizzata, Via Goffredo Mameli, 3/1, Genova, Italy
| | - Marialuisa Sponziello
- Department of Translational and Precision Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Federica Conte
- Institute for Systems Analysis and Computer Science "Antonio Ruberti", National Research Council, Rome, Italy
| | - Valeria Pecce
- Department of Translational and Precision Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Cosimo Durante
- Department of Translational and Precision Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Paola Paci
- Institute for Systems Analysis and Computer Science "Antonio Ruberti", National Research Council, Rome, Italy; Department of Computer, Control, and Management Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
| | - Rosa Falcone
- Phase 1 Unit-Clinical Trial Center Gemelli University Hospital, Rome, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Danilo Norata
- Department of Excellence in Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan and Center for the Study of Atherosclerosis, SISA Bassini Hospital, Milan, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Farina
- Department of Computer, Control, and Management Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonella Verrienti
- Department of Translational and Precision Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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68
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Kosvyra A, Ntzioni E, Chouvarda I. Network analysis with biological data of cancer patients: A scoping review. J Biomed Inform 2021; 120:103873. [PMID: 34298154 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbi.2021.103873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2020] [Revised: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 07/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE Network Analysis (NA) is a mathematical method that allows exploring relations between units and representing them as a graph. Although NA was initially related to social sciences, the past two decades was introduced in Bioinformatics. The recent growth of the networks' use in biological data analysis reveals the need to further investigate this area. In this work, we attempt to identify the use of NA with biological data, and specifically: (a) what types of data are used and whether they are integrated or not, (b) what is the purpose of this analysis, predictive or descriptive, and (c) the outcome of such analyses, specifically in cancer diseases. METHODS & MATERIALS The literature review was conducted on two databases, PubMed & IEEE, and was restricted to journal articles of the last decade (January 2010 - December 2019). At a first level, all articles were screened by title and abstract, and at a second level the screening was conducted by reading the full text article, following the predefined inclusion & exclusion criteria leading to 131 articles of interest. A table was created with the information of interest and was used for the classification of the articles. The articles were initially classified to analysis studies and studies that propose a new algorithm or methodology. Each one of these categories was further screened by the following clustering criteria: (a) data used, (b) study purpose, (c) study outcome. Specifically for the studies proposing a new algorithm, the novelty presented in each one was detected. RESULTS & Conclusions: In the past five years researchers are focusing on creating new algorithms and methodologies to enhance this field. The articles' classification revealed that only 25% of the analyses are integrating multi-omics data, although 50% of the new algorithms developed follow this integrative direction. Moreover, only 20% of the analyses and 10% of the newly developed methodologies have a predictive purpose. Regarding the result of the works reviewed, 75% of the studies focus on identifying, prognostic or not, gene signatures. Concluding, this review revealed the need for deploying predictive and multi-omics integrative algorithms and methodologies that can be used to enhance cancer diagnosis, prognosis and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Kosvyra
- Laboratory of Computing, Medical Informatics and Biomedical Imaging Technologies, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
| | - E Ntzioni
- Laboratory of Computing, Medical Informatics and Biomedical Imaging Technologies, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - I Chouvarda
- Laboratory of Computing, Medical Informatics and Biomedical Imaging Technologies, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
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69
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Fiscon G, Conte F, Amadio S, Volonté C, Paci P. Drug Repurposing: A Network-based Approach to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Neurotherapeutics 2021; 18:1678-1691. [PMID: 33987813 PMCID: PMC8609089 DOI: 10.1007/s13311-021-01064-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/02/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The continuous adherence to the conventional "one target, one drug" paradigm has failed so far to provide effective therapeutic solutions for heterogeneous and multifactorial diseases as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a rare progressive and chronic, debilitating neurological disease for which no cure is available. The present study is aimed at finding innovative solutions and paradigms for therapy in ALS pathogenesis, by exploiting new insights from Network Medicine and drug repurposing strategies. To identify new drug-ALS disease associations, we exploited SAveRUNNER, a recently developed network-based algorithm for drug repurposing, which quantifies the proximity of disease-associated genes to drug targets in the human interactome. We prioritized 403 SAveRUNNER-predicted drugs according to decreasing values of network similarity with ALS. Among catecholamine, dopamine, serotonin, histamine, and GABA receptor modulators, as well as angiotensin-converting enzymes, cyclooxygenase isozymes, and serotonin transporter inhibitors, we found some interesting no customary ALS drugs, including amoxapine, clomipramine, mianserin, and modafinil. Furthermore, we strengthened the SAveRUNNER predictions by a gene set enrichment analysis that confirmed modafinil as a drug with the highest score among the 121 identified drugs with a score > 0. Our results contribute to gathering further proofs of innovative solutions for therapy in ALS pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Fiscon
- Institute for Systems Analysis and Computer Science “A. Ruberti”, National Research Council (IASI–CNR), Via Dei Taurini 19, 00185 Rome, Italy
- Fondazione per la Medicina Personalizzata, Via Goffredo Mameli, Genova, Italy
| | - Federica Conte
- Institute for Systems Analysis and Computer Science “A. Ruberti”, National Research Council (IASI–CNR), Via Dei Taurini 19, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Susanna Amadio
- IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Preclinical Neuroscience, Via Del Fosso di Fiorano 65, 00143 Rome, Italy
| | - Cinzia Volonté
- Institute for Systems Analysis and Computer Science “A. Ruberti”, National Research Council (IASI–CNR), Via Dei Taurini 19, 00185 Rome, Italy
- IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Preclinical Neuroscience, Via Del Fosso di Fiorano 65, 00143 Rome, Italy
| | - Paola Paci
- Institute for Systems Analysis and Computer Science “A. Ruberti”, National Research Council (IASI–CNR), Via Dei Taurini 19, 00185 Rome, Italy
- Department of Computer, Control, and Management Engineering Antonio Ruberti (DIAG), Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
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70
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Lai X, Lin P, Ye J, Liu W, Lin S, Lin Z. Reference Module-Based Analysis of Ovarian Cancer Transcriptome Identifies Important Modules and Potential Drugs. Biochem Genet 2021; 60:433-451. [PMID: 34173117 DOI: 10.1007/s10528-021-10101-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Ovarian cancer (OVC) is often diagnosed at the advanced stage resulting in a poor overall outcome for the patient. The disease mechanisms, prognosis, and treatment require imperative elucidation. A rank-based module-centric framework was proposed to analyze the key modules related to the development, prognosis, and treatment of OVC. The ovarian cancer cell line microarray dataset GSE43765 from the Gene Expression Omnibus database was used to construct the reference modules by weighted gene correlation network analysis. Twenty-three reference modules were tested for stability and functionally annotated. Furthermore, to demonstrate the utility of reference modules, two more OVC datasets were collected, and their gene expression profiles were projected to the reference modules to generate a module-level expression. An epithelial-mesenchymal transition module was activated in OVC compared to the normal epithelium, and a pluripotency module was activated in ovarian cancer stroma compared to ovarian cancer epithelium. Seven differentially expressed modules were identified in OVC compared to the normal ovarian epithelium, with five up-regulated, and two down-regulated. One module was identified to be predictive of patient overall survival. Four modules were enriched with SNP signals. Based on differentially expressed modules and hub genes, five candidate drugs were screened. The hub genes of those modules merit further investigation. We firstly propose the reference module-based analysis of OVC. The utility of the analysis framework can be extended to transcriptome data of other kinds of diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuedan Lai
- Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Fuzhou First Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, 350009, People's Republic of China
| | - Peihong Lin
- Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Fuzhou First Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, 350009, People's Republic of China
| | - Jianwen Ye
- Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Fuzhou First Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, 350009, People's Republic of China
| | - Wei Liu
- Department of Bioinformatics, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, People's Republic of China
| | - Shiqiang Lin
- Department of Bioinformatics, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhou Lin
- Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Fuzhou First Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, 350009, People's Republic of China.
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71
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Gong L, Bates S, Li J, Qiao D, Glass K, Wei W, Hsu VW, Zhou X, Silverman EK. Connecting COPD GWAS genes: FAM13A controls TGFβ2 secretion by modulating AP-3 transport. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 2021; 65:532-543. [PMID: 34166600 DOI: 10.1165/rcmb.2021-0016oc] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a common, complex disease and a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Although multiple genetic determinants of COPD have been implicated by genome-wide association studies (GWAS), the pathophysiologic significance of these associations remains largely unknown. From a COPD protein-protein interaction network module, we selected a network path between two COPD GWAS genes for validation studies: FAM13A-AP3D1-CTGF-TGFB2. We find that TGFβ2, FAM13A, and AP3D1 (but not CTGF) form a cellular protein complex. Functional characterization suggests that this complex mediates the secretion of TGFβ2 through an AP-3-dependent pathway, with FAM13A acting as a negative regulator by targeting a late stage of this transport that involves the dissociation of coat-cargo interaction. Moreover, we find that TGFβ2 is a transmembrane protein that engages the AP-3 complex for delivery to the late endosomal compartments for subsequent secretion through exosomes. These results identify a pathophysiologic context that unifies the biological network role of two COPD GWAS proteins and reveal novel mechanisms of cargo transport through an intracellular pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Gong
- Brigham and Women's Hospital, 1861, Channing Division, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Samuel Bates
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Jian Li
- Brigham And Women's Hospital, Boston, United States
| | - Dandi Qiao
- Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, United States.,Harvard School of Public Health, Biostatistics, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Kimberly Glass
- Brigham and Women\'s Hospital Channing Division of Network Medicine, 1869, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Wenyi Wei
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 1859, Department of Pathology, Boston, Massachusetts, United States.,Harvard Medical School , Boston , Massachusetts, United States
| | - Victor W Hsu
- Brigham and Women's Hospital, 1861, Division of Rheumatology, Inflammation, and Immunity, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Xiaobo Zhou
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Edwin K Silverman
- Brigham and Women's Hospital, 1861, Channing Division of Network Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, United States;
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Li JP, Zeng SH, Zhang YH, Liu YJ. Bioinformatics-based analysis of the association between the A1-chimaerin ( CHN1) gene and gastric cancer. Bioengineered 2021; 12:2874-2889. [PMID: 34152250 PMCID: PMC8806512 DOI: 10.1080/21655979.2021.1940621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide and the identification of additional therapeutic targets and biomarkers has become vital. The A1-chimaerin (CHN1) gene encodes a ras-related protein that can be activated or inactivated by binding to GTP or GDP. The present study aimed to assess the expression of CHN1 in GC tissue and cells, to explore its relationship with GC progression, and to discover the potential mechanisms underlying these associations. The ONCOMINE database and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were used to determine the transcriptional levels of CHN1 in GC. Western blot and immunohistochemistry were used for detecting protein expression. Correlations between CHN1 levels and the clinical outcomes of GC patients were examined using Kaplan–Meier and Cox regression analyses. Moreover, the CIBERSORT algorithm was used to estimate immune cell infiltration. In GC patients, CHN1 transcription and CHN1 protein expression were upregulated, and a high expression of CHN1 was remarkably linked to poor survival in GC patients. CHN1 expression was associated with immune infiltrates and this gene showed potential involvement in multiple cancer-related pathways. Furthermore, the expression of CHN1 was correlated with the immunotherapeutic response. Finally, our results indicated that the pro-carcinogenic role of CHN1 may involve DNA methylation. To our knowledge, this is the first report characterizing CHN1 expression in GC. Our results show that high CHN1 levels could be used as a clinical biomarker for poor prognosis and that CHN1 inhibitors may have potential as anti-cancer drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie-Pin Li
- Department of Oncology, Zhangjiagang TCM Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing, University of Chinese Medicine, Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu, China.,No. 1 Clinical Medical College, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Shu-Hong Zeng
- No. 1 Clinical Medical College, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yong-Hua Zhang
- Department of Oncology, Zhangjiagang TCM Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing, University of Chinese Medicine, Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yuan-Jie Liu
- No. 1 Clinical Medical College, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
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73
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Benincasa G, DeMeo DL, Glass K, Silverman EK, Napoli C. Epigenetics and pulmonary diseases in the horizon of precision medicine: a review. Eur Respir J 2021; 57:13993003.03406-2020. [PMID: 33214212 DOI: 10.1183/13993003.03406-2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Epigenetic mechanisms represent potential molecular routes which could bridge the gap between genetic background and environmental risk factors contributing to the pathogenesis of pulmonary diseases. In patients with COPD, asthma and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), there is emerging evidence of aberrant epigenetic marks, mainly including DNA methylation and histone modifications which directly mediate reversible modifications to the DNA without affecting the genomic sequence. Post-translational events and microRNAs can be also regulated epigenetically and potentially participate in disease pathogenesis. Thus, novel pathogenic mechanisms and putative biomarkers may be detectable in peripheral blood, sputum, nasal and buccal swabs or lung tissue. Besides, DNA methylation plays an important role during the early phases of fetal development and may be impacted by environmental exposures, ultimately influencing an individual's susceptibility to COPD, asthma and PAH later in life. With the advances in omics platforms and the application of computational biology tools, modelling the epigenetic variability in a network framework, rather than as single molecular defects, provides insights into the possible molecular pathways underlying the pathogenesis of COPD, asthma and PAH. Epigenetic modifications may have clinical applications as noninvasive biomarkers of pulmonary diseases. Moreover, combining molecular assays with network analysis of epigenomic data may aid in clarifying the multistage transition from a "pre-disease" to "disease" state, with the goal of improving primary prevention of lung diseases and its subsequent clinical management.We describe epigenetic mechanisms known to be associated with pulmonary diseases and discuss how network analysis could improve our understanding of lung diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuditta Benincasa
- Dept of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences (DAMSS), University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Dawn L DeMeo
- Channing Division of Network Medicine and the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Dept of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kimberly Glass
- Channing Division of Network Medicine and the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Dept of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Edwin K Silverman
- Channing Division of Network Medicine and the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Dept of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Claudio Napoli
- Dept of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences (DAMSS), University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy .,Clinical Dept of Internal and Specialty Medicine (DAI), University Hospital (AOU), University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
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74
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Infante T, Francone M, De Rimini ML, Cavaliere C, Canonico R, Catalano C, Napoli C. Machine learning and network medicine: a novel approach for precision medicine and personalized therapy in cardiomyopathies. J Cardiovasc Med (Hagerstown) 2021; 22:429-440. [PMID: 32890235 DOI: 10.2459/jcm.0000000000001103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The early identification of pathogenic mechanisms is essential to predict the incidence and progression of cardiomyopathies and to plan appropriate preventive interventions. Noninvasive cardiac imaging such as cardiac computed tomography, cardiac magnetic resonance, and nuclear imaging plays an important role in diagnosis and management of cardiomyopathies and provides useful prognostic information. Most molecular factors exert their functions by interacting with other cellular components, thus many diseases reflect perturbations of intracellular networks. Indeed, complex diseases and traits such as cardiomyopathies are caused by perturbations of biological networks. The network medicine approach, by integrating systems biology, aims to identify pathological interacting genes and proteins, revolutionizing the way to know cardiomyopathies and shifting the understanding of their pathogenic phenomena from a reductionist to a holistic approach. In addition, artificial intelligence tools, applied to morphological and functional imaging, could allow imaging scans to be automatically analyzed to extract new parameters and features for cardiomyopathy evaluation. The aim of this review is to discuss the tools of network medicine in cardiomyopathies that could reveal new candidate genes and artificial intelligence imaging-based features with the aim to translate into clinical practice as diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive biomarkers and shed new light on the clinical setting of cardiomyopathies. The integration and elaboration of clinical habits, molecular big data, and imaging into machine learning models could provide better disease phenotyping, outcome prediction, and novel drug targets, thus opening a new scenario for the implementation of precision medicine for cardiomyopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa Infante
- Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences (DAMSS), University of Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli', Naples, Italy
| | - Marco Francone
- Department of Radiological, Oncological, and Pathological Sciences, La Sapienza University, Rome
| | | | | | - Raffaele Canonico
- U.O.C. of Dietetics, Sport Medicine and Psychophysical Wellbeing, Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli', Naples, Italy
| | - Carlo Catalano
- Department of Radiological, Oncological, and Pathological Sciences, La Sapienza University, Rome
| | - Claudio Napoli
- Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences (DAMSS), University of Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli', Naples, Italy
- IRCCS SDN
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75
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Pontecorvi P, Megiorni F, Camero S, Ceccarelli S, Bernardini L, Capalbo A, Anastasiadou E, Gerini G, Messina E, Perniola G, Benedetti Panici P, Grammatico P, Pizzuti A, Marchese C. Altered Expression of Candidate Genes in Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser Syndrome May Influence Vaginal Keratinocytes Biology: A Focus on Protein Kinase X. BIOLOGY 2021; 10:biology10060450. [PMID: 34063745 PMCID: PMC8223793 DOI: 10.3390/biology10060450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2021] [Revised: 05/13/2021] [Accepted: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome is a rare and complex disease defined by congenital aplasia of the vagina and uterus in 46,XX women, often associated with kidney and urinary tract anomalies. The aetiopathogenesis of MRKH syndrome is still largely unknown. Herein, we investigated the role of selected candidate genes in the aetiopathogenesis of MRKH syndrome, with a focus on PRKX, which encodes for protein kinase X. Through RT-qPCR analyses performed on vaginal dimple samples from patients, and principal component analysis (PCA), we highlighted a phenotype-related expression pattern of PRKX, MUC1, HOXC8 and GREB1L in MRKH patients. By using an in vitro approach, we proved that PRKX ectopic overexpression in a cell model of vaginal keratinocytes promotes cell motility through epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) activation, a fundamental process in urogenital tract morphogenesis. Moreover, our findings showed that PRKX upregulation in vaginal keratinocytes is able to affect transcriptional levels of HOX genes, implicated in urinary and genital tract development. Our study identified the dysregulation of PRKX expression as a possible molecular cause for MRKH syndrome. Moreover, we propose the specific role of PRKX in vaginal keratinocyte biology as one of the possible mechanisms underlying this complex disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Pontecorvi
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome—Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy; (P.P.); (F.M.); (S.C.); (E.A.); (G.G.); (E.M.); (A.P.)
| | - Francesca Megiorni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome—Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy; (P.P.); (F.M.); (S.C.); (E.A.); (G.G.); (E.M.); (A.P.)
| | - Simona Camero
- Department of Maternal and Child Health and Urological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome—Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy; (S.C.); (G.P.); (P.B.P.)
| | - Simona Ceccarelli
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome—Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy; (P.P.); (F.M.); (S.C.); (E.A.); (G.G.); (E.M.); (A.P.)
| | - Laura Bernardini
- Division of Medical Genetics, IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza Foundation-Viale Cappuccini, 1, 71013 San Giovanni Rotondo (FG), Italy; (L.B.); (A.C.)
| | - Anna Capalbo
- Division of Medical Genetics, IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza Foundation-Viale Cappuccini, 1, 71013 San Giovanni Rotondo (FG), Italy; (L.B.); (A.C.)
| | - Eleni Anastasiadou
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome—Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy; (P.P.); (F.M.); (S.C.); (E.A.); (G.G.); (E.M.); (A.P.)
| | - Giulia Gerini
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome—Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy; (P.P.); (F.M.); (S.C.); (E.A.); (G.G.); (E.M.); (A.P.)
| | - Elena Messina
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome—Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy; (P.P.); (F.M.); (S.C.); (E.A.); (G.G.); (E.M.); (A.P.)
| | - Giorgia Perniola
- Department of Maternal and Child Health and Urological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome—Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy; (S.C.); (G.P.); (P.B.P.)
| | - Pierluigi Benedetti Panici
- Department of Maternal and Child Health and Urological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome—Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy; (S.C.); (G.P.); (P.B.P.)
| | - Paola Grammatico
- Division of Medical Genetics, Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome-San Camillo-Forlanini Hospital, Circonvallazione Gianicolense, 87, 00152 Rome, Italy;
| | - Antonio Pizzuti
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome—Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy; (P.P.); (F.M.); (S.C.); (E.A.); (G.G.); (E.M.); (A.P.)
- Division of Medical Genetics, IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza Foundation-Viale Cappuccini, 1, 71013 San Giovanni Rotondo (FG), Italy; (L.B.); (A.C.)
| | - Cinzia Marchese
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome—Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy; (P.P.); (F.M.); (S.C.); (E.A.); (G.G.); (E.M.); (A.P.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-06-4997-2872
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76
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Farooqui A, Alhazmi A, Haque S, Tamkeen N, Mehmankhah M, Tazyeen S, Ali S, Ishrat R. Network-based analysis of key regulatory genes implicated in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Recurrent Miscarriages in Turner Syndrome. Sci Rep 2021; 11:10662. [PMID: 34021221 PMCID: PMC8140125 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-90171-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/06/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The information on the genotype-phenotype relationship in Turner Syndrome (TS) is inadequate because very few specific candidate genes are linked to its clinical features. We used the microarray data of TS to identify the key regulatory genes implicated with TS through a network approach. The causative factors of two common co-morbidities, Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) and Recurrent Miscarriages (RM), in the Turner population, are expected to be different from that of the general population. Through microarray analysis, we identified nine signature genes of T2DM and three signature genes of RM in TS. The power-law distribution analysis showed that the TS network carries scale-free hierarchical fractal attributes. Through local-community-paradigm (LCP) estimation we find that a strong LCP is also maintained which means that networks are dynamic and heterogeneous. We identified nine key regulators which serve as the backbone of the TS network. Furthermore, we recognized eight interologs functional in seven different organisms from lower to higher levels. Overall, these results offer few key regulators and essential genes that we envisage have potential as therapeutic targets for the TS in the future and the animal models studied here may prove useful in the validation of such targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anam Farooqui
- grid.411818.50000 0004 0498 8255Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, 110025 India
| | - Alaa Alhazmi
- grid.411831.e0000 0004 0398 1027Medical Laboratory Technology Department, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia
| | - Shafiul Haque
- grid.411831.e0000 0004 0398 1027Research and Scientific Studies Unit, College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia
| | - Naaila Tamkeen
- grid.411818.50000 0004 0498 8255Department of Biosciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, 110025 India
| | - Mahboubeh Mehmankhah
- grid.411818.50000 0004 0498 8255Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, 110025 India
| | - Safia Tazyeen
- grid.411818.50000 0004 0498 8255Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, 110025 India
| | - Sher Ali
- grid.412552.50000 0004 1764 278XDepartment of Life Sciences, Sharda University, Greater Noida, 201310 India
| | - Romana Ishrat
- grid.411818.50000 0004 0498 8255Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, 110025 India
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77
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Morselli Gysi D, do Valle Í, Zitnik M, Ameli A, Gan X, Varol O, Ghiassian SD, Patten JJ, Davey RA, Loscalzo J, Barabási AL. Network medicine framework for identifying drug-repurposing opportunities for COVID-19. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2025581118. [PMID: 33906951 PMCID: PMC8126852 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2025581118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 171] [Impact Index Per Article: 57.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to quickly and reliably prioritize clinically approved compounds for their potential effectiveness for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections. Here, we deployed algorithms relying on artificial intelligence, network diffusion, and network proximity, tasking each of them to rank 6,340 drugs for their expected efficacy against SARS-CoV-2. To test the predictions, we used as ground truth 918 drugs experimentally screened in VeroE6 cells, as well as the list of drugs in clinical trials that capture the medical community's assessment of drugs with potential COVID-19 efficacy. We find that no single predictive algorithm offers consistently reliable outcomes across all datasets and metrics. This outcome prompted us to develop a multimodal technology that fuses the predictions of all algorithms, finding that a consensus among the different predictive methods consistently exceeds the performance of the best individual pipelines. We screened in human cells the top-ranked drugs, obtaining a 62% success rate, in contrast to the 0.8% hit rate of nonguided screenings. Of the six drugs that reduced viral infection, four could be directly repurposed to treat COVID-19, proposing novel treatments for COVID-19. We also found that 76 of the 77 drugs that successfully reduced viral infection do not bind the proteins targeted by SARS-CoV-2, indicating that these network drugs rely on network-based mechanisms that cannot be identified using docking-based strategies. These advances offer a methodological pathway to identify repurposable drugs for future pathogens and neglected diseases underserved by the costs and extended timeline of de novo drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deisy Morselli Gysi
- Network Science Institute, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115
- Department of Physics, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Ítalo do Valle
- Network Science Institute, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115
- Department of Physics, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Marinka Zitnik
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115
- Harvard Data Science Initiative, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
| | - Asher Ameli
- Department of Physics, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115
- Data Science Department, Scipher Medicine, Waltham, MA 02453
| | - Xiao Gan
- Network Science Institute, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115
- Department of Physics, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Onur Varol
- Network Science Institute, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115
- Department of Physics, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115
- Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Sabanci University, Istanbul 34956, Turkey
| | | | - J J Patten
- Department of Microbiology, National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, Boston University, Boston, MA 02118
| | - Robert A Davey
- Department of Microbiology, National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, Boston University, Boston, MA 02118
| | - Joseph Loscalzo
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Albert-László Barabási
- Network Science Institute, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115;
- Department of Physics, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115
- Department of Network and Data Science, Central European University, Budapest 1051, Hungary
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78
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Novel biomarkers useful in surveillance of graft rejection after heart transplantation. Transpl Immunol 2021; 67:101406. [PMID: 33975013 DOI: 10.1016/j.trim.2021.101406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Accepted: 05/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Heart transplantation (HTx) is considered the gold-standard therapy for the treatment of advanced heart failure (HF). The long-term survival in HTx is hindered by graft failure which represents one of the major limitations of the long-term efficacy of HTx. Endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) and the evaluation of donor-specific antibodies (DSA) are currently considered the essential diagnostic tools for surveillance of graft rejection. Recently, new molecular biomarkers (including cell-free DeoxyriboNucleic Acid, exosomes, gene profiling microarray, nanostring, reverse transcriptase multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification, proteomics and immune profiling by quantitative multiplex immunofluorescence) provide useful information on mechanisms of graft rejection. The ambitious role of a similar change of perspective is aimed at a better and longer graft preservation.
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79
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are typically caused by multifactorial events including mutations in a large number of genes. Epigenetic-derived modifications in the cells are normal but can be amended by aging, lifestyle, and exposure to toxic substances. Major epigenetic modifications are DNA methylation, histone modification, chromatin remodeling as well as the noncoding RNAs. These pivotal players are involved in the epigenetic-induced modifications observed during CVDs. Nevertheless, despite impressive efforts capitalized in epigenetic research in the last 50 years, clinical applications are still not satisfactory. RECENT FINDINGS Briefly, we present some of the recent steps forward in the epigenetic studies of CVDs. There is an increased appreciation for the contribution of epigenetic alterations in the development of CVDs. Now, we have novel epigenetic biomarkers and therapeutic trials with the use of statins, metformin, and some compounds affecting epigenetic pathways including a BET inhibitor apabetalone. The new knowledge of epigenetic regulation is also discussed in the light of precision medicine of CVDs. SUMMARY Epigenetic studies of CVDs have the promise to yield both mechanistic insights as well as adjunct treatments (repurposed drugs and apabetalone). The overall concept of precision medicine is not widely recognized in routine medical practice and the so-called reductionist approach remains the most used way to treat CVD patients.
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80
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Chen YX, Ding J, Zhou WE, Zhang X, Sun XT, Wang XY, Zhang C, Li N, Shao GF, Hu SJ, Yang J. Identification and Functional Prediction of Long Non-Coding RNAs in Dilated Cardiomyopathy by Bioinformatics Analysis. Front Genet 2021; 12:648111. [PMID: 33936172 PMCID: PMC8085533 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.648111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2021] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a relatively common cause of heart failure and the leading cause of heart transplantation. Aberrant changes in long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in DCM disorder; however, the detailed mechanisms underlying DCM initiation and progression require further investigation, and new molecular targets are needed. Here, we obtained lncRNA-expression profiles associated with DCM and non-failing hearts through microarray probe-sequence re-annotation. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis revealed a module highly associated with DCM status. Then eight hub lncRNAs in this module (FGD5-AS1, AC009113.1, WDFY3-AS2, NIFK-AS1, ZNF571-AS1, MIR100HG, AC079089.1, and EIF3J-AS1) were identified. All hub lncRNAs except ZNF571-AS1 were predicted as localizing to the cytoplasm. As a possible mechanism of DCM pathogenesis, we predicted that these hub lncRNAs might exert functions by acting as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs). Furthermore, we found that the above results can be essentially reproduced in an independent external dataset. We observed the localization of hub lncRNAs by RNA-FISH in human aortic smooth muscle cells and confirmed the upregulation of the hub lncRNAs in DCM patients through quantitative RT-PCR. In conclusion, these findings identified eight candidate lncRNAs associated with DCM disease and revealed their potential involvement in DCM partly through ceRNA crosstalk. Our results facilitate the discovery of therapeutic targets and enhance the understanding of DCM pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Xiao Chen
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jie Ding
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Wei-Er Zhou
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xuan Zhang
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiao-Tong Sun
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xi-Ying Wang
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Chi Zhang
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Ni Li
- Ningbo Medical Center Lihuili Hospital, Ningbo, China
| | - Guo-Feng Shao
- Ningbo Medical Center Lihuili Hospital, Ningbo, China
| | - Shen-Jiang Hu
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jian Yang
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
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81
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Benincasa G, Vasco M, Corrado A, Sansone A, Picascia A, Napoli C. Epigenetic-based therapy in allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: Novel opportunities for personalized treatment. Clin Transplant 2021; 35:e14306. [PMID: 33792965 DOI: 10.1111/ctr.14306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2021] [Revised: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Current management of patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) lacks immunosuppressant drugs able to block the host immune response toward the graft antigens. Novel treatments may include epigenetic compounds (epidrugs) some of which have been yet approved by the Food and Drugs Administration for the treatment of specific blood malignancies. The most investigated in clinical trials for allo-HSCT are DNA demethylating agents (DNMTi), such as azacitidine (Vidaza) and decitabine (Dacogen) as well as histone deacetylases inhibitors (HDACi), such as vorinostat (Zolinza) and panobinostat (Farydak). Indeed, azacitidine monotherapy before allo-HSCT may reduce the conventional chemotherapy-related complications, whereas it may reduce relapse risk and death after allo-HSCT. Besides, a decitabine-containing conditioning regimen could protect against graft versus host disease (GVHD) and respiratory infections after allo-HSCT. Regarding HDACi, the addition of vorinostat and panobinostat to the conditioning regimen after allo-HSCT seems to reduce the incidence of acute GVHD. Furthermore, panobinostat alone or in combination with low-dose decitabine may reduce the relapse rate in high-risk patients with acute myeloid leukemia patients after allo-HSCT. We discuss the phase 1 and 2 clinical trials evaluating the possible beneficial effects of repurposing specific epidrugs which may guide personalized therapy in the setting of allo-HSCT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuditta Benincasa
- Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences (DAMSS), University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Vasco
- U.O.C. Division of Clinical Immunology, Immunohematology, Transfusion Medicine and Transplant Immunology, Regional Reference Laboratory of Transplant Immunology, Department of Internal and Specialty Medicine, A.O.U., University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Alessio Corrado
- U.O.C. Division of Clinical Immunology, Immunohematology, Transfusion Medicine and Transplant Immunology, Regional Reference Laboratory of Transplant Immunology, Department of Internal and Specialty Medicine, A.O.U., University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Annunziata Sansone
- U.O.C. Division of Clinical Immunology, Immunohematology, Transfusion Medicine and Transplant Immunology, Regional Reference Laboratory of Transplant Immunology, Department of Internal and Specialty Medicine, A.O.U., University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Antonietta Picascia
- U.O.C. Division of Clinical Immunology, Immunohematology, Transfusion Medicine and Transplant Immunology, Regional Reference Laboratory of Transplant Immunology, Department of Internal and Specialty Medicine, A.O.U., University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Claudio Napoli
- Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences (DAMSS), University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy.,U.O.C. Division of Clinical Immunology, Immunohematology, Transfusion Medicine and Transplant Immunology, Regional Reference Laboratory of Transplant Immunology, Department of Internal and Specialty Medicine, A.O.U., University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
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Sarno F, Benincasa G, List M, Barabasi AL, Baumbach J, Ciardiello F, Filetti S, Glass K, Loscalzo J, Marchese C, Maron BA, Paci P, Parini P, Petrillo E, Silverman EK, Verrienti A, Altucci L, Napoli C. Clinical epigenetics settings for cancer and cardiovascular diseases: real-life applications of network medicine at the bedside. Clin Epigenetics 2021; 13:66. [PMID: 33785068 PMCID: PMC8010949 DOI: 10.1186/s13148-021-01047-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2020] [Accepted: 03/01/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite impressive efforts invested in epigenetic research in the last 50 years, clinical applications are still lacking. Only a few university hospital centers currently use epigenetic biomarkers at the bedside. Moreover, the overall concept of precision medicine is not widely recognized in routine medical practice and the reductionist approach remains predominant in treating patients affected by major diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases. By its' very nature, epigenetics is integrative of genetic networks. The study of epigenetic biomarkers has led to the identification of numerous drugs with an increasingly significant role in clinical therapy especially of cancer patients. Here, we provide an overview of clinical epigenetics within the context of network analysis. We illustrate achievements to date and discuss how we can move from traditional medicine into the era of network medicine (NM), where pathway-informed molecular diagnostics will allow treatment selection following the paradigm of precision medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Sarno
- Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Napoli, Italy
| | - Giuditta Benincasa
- Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences (DAMSS), University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Markus List
- Chair of Experimental Bioinformatics, TUM School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
| | - Albert-Lazlo Barabasi
- Network Science Institute and Department of Physics, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Network and Data Science, Central European University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Jan Baumbach
- Chair of Experimental Bioinformatics, TUM School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
- Chair of Computational Systems Biology, University of Hamburg, Notkestrasse 9, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Fortunato Ciardiello
- Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Napoli, Italy
| | | | - Kimberly Glass
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Joseph Loscalzo
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Cinzia Marchese
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Bradley A Maron
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Paola Paci
- Department of Computer, Control, and Management Engineering, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
| | - Paolo Parini
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institute and Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Enrico Petrillo
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of General Internal Medicine and Primary Care, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Edwin K Silverman
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Antonella Verrienti
- Department of Translational and Precision Medicine, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
| | - Lucia Altucci
- Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Napoli, Italy.
| | - Claudio Napoli
- Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences (DAMSS), University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
- Clinical Department of Internal Medicine and Specialistic Units, AOU, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
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83
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Lazareva O, Baumbach J, List M, Blumenthal DB. On the limits of active module identification. Brief Bioinform 2021; 22:6189770. [PMID: 33782690 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbab066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2021] [Revised: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In network and systems medicine, active module identification methods (AMIMs) are widely used for discovering candidate molecular disease mechanisms. To this end, AMIMs combine network analysis algorithms with molecular profiling data, most commonly, by projecting gene expression data onto generic protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks. Although active module identification has led to various novel insights into complex diseases, there is increasing awareness in the field that the combination of gene expression data and PPI network is problematic because up-to-date PPI networks have a very small diameter and are subject to both technical and literature bias. In this paper, we report the results of an extensive study where we analyzed for the first time whether widely used AMIMs really benefit from using PPI networks. Our results clearly show that, except for the recently proposed AMIM DOMINO, the tested AMIMs do not produce biologically more meaningful candidate disease modules on widely used PPI networks than on random networks with the same node degrees. AMIMs hence mainly learn from the node degrees and mostly fail to exploit the biological knowledge encoded in the edges of the PPI networks. This has far-reaching consequences for the field of active module identification. In particular, we suggest that novel algorithms are needed which overcome the degree bias of most existing AMIMs and/or work with customized, context-specific networks instead of generic PPI networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Lazareva
- Chair of Experimental Bioinformatics, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
| | - Jan Baumbach
- Chair of Experimental Bioinformatics, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany.,Chair of Computational Systems Biology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.,Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Markus List
- Chair of Experimental Bioinformatics, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
| | - David B Blumenthal
- Chair of Experimental Bioinformatics, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
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84
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Janyasupab P, Suratanee A, Plaimas K. Network diffusion with centrality measures to identify disease-related genes. MATHEMATICAL BIOSCIENCES AND ENGINEERING : MBE 2021; 18:2909-2929. [PMID: 33892577 DOI: 10.3934/mbe.2021147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Disease-related gene prioritization is one of the most well-established pharmaceutical techniques used to identify genes that are important to a biological process relevant to a disease. In identifying these essential genes, the network diffusion (ND) approach is a widely used technique applied in gene prioritization. However, there is still a large number of candidate genes that need to be evaluated experimentally. Therefore, it would be of great value to develop a new strategy to improve the precision of the prioritization. Given the efficiency and simplicity of centrality measures in capturing a gene that might be important to the network structure, herein, we propose a technique that extends the scope of ND through a centrality measure to identify new disease-related genes. Five common centrality measures with different aspects were examined for integration in the traditional ND model. A total of 40 diseases were used to test our developed approach and to find new genes that might be related to a disease. Results indicated that the best measure to combine with the diffusion is closeness centrality. The novel candidate genes identified by the model for all 40 diseases were provided along with supporting evidence. In conclusion, the integration of network centrality in ND is a simple but effective technique to discover more precise disease-related genes, which is extremely useful for biomedical science.
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Affiliation(s)
- Panisa Janyasupab
- Advanced Virtual and Intelligent Computing (AVIC) Center, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
| | - Apichat Suratanee
- Intelligent and Nonlinear Dynamic Innovations Research Center, Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Applied Science, King Mongkut's University of Technology North Bangkok, Bangkok 10800, Thailand
| | - Kitiporn Plaimas
- Advanced Virtual and Intelligent Computing (AVIC) Center, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
- Omics Science and Bioinformatics Center, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
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85
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Deng MC. The evolution of patient-specific precision biomarkers to guide personalized heart-transplant care. EXPERT REVIEW OF PRECISION MEDICINE AND DRUG DEVELOPMENT 2021; 6:51-63. [PMID: 33768160 DOI: 10.1080/23808993.2021.1840273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Introduction In parallel to the clinical maturation of heart transplantation over the last 50 years, rejection testing has been revolutionized within the systems biology paradigm triggered by the Human Genome Project. Areas Covered We have co-developed the first FDA-cleared diagnostic and prognostic leukocyte gene expression profiling biomarker test in transplantation medicine that gained international evidence-based medicine guideline acceptance to rule out moderate/severe acute cellular cardiac allograft rejection without invasive endomyocardial biopsies. This work prompted molecular re-classification of intragraft biology, culminating in the identification of a pattern of intragraft myocyte injury, in addition to acute cellular rejection and antibody-mediated rejection. This insight stimulated research into non-invasive detection of myocardial allograft injury. The addition of a donor-organ specific myocardial injury marker based on donor-derived cell-free DNA further strengthens the non-invasive monitoring concept, combining the clinical use of two complementary non-invasive blood-based measures, host immune activity-related risk of acute rejection as well as cardiac allograft injury. Expert Opinion This novel complementary non-invasive heart transplant monitoring strategy based on leukocyte gene expression profiling and donor-derived cell-free DNA that incorporates longitudinal variability measures provides an exciting novel algorithm of heart transplant allograft monitoring. This algorithm's clinical utility will need to be tested in an appropriately designed randomized clinical trial which is in preparation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario C Deng
- Advanced Heart Failure/Mechanical Support/Heart Transplant, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, 100 Medical Plaza Drive, Suite 630, Los Angeles, CA 90095
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86
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Megiorni F, Camero S, Pontecorvi P, Camicia L, Marampon F, Ceccarelli S, Anastasiadou E, Bernabò N, Perniola G, Pizzuti A, Benedetti Panici P, Tombolini V, Marchese C. OTX015 Epi-Drug Exerts Antitumor Effects in Ovarian Cancer Cells by Blocking GNL3-Mediated Radioresistance Mechanisms: Cellular, Molecular and Computational Evidence. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13071519. [PMID: 33806232 PMCID: PMC8059141 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13071519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2021] [Revised: 03/10/2021] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary The outcome for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer (OC), the most aggressive gynecological tumor worldwide, remains very poor. Encouraging therapeutic impact of epigenetic drugs has been suggested in a wide range of human solid tumors, including OC. The present study assessed the in vitro cytostatic and cytotoxic effects of OTX015, a pan Bromodomain and Extra-Terminal motif inhibitor, in human OC cells, both as single treatment and in combination with radiotherapy. Cellular, molecular and computational network analyses indicated the centrality of GNL3 downregulation in mediating the OTX015-related antitumor efficacy that blocks disease progression/maintenance and radioresistance acquisition. Our preclinical results confirm that targeted and combinatorial treatments represent effective anticancer strategies to be translated in the clinical research for improving OC patient care. Abstract Ovarian cancer (OC) is the most aggressive gynecological tumor worldwide and, notwithstanding the increment in conventional treatments, many resistance mechanisms arise, this leading to cure failure and patient death. So, the use of novel adjuvant drugs able to counteract these pathways is urgently needed to improve patient overall survival. A growing interest is focused on epigenetic drugs for cancer therapy, such as Bromodomain and Extra-Terminal motif inhibitors (BETi). Here, we investigate the antitumor effects of OTX015, a novel BETi, as a single agent or in combination with ionizing radiation (IR) in OC cellular models. OTX015 treatment significantly reduced tumor cell proliferation by triggering cell cycle arrest and apoptosis that were linked to nucleolar stress and DNA damage. OTX015 impaired migration capacity and potentiated IR effects by reducing the expression of different drivers of cancer resistance mechanisms, including GNL3 gene, whose expression was found to be significantly higher in OC biopsies than in normal ovarian tissues. Gene specific knocking down and computational network analysis confirmed the centrality of GNL3 in OTX015-mediated OC antitumor effects. Altogether, our findings suggest OTX015 as an effective option to improve therapeutic strategies and overcome the development of resistant cancer cells in patients with OC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Megiorni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy; (P.P.); (S.C.); (E.A.); (A.P.); (C.M.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-06-4997-8272
| | - Simona Camero
- Department of Maternal and Child Health and Urological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy; (S.C.); (L.C.); (G.P.); (P.B.P.)
| | - Paola Pontecorvi
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy; (P.P.); (S.C.); (E.A.); (A.P.); (C.M.)
| | - Lucrezia Camicia
- Department of Maternal and Child Health and Urological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy; (S.C.); (L.C.); (G.P.); (P.B.P.)
| | - Francesco Marampon
- Department of Radiological, Oncological and Pathological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy; (F.M.); (V.T.)
| | - Simona Ceccarelli
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy; (P.P.); (S.C.); (E.A.); (A.P.); (C.M.)
| | - Eleni Anastasiadou
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy; (P.P.); (S.C.); (E.A.); (A.P.); (C.M.)
| | - Nicola Bernabò
- Faculty of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, 64100 Teramo, Italy;
| | - Giorgia Perniola
- Department of Maternal and Child Health and Urological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy; (S.C.); (L.C.); (G.P.); (P.B.P.)
| | - Antonio Pizzuti
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy; (P.P.); (S.C.); (E.A.); (A.P.); (C.M.)
| | - Pierluigi Benedetti Panici
- Department of Maternal and Child Health and Urological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy; (S.C.); (L.C.); (G.P.); (P.B.P.)
| | - Vincenzo Tombolini
- Department of Radiological, Oncological and Pathological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy; (F.M.); (V.T.)
| | - Cinzia Marchese
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy; (P.P.); (S.C.); (E.A.); (A.P.); (C.M.)
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Abstract
BACKGROUND Currently, no proven effective drugs for the novel coronavirus disease COVID-19 exist and despite widespread vaccination campaigns, we are far short from herd immunity. The number of people who are still vulnerable to the virus is too high to hamper new outbreaks, leading a compelling need to find new therapeutic options devoted to combat SARS-CoV-2 infection. Drug repurposing represents an effective drug discovery strategy from existing drugs that could shorten the time and reduce the cost compared to de novo drug discovery. RESULTS We developed a network-based tool for drug repurposing provided as a freely available R-code, called SAveRUNNER (Searching off-lAbel dRUg aNd NEtwoRk), with the aim to offer a promising framework to efficiently detect putative novel indications for currently marketed drugs against diseases of interest. SAveRUNNER predicts drug-disease associations by quantifying the interplay between the drug targets and the disease-associated proteins in the human interactome through the computation of a novel network-based similarity measure, which prioritizes associations between drugs and diseases located in the same network neighborhoods. CONCLUSIONS The algorithm was successfully applied to predict off-label drugs to be repositioned against the new human coronavirus (2019-nCoV/SARS-CoV-2), and it achieved a high accuracy in the identification of well-known drug indications, thus revealing itself as a powerful tool to rapidly detect potential novel medical indications for various drugs that are worth of further investigation. SAveRUNNER source code is freely available at https://github.com/giuliafiscon/SAveRUNNER.git , along with a comprehensive user guide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Fiscon
- Institute for Systems Analysis and Computer Science, Antonio Ruberti", National Research Council, Rome, Italy
- Fondazione Per La Medicina Personalizzata, Via Goffredo Mameli, 3/1, Genoa, Italy
| | - Paola Paci
- Institute for Systems Analysis and Computer Science, Antonio Ruberti", National Research Council, Rome, Italy.
- Department of Computer, Control and Management Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
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88
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Kang Y, Thieffry D, Cantini L. Evaluating the Reproducibility of Single-Cell Gene Regulatory Network Inference Algorithms. Front Genet 2021; 12:617282. [PMID: 33828580 PMCID: PMC8019823 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.617282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Networks are powerful tools to represent and investigate biological systems. The development of algorithms inferring regulatory interactions from functional genomics data has been an active area of research. With the advent of single-cell RNA-seq data (scRNA-seq), numerous methods specifically designed to take advantage of single-cell datasets have been proposed. However, published benchmarks on single-cell network inference are mostly based on simulated data. Once applied to real data, these benchmarks take into account only a small set of genes and only compare the inferred networks with an imposed ground-truth. Here, we benchmark six single-cell network inference methods based on their reproducibility, i.e., their ability to infer similar networks when applied to two independent datasets for the same biological condition. We tested each of these methods on real data from three biological conditions: human retina, T-cells in colorectal cancer, and human hematopoiesis. Once taking into account networks with up to 100,000 links, GENIE3 results to be the most reproducible algorithm and, together with GRNBoost2, show higher intersection with ground-truth biological interactions. These results are independent from the single-cell sequencing platform, the cell type annotation system and the number of cells constituting the dataset. Finally, GRNBoost2 and CLR show more reproducible performance once a more stringent thresholding is applied to the networks (1,000–100 links). In order to ensure the reproducibility and ease extensions of this benchmark study, we implemented all the analyses in scNET, a Jupyter notebook available at https://github.com/ComputationalSystemsBiology/scNET.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoonjee Kang
- Computational Systems Biology Team, Institut de Biologie de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure, CNRS UMR 8197, INSERM U1024, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris Sciences et Lettres Research University, Paris, France
| | - Denis Thieffry
- Computational Systems Biology Team, Institut de Biologie de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure, CNRS UMR 8197, INSERM U1024, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris Sciences et Lettres Research University, Paris, France
| | - Laura Cantini
- Computational Systems Biology Team, Institut de Biologie de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure, CNRS UMR 8197, INSERM U1024, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris Sciences et Lettres Research University, Paris, France
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89
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DeMeo DL. Sex and Gender Omic Biomarkers in Men and Women With COPD: Considerations for Precision Medicine. Chest 2021; 160:104-113. [PMID: 33745988 DOI: 10.1016/j.chest.2021.03.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Revised: 02/25/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Sex and gender differences in lung health and disease are imperative to consider and study if precision pulmonary medicine is to be achieved. The development of reliable COPD biomarkers has been elusive, and the translation of biomarkers to clinical care has been limited. Useful and effective biomarkers must be developed with attention to clinical heterogeneity of COPD; inherent heterogeneity exists related to grouping women and men together in the studies of COPD. Considering sex and gender differences and influences related to -omics may represent progress in susceptibility, diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic biomarker development and clinical innovation to improve the lung health of men and women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dawn L DeMeo
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
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90
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Ochoa S, de Anda-Jáuregui G, Hernández-Lemus E. An Information Theoretical Multilayer Network Approach to Breast Cancer Transcriptional Regulation. Front Genet 2021; 12:617512. [PMID: 33815463 PMCID: PMC8014033 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.617512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2020] [Accepted: 02/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is a complex, highly heterogeneous disease at multiple levels ranging from its genetic origins and molecular processes to clinical manifestations. This heterogeneity has given rise to the so-called intrinsic or molecular breast cancer subtypes. Aside from classification, these subtypes have set a basis for differential prognosis and treatment. Multiple regulatory mechanisms-involving a variety of biomolecular entities-suffer from alterations leading to the diseased phenotypes. Information theoretical approaches have been found to be useful in the description of these complex regulatory programs. In this work, we identified the interactions occurring between three main mechanisms of regulation of the gene expression program: transcription factor regulation, regulation via noncoding RNA, and epigenetic regulation through DNA methylation. Using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas, we inferred probabilistic multilayer networks, identifying key regulatory circuits able to (partially) explain the alterations that lead from a healthy phenotype to different manifestations of breast cancer, as captured by its molecular subtype classification. We also found some general trends in the topology of the multi-omic regulatory networks: Tumor subtype networks present longer shortest paths than their normal tissue counterpart; epigenomic regulation has frequently focused on genes enriched for certain biological processes; CpG methylation and miRNA interactions are often part of a regulatory core of conserved interactions. The use of probabilistic measures to infer information regarding theoretical-derived multilayer networks based on multi-omic high-throughput data is hence presented as a useful methodological approach to capture some of the molecular heterogeneity behind regulatory phenomena in breast cancer, and potentially other diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soledad Ochoa
- Computational Genomics Division, National Institute of Genomic Medicine, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Guillermo de Anda-Jáuregui
- Computational Genomics Division, National Institute of Genomic Medicine, Mexico City, Mexico.,Centro de Ciencias de la Complejidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico.,Conacyt Research Chairs, National Council on Science and Technology, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Enrique Hernández-Lemus
- Computational Genomics Division, National Institute of Genomic Medicine, Mexico City, Mexico.,Centro de Ciencias de la Complejidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
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91
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COVID-19 engages clinical markers for the management of cancer and cancer-relevant regulators of cell proliferation, death, migration, and immune response. Sci Rep 2021; 11:5228. [PMID: 33664395 PMCID: PMC7933131 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-84780-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 02/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Clinical reports show that the management of cancer patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 requires modifications. Understanding of cancer-relevant mechanisms engaged by the virus is essential for the evidence-based management of cancer. The network of SARS-CoV-2 regulatory mechanisms was used to study potential engagement of oncogenes, tumor suppressors, other regulators of tumorigenesis and clinical markers used in the management of cancer patients. Our network analysis confirms links between COVID-19 and tumorigenesis that were predicted in epidemiological reports. The COVID-19 network shows the involvement of tumorigenesis regulators and clinical markers. Regulators of cell proliferation, death, migration, and the immune system were retrieved. Examples are pathways initiated by EGF, VEGF, TGFβ and FGF. The SARS-CoV-2 network engages markers for diagnosis, prognosis and selection of treatment. Intersection with cancer diagnostic signatures supports a potential impact of the virus on tumorigenesis. Clinical observations show the diversity of symptoms correlating with biological processes and types of cells engaged by the virus, e.g. epithelial, endothelial, smooth muscle, glial and immune system cells. Our results describe an extensive engagement of cancer-relevant mechanisms and clinical markers by COVID-19. Engagement by the virus of clinical markers provides a rationale for clinical decisions based on these markers.
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92
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Aslan JE. Platelet Proteomes, Pathways, and Phenotypes as Informants of Vascular Wellness and Disease. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 2021; 41:999-1011. [PMID: 33441027 PMCID: PMC7980774 DOI: 10.1161/atvbaha.120.314647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Platelets rapidly undergo responsive transitions in form and function to repair vascular endothelium and mediate hemostasis. In contrast, heterogeneous platelet subpopulations with a range of primed or refractory phenotypes gradually arise in chronic inflammatory and other conditions in a manner that may indicate or support disease. Qualitatively distinguishable platelet phenotypes are increasingly associated with a variety of physiological and pathological circumstances; however, the origins and significance of platelet phenotypic variation remain unclear and conceptually vague. As changes in platelet function in disease exhibit many similarities to platelets following the activation of platelet agonist receptors, the intracellular responses of platelets common to hemostasis and inflammation may provide insights to the molecular basis of platelet phenotype. Here, we review concepts around how protein-level relations-from platelet receptors through intracellular signaling events-may help to define platelet phenotypes in inflammation, immune responses, aging, and other conditions. We further discuss how representing systems-wide platelet proteomics data profiles as circuit-like networks of causally related intracellular events, or, pathway maps, may inform molecular definitions of platelet phenotype. In addition to offering insights into platelets as druggable targets, maps of causally arranged intracellular relations underlying platelet function can also advance precision and interceptive medicine efforts by leveraging platelets as accessible, dynamic, endogenous, circulating biomarkers of vascular wellness and disease. Graphic Abstract: A graphic abstract is available for this article.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph E. Aslan
- Knight Cardiovascular Institute, School of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA
- Department of Chemical Physiology and Biochemistry and School of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA
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93
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Anastasiadou E, Messina E, Sanavia T, Mundo L, Farinella F, Lazzi S, Megiorni F, Ceccarelli S, Pontecorvi P, Marampon F, Di Gioia CRT, Perniola G, Panici PB, Leoncini L, Trivedi P, Lenzi A, Marchese C. MiR-200c-3p Contrasts PD-L1 Induction by Combinatorial Therapies and Slows Proliferation of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer through Downregulation of β-Catenin and c-Myc. Cells 2021; 10:cells10030519. [PMID: 33804458 PMCID: PMC7998372 DOI: 10.3390/cells10030519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2021] [Revised: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Conventional/targeted chemotherapies and ionizing radiation (IR) are being used both as monotherapies and in combination for the treatment of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Several studies show that these therapies might favor oncogenic signaling and impede anti-tumor responses. MiR-200c is considered a master regulator of EOC-related oncogenes. In this study, we sought to investigate if chemotherapy and IR could influence the expression of miR-200c-3p and its target genes, like the immune checkpoint PD-L1 and other oncogenes in a cohort of EOC patients’ biopsies. Indeed, PD-L1 expression was induced, while miR-200c-3p was significantly reduced in these biopsies post-therapy. The effect of miR-200c-3p target genes was assessed in miR-200c transfected SKOV3 cells untreated and treated with olaparib and IR alone. Under all experimental conditions, miR-200c-3p concomitantly reduced PD-L1, c-Myc and β-catenin expression and sensitized ovarian cancer cells to olaparib and irradiation. In silico analyses further confirmed the anti-correlation between miR-200c-3p with c-Myc and β-catenin in 46 OC cell lines and showed that a higher miR-200c-3p expression associates with a less tumorigenic microenvironment. These findings provide new insights into how miR-200c-3p could be used to hold in check the adverse effects of conventional chemotherapy, targeted therapy and radiation therapy, and offer a novel therapeutic strategy for EOC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleni Anastasiadou
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (E.M.); (F.F.); (F.M.); (S.C.); (P.P.); (P.T.); (A.L.); (C.M.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Elena Messina
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (E.M.); (F.F.); (F.M.); (S.C.); (P.P.); (P.T.); (A.L.); (C.M.)
| | - Tiziana Sanavia
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Torino, 10126 Torino, Italy;
| | - Lucia Mundo
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Section of Pathology, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; (L.M.); (S.L.); (L.L.)
- Health Research Institute, University of Limerick, Limerick V94 T9PX, Ireland
| | - Federica Farinella
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (E.M.); (F.F.); (F.M.); (S.C.); (P.P.); (P.T.); (A.L.); (C.M.)
| | - Stefano Lazzi
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Section of Pathology, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; (L.M.); (S.L.); (L.L.)
| | - Francesca Megiorni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (E.M.); (F.F.); (F.M.); (S.C.); (P.P.); (P.T.); (A.L.); (C.M.)
| | - Simona Ceccarelli
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (E.M.); (F.F.); (F.M.); (S.C.); (P.P.); (P.T.); (A.L.); (C.M.)
| | - Paola Pontecorvi
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (E.M.); (F.F.); (F.M.); (S.C.); (P.P.); (P.T.); (A.L.); (C.M.)
| | - Francesco Marampon
- Department of Radiotherapy, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy;
| | | | - Giorgia Perniola
- Department of Gynecological-Obstetric Sciences and Urological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (G.P.); (P.B.P.)
| | - Pierluigi Benedetti Panici
- Department of Gynecological-Obstetric Sciences and Urological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (G.P.); (P.B.P.)
| | - Lorenzo Leoncini
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Section of Pathology, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; (L.M.); (S.L.); (L.L.)
| | - Pankaj Trivedi
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (E.M.); (F.F.); (F.M.); (S.C.); (P.P.); (P.T.); (A.L.); (C.M.)
| | - Andrea Lenzi
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (E.M.); (F.F.); (F.M.); (S.C.); (P.P.); (P.T.); (A.L.); (C.M.)
| | - Cinzia Marchese
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (E.M.); (F.F.); (F.M.); (S.C.); (P.P.); (P.T.); (A.L.); (C.M.)
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94
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Águila S, de los Reyes-García AM, Fernández-Pérez MP, Reguilón-Gallego L, Zapata-Martínez L, Ruiz-Lorente I, Vicente V, González-Conejero R, Martínez C. MicroRNAs as New Regulators of Neutrophil Extracellular Trap Formation. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22042116. [PMID: 33672737 PMCID: PMC7924615 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22042116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Revised: 02/15/2021] [Accepted: 02/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are formed after neutrophils expelled their chromatin content in order to primarily capture and eliminate pathogens. However, given their characteristics due in part to DNA and different granular proteins, NETs may induce a procoagulant response linking inflammation and thrombosis. Unraveling NET formation molecular mechanisms as well as the intracellular elements that regulate them is relevant not only for basic knowledge but also to design diagnostic and therapeutic tools that may prevent their deleterious effects observed in several inflammatory pathologies (e.g., cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases, cancer). Among the potential elements involved in NET formation, several studies have investigated the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) as important regulators of this process. miRNAs are small non-coding RNAs that have been involved in the control of almost all physiological processes in animals and plants and that are associated with the development of several pathologies. In this review, we give an overview of the actual knowledge on NETs and their implication in pathology with a special focus in cardiovascular diseases. We also give a brief overview on miRNA biology to later focus on the different miRNAs implicated in NET formation and the perspectives opened by the presented data.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Rocío González-Conejero
- Correspondence: (R.G.-C.); (C.M.); Tel.: +34-968341990 (R.G.-C. & C.M.); Fax: +34-968261914 (R.G.-C. & C.M.)
| | - Constantino Martínez
- Correspondence: (R.G.-C.); (C.M.); Tel.: +34-968341990 (R.G.-C. & C.M.); Fax: +34-968261914 (R.G.-C. & C.M.)
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95
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Cantile M, Di Bonito M, Tracey De Bellis M, Botti G. Functional Interaction among lncRNA HOTAIR and MicroRNAs in Cancer and Other Human Diseases. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13030570. [PMID: 33540611 PMCID: PMC7867281 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13030570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2020] [Revised: 01/22/2021] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary This review aimed to describe the contribution of functional interaction between the lncRNA HOTAIR and microRNAs in human diseases, including cancer. HOTAIR/miRNAs complexes interfere with different cellular processes during carcinogenesis, mainly deregulating a series of oncogenic signaling pathways. A great number of ncRNAs-related databases have been established, supported by bioinformatics technologies, to identify the ncRNA-mediated sponge regulatory network. These approaches need experimental validation through cells and animal models studies. The optimization of systems to interfere with HOTAIR/miRNAs interplay could represent a new tool for the definition of diagnostic therapeutics in cancer patients. Abstract LncRNAs are a class of non-coding RNAs mostly involved in regulation of cancer initiation, metastatic progression, and drug resistance, through participation in post-transcription regulatory processes by interacting with different miRNAs. LncRNAs are able to compete with endogenous RNAs by binding and sequestering miRNAs and thereby regulating the expression of their target genes, often represented by oncogenes. The lncRNA HOX transcript antisense RNA (HOTAIR) represents a diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive biomarker in many human cancers, and its functional interaction with miRNAs has been described as crucial in the modulation of different cellular processes during cancer development. The aim of this review is to highlight the relation between lncRNA HOTAIR and different microRNAs in human diseases, discussing the contribution of these functional interactions, especially in cancer development and progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Cantile
- Pathology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori-Irccs-Fondazione G.Pascale, 80131 Naples, Italy;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-081-590-3471; Fax: +39-081-590-3718
| | - Maurizio Di Bonito
- Pathology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori-Irccs-Fondazione G.Pascale, 80131 Naples, Italy;
| | - Maura Tracey De Bellis
- Scientific Direction, Istituto Nazionale Tumori-Irccs-Fondazione G.Pascale, 80131 Naples, Italy; (M.T.D.B.); (G.B.)
| | - Gerardo Botti
- Scientific Direction, Istituto Nazionale Tumori-Irccs-Fondazione G.Pascale, 80131 Naples, Italy; (M.T.D.B.); (G.B.)
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96
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Fiscon G, Conte F, Farina L, Paci P. SAveRUNNER: A network-based algorithm for drug repurposing and its application to COVID-19. PLoS Comput Biol 2021; 17:e1008686. [PMID: 33544720 PMCID: PMC7891752 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Revised: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The novelty of new human coronavirus COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2 and the lack of effective drugs and vaccines gave rise to a wide variety of strategies employed to fight this worldwide pandemic. Many of these strategies rely on the repositioning of existing drugs that could shorten the time and reduce the cost compared to de novo drug discovery. In this study, we presented a new network-based algorithm for drug repositioning, called SAveRUNNER (Searching off-lAbel dRUg aNd NEtwoRk), which predicts drug-disease associations by quantifying the interplay between the drug targets and the disease-specific proteins in the human interactome via a novel network-based similarity measure that prioritizes associations between drugs and diseases locating in the same network neighborhoods. Specifically, we applied SAveRUNNER on a panel of 14 selected diseases with a consolidated knowledge about their disease-causing genes and that have been found to be related to COVID-19 for genetic similarity (i.e., SARS), comorbidity (e.g., cardiovascular diseases), or for their association to drugs tentatively repurposed to treat COVID-19 (e.g., malaria, HIV, rheumatoid arthritis). Focusing specifically on SARS subnetwork, we identified 282 repurposable drugs, including some the most rumored off-label drugs for COVID-19 treatments (e.g., chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, tocilizumab, heparin), as well as a new combination therapy of 5 drugs (hydroxychloroquine, chloroquine, lopinavir, ritonavir, remdesivir), actually used in clinical practice. Furthermore, to maximize the efficiency of putative downstream validation experiments, we prioritized 24 potential anti-SARS-CoV repurposable drugs based on their network-based similarity values. These top-ranked drugs include ACE-inhibitors, monoclonal antibodies (e.g., anti-IFNγ, anti-TNFα, anti-IL12, anti-IL1β, anti-IL6), and thrombin inhibitors. Finally, our findings were in-silico validated by performing a gene set enrichment analysis, which confirmed that most of the network-predicted repurposable drugs may have a potential treatment effect against human coronavirus infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Fiscon
- Institute for Systems Analysis and Computer Science “Antonio Ruberti”, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
- Fondazione per la Medicina Personalizzata, Genova, Italy
| | - Federica Conte
- Institute for Systems Analysis and Computer Science “Antonio Ruberti”, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Farina
- Department of Computer, Control and Management Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Paola Paci
- Department of Computer, Control and Management Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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97
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De Luca R, Davis PJ, Lin HY, Gionfra F, Percario ZA, Affabris E, Pedersen JZ, Marchese C, Trivedi P, Anastasiadou E, Negro R, Incerpi S. Thyroid Hormones Interaction With Immune Response, Inflammation and Non-thyroidal Illness Syndrome. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 8:614030. [PMID: 33553149 PMCID: PMC7859329 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.614030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The interdependence between thyroid hormones (THs), namely, thyroxine and triiodothyronine, and immune system is nowadays well-recognized, although not yet fully explored. Synthesis, conversion to a bioactive form, and release of THs in the circulation are events tightly supervised by the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis. Newly synthesized THs induce leukocyte proliferation, migration, release of cytokines, and antibody production, triggering an immune response against either sterile or microbial insults. However, chronic patho-physiological alterations of the immune system, such as infection and inflammation, affect HPT axis and, as a direct consequence, THs mechanism of action. Herein, we revise the bidirectional crosstalk between THs and immune cells, required for the proper immune system feedback response among diverse circumstances. Available circulating THs do traffic in two distinct ways depending on the metabolic condition. Mechanistically, internalized THs form a stable complex with their specific receptors, which, upon direct or indirect binding to DNA, triggers a genomic response by activating transcriptional factors, such as those belonging to the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Alternatively, THs engage integrin αvβ3 receptor on cell membrane and trigger a non-genomic response, which can also signal to the nucleus. In addition, we highlight THs-dependent inflammasome complex modulation and describe new crucial pathways involved in microRNA regulation by THs, in physiological and patho-physiological conditions, which modify the HPT axis and THs performances. Finally, we focus on the non-thyroidal illness syndrome in which the HPT axis is altered and, in turn, affects circulating levels of active THs as reported in viral infections, particularly in immunocompromised patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto De Luca
- Department of Neurology, Center for Life Science, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Paul J. Davis
- Pharmaceutical Research Institute, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Albany, NY, United States
- Albany Medical College, Albany, NY, United States
| | - Hung-Yun Lin
- Pharmaceutical Research Institute, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Albany, NY, United States
- Taipei Cancer Center, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Cancer Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Traditional Herbal Medicine Research Center of Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
- TMU Research Center of Cancer Translational Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Fabio Gionfra
- Department of Sciences, University “Roma Tre,” Rome, Italy
| | | | | | - Jens Z. Pedersen
- Department of Biology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - Cinzia Marchese
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University “La Sapienza,” Rome, Italy
| | - Pankaj Trivedi
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University “La Sapienza,” Rome, Italy
| | - Eleni Anastasiadou
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University “La Sapienza,” Rome, Italy
| | - Roberto Negro
- National Institute of Gastroenterology, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) “S. de Bellis” Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte, Italy
| | - Sandra Incerpi
- Department of Sciences, University “Roma Tre,” Rome, Italy
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98
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PD-L1 overexpression in EBV-positive gastric cancer is caused by unique genomic or epigenomic mechanisms. Sci Rep 2021; 11:1982. [PMID: 33479394 PMCID: PMC7820576 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-81667-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Epstein-Barr virus-positive gastric cancer [EBV (+) GC] is a distinct GC subtype with unique genetic and epigenetic aberrations. Here, we examined resected GC samples and publicly available microarray data and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database to identify the mechanism underlying overexpression of PD-L1 in EBV (+) GC. We found that high levels of PD-L1 overexpression in EBV (+) GC were caused by focal amplification of CD274. By contrast, relatively high expression of PD-L1 in tumor tissue and infiltrating immune cells correlated with CD8 lymphocyte infiltration and IFN-γ expression via IRF3 activation. Since we reported previously that PD-L1 expression is associated both with the presence of CD8 T cells in the tumor microenvironment and with IFN-γ expression in GC, we examined a database to see whether IFN-γ-associated overexpression of PD-L1 plays a significant role in EBV (+) GC. Immunohistochemical staining showed that expression of the IRF3 signature in clinical GC samples was higher in EBV (+) than in EBV (−) cases. The data presented herein reveal a unique dual mechanism underlying PD-L1 overexpression in EBV (+) GC: high focal amplification of CD274 or IFN-γ-mediated signaling via activation of IRF3.
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99
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Paci P, Fiscon G, Conte F, Wang RS, Farina L, Loscalzo J. Gene co-expression in the interactome: moving from correlation toward causation via an integrated approach to disease module discovery. NPJ Syst Biol Appl 2021; 7:3. [PMID: 33479222 PMCID: PMC7819998 DOI: 10.1038/s41540-020-00168-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
In this study, we integrate the outcomes of co-expression network analysis with the human interactome network to predict novel putative disease genes and modules. We first apply the SWItch Miner (SWIM) methodology, which predicts important (switch) genes within the co-expression network that regulate disease state transitions, then map them to the human protein-protein interaction network (PPI, or interactome) to predict novel disease-disease relationships (i.e., a SWIM-informed diseasome). Although the relevance of switch genes to an observed phenotype has been recently assessed, their performance at the system or network level constitutes a new, potentially fascinating territory yet to be explored. Quantifying the interplay between switch genes and human diseases in the interactome network, we found that switch genes associated with specific disorders are closer to each other than to other nodes in the network, and tend to form localized connected subnetworks. These subnetworks overlap between similar diseases and are situated in different neighborhoods for pathologically distinct phenotypes, consistent with the well-known topological proximity property of disease genes. These findings allow us to demonstrate how SWIM-based correlation network analysis can serve as a useful tool for efficient screening of potentially new disease gene associations. When integrated with an interactome-based network analysis, it not only identifies novel candidate disease genes, but also may offer testable hypotheses by which to elucidate the molecular underpinnings of human disease and reveal commonalities between seemingly unrelated diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Paci
- Department of Computer, Control and Management Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
| | - Giulia Fiscon
- Institute for Systems Analysis and Computer Science "Antonio Ruberti", National Research Council, Rome, Italy
- Fondazione per la Medicina Personalizzata, Via Goffredo Mameli, 3/1 Genova, Italy
| | - Federica Conte
- Institute for Systems Analysis and Computer Science "Antonio Ruberti", National Research Council, Rome, Italy
| | - Rui-Sheng Wang
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Lorenzo Farina
- Department of Computer, Control and Management Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Joseph Loscalzo
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
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100
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Gao LN, Li Q, Xie JQ, Yang WX, You CG. Immunological analysis and differential genes screening of venous thromboembolism. Hereditas 2021; 158:2. [PMID: 33388092 PMCID: PMC7778808 DOI: 10.1186/s41065-020-00166-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose To explore the pathogenesis of venous thromboembolism (VTE) and provide bioinformatics basis for the prevention and treatment of VTE. Methods The R software was used to obtain the gene expression profile data of GSE19151, combining with the CIBERSORT database, obtain immune cells and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of blood samples of VTE patients and normal control, and analyze DEGs for GO analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis. Then, the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed by using the STRING database, the key genes (hub genes) and immune differential genes were screened by Cytoscape software, and the transcription factors (TFs) regulating hub genes and immune differential genes were analyzed by the NetworkAnalyst database. Results Compared with the normal group, monocytes and resting mast cells were significantly expressed in the VTE group, while regulatory T cells were significantly lower. Ribosomes were closely related to the occurrence of VTE. 10 hub genes and immune differential genes were highly expressed in VTE. MYC, SOX2, XRN2, E2F1, SPI1, CREM and CREB1 can regulate the expressions of hub genes and immune differential genes. Conclusions Ribosomal protein family genes are most relevant to the occurrence and development of VTE, and the immune differential genes may be the key molecules of VTE, which provides new ideas for further explore the pathogenesis of VTE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li-Na Gao
- Laboratory Medicine Center, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, 730030, China
| | - Qiang Li
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730030, China
| | - Jian-Qin Xie
- Department of Anesthesiology, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, 730030, China
| | - Wan-Xia Yang
- Laboratory Medicine Center, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, 730030, China
| | - Chong-Ge You
- Laboratory Medicine Center, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, 730030, China.
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