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Hou B, Qin L, Huang L. Liver cancer cells as the model for developing liver-targeted RNAi therapeutics. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2023; 644:85-94. [PMID: 36640667 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2023.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Revised: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
RNAi is a sequence-specific gene regulation mechanism that involves small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). RNAi therapeutic has become a new class of precision medicine and has shown great potential in treating liver-associated diseases, especially metabolic diseases. To facilitate the development of liver-targeted RNAi therapeutics in cell model, we surveyed a panel of liver cancer cell lines for the expression of genes implicated in RNAi therapeutics including the asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGR) and metabolic disease associated genes PCSK9, ANGPTL3, CIDEB, and LDLR. A high-content screen assay based on lipid droplet staining confirmed the involvement of PCSK9, ANGPTL3, and CIDEB in lipid metabolism in selected liver cancer cell lines. Several liver cancer cell lines have high levels of ASGR1 expression, which is required for liver-specific uptake of GalNAc-conjugated siRNA, a clinically approved siRNA delivery platform. Using an EGFP reporter system, we demonstrated Hep G2 can be used to evaluate gene knockdown efficiency of GalNAc-siRNA. Our findings pave the way for using liver cancer cells as a convenient model system for the identification and testing of siRNA drug candidate genes and for studying ASGR-mediated GalNAc-siRNA delivery in liver.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beibei Hou
- Wang-Cai Biochemistry Lab, Division of Natural and Applied Sciences, Duke Kunshan University, Kunshan, Jiangsu, China
| | - Linhui Qin
- Wang-Cai Biochemistry Lab, Division of Natural and Applied Sciences, Duke Kunshan University, Kunshan, Jiangsu, China
| | - Linfeng Huang
- Wang-Cai Biochemistry Lab, Division of Natural and Applied Sciences, Duke Kunshan University, Kunshan, Jiangsu, China; Global Health Research Center, Duke Kunshan University, Kunshan, Jiangsu, China.
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2
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Sánchez-Álvarez M, Del Pozo MÁ, Bosch M, Pol A. Insights Into the Biogenesis and Emerging Functions of Lipid Droplets From Unbiased Molecular Profiling Approaches. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:901321. [PMID: 35756995 PMCID: PMC9213792 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.901321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Lipid droplets (LDs) are spherical, single sheet phospholipid-bound organelles that store neutral lipids in all eukaryotes and some prokaryotes. Initially conceived as relatively inert depots for energy and lipid precursors, these highly dynamic structures play active roles in homeostatic functions beyond metabolism, such as proteostasis and protein turnover, innate immunity and defense. A major share of the knowledge behind this paradigm shift has been enabled by the use of systematic molecular profiling approaches, capable of revealing and describing these non-intuitive systems-level relationships. Here, we discuss these advances and some of the challenges they entail, and highlight standing questions in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Sánchez-Álvarez
- Cell and Developmental Biology Area, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Miguel Ángel Del Pozo
- Cell and Developmental Biology Area, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Marta Bosch
- Lipid Trafficking and Disease Group, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Albert Pol
- Lipid Trafficking and Disease Group, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
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3
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Wieslander H, Gupta A, Bergman E, Hallström E, Harrison PJ. Learning to see colours: Biologically relevant virtual staining for adipocyte cell images. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0258546. [PMID: 34653209 PMCID: PMC8519425 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0258546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 09/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Fluorescence microscopy, which visualizes cellular components with fluorescent stains, is an invaluable method in image cytometry. From these images various cellular features can be extracted. Together these features form phenotypes that can be used to determine effective drug therapies, such as those based on nanomedicines. Unfortunately, fluorescence microscopy is time-consuming, expensive, labour intensive, and toxic to the cells. Bright-field images lack these downsides but also lack the clear contrast of the cellular components and hence are difficult to use for downstream analysis. Generating the fluorescence images directly from bright-field images using virtual staining (also known as “label-free prediction” and “in-silico labeling”) can get the best of both worlds, but can be very challenging to do for poorly visible cellular structures in the bright-field images. To tackle this problem deep learning models were explored to learn the mapping between bright-field and fluorescence images for adipocyte cell images. The models were tailored for each imaging channel, paying particular attention to the various challenges in each case, and those with the highest fidelity in extracted cell-level features were selected. The solutions included utilizing privileged information for the nuclear channel, and using image gradient information and adversarial training for the lipids channel. The former resulted in better morphological and count features and the latter resulted in more faithfully captured defects in the lipids, which are key features required for downstream analysis of these channels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Håkan Wieslander
- Department of Information Technology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Ankit Gupta
- Department of Information Technology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Ebba Bergman
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Erik Hallström
- Department of Information Technology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Philip John Harrison
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- * E-mail:
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Stossi F, Dandekar RD, Johnson H, Lavere P, Foulds CE, Mancini MG, Mancini MA. Tributyltin chloride (TBT) induces RXRA down-regulation and lipid accumulation in human liver cells. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0224405. [PMID: 31710612 PMCID: PMC6844554 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0224405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2019] [Accepted: 10/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
A subset of environmental chemicals acts as "obesogens" as they increase adipose mass and lipid content in livers of treated rodents. One of the most studied class of obesogens are the tin-containing chemicals that have as a central moiety tributyltin (TBT), which bind and activate two nuclear hormone receptors, Peroxisome Proliferator Activated Receptor Gamma (PPARG) and Retinoid X Receptor Alpha (RXRA), at nanomolar concentrations. Here, we have tested whether TBT chloride at such concentrations may affect the neutral lipid level in two cell line models of human liver. Indeed, using high content image analysis (HCA), TBT significantly increased neutral lipid content in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. Consistent with the observed increased lipid accumulation, RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization (RNA FISH) and RT-qPCR experiments revealed that TBT enhanced the steady-state mRNA levels of two key genes for de novo lipogenesis, the transcription factor SREBF1 and its downstream enzymatic target, FASN. Importantly, pre-treatment of cells with 2-deoxy-D-glucose reduced TBT-mediated lipid accumulation, thereby suggesting a role for active glycolysis during the process of lipid accumulation. As other RXRA binding ligands can promote RXRA protein turnover via the 26S proteasome, TBT was tested for such an effect in the two liver cell lines. We found that TBT, in a time- and dose-dependent manner, significantly reduced steady-state RXRA levels in a proteasome-dependent manner. While TBT promotes both RXRA protein turnover and lipid accumulation, we found no correlation between these two events at the single cell level, thereby suggesting an additional mechanism may be involved in TBT promotion of lipid accumulation, such as glycolysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabio Stossi
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States of America
- Integrated Microscopy Core, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States of America
- GCC Center for Advanced Microscopy and Image Informatics, Houston, TX, United States of America
| | - Radhika D. Dandekar
- Integrated Microscopy Core, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States of America
| | - Hannah Johnson
- Integrated Microscopy Core, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States of America
- GCC Center for Advanced Microscopy and Image Informatics, Houston, TX, United States of America
| | - Philip Lavere
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States of America
| | - Charles E. Foulds
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States of America
- Center for Precision Environmental Health, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States of America
| | - Maureen G. Mancini
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States of America
- GCC Center for Advanced Microscopy and Image Informatics, Houston, TX, United States of America
| | - Michael A. Mancini
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States of America
- Integrated Microscopy Core, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States of America
- GCC Center for Advanced Microscopy and Image Informatics, Houston, TX, United States of America
- Center for Precision Environmental Health, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States of America
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States of America
- Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center; Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States of America
- Center for Translational Cancer Research, Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Texas A&M University, Houston, TX, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Lv X, Liu J, Qin Y, Liu Y, Jin M, Dai J, Chua BT, Yang H, Li P. Identification of gene products that control lipid droplet size in yeast using a high-throughput quantitative image analysis. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Cell Biol Lipids 2018; 1864:113-127. [PMID: 30414449 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbalip.2018.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2018] [Revised: 10/14/2018] [Accepted: 11/06/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Lipid droplets (LDs) are important organelles involved in energy storage and expenditure. LD dynamics has been investigated using genome-wide image screening methods in yeast and other model organisms. For most studies, genes were identified using two-dimensional images with LD enlargement as readout. Due to imaging limitation, reduction of LD size is seldom explored. Here, we aim to set up a screen that specifically utilizes reduced LD size as the readout. To achieve this, a novel yeast screen is set up to quantitatively and systematically identify genes that regulate LD size through a three-dimensional imaging-based approach. Cidea which promotes LD fusion and growth in mammalian cells was overexpressed in a yeast knockout library to induce large LD formation. Next, an automated, high-throughput image analysis method that monitors LD size was utilized. With this screen, we identified twelve genes that reduced LD size when deleted. The effects of eight of these genes on LD size were further validated in fld1 null strain background. In addition, six genes were previously identified as LD-regulating genes. To conclude, this methodology represents a promising strategy to screen for players in LD size control in both yeast and mammalian cells to aid in the investigation of LD-associated metabolic diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuchao Lv
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology and Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Jiaming Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology and Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Yiran Qin
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Centre for Synthetic and Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Yizhang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology and Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Meijun Jin
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology and Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Junbiao Dai
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Centre for Synthetic and Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Boon Tin Chua
- Institute of Metabolism and Integrative Biology, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
| | - Hongyuan Yang
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Peng Li
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology and Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
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Nardi F, Fitchev P, Franco OE, Ivanisevic J, Scheibler A, Hayward SW, Brendler CB, Welte MA, Crawford SE. PEDF regulates plasticity of a novel lipid-MTOC axis in prostate cancer-associated fibroblasts. J Cell Sci 2018; 131:jcs.213579. [PMID: 29792311 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.213579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2017] [Accepted: 05/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Prostate tumors make metabolic adaptations to ensure adequate energy and amplify cell cycle regulators, such as centrosomes, to sustain their proliferative capacity. It is not known whether cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) undergo metabolic re-programming. We postulated that CAFs augment lipid storage and amplify centrosomal or non-centrosomal microtubule-organizing centers (MTOCs) through a pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF)-dependent lipid-MTOC signaling axis. Primary human normal prostate fibroblasts (NFs) and CAFs were evaluated for lipid content, triacylglycerol-regulating proteins, MTOC number and distribution. CAFs were found to store more neutral lipids than NFs. Adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) and PEDF were strongly expressed in NFs, whereas CAFs had minimal to undetectable levels of PEDF or ATGL protein. At baseline, CAFs demonstrated MTOC amplification when compared to 1-2 perinuclear MTOCs consistently observed in NFs. Treatment with PEDF or blockade of lipogenesis suppressed lipid content and MTOC number. In summary, our data support that CAFs have acquired a tumor-like phenotype by re-programming lipid metabolism and amplifying MTOCs. Normalization of MTOCs by restoring PEDF or by blocking lipogenesis highlights a previously unrecognized plasticity in centrosomes, which is regulated through a new lipid-MTOC axis.This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Nardi
- Department of Surgery, NorthShore University Research Institute, Affiliate of University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Evanston, IL 60201, United States
| | - Philip Fitchev
- Department of Surgery, NorthShore University Research Institute, Affiliate of University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Evanston, IL 60201, United States
| | - Omar E Franco
- Department of Surgery, NorthShore University Research Institute, Affiliate of University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Evanston, IL 60201, United States
| | - Jelena Ivanisevic
- Department of Surgery, NorthShore University Research Institute, Affiliate of University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Evanston, IL 60201, United States
| | - Adrian Scheibler
- Department of Surgery, NorthShore University Research Institute, Affiliate of University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Evanston, IL 60201, United States
| | - Simon W Hayward
- Department of Surgery, NorthShore University Research Institute, Affiliate of University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Evanston, IL 60201, United States
| | - Charles B Brendler
- Department of Surgery, NorthShore University Research Institute, Affiliate of University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Evanston, IL 60201, United States
| | - Michael A Welte
- Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, United States
| | - Susan E Crawford
- Department of Surgery, NorthShore University Research Institute, Affiliate of University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Evanston, IL 60201, United States
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Guerra DAP, Paiva AE, Sena IFG, Azevedo PO, Batista ML, Mintz A, Birbrair A. Adipocytes role in the bone marrow niche. Cytometry A 2018; 93:167-171. [PMID: 29236351 PMCID: PMC6067923 DOI: 10.1002/cyto.a.23301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2017] [Revised: 11/21/2017] [Accepted: 11/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Adipocyte infiltration in the bone marrow follows chemotherapy or irradiation. Previous studies indicate that bone marrow fat cells inhibit hematopoietic stem cell function. Recently, Zhou et al. (2017) using state-of-the-art techniques, including sophisticated Cre/loxP technologies, confocal microscopy, in vivo lineage-tracing, flow cytometry, and bone marrow transplantation, reveal that adipocytes promote hematopoietic recovery after irradiation. This study challenges the current view of adipocytes as negative regulators of the hematopoietic stem cells niche, and reopens the discussion about adipocytes' roles in the bone marrow. Strikingly, genetic deletion of stem cell factor specifically from adipocytes leads to deficiency in hematopoietic stem cells, and reduces animal survival after myeloablation, The emerging knowledge from this research will be important for the treatment of multiple hematologic disorders. © 2017 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel A. P. Guerra
- Department of Pathology, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Ana E. Paiva
- Department of Pathology, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Isadora F. G. Sena
- Department of Pathology, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Patrick O. Azevedo
- Department of Pathology, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Miguel Luiz Batista
- Laboratory of Adipose Tissue Biology, University of Mogi das Cruzes, Mogi das Cruzes, SP, Brazil
| | - Akiva Mintz
- Department of Radiology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Alexander Birbrair
- Department of Pathology, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
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