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Pollin G, Mathison AJ, de Assuncao TM, Thomas A, Zeighami A, Salmonson A, Liu H, Urrutia G, Vankayala P, Pandol SJ, Hong JC, Zimmermann MT, Iovanna J, Jin VX, Urrutia R, Lomberk G. Ehmt2 inactivation in pancreatic epithelial cells shapes the transcriptional landscape and inflammation response of the whole pancreas. Front Genet 2024; 15:1412767. [PMID: 38948355 PMCID: PMC11211573 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2024.1412767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2024] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction: The Euchromatic Histone Methyl Transferase Protein 2 (EHMT2), also known as G9a, deposits transcriptionally repressive chromatin marks that play pivotal roles in the maturation and homeostasis of multiple organs. Recently, we have shown that Ehmt2 inactivation in the mouse pancreas alters growth and immune gene expression networks, antagonizing Kras-mediated pancreatic cancer initiation and promotion. Here, we elucidate the essential role of Ehmt2 in maintaining a transcriptional landscape that protects organs from inflammation. Methods: Comparative RNA-seq studies between normal postnatal and young adult pancreatic tissue from Ehmt2 conditional knockout animals (Ehmt2 fl/fl ) targeted to the exocrine pancreatic epithelial cells (Pdx1-Cre and P48 Cre/+ ), reveal alterations in gene expression networks in the whole organ related to injury-inflammation-repair, suggesting an increased predisposition to damage. Thus, we induced an inflammation repair response in the Ehmt2 fl/fl pancreas and used a data science-based approach to integrate RNA-seq-derived pathways and networks, deconvolution digital cytology, and spatial transcriptomics. We also analyzed the tissue response to damage at the morphological, biochemical, and molecular pathology levels. Results and discussion: The Ehmt2 fl/fl pancreas displays an enhanced injury-inflammation-repair response, offering insights into fundamental molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in this process. More importantly, these data show that conditional Ehmt2 inactivation in exocrine cells reprograms the local environment to recruit mesenchymal and immunological cells needed to mount an increased inflammatory response. Mechanistically, this response is an enhanced injury-inflammation-repair reaction with a small contribution of specific Ehmt2-regulated transcripts. Thus, this new knowledge extends the mechanisms underlying the role of the Ehmt2-mediated pathway in suppressing pancreatic cancer initiation and modulating inflammatory pancreatic diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gareth Pollin
- Linda T. and John A. Mellowes Center for Genomic Sciences and Precision Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
- Division of Research, Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Angela J. Mathison
- Linda T. and John A. Mellowes Center for Genomic Sciences and Precision Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
- Division of Research, Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Thiago M. de Assuncao
- Linda T. and John A. Mellowes Center for Genomic Sciences and Precision Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
- Division of Research, Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Anju Thomas
- Linda T. and John A. Mellowes Center for Genomic Sciences and Precision Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
- Division of Research, Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Atefeh Zeighami
- Linda T. and John A. Mellowes Center for Genomic Sciences and Precision Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Ann Salmonson
- Division of Research, Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Hongfei Liu
- Linda T. and John A. Mellowes Center for Genomic Sciences and Precision Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Guillermo Urrutia
- Division of Research, Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Pallavi Vankayala
- Linda T. and John A. Mellowes Center for Genomic Sciences and Precision Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Stephen J. Pandol
- Department of Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Johnny C. Hong
- Division of Transplantation, Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, PA, United States
| | - Michael T. Zimmermann
- Linda T. and John A. Mellowes Center for Genomic Sciences and Precision Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
- Department of Biochemistry, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
- Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Juan Iovanna
- Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Marseille (CRCM), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche médicale (INSERM) U1068, CNRS UMR 7258, Parc Scientifique et Technologique de Luminy, Aix-Marseille Université and Institut Paoli-Calmettes, Marseille, France
| | - Victor X. Jin
- Linda T. and John A. Mellowes Center for Genomic Sciences and Precision Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
- Division of Biostatistics, Institute for Health and Equity, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Raul Urrutia
- Linda T. and John A. Mellowes Center for Genomic Sciences and Precision Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
- Division of Research, Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
- Department of Biochemistry, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Gwen Lomberk
- Linda T. and John A. Mellowes Center for Genomic Sciences and Precision Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
- Division of Research, Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
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Pollin G, Mathison AJ, de Assuncao TM, Thomas A, Zeighami L, Salmonson A, Liu H, Urrutia G, Vankayala P, Pandol SJ, Zimmermann MT, Iovanna J, Jin VX, Urrutia R, Lomberk G. EHMT2 Inactivation in Pancreatic Epithelial Cells Shapes the Transcriptional Landscape and Inflammation Response of the Whole Pancreas. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.14.584700. [PMID: 38529489 PMCID: PMC10962735 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.14.584700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/27/2024]
Abstract
The Euchromatic Histone Methyl Transferase Protein 2 (EHMT2), also known as G9a, deposits transcriptionally repressive chromatin marks that play pivotal roles in the maturation and homeostasis of multiple organs. Recently, we have shown that EHMT2 inactivation alters growth and immune gene expression networks, antagonizing KRAS-mediated pancreatic cancer initiation and promotion. Here, we elucidate the essential role of EHMT2 in maintaining a transcriptional landscape that protects organs from inflammation. Comparative RNA-seq studies between normal postnatal and young adult pancreatic tissue from EHMT2 conditional knockout animals ( EHMT2 fl/fl ) targeted to the exocrine pancreatic epithelial cells ( Pdx1-Cre and P48 Cre/+ ), reveal alterations in gene expression networks in the whole organ related to injury-inflammation-repair, suggesting an increased predisposition to damage. Thus, we induced an inflammation repair response in the EHMT2 fl/fl pancreas and used a data science-based approach to integrate RNA-seq-derived pathways and networks, deconvolution digital cytology, and spatial transcriptomics. We also analyzed the tissue response to damage at the morphological, biochemical, and molecular pathology levels. The EHMT2 fl/fl pancreas displays an enhanced injury-inflammation-repair response, offering insights into fundamental molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in this process. More importantly, these data show that conditional EHMT2 inactivation in exocrine cells reprograms the local environment to recruit mesenchymal and immunological cells needed to mount an increased inflammatory response. Mechanistically, this response is an enhanced injury-inflammation-repair reaction with a small contribution of specific EHMT2-regulated transcripts. Thus, this new knowledge extends the mechanisms underlying the role of the EHMT2-mediated pathway in suppressing pancreatic cancer initiation and modulating inflammatory pancreatic diseases.
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