1
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Koch D, Nandan A, Ramesan G, Koseska A. Biological computations: Limitations of attractor-based formalisms and the need for transients. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2024; 720:150069. [PMID: 38754165 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2024.150069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2023] [Revised: 04/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
Living systems, from single cells to higher vertebrates, receive a continuous stream of non-stationary inputs that they sense, for e.g. via cell surface receptors or sensory organs. By integrating these time-varying, multi-sensory, and often noisy information with memory using complex molecular or neuronal networks, they generate a variety of responses beyond simple stimulus-response association, including avoidance behavior, life-long-learning or social interactions. In a broad sense, these processes can be understood as a type of biological computation. Taking as a basis generic features of biological computations, such as real-time responsiveness or robustness and flexibility of the computation, we highlight the limitations of the current attractor-based framework for understanding computations in biological systems. We argue that frameworks based on transient dynamics away from attractors are better suited for the description of computations performed by neuronal and signaling networks. In particular, we discuss how quasi-stable transient dynamics from ghost states that emerge at criticality have a promising potential for developing an integrated framework of computations, that can help us understand how living system actively process information and learn from their continuously changing environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Koch
- Lise Meitner Group Cellular Computations and Learning, Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behaviour - Caesar, Bonn, Germany
| | - Akhilesh Nandan
- Lise Meitner Group Cellular Computations and Learning, Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behaviour - Caesar, Bonn, Germany
| | - Gayathri Ramesan
- Lise Meitner Group Cellular Computations and Learning, Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behaviour - Caesar, Bonn, Germany
| | - Aneta Koseska
- Lise Meitner Group Cellular Computations and Learning, Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behaviour - Caesar, Bonn, Germany.
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2
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Helenek C, Krzysztoń R, Petreczky J, Wan Y, Cabral M, Coraci D, Balázsi G. Synthetic gene circuit evolution: Insights and opportunities at the mid-scale. Cell Chem Biol 2024:S2451-9456(24)00219-8. [PMID: 38925113 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2024.05.018] [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: 02/12/2024] [Revised: 05/07/2024] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
Directed evolution focuses on optimizing single genetic components for predefined engineering goals by artificial mutagenesis and selection. In contrast, experimental evolution studies the adaptation of entire genomes in serially propagated cell populations, to provide an experimental basis for evolutionary theory. There is a relatively unexplored gap at the middle ground between these two techniques, to evolve in vivo entire synthetic gene circuits with nontrivial dynamic function instead of single parts or whole genomes. We discuss the requirements for such mid-scale evolution, with hypothetical examples for evolving synthetic gene circuits by appropriate selection and targeted shuffling of a seed set of genetic components in vivo. Implementing similar methods should aid the rapid generation, functionalization, and optimization of synthetic gene circuits in various organisms and environments, accelerating both the development of biomedical and technological applications and the understanding of principles guiding regulatory network evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Helenek
- The Louis and Beatrice Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Rafał Krzysztoń
- The Louis and Beatrice Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Julia Petreczky
- The Louis and Beatrice Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA; Department of Chemistry, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Yiming Wan
- The Louis and Beatrice Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Mariana Cabral
- The Louis and Beatrice Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Damiano Coraci
- The Louis and Beatrice Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Gábor Balázsi
- The Louis and Beatrice Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA; Stony Brook Cancer Center, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA.
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3
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Singh A, Sen S, Iter M, Adelaja A, Luecke S, Guo X, Hoffmann A. Stimulus-response signaling dynamics characterize macrophage polarization states. Cell Syst 2024; 15:563-577.e6. [PMID: 38843840 PMCID: PMC11226196 DOI: 10.1016/j.cels.2024.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Revised: 12/03/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/22/2024]
Abstract
The functional state of cells is dependent on their microenvironmental context. Prior studies described how polarizing cytokines alter macrophage transcriptomes and epigenomes. Here, we characterized the functional responses of 6 differentially polarized macrophage populations by measuring the dynamics of transcription factor nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) in response to 8 stimuli. The resulting dataset of single-cell NF-κB trajectories was analyzed by three approaches: (1) machine learning on time-series data revealed losses of stimulus distinguishability with polarization, reflecting canalized effector functions. (2) Informative trajectory features driving stimulus distinguishability ("signaling codons") were identified and used for mapping a cell state landscape that could then locate macrophages conditioned by an unrelated condition. (3) Kinetic parameters, inferred using a mechanistic NF-κB network model, provided an alternative mapping of cell states and correctly predicted biochemical findings. Together, this work demonstrates that a single analyte's dynamic trajectories may distinguish the functional states of single cells and molecular network states underlying them. A record of this paper's transparent peer review process is included in the supplemental information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Apeksha Singh
- Signaling Systems Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, and Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Supriya Sen
- Signaling Systems Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, and Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Michael Iter
- Signaling Systems Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, and Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Adewunmi Adelaja
- Signaling Systems Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, and Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Stefanie Luecke
- Signaling Systems Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, and Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Xiaolu Guo
- Signaling Systems Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, and Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Alexander Hoffmann
- Signaling Systems Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, and Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
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4
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Luecke S, Guo X, Sheu KM, Singh A, Lowe SC, Han M, Diaz J, Lopes F, Wollman R, Hoffmann A. Dynamical and combinatorial coding by MAPK p38 and NFκB in the inflammatory response of macrophages. Mol Syst Biol 2024:10.1038/s44320-024-00047-4. [PMID: 38872050 DOI: 10.1038/s44320-024-00047-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2023] [Revised: 05/27/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Macrophages sense pathogens and orchestrate specific immune responses. Stimulus specificity is thought to be achieved through combinatorial and dynamical coding by signaling pathways. While NFκB dynamics are known to encode stimulus information, dynamical coding in other signaling pathways and their combinatorial coordination remain unclear. Here, we established live-cell microscopy to investigate how NFκB and p38 dynamics interface in stimulated macrophages. Information theory and machine learning revealed that p38 dynamics distinguish cytokine TNF from pathogen-associated molecular patterns and high doses from low, but contributed little to information-rich NFκB dynamics when both pathways are considered. This suggests that immune response genes benefit from decoding immune signaling dynamics or combinatorics, but not both. We found that the heterogeneity of the two pathways is surprisingly uncorrelated. Mathematical modeling revealed potential sources of uncorrelated heterogeneity in the branched pathway network topology and predicted it to drive gene expression variability. Indeed, genes dependent on both p38 and NFκB showed high scRNAseq variability and bimodality. These results identify combinatorial signaling as a mechanism to restrict NFκB-AND-p38-responsive inflammatory cytokine expression to few cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie Luecke
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics (MIMG), University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
- Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Xiaolu Guo
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics (MIMG), University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
- Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Katherine M Sheu
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics (MIMG), University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
- Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Apeksha Singh
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics (MIMG), University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
- Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Sarina C Lowe
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics (MIMG), University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
- Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases, Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Minhao Han
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics (MIMG), University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
- Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Jessica Diaz
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics (MIMG), University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
- Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Francisco Lopes
- Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
- Grupo de Biologia do Desenvolvimento e Sistemas Dinamicos, Campus Duque de Caxias Professor Geraldo Cidade, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Duque de Caxias, 25240-005, Brazil
| | - Roy Wollman
- Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Alexander Hoffmann
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics (MIMG), University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
- Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
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5
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Bennett JJR, Stern AD, Zhang X, Birtwistle MR, Pandey G. Low-frequency ERK and Akt activity dynamics are predictive of stochastic cell division events. NPJ Syst Biol Appl 2024; 10:65. [PMID: 38834572 PMCID: PMC11150372 DOI: 10.1038/s41540-024-00389-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Understanding the dynamics of intracellular signaling pathways, such as ERK1/2 (ERK) and Akt1/2 (Akt), in the context of cell fate decisions is important for advancing our knowledge of cellular processes and diseases, particularly cancer. While previous studies have established associations between ERK and Akt activities and proliferative cell fate, the heterogeneity of single-cell responses adds complexity to this understanding. This study employed a data-driven approach to address this challenge, developing machine learning models trained on a dataset of growth factor-induced ERK and Akt activity time courses in single cells, to predict cell division events. The most predictive models were developed by applying discrete wavelet transforms (DWTs) to extract low-frequency features from the time courses, followed by using Ensemble Integration, a data integration and predictive modeling framework. The results demonstrated that these models effectively predicted cell division events in MCF10A cells (F-measure=0.524, AUC=0.726). ERK dynamics were found to be more predictive than Akt, but the combination of both measurements further enhanced predictive performance. The ERK model`s performance also generalized to predicting division events in RPE cells, indicating the potential applicability of these models and our data-driven methodology for predicting cell division across different biological contexts. Interpretation of these models suggested that ERK dynamics throughout the cell cycle, rather than immediately after growth factor stimulation, were associated with the likelihood of cell division. Overall, this work contributes insights into the predictive power of intra-cellular signaling dynamics for cell fate decisions, and highlights the potential of machine learning approaches in unraveling complex cellular behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie J R Bennett
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Alan D Stern
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Xiang Zhang
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA
| | - Marc R Birtwistle
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA.
| | - Gaurav Pandey
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
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6
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Lalle G, Lautraite R, Bouherrou K, Plaschka M, Pignata A, Voisin A, Twardowski J, Perrin-Niquet M, Stéphan P, Durget S, Tonon L, Ardin M, Degletagne C, Viari A, Belgarbi Dutron L, Davoust N, Postler TS, Zhao J, Caux C, Caramel J, Dalle S, Cassier PA, Klein U, Schmidt-Supprian M, Liblau R, Ghosh S, Grinberg-Bleyer Y. NF-κB subunits RelA and c-Rel selectively control CD4+ T cell function in multiple sclerosis and cancer. J Exp Med 2024; 221:e20231348. [PMID: 38563819 PMCID: PMC10986815 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20231348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
The outcome of cancer and autoimmunity is often dictated by the effector functions of CD4+ conventional T cells (Tconv). Although activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway has long been implicated in Tconv biology, the cell-autonomous roles of the separate NF-κB transcription-factor subunits are unknown. Here, we dissected the contributions of the canonical NF-κB subunits RelA and c-Rel to Tconv function. RelA, rather than c-Rel, regulated Tconv activation and cytokine production at steady-state and was required for polarization toward the TH17 lineage in vitro. Accordingly, RelA-deficient mice were fully protected against neuroinflammation in a model of multiple sclerosis due to defective transition to a pathogenic TH17 gene-expression program. Conversely, Tconv-restricted ablation of c-Rel impaired their function in the microenvironment of transplanted tumors, resulting in enhanced cancer burden. Moreover, Tconv required c-Rel for the response to PD-1-blockade therapy. Our data reveal distinct roles for canonical NF-κB subunits in different disease contexts, paving the way for subunit-targeted immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guilhem Lalle
- Cancer Research Center of Lyon, Labex DEV2CAN, Institut Convergence Plascan, Centre Léon Bérard, UMR INSERM 1052, CNRS 5286, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | - Raphaëlle Lautraite
- Cancer Research Center of Lyon, Labex DEV2CAN, Institut Convergence Plascan, Centre Léon Bérard, UMR INSERM 1052, CNRS 5286, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | - Khaled Bouherrou
- Cancer Research Center of Lyon, Labex DEV2CAN, Institut Convergence Plascan, Centre Léon Bérard, UMR INSERM 1052, CNRS 5286, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | - Maud Plaschka
- Cancer Research Center of Lyon, Labex DEV2CAN, Institut Convergence Plascan, Centre Léon Bérard, UMR INSERM 1052, CNRS 5286, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | - Aurora Pignata
- Toulouse Institute for Infectious and Inflammatory Diseases (Infinity), UMR INSERM 1291, CNRS 5051, Université Toulouse III, Toulouse, France
| | - Allison Voisin
- Cancer Research Center of Lyon, Labex DEV2CAN, Institut Convergence Plascan, Centre Léon Bérard, UMR INSERM 1052, CNRS 5286, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | - Julie Twardowski
- Cancer Research Center of Lyon, Labex DEV2CAN, Institut Convergence Plascan, Centre Léon Bérard, UMR INSERM 1052, CNRS 5286, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | - Marlène Perrin-Niquet
- Cancer Research Center of Lyon, Labex DEV2CAN, Institut Convergence Plascan, Centre Léon Bérard, UMR INSERM 1052, CNRS 5286, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | - Pierre Stéphan
- Cancer Research Center of Lyon, Labex DEV2CAN, Institut Convergence Plascan, Centre Léon Bérard, UMR INSERM 1052, CNRS 5286, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | - Sarah Durget
- Cancer Research Center of Lyon, Labex DEV2CAN, Institut Convergence Plascan, Centre Léon Bérard, UMR INSERM 1052, CNRS 5286, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | - Laurie Tonon
- Cancer Research Center of Lyon, Labex DEV2CAN, Institut Convergence Plascan, Centre Léon Bérard, Gilles Thomas Bioinformatics Platform, UMR INSERM 1052, CNRS 5286, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | - Maude Ardin
- Cancer Research Center of Lyon, Labex DEV2CAN, Institut Convergence Plascan, Centre Léon Bérard, Gilles Thomas Bioinformatics Platform, UMR INSERM 1052, CNRS 5286, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | - Cyril Degletagne
- Cancer Research Center of Lyon, Labex DEV2CAN, Institut Convergence Plascan, Centre Léon Bérard, UMR INSERM 1052, CNRS 5286, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | - Alain Viari
- Cancer Research Center of Lyon, Labex DEV2CAN, Institut Convergence Plascan, Centre Léon Bérard, Gilles Thomas Bioinformatics Platform, UMR INSERM 1052, CNRS 5286, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | | | - Nathalie Davoust
- Laboratory of Biology and Modelling of the Cell, Ecole Normale Supérieure of Lyon, CNRS UMR 5239, INSERM U1293, Lyon, France
| | - Thomas S. Postler
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jingyao Zhao
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Christophe Caux
- Cancer Research Center of Lyon, Labex DEV2CAN, Institut Convergence Plascan, Centre Léon Bérard, UMR INSERM 1052, CNRS 5286, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | - Julie Caramel
- Cancer Research Center of Lyon, Labex DEV2CAN, Institut Convergence Plascan, Centre Léon Bérard, UMR INSERM 1052, CNRS 5286, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | - Stéphane Dalle
- Cancer Research Center of Lyon, Labex DEV2CAN, Institut Convergence Plascan, Centre Léon Bérard, UMR INSERM 1052, CNRS 5286, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | - Philippe A. Cassier
- Cancer Research Center of Lyon, Labex DEV2CAN, Institut Convergence Plascan, Centre Léon Bérard, UMR INSERM 1052, CNRS 5286, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | - Ulf Klein
- Division of Haematology and Immunology, Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St. James’s, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Marc Schmidt-Supprian
- Institute of Experimental Hematology, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- Center for Translational Cancer Research, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium and German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Roland Liblau
- Toulouse Institute for Infectious and Inflammatory Diseases (Infinity), UMR INSERM 1291, CNRS 5051, Université Toulouse III, Toulouse, France
| | - Sankar Ghosh
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Yenkel Grinberg-Bleyer
- Cancer Research Center of Lyon, Labex DEV2CAN, Institut Convergence Plascan, Centre Léon Bérard, UMR INSERM 1052, CNRS 5286, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
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7
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Li K, Lin M, Huang K, Han J, Wei L, Miao L, Chen H, Gong Q, Li X, Hu L. Therapeutic effect and mechanism of action of pterostilbene nano drugs in dry eye models. Exp Eye Res 2024; 241:109836. [PMID: 38387712 DOI: 10.1016/j.exer.2024.109836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2023] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
Dry eye disease is a multifactorial dysfunction of the tear film and ocular surface, with etiology involving inflammation and oxidative stress on the ocular surface. Pterostilbene (PS) is a secondary metabolite extracted from plants, which possesses remarkable anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. However, its application is limited by light instability and very poor water solubility. We modified fat-soluble PS into a biparental pterostilbene-glutaric anhydride-arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (PS-GA-RGD) nanomedicine by prodrug ligation of functional peptides. The aim of this study was to explore the protective effect and potential mechanism of PS-GA-RGD on dry eye disease in vitro and in vivo. We demonstrated good long-term biocompatibility of PS-GA-RGD through rabbit eye stimulation test. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was used to induce murine macrophages RAW 264.7 to establish an inflammation and oxidative stress model. In this model, PS-GA-RGD effectively reduced the production of ROS and 8-OHdG, enhancing the expression of antioxidant factor Nrf2 and antioxidant enzyme heme oxygenase-1. In addition, the expression of NF-κB inflammatory pathway significantly increased in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells, while PS-GA-RGD could significantly reduce this pathway. Hypertonic saline was utilized to establish a hypertonic model of human corneal epithelial cells. PS-GA-RGD was found to significantly reduce the production of ROS and NLRP3 inflammasomes in this model, exhibiting superior efficacy compared to PS. Experimental dry eye animal models were co-induced with subcutaneous injection of scopolamine and an intelligently controlled environmental system. We demonstrated that PS-GA-RGD nano drugs can prevent and reduce corneal epithelial cell defects and apoptosis, protect conjunctival goblet cells, and have an excellent anti-inflammatory effect. Finally, we demonstrated that RGD sequence in PS-GA-RGD can enhance cellular uptake, corneal retention, and penetration, thereby increasing their bioavailability and efficacy by a cell uptake assay and rabbit corneal drug retention experiment. Overall, this study highlights the potential of PS-GA-RGD nanomedicines in the treatment of dry eyes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kexin Li
- National Clinical Research Center for Ocular Diseases, Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, China; National Engineering Research Center of Ophthalmology and Optometry, Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, China; State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Optometry and Visual Science, Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, China
| | - Meng Lin
- National Clinical Research Center for Ocular Diseases, Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, China; National Engineering Research Center of Ophthalmology and Optometry, Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, China; State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Optometry and Visual Science, Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, China
| | - Kaiyan Huang
- National Clinical Research Center for Ocular Diseases, Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, China; National Engineering Research Center of Ophthalmology and Optometry, Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, China; State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Optometry and Visual Science, Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, China
| | - Jiaxin Han
- National Clinical Research Center for Ocular Diseases, Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, China; National Engineering Research Center of Ophthalmology and Optometry, Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, China; State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Optometry and Visual Science, Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, China
| | - Linzhi Wei
- National Clinical Research Center for Ocular Diseases, Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, China; National Engineering Research Center of Ophthalmology and Optometry, Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, China; State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Optometry and Visual Science, Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, China
| | - Lijie Miao
- National Clinical Research Center for Ocular Diseases, Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, China; National Engineering Research Center of Ophthalmology and Optometry, Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, China; State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Optometry and Visual Science, Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, China
| | - Huijuan Chen
- National Clinical Research Center for Ocular Diseases, Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, China; National Engineering Research Center of Ophthalmology and Optometry, Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, China; State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Optometry and Visual Science, Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, China
| | - Qianwen Gong
- National Clinical Research Center for Ocular Diseases, Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, China; National Engineering Research Center of Ophthalmology and Optometry, Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, China; State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Optometry and Visual Science, Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, China.
| | - Xingyi Li
- National Engineering Research Center of Ophthalmology and Optometry, Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, China.
| | - Liang Hu
- National Clinical Research Center for Ocular Diseases, Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, China; National Engineering Research Center of Ophthalmology and Optometry, Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, China; State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Optometry and Visual Science, Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, China.
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8
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Rahman SMT, Singh A, Lowe S, Aqdas M, Jiang K, Vaidehi Narayanan H, Hoffmann A, Sung MH. Co-imaging of RelA and c-Rel reveals features of NF-κB signaling for ligand discrimination. Cell Rep 2024; 43:113940. [PMID: 38483906 PMCID: PMC11015162 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.113940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Revised: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Individual cell sensing of external cues has evolved through the temporal patterns in signaling. Since nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) signaling dynamics have been examined using a single subunit, RelA, it remains unclear whether more information might be transmitted via other subunits. Using NF-κB double-knockin reporter mice, we monitored both canonical NF-κB subunits, RelA and c-Rel, simultaneously in single macrophages by quantitative live-cell imaging. We show that signaling features of RelA and c-Rel convey more information about the stimuli than those of either subunit alone. Machine learning is used to predict the ligand identity accurately based on RelA and c-Rel signaling features without considering the co-activated factors. Ligand discrimination is achieved through selective non-redundancy of RelA and c-Rel signaling dynamics, as well as their temporal coordination. These results suggest a potential role of c-Rel in fine-tuning immune responses and highlight the need for approaches that will elucidate the mechanisms regulating NF-κB subunit specificity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shah Md Toufiqur Rahman
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Immunology, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Apeksha Singh
- Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences and Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Sarina Lowe
- Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences and Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Mohammad Aqdas
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Immunology, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Kevin Jiang
- Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences and Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Haripriya Vaidehi Narayanan
- Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences and Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Alexander Hoffmann
- Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences and Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Myong-Hee Sung
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Immunology, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA.
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9
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Bacher S, Schmitz ML. Open questions in the NF-κB field. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. MOLECULAR CELL RESEARCH 2024; 1871:119469. [PMID: 37951506 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2023.119469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Revised: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023]
Abstract
A variety of stress signals leads to activation of the inducible transcription factor NF-κB, one of the master regulators of the innate immune response. Despite a wealth of information available on the NF-κB core components and its control by different activation pathways and negative feedback loops, several levels of complexity hamper our understanding of the system. This has also contributed to the limited success of NF-κB inhibitors in the clinic and explains some of their unexpected effects. Here we consider the molecular and cellular events generating this complexity at all levels and point to a number of unresolved questions in the field. We also discuss potential future experimental and computational strategies to provide a deeper understanding of NF-κB and its coregulatory signaling networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Bacher
- Institute of Biochemistry, Justus Liebig University Giessen (Germany), Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Germany
| | - M Lienhard Schmitz
- Institute of Biochemistry, Justus Liebig University Giessen (Germany), Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Germany.
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10
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Cheemalavagu N, Shoger KE, Cao YM, Michalides BA, Botta SA, Faeder JR, Gottschalk RA. Predicting gene-level sensitivity to JAK-STAT signaling perturbation using a mechanistic-to-machine learning framework. Cell Syst 2024; 15:37-48.e4. [PMID: 38198893 PMCID: PMC10812086 DOI: 10.1016/j.cels.2023.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2023] [Revised: 09/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
The Janus kinase (JAK)-signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) pathway integrates complex cytokine signals via a limited number of molecular components, inspiring numerous efforts to clarify the diversity and specificity of STAT transcription factor function. We developed a computational framework to make global cytokine-induced gene predictions from STAT phosphorylation dynamics, modeling macrophage responses to interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-10, which signal through common STATs, but with distinct temporal dynamics and contrasting functions. Our mechanistic-to-machine learning model identified cytokine-specific genes associated with late pSTAT3 time frames and a preferential pSTAT1 reduction upon JAK2 inhibition. We predicted and validated the impact of JAK2 inhibition on gene expression, identifying genes that were sensitive or insensitive to JAK2 variation. Thus, we successfully linked STAT signaling dynamics to gene expression to support future efforts targeting pathology-associated STAT-driven gene sets. This serves as a first step in developing multi-level prediction models to understand and perturb gene expression outputs from signaling systems. A record of this paper's transparent peer review process is included in the supplemental information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neha Cheemalavagu
- Department of Computational and Systems Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Center for Systems Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Karsen E Shoger
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Center for Systems Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Yuqi M Cao
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Center for Systems Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Brandon A Michalides
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Center for Systems Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Samuel A Botta
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Center for Systems Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - James R Faeder
- Department of Computational and Systems Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Center for Systems Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
| | - Rachel A Gottschalk
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Center for Systems Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
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11
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Mehmandar-Oskuie A, Jahankhani K, Rostamlou A, Mardafkan N, Karamali N, Razavi ZS, Mardi A. Molecular mechanism of lncRNAs in pathogenesis and diagnosis of auto-immune diseases, with a special focus on lncRNA-based therapeutic approaches. Life Sci 2024; 336:122322. [PMID: 38042283 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2023.122322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Revised: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/04/2023]
Abstract
Autoimmune diseases are a diverse set of conditions defined by organ damage due to abnormal innate and acquired immune system responses. The pathophysiology of autoimmune disorders is exceedingly intricate and has yet to be fully understood. The study of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), non-protein-coding RNAs with at least 200 nucleotides in length, has gained significant attention due to the completion of the human genome project and the advancement of high-throughput genomic approaches. Recent research has demonstrated how lncRNA alters disease development to different degrees. Although lncRNA research has made significant progress in cancer and generative disorders, autoimmune illnesses are a relatively new research area. Moreover, lncRNAs play crucial functions in differentiating various immune cells, and their potential relationships with autoimmune diseases have received growing attention. Because of the importance of Th17/Treg axis in auto-immune disease development, in this review, we discuss various molecular mechanisms by which lncRNAs regulate the differentiation of Th17/Treg cells. Also, we reviewed recent findings regarding the several approaches in the application of lncRNAs in the diagnosis and treatment of human autoimmune diseases, as well as current challenges in lncRNA-based therapeutic approaches to auto-immune diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amirreza Mehmandar-Oskuie
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Kasra Jahankhani
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Basic and Molecular Epidemiology of Gastrointestinal Disorders Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Arman Rostamlou
- Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of EGE, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Nasibeh Mardafkan
- Department of Laboratory Science, Faculty of Paramedicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Negin Karamali
- Student Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Science, Tabriz, Iran; Immunology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Science, Tabriz, Iran; Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Science, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Zahra Sadat Razavi
- Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Amirhossein Mardi
- Student Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Science, Tabriz, Iran; Immunology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Science, Tabriz, Iran; Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Science, Tabriz, Iran.
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12
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Wither MJ, White WL, Pendyala S, Leanza PJ, Fowler DM, Kueh HY. Antigen perception in T cells by long-term Erk and NFAT signaling dynamics. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2308366120. [PMID: 38113261 PMCID: PMC10756264 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2308366120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Immune system threat detection hinges on T cells' ability to perceive varying peptide-major histocompatibility complex (pMHC) antigens. As the Erk and NFAT pathways link T cell receptor engagement to gene regulation, their signaling dynamics may convey information about pMHC inputs. To test this idea, we developed a dual reporter mouse strain and a quantitative imaging assay that, together, enable simultaneous monitoring of Erk and NFAT dynamics in live T cells over day-long timescales as they respond to varying pMHC inputs. Both pathways initially activate uniformly across various pMHC inputs but diverge only over longer (9+ h) timescales, enabling independent encoding of pMHC affinity and dose. These late signaling dynamics are decoded via multiple temporal and combinatorial mechanisms to generate pMHC-specific transcriptional responses. Our findings underscore the importance of long timescale signaling dynamics in antigen perception and establish a framework for understanding T cell responses under diverse contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J. Wither
- University of Washington, Department of Bioengineering, Seattle, WA98195
| | - William L. White
- University of Washington, Department of Bioengineering, Seattle, WA98195
| | - Sriram Pendyala
- University of Washington, Department of Genome Sciences, Seattle, WA98195
| | - Paul J. Leanza
- University of Washington, Department of Bioengineering, Seattle, WA98195
| | - Douglas M. Fowler
- University of Washington, Department of Genome Sciences, Seattle, WA98195
| | - Hao Yuan Kueh
- University of Washington, Department of Bioengineering, Seattle, WA98195
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA98109
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13
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Kizilirmak C, Monteleone E, García-Manteiga JM, Brambilla F, Agresti A, Bianchi ME, Zambrano S. Small transcriptional differences among cell clones lead to distinct NF-κB dynamics. iScience 2023; 26:108573. [PMID: 38144455 PMCID: PMC10746373 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108573] [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: 06/14/2023] [Revised: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Transcription factor dynamics is fundamental to determine the activation of accurate transcriptional programs and yet is heterogeneous at a single-cell level, even within homogeneous populations. We asked how such heterogeneity emerges for the nuclear factor κB (NF-κB). We found that clonal populations of immortalized fibroblasts derived from a single mouse embryo display robustly distinct NF-κB dynamics upon tumor necrosis factor ɑ (TNF-ɑ) stimulation including persistent, oscillatory, and weak activation, giving rise to differences in the transcription of its targets. By combining transcriptomics and simulations we show how less than two-fold differences in the expression levels of genes coding for key proteins of the signaling cascade and feedback system are predictive of the differences of the NF-κB dynamic response of the clones to TNF-ɑ and IL-1β. We propose that small transcriptional differences in the regulatory circuit of a transcription factor can lead to distinct signaling dynamics in cells within homogeneous cell populations and among different cell types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cise Kizilirmak
- School of Medicine, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, 20132 Milan, Italy
- Division of Genetics and Cell Biology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Emanuele Monteleone
- School of Medicine, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, 20132 Milan, Italy
- Division of Genetics and Cell Biology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | | | - Francesca Brambilla
- Division of Genetics and Cell Biology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Alessandra Agresti
- Division of Immunology, Transplantation and Infectious Diseases, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Marco E. Bianchi
- School of Medicine, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, 20132 Milan, Italy
- Division of Genetics and Cell Biology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Samuel Zambrano
- School of Medicine, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, 20132 Milan, Italy
- Division of Genetics and Cell Biology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, 20132 Milan, Italy
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14
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Ram A, Murphy D, DeCuzzi N, Patankar M, Hu J, Pargett M, Albeck JG. A guide to ERK dynamics, part 2: downstream decoding. Biochem J 2023; 480:1909-1928. [PMID: 38038975 PMCID: PMC10754290 DOI: 10.1042/bcj20230277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2023] [Revised: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
Signaling by the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway controls many cellular processes, including cell division, death, and differentiation. In this second installment of a two-part review, we address the question of how the ERK pathway exerts distinct and context-specific effects on multiple processes. We discuss how the dynamics of ERK activity induce selective changes in gene expression programs, with insights from both experiments and computational models. With a focus on single-cell biosensor-based studies, we summarize four major functional modes for ERK signaling in tissues: adjusting the size of cell populations, gradient-based patterning, wave propagation of morphological changes, and diversification of cellular gene expression states. These modes of operation are disrupted in cancer and other related diseases and represent potential targets for therapeutic intervention. By understanding the dynamic mechanisms involved in ERK signaling, there is potential for pharmacological strategies that not only simply inhibit ERK, but also restore functional activity patterns and improve disease outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abhineet Ram
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Davis, CA, U.S.A
| | - Devan Murphy
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Davis, CA, U.S.A
| | - Nicholaus DeCuzzi
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Davis, CA, U.S.A
| | - Madhura Patankar
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Davis, CA, U.S.A
| | - Jason Hu
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Davis, CA, U.S.A
| | - Michael Pargett
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Davis, CA, U.S.A
| | - John G. Albeck
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Davis, CA, U.S.A
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15
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Son M, Wang AG, Keisham B, Tay S. Processing stimulus dynamics by the NF-κB network in single cells. Exp Mol Med 2023; 55:2531-2540. [PMID: 38040923 PMCID: PMC10766959 DOI: 10.1038/s12276-023-01133-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Revised: 08/27/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Cells at the site of an infection experience numerous biochemical signals that vary in amplitude, space, and time. Despite the diversity of dynamic signals produced by pathogens and sentinel cells, information-processing pathways converge on a limited number of central signaling nodes to ultimately control cellular responses. In particular, the NF-κB pathway responds to dozens of signals from pathogens and self, and plays a vital role in processing proinflammatory inputs. Studies addressing the influence of stimulus dynamics on NF-κB signaling are rare due to technical limitations with live-cell measurements. However, recent advances in microfluidics, automation, and image analysis have enabled investigations that yield high temporal resolution at the single-cell level. Here, we summarize the recent research which measures and models the NF-κB response to pulsatile and fluctuating stimulus concentrations, as well as different combinations and sequences of signaling molecules. Collectively, these studies show that the NF-κB network integrates external inflammatory signals and translates these into downstream transcriptional responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minjun Son
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA.
- Institute for Genomics and Systems Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA.
| | - Andrew G Wang
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
- Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Bijentimala Keisham
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
- Institute for Genomics and Systems Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Savaş Tay
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA.
- Institute for Genomics and Systems Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA.
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16
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Tserunyan V, Finley S. Information-Theoretic Analysis of a Model of CAR-4-1BB-Mediated NFκB Activation. Bull Math Biol 2023; 86:5. [PMID: 38038772 PMCID: PMC10691998 DOI: 10.1007/s11538-023-01232-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
Systems biology utilizes computational approaches to examine an array of biological processes, such as cell signaling, metabolomics and pharmacology. This includes mathematical modeling of CAR T cells, a modality of cancer therapy by which genetically engineered immune cells recognize and combat a cancerous target. While successful against hematologic malignancies, CAR T cells have shown limited success against other cancer types. Thus, more research is needed to understand their mechanisms of action and leverage their full potential. In our work, we set out to apply information theory on a mathematical model of NFκB signaling initiated by the CAR following antigen encounter. First, we estimated channel capacity for CAR-4-1BB-mediated NFκB signal transduction. Next, we evaluated the pathway's ability to distinguish contrasting "low" and "high" antigen concentration levels, depending on the amount of variability in protein concentrations. Finally, we assessed the fidelity by which NFκB activation reflects the encountered antigen concentration, depending on the prevalence of antigen-positive targets in tumor population. We found that in most scenarios, fold change in the nuclear concentration of NFκB carries a higher channel capacity for the pathway than NFκB's absolute response. Additionally, we found that most errors in transducing the antigen signal through the pathway skew towards underestimating the concentration of encountered antigen. Finally, we found that disabling IKKβ deactivation could increase signaling fidelity against targets with antigen-negative cells. Our information-theoretic analysis of signal transduction can provide novel perspectives on biological signaling, as well as enable a more informed path to cell engineering.Kindly check and confirm whether the corresponding affiliation is correctly identified.this is correct.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vardges Tserunyan
- Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Stacey Finley
- Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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17
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Naigles B, Narla AV, Soroczynski J, Tsimring LS, Hao N. Quantifying dynamic pro-inflammatory gene expression and heterogeneity in single macrophage cells. J Biol Chem 2023; 299:105230. [PMID: 37689116 PMCID: PMC10579967 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.105230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Revised: 09/02/2023] [Accepted: 09/03/2023] [Indexed: 09/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Macrophages must respond appropriately to pathogens and other pro-inflammatory stimuli in order to perform their roles in fighting infection. One way in which inflammatory stimuli can vary is in their dynamics-that is, the amplitude and duration of stimulus experienced by the cell. In this study, we performed long-term live cell imaging in a microfluidic device to investigate how the pro-inflammatory genes IRF1, CXCL10, and CXCL9 respond to dynamic interferon-gamma (IFNγ) stimulation. We found that IRF1 responds to low concentration or short duration IFNγ stimulation, whereas CXCL10 and CXCL9 require longer or higherconcentration stimulation to be expressed. We also investigated the heterogeneity in the expression of each gene and found that CXCL10 and CXCL9 have substantial cell-to-cell variability. In particular, the expression of CXCL10 appears to be largely stochastic with a subpopulation of nonresponding cells across all the stimulation conditions tested. We developed both deterministic and stochastic models for the expression of each gene. Our modeling analysis revealed that the heterogeneity in CXCL10 can be attributed to a slow chromatin-opening step that is on a similar timescale to that of adaptation of the upstream signal. In this way, CXCL10 expression in individual cells can remain stochastic in response to each pulse of repeated stimulation, which we also validated by experiments. Together, we conclude that pro-inflammatory genes in the same signaling pathway can respond to dynamic IFNγ stimulus with very different response features and that upstream signal adaptation can contribute to shaping heterogeneous gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beverly Naigles
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Avaneesh V Narla
- Department of Physics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Jan Soroczynski
- Laboratory of Genome Architecture and Dynamics, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Lev S Tsimring
- Synthetic Biology Institute, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Nan Hao
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA; Synthetic Biology Institute, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA; Department of Bioengineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA.
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18
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Zhao M, Chauhan P, Sherman CA, Singh A, Kaileh M, Mazan-Mamczarz K, Ji H, Joy J, Nandi S, De S, Zhang Y, Fan J, Becker KG, Loke P, Zhou W, Sen R. NF-κB subunits direct kinetically distinct transcriptional cascades in antigen receptor-activated B cells. Nat Immunol 2023; 24:1552-1564. [PMID: 37524800 PMCID: PMC10457194 DOI: 10.1038/s41590-023-01561-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023]
Abstract
The nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) family of transcription factors orchestrates signal-induced gene expression in diverse cell types. Cellular responses to NF-κB activation are regulated at the level of cell and signal specificity, as well as differential use of family members (subunit specificity). Here we used time-dependent multi-omics to investigate the selective functions of Rel and RelA, two closely related NF-κB proteins, in primary B lymphocytes activated via the B cell receptor. Despite large numbers of shared binding sites genome wide, Rel and RelA directed kinetically distinct cascades of gene expression in activated B cells. Single-cell RNA sequencing revealed marked heterogeneity of Rel- and RelA-specific responses, and sequential binding of these factors was not a major mechanism of protracted transcription. Moreover, nuclear co-expression of Rel and RelA led to functional antagonism between the factors. By rigorously identifying the target genes of each NF-κB subunit, these studies provide insights into exclusive functions of Rel and RelA in immunity and cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingming Zhao
- Gene Regulation Section, Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Immunology, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Type 2 Immunity Section, Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Prashant Chauhan
- Gene Regulation Section, Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Immunology, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Cheryl A Sherman
- Gene Regulation Section, Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Immunology, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Amit Singh
- Gene Regulation Section, Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Immunology, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Mary Kaileh
- Gene Regulation Section, Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Immunology, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Krystyna Mazan-Mamczarz
- Computational Biology and Genomics Core, Laboratory of Genetics and Genomics, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Hongkai Ji
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jaimy Joy
- Gene Regulation Section, Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Immunology, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Satabdi Nandi
- Gene Regulation Section, Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Immunology, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Supriyo De
- Computational Biology and Genomics Core, Laboratory of Genetics and Genomics, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Yongqing Zhang
- Computational Biology and Genomics Core, Laboratory of Genetics and Genomics, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jinshui Fan
- Computational Biology and Genomics Core, Laboratory of Genetics and Genomics, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Kevin G Becker
- Computational Biology and Genomics Core, Laboratory of Genetics and Genomics, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Png Loke
- Type 2 Immunity Section, Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Weiqiang Zhou
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Ranjan Sen
- Gene Regulation Section, Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Immunology, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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19
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Okin D, Kagan JC. Inflammasomes as regulators of non-infectious disease. Semin Immunol 2023; 69:101815. [PMID: 37506489 PMCID: PMC10527946 DOI: 10.1016/j.smim.2023.101815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Revised: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023]
Abstract
Inflammasomes are cytoplasmic organelles that stimulate inflammation upon cellular detection of infectious or non-infectious stress. While much foundational work has focused on the infection-associated aspects of inflammasome activities, recent studies have highlighted the role of inflammasomes in non-infectious cellular and organismal functions. Herein, we discuss the evolution of inflammasome components and highlight characteristics that permit inflammasome regulation of physiologic processes. We focus on emerging data that highlight the importance of inflammasome proteins in the regulation of reproduction, development, and malignancy. A framework is proposed to contextualize these findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Okin
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Jonathan C Kagan
- Division of Gastroenterology, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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20
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Xiong LI, Garfinkel A. Are physiological oscillations physiological? J Physiol 2023. [PMID: 37622389 DOI: 10.1113/jp285015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite widespread and striking examples of physiological oscillations, their functional role is often unclear. Even glycolysis, the paradigm example of oscillatory biochemistry, has seen questions about its oscillatory function. Here, we take a systems approach to argue that oscillations play critical physiological roles, such as enabling systems to avoid desensitization, to avoid chronically high and therefore toxic levels of chemicals, and to become more resistant to noise. Oscillation also enables complex physiological systems to reconcile incompatible conditions such as oxidation and reduction, by cycling between them, and to synchronize the oscillations of many small units into one large effect. In pancreatic β-cells, glycolytic oscillations synchronize with calcium and mitochondrial oscillations to drive pulsatile insulin release, critical for liver regulation of glucose. In addition, oscillation can keep biological time, essential for embryonic development in promoting cell diversity and pattern formation. The functional importance of oscillatory processes requires a re-thinking of the traditional doctrine of homeostasis, holding that physiological quantities are maintained at constant equilibrium values, a view that has largely failed in the clinic. A more dynamic approach will initiate a paradigm shift in our view of health and disease. A deeper look into the mechanisms that create, sustain and abolish oscillatory processes requires the language of nonlinear dynamics, well beyond the linearization techniques of equilibrium control theory. Nonlinear dynamics enables us to identify oscillatory ('pacemaking') mechanisms at the cellular, tissue and system levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingyun Ivy Xiong
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Alan Garfinkel
- Departments of Medicine (Cardiology) and Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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21
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Wither MJ, White WL, Pendyala S, Leanza PJ, Fowler D, Kueh HY. Antigen perception in T cells by long-term Erk and NFAT signaling dynamics. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.01.543260. [PMID: 37333368 PMCID: PMC10274683 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.01.543260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
Immune system threat detection hinges on T cells' ability to perceive varying peptide major-histocompatibility complex (pMHC) antigens. As the Erk and NFAT pathways link T cell receptor engagement to gene regulation, their signaling dynamics may convey information about pMHC inputs. To test this idea, we developed a dual reporter mouse strain and a quantitative imaging assay that, together, enable simultaneous monitoring of Erk and NFAT dynamics in live T cells over day-long timescales as they respond to varying pMHC inputs. Both pathways initially activate uniformly across various pMHC inputs, but diverge only over longer (9+ hrs) timescales, enabling independent encoding of pMHC affinity and dose. These late signaling dynamics are decoded via multiple temporal and combinatorial mechanisms to generate pMHC-specific transcriptional responses. Our findings underscore the importance of long timescale signaling dynamics in antigen perception, and establish a framework for understanding T cell responses under diverse contexts. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT To counter diverse pathogens, T cells mount distinct responses to varying peptide-major histocompatibility complex ligands (pMHCs). They perceive the affinity of pMHCs for the T cell receptor (TCR), which reflects its foreignness, as well as pMHC abundance. By tracking signaling responses in single living cells to different pMHCs, we find that T cells can independently perceive pMHC affinity vs dose, and encode this information through the dynamics of Erk and NFAT signaling pathways downstream of the TCR. These dynamics are jointly decoded by gene regulatory mechanisms to produce pMHC-specific activation responses. Our work reveals how T cells can elicit tailored functional responses to diverse threats and how dysregulation of these responses may lead to immune pathologies.
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22
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Westfall AK, Gopalan SS, Perry BW, Adams RH, Saviola AJ, Mackessy SP, Castoe TA. Single-Cell Heterogeneity in Snake Venom Expression Is Hardwired by Co-Option of Regulators from Progressively Activated Pathways. Genome Biol Evol 2023; 15:evad109. [PMID: 37311204 PMCID: PMC10289209 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evad109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Revised: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 06/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The ubiquitous cellular heterogeneity underlying many organism-level phenotypes raises questions about what factors drive this heterogeneity and how these complex heterogeneous systems evolve. Here, we use single-cell expression data from a Prairie rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis) venom gland to evaluate hypotheses for signaling networks underlying snake venom regulation and the degree to which different venom gene families have evolutionarily recruited distinct regulatory architectures. Our findings suggest that snake venom regulatory systems have evolutionarily co-opted trans-regulatory factors from extracellular signal-regulated kinase and unfolded protein response pathways that specifically coordinate expression of distinct venom toxins in a phased sequence across a single population of secretory cells. This pattern of co-option results in extensive cell-to-cell variation in venom gene expression, even between tandemly duplicated paralogs, suggesting this regulatory architecture has evolved to circumvent cellular constraints. While the exact nature of such constraints remains an open question, we propose that such regulatory heterogeneity may circumvent steric constraints on chromatin, cellular physiological constraints (e.g., endoplasmic reticulum stress or negative protein-protein interactions), or a combination of these. Regardless of the precise nature of these constraints, this example suggests that, in some cases, dynamic cellular constraints may impose previously unappreciated secondary constraints on the evolution of gene regulatory networks that favors heterogeneous expression.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Blair W Perry
- Department of Biology, The University of Texas Arlington, Texas, USA
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA
| | - Richard H Adams
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, USA
| | - Anthony J Saviola
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, USA
| | - Stephen P Mackessy
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, USA
| | - Todd A Castoe
- Department of Biology, The University of Texas Arlington, Texas, USA
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23
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Kirby D, Zilman A. Proofreading does not result in more reliable ligand discrimination in receptor signaling due to its inherent stochasticity. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2212795120. [PMID: 37192165 PMCID: PMC10214210 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2212795120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Kinetic proofreading (KPR) has been used as a paradigmatic explanation for the high specificity of ligand discrimination by cellular receptors. KPR enhances the difference in the mean receptor occupancy between different ligands compared to a nonproofread receptor, thus potentially enabling better discrimination. On the other hand, proofreading also attenuates the signal and introduces additional stochastic receptor transitions relative to a nonproofreading receptor. This increases the relative magnitude of noise in the downstream signal, which can interfere with reliable ligand discrimination. To understand the effect of noise on ligand discrimination beyond the comparison of the mean signals, we formulate the task of ligand discrimination as a problem of statistical estimation of the receptor affinity of ligands based on the molecular signaling output. Our analysis reveals that proofreading typically worsens ligand resolution compared to a nonproofread receptor. Furthermore, the resolution decreases further with more proofreading steps under most commonly biologically considered conditions. This contrasts with the usual notion that KPR universally improves ligand discrimination with additional proofreading steps. Our results are consistent across a variety of different proofreading schemes and metrics of performance, suggesting that they are inherent to the KPR mechanism itself rather than any particular model of molecular noise. Based on our results, we suggest alternative roles for KPR schemes such as multiplexing and combinatorial encoding in multi-ligand/multi-output pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Duncan Kirby
- Department of Physics, University of Toronto, 60 St George St, Toronto, ONM5S 1A7, Canada
| | - Anton Zilman
- Department of Physics, University of Toronto, 60 St George St, Toronto, ONM5S 1A7, Canada
- Institute for Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, 164 college St, Toronto, ONM5S 1A7, Canada
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24
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Cheemalavagu N, Shoger KE, Cao YM, Michalides BA, Botta SA, Faeder JR, Gottschalk RA. Predicting gene level sensitivity to JAK-STAT signaling perturbation using a mechanistic-to-machine learning framework. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.05.19.541151. [PMID: 37292918 PMCID: PMC10245690 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.19.541151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The JAK-STAT pathway integrates complex cytokine signals via a limited number of molecular components, inspiring numerous efforts to clarify the diversity and specificity of STAT transcription factor function. We developed a computational workflow to make global cytokine-induced gene predictions from STAT phosphorylation dynamics, modeling macrophage responses to IL-6 and IL-10, which signal through common STATs, but with distinct temporal dynamics and contrasting functions. Our mechanistic-to-machine learning model identified select cytokine-induced gene sets associated with late pSTAT3 timeframes and a preferential pSTAT1 reduction upon JAK2 inhibition. We predicted and validated the impact of JAK2 inhibition on gene expression, identifying dynamically regulated genes that were sensitive or insensitive to JAK2 variation. Thus, we successfully linked STAT signaling dynamics to gene expression to support future efforts targeting pathology-associated STAT-driven gene sets. This serves as a first step in developing multi-level prediction models to understand and perturb gene expression outputs from signaling systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neha Cheemalavagu
- University of Pittsburgh, Department of Computational and Systems Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA USA
- University of Pittsburgh, Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA USA
- Center for Systems Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA USA
| | - Karsen E. Shoger
- University of Pittsburgh, Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA USA
- Center for Systems Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA USA
| | - Yuqi M. Cao
- University of Pittsburgh, Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA USA
- Center for Systems Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA USA
| | - Brandon A. Michalides
- University of Pittsburgh, Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA USA
- Center for Systems Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA USA
| | - Samuel A. Botta
- University of Pittsburgh, Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA USA
- Center for Systems Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA USA
| | - James R. Faeder
- University of Pittsburgh, Department of Computational and Systems Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA USA
- Center for Systems Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA USA
| | - Rachel A. Gottschalk
- University of Pittsburgh, Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA USA
- Center for Systems Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA USA
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25
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Son M, Wang AG, Kenna E, Tay S. High-throughput co-culture system for analysis of spatiotemporal cell-cell signaling. Biosens Bioelectron 2023; 225:115089. [PMID: 36736159 PMCID: PMC9991101 DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2023.115089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2022] [Revised: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Study of spatial and temporal aspects of signaling between individual cells is essential in understanding development, the immune response, and host-pathogen interactions. We present an automated high-throughput microfluidic platform that chemically stimulates immune cells to initiate cytokine secretion, and controls the formation of signal gradients that activate neighboring cell populations. Furthermore, our system enables controlling the cell type and density based on distance, and retrieval of cells from different regions for gene expression analysis. Our device performs these tasks in 192 independent chambers to simultaneously test different co-culture conditions. We demonstrate these capabilities by creating various cellular communication scenarios between macrophages and fibroblasts in vitro. We find that spatial distribution of macrophages and heterogeneity in cytokine secretion determine spatiotemporal gene expression responses. Furthermore, we describe how gene expression dynamics depend on a cell's distance from the signaling source. Our device addresses key challenges in the study of cell-to-cell signaling, and provides high-throughput and automated analysis over a wide range of co-culture conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minjun Son
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA; Institute for Genomics and Systems Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA.
| | - Andrew G Wang
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA; Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Emma Kenna
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Savaş Tay
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA; Institute for Genomics and Systems Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA.
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26
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Jeknić S, Kudo T, Song JJ, Covert MW. An optimized reporter of the transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor 1α reveals complex HIF-1α activation dynamics in single cells. J Biol Chem 2023; 299:104599. [PMID: 36907438 PMCID: PMC10124923 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.104599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2022] [Revised: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Immune cells adopt a variety of metabolic states to support their many biological functions, which include fighting pathogens, removing tissue debris, and tissue remodeling. One of the key mediators of these metabolic changes is the transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α). Single-cell dynamics have been shown to be an important determinant of cell behavior; however, despite the importance of HIF-1α, little is known about its single-cell dynamics or their effect on metabolism. To address this knowledge gap, here we optimized a HIF-1α fluorescent reporter and applied it to study single-cell dynamics. First, we showed that single cells are likely able to differentiate multiple levels of prolyl hydroxylase inhibition, a marker of metabolic change, via HIF-1α activity. We then applied a physiological stimulus known to trigger metabolic change, interferon-γ, and observed heterogeneous, oscillatory HIF-1α responses in single cells. Finally, we input these dynamics into a mathematical model of HIF-1α-regulated metabolism and discovered a profound difference between cells exhibiting high versus low HIF-1α activation. Specifically, we found cells with high HIF-1α activation are able to meaningfully reduce flux through the tricarboxylic acid cycle and show a notable increase in the NAD+/NADH ratio compared with cells displaying low HIF-1α activation. Altogether, this work demonstrates an optimized reporter for studying HIF-1α in single cells and reveals previously unknown principles of HIF-1α activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stevan Jeknić
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Takamasa Kudo
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Joanna J Song
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Markus W Covert
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA.
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27
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Sheu KM, Guru AA, Hoffmann A. Quantifying stimulus-response specificity to probe the functional state of macrophages. Cell Syst 2023; 14:180-195.e5. [PMID: 36657439 PMCID: PMC10023480 DOI: 10.1016/j.cels.2022.12.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Revised: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Immune sentinel macrophages initiate responses to pathogens via hundreds of immune response genes. Each immune threat demands a tailored response, suggesting that the capacity for stimulus-specific gene expression is a key functional hallmark of healthy macrophages. To quantify this property, termed "stimulus-response specificity" (SRS), we developed a single-cell experimental workflow and analytical approaches based on information theory and machine learning. We found that the response specificity of macrophages is driven by combinations of specific immune genes that show low cell-to-cell heterogeneity and are targets of separate signaling pathways. The "response specificity profile," a systematic comparison of multiple stimulus-response distributions, was distinctly altered by polarizing cytokines, and it enabled an assessment of the functional state of macrophages. Indeed, the response specificity profile of peritoneal macrophages from old and obese mice showed characteristic differences, suggesting that SRS may be a basis for measuring the functional state of innate immune cells. A record of this paper's transparent peer review process is included in the supplemental information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine M Sheu
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, and Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, University of California, Los Angeles, 611 Charles E. Young Dr S, Los Angeles, CA 90093, USA
| | - Aditya A Guru
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, and Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, University of California, Los Angeles, 611 Charles E. Young Dr S, Los Angeles, CA 90093, USA
| | - Alexander Hoffmann
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, and Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, University of California, Los Angeles, 611 Charles E. Young Dr S, Los Angeles, CA 90093, USA.
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28
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Mitchell S, Tsui R, Tan ZC, Pack A, Hoffmann A. The NF-κB multidimer system model: A knowledge base to explore diverse biological contexts. Sci Signal 2023; 16:eabo2838. [PMID: 36917644 PMCID: PMC10195159 DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.abo2838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023]
Abstract
The nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) system is critical for various biological functions in numerous cell types, including the inflammatory response, cell proliferation, survival, differentiation, and pathogenic responses. Each cell type is characterized by a subset of 15 NF-κB dimers whose activity is regulated in a stimulus-responsive manner. Numerous studies have produced different mathematical models that account for cell type-specific NF-κB activities. However, whereas the concentrations or abundances of NF-κB subunits may differ between cell types, the biochemical interactions that constitute the NF-κB signaling system do not. Here, we synthesized a consensus mathematical model of the NF-κB multidimer system, which could account for the cell type-specific repertoires of NF-κB dimers and their cell type-specific activation and cross-talk. Our review demonstrates that these distinct cell type-specific properties of NF-κB signaling can be explained largely as emergent effects of the cell type-specific expression of NF-κB monomers. The consensus systems model represents a knowledge base that may be used to gain insights into the control and function of NF-κB in diverse physiological and pathological scenarios and that describes a path for generating similar regulatory knowledge bases for other pleiotropic signaling systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Mitchell
- Signaling Systems Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Sussex, Falmer, East Sussex, BN1 9PX, UK
| | - Rachel Tsui
- Signaling Systems Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Zhixin Cyrillus Tan
- Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Arran Pack
- Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Sussex, Falmer, East Sussex, BN1 9PX, UK
| | - Alexander Hoffmann
- Signaling Systems Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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29
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Daniels MA, Luera D, Teixeiro E. NFκB signaling in T cell memory. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1129191. [PMID: 36911729 PMCID: PMC9998984 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1129191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Memory T cells play an essential role in protecting against infectious diseases and cancer and contribute to autoimmunity and transplant rejection. Understanding how they are generated and maintained in the context of infection or vaccination holds promise to improve current immune-based therapies. At the beginning of any immune response, naïve T cells are activated and differentiate into cells with effector function capabilities. In the context of infection, most of these cells die once the pathogenic antigen has been cleared. Only a few of them persist and differentiate into memory T cells. These memory T cells are essential to host immunity because they are long-lived and can perform effector functions immediately upon re-infection. How a cell becomes a memory T cell and continues being one for months and even years past the initial infection is still not fully understood. Recent reviews have thoroughly discussed the transcriptional, epigenomic, and metabolic mechanisms that govern T cell memory differentiation. Yet much less is known of how signaling pathways that are common circuitries of multiple environmental signals regulate T cell outcome and, precisely, T cell memory. The function of the NFκB signaling system is perhaps best understood in innate cells. Recent findings suggest that NFκB signaling plays an essential and unique role in generating and maintaining CD8 T cell memory. This review aims to summarize these findings and discuss the remaining questions in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A. Daniels
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States
- Roy Blunt NextGen Precision Health Building, School of Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States
- Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States
| | - Dezzarae Luera
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States
- Roy Blunt NextGen Precision Health Building, School of Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States
| | - Emma Teixeiro
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States
- Roy Blunt NextGen Precision Health Building, School of Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States
- Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States
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30
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Mussbacher M, Derler M, Basílio J, Schmid JA. NF-κB in monocytes and macrophages - an inflammatory master regulator in multitalented immune cells. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1134661. [PMID: 36911661 PMCID: PMC9995663 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1134661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 43.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) is a dimeric transcription factor constituted by two of five protein family members. It plays an essential role in inflammation and immunity by regulating the expression of numerous chemokines, cytokines, transcription factors, and regulatory proteins. Since NF-κB is expressed in almost all human cells, it is important to understand its cell type-, tissue-, and stimulus-specific roles as well as its temporal dynamics and disease-specific context. Although NF-κB was discovered more than 35 years ago, many questions are still unanswered, and with the availability of novel technologies such as single-cell sequencing and cell fate-mapping, new fascinating questions arose. In this review, we will summarize current findings on the role of NF-κB in monocytes and macrophages. These innate immune cells show high plasticity and dynamically adjust their effector functions against invading pathogens and environmental cues. Their versatile functions can range from antimicrobial defense and antitumor immune responses to foam cell formation and wound healing. NF-κB is crucial for their activation and balances their phenotypes by finely coordinating transcriptional and epigenomic programs. Thereby, NF-κB is critically involved in inflammasome activation, cytokine release, and cell survival. Macrophage-specific NF-κB activation has far-reaching implications in the development and progression of numerous inflammatory diseases. Moreover, recent findings highlighted the temporal dynamics of myeloid NF-κB activation and underlined the complexity of this inflammatory master regulator. This review will provide an overview of the complex roles of NF-κB in macrophage signal transduction, polarization, inflammasome activation, and cell survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marion Mussbacher
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Martina Derler
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - José Basílio
- Department of Vascular Biology and Thrombosis Research, Centre of Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- INESC ID–Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores, Investigação e Desenvolvimento em Lisboa, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Johannes A. Schmid
- Department of Vascular Biology and Thrombosis Research, Centre of Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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31
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Hilliard S, Mosoyan K, Branciamore S, Gogoshin G, Zhang A, Simons DL, Rockne RC, Lee PP, Rodin AS. Bow-tie architectures in biological and artificial neural networks: Implications for network evolution and assay design. iScience 2023; 26:106041. [PMID: 36818303 PMCID: PMC9929672 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106041] [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: 10/13/2022] [Revised: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Modern artificial neural networks (ANNs) have long been designed on foundations of mathematics as opposed to their original foundations of biomimicry. However, the structure and function of these modern ANNs are often analogous to real-life biological networks. We propose that the ubiquitous information-theoretic principles underlying the development of ANNs are similar to the principles guiding the macro-evolution of biological networks and that insights gained from one field can be applied to the other. We generate hypotheses on the bow-tie network structure of the Janus kinase - signal transducers and activators of transcription (JAK-STAT) pathway, additionally informed by the evolutionary considerations, and carry out ANN simulation experiments to demonstrate that an increase in the network's input and output complexity does not necessarily require a more complex intermediate layer. This observation should guide novel biomarker discovery-namely, to prioritize sections of the biological networks in which information is most compressed as opposed to biomarkers representing the periphery of the network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seth Hilliard
- Department of Computational and Quantitative Medicine, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope National Medical Center, 1500 East Duarte Road, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Karen Mosoyan
- Department of Computational and Quantitative Medicine, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope National Medical Center, 1500 East Duarte Road, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Sergio Branciamore
- Department of Computational and Quantitative Medicine, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope National Medical Center, 1500 East Duarte Road, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Grigoriy Gogoshin
- Department of Computational and Quantitative Medicine, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope National Medical Center, 1500 East Duarte Road, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Alvin Zhang
- Department of Immuno-Oncology, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope National Medical Center, 1500 East Duarte Road, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Diana L. Simons
- Department of Immuno-Oncology, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope National Medical Center, 1500 East Duarte Road, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Russell C. Rockne
- Department of Computational and Quantitative Medicine, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope National Medical Center, 1500 East Duarte Road, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Peter P. Lee
- Department of Immuno-Oncology, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope National Medical Center, 1500 East Duarte Road, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Andrei S. Rodin
- Department of Computational and Quantitative Medicine, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope National Medical Center, 1500 East Duarte Road, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
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Joshi I, Carney WP, Rock EP. Utility of monocyte HLA-DR and rationale for therapeutic GM-CSF in sepsis immunoparalysis. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1130214. [PMID: 36825018 PMCID: PMC9942705 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1130214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Sepsis, a heterogeneous clinical syndrome, features a systemic inflammatory response to tissue injury or infection, followed by a state of reduced immune responsiveness. Measurable alterations occur in both the innate and adaptive immune systems. Immunoparalysis, an immunosuppressed state, associates with worsened outcomes, including multiple organ dysfunction syndrome, secondary infections, and increased mortality. Multiple immune markers to identify sepsis immunoparalysis have been proposed, and some might offer clinical utility. Sepsis immunoparalysis is characterized by reduced lymphocyte numbers and downregulation of class II human leukocyte antigens (HLA) on innate immune monocytes. Class II HLA proteins present peptide antigens for recognition by and activation of antigen-specific T lymphocytes. One monocyte class II protein, mHLA-DR, can be measured by flow cytometry. Downregulated mHLA-DR indicates reduced monocyte responsiveness, as measured by ex-vivo cytokine production in response to endotoxin stimulation. Our literature survey reveals low mHLA-DR expression on peripheral blood monocytes correlates with increased risks for infection and death. For mHLA-DR, 15,000 antibodies/cell appears clinically acceptable as the lower limit of immunocompetence. Values less than 15,000 antibodies/cell are correlated with sepsis severity; and values at or less than 8000 antibodies/cell are identified as severe immunoparalysis. Several experimental immunotherapies have been evaluated for reversal of sepsis immunoparalysis. In particular, sargramostim, a recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (rhu GM-CSF), has demonstrated clinical benefit by reducing hospitalization duration and lowering secondary infection risk. Lowered infection risk correlates with increased mHLA-DR expression on peripheral blood monocytes in these patients. Although mHLA-DR has shown promising utility for identifying sepsis immunoparalysis, absence of a standardized, analytically validated method has thus far prevented widespread adoption. A clinically useful approach for patient inclusion and identification of clinically correlated output parameters could address the persistent high unmet medical need for effective targeted therapies in sepsis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ila Joshi
- Development and Regulatory Department, Partner Therapeutics, Inc., Lexington, MA, United States,*Correspondence: Ila Joshi,
| | - Walter P. Carney
- Walt Carney Biomarkers Consulting, LLC., North Andover, MA, United States
| | - Edwin P. Rock
- Development and Regulatory Department, Partner Therapeutics, Inc., Lexington, MA, United States
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Aqdas M, Sung MH. NF-κB dynamics in the language of immune cells. Trends Immunol 2023; 44:32-43. [PMID: 36473794 PMCID: PMC9811507 DOI: 10.1016/j.it.2022.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Revised: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 11/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
Biological discovery has been driven by advances in throughput and resolution of analysis technologies. They have also created an indelible bias for snapshot-based knowledge. Even though recent methods such as multi-omics single-cell assays have empowered immunological investigations, they still provide snapshots of cellular behaviors and thus, have inherent limitations in reconstructing unsynchronized dynamic events across individual cells. Here, we present a rationale for how NF-κB may convey specificity of contextual information through subtle quantitative features of its signaling dynamics. The next frontier of predictive understanding should involve functional characterization of NF-κB signaling dynamics and their immunological implications. This may help solve the apparent paradox that a ubiquitously activated transcription factor can shape accurate responses to different immune challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Aqdas
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Immunology, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Myong-Hee Sung
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Immunology, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA.
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34
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Rahman SMT, Aqdas M, Martin EW, Tomassoni Ardori F, Songkiatisak P, Oh KS, Uderhardt S, Yun S, Claybourne QC, McDevitt RA, Greco V, Germain RN, Tessarollo L, Sung MH. Double knockin mice show NF-κB trajectories in immune signaling and aging. Cell Rep 2022; 41:111682. [DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2022] [Revised: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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35
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Jiang Z, Zhang W, Zeng Z, Tang D, Li C, Cai W, Chen Y, Li Y, Jin Q, Zhang X, Yin L, Liu X, Xu Y, Dai Y. A comprehensive investigation discovered the novel methyltransferase METTL24 as one presumably prognostic gene for kidney renal clear cell carcinoma potentially modulating tumor immune microenvironment. Front Immunol 2022; 13:926461. [PMID: 36311770 PMCID: PMC9613963 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.926461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Recently, an increasing number of studies have uncovered the aberrant expression of methyltransferase-like family (METTL) plays an important role in tumorigenesis, such as METTL3 (an m6A writer). In our recent work, we discovered METTL24 expression was highly associated with the hazard ratio (HR) of kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) compared to other tumors, implying a special function of METTL24 in KIRC carcinogenesis. Until now, the functions and mechanisms of METTL24 in KIRC have remained mostly unknown. Methods The mRNA expression of METTL24 in KIRC was analyzed using the TIMER 2.0, GEPIA, and UALCAN databases. The immunohistochemical assay was performed to validate METTL24 expression in our self-built Chinese cohort (n tumor = 88, n normal = 85). The gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was used to investigate the biological processes in which METTL24 might be engaged. The Spearman analysis was used to evaluate the expression correlations between METTL24 and a range of immunological variables, and the effects of METTL24 on the infiltration levels of multiple immune cells were explored using TCGA data. The upstream transcription factors of METTL24 were screened through a multi-omics analysis. Results METTL24 expression in KIRC tissues was significantly decreased compared to normal adjacent kidney tissues, which was associated with the lower survival rate of KIRC patients. METTL24 potentially participated in the immune-relevant biological processes such as cytokine binding, NF-kappa B binding, MHC protein complex, and interleukin-12 action. Besides, METTL24 expression was linked to a number of immune checkpoints, cytokines, chemokines, and chemokine receptors, and also correlated with the infiltration levels of 10 types of immune cells in KIRC. Meanwhile, METTL24 expression differently affected the overall survival rates (OS) of KIRC patients with high or low levels of immune infiltration. Finally, CTCF and EP300 were discovered to be the probable transcription factors of METTL24 in KIRC. Conclusion This study revealed that METTL24 might serve as a prognostic marker in KIRC and as one immune-relevant target for clinical treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongji Jiang
- Clinical Medical Research Center, The Second Clinical Medical College of Jinan University, Shenzhen People’s Hospital, Shenzhen, China
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Shenzhen Institute of Translational Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen Second People’s Hospital, Shenzhen, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- Clinical Medical Research Center, The Second Clinical Medical College of Jinan University, Shenzhen People’s Hospital, Shenzhen, China
| | - Zhipeng Zeng
- Clinical Medical Research Center, The Second Clinical Medical College of Jinan University, Shenzhen People’s Hospital, Shenzhen, China
| | - Donge Tang
- Clinical Medical Research Center, The Second Clinical Medical College of Jinan University, Shenzhen People’s Hospital, Shenzhen, China
| | - Chujiao Li
- Clinical Medical Research Center, The Second Clinical Medical College of Jinan University, Shenzhen People’s Hospital, Shenzhen, China
| | - Wanxia Cai
- Clinical Medical Research Center, The Second Clinical Medical College of Jinan University, Shenzhen People’s Hospital, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yumei Chen
- Clinical Medical Research Center, The Second Clinical Medical College of Jinan University, Shenzhen People’s Hospital, Shenzhen, China
| | - Ya Li
- Key Renal Laboratory of Shenzhen, Department of Nephrology, Shenzhen People’s Hospital, The Second Clinical Medical College of Jinan University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Qiu Jin
- Key Renal Laboratory of Shenzhen, Department of Nephrology, Shenzhen People’s Hospital, The Second Clinical Medical College of Jinan University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Xinzhou Zhang
- Key Renal Laboratory of Shenzhen, Department of Nephrology, Shenzhen People’s Hospital, The Second Clinical Medical College of Jinan University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Lianghong Yin
- Department of Nephrology, Institute of Nephrology and Blood Purification, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xueyan Liu
- Department of Intensive Care Unit, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Prevention and Treatment of Severe Infections, The Second Clinical Medical College of Jinan University (Shenzhen People’s Hospital), Shenzhen, China
| | - Yong Xu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Shenzhen Institute of Translational Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen Second People’s Hospital, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yong Dai
- Clinical Medical Research Center, The Second Clinical Medical College of Jinan University, Shenzhen People’s Hospital, Shenzhen, China
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Kalliara E, Kardynska M, Bagnall J, Spiller DG, Müller W, Ruckerl D, Śmieja J, Biswas SK, Paszek P. Post-transcriptional regulatory feedback encodes JAK-STAT signal memory of interferon stimulation. Front Immunol 2022; 13:947213. [PMID: 36238296 PMCID: PMC9552616 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.947213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Immune cells fine tune their responses to infection and inflammatory cues. Here, using live-cell confocal microscopy and mathematical modelling, we investigate interferon-induced JAK-STAT signalling in innate immune macrophages. We demonstrate that transient exposure to IFN-γ stimulation induces a long-term desensitisation of STAT1 signalling and gene expression responses, revealing a dose- and time-dependent regulatory feedback that controls JAK-STAT responses upon re-exposure to stimulus. We show that IFN-α/β1 elicit different level of desensitisation from IFN-γ, where cells refractory to IFN-α/β1 are sensitive to IFN-γ, but not vice versa. We experimentally demonstrate that the underlying feedback mechanism involves regulation of STAT1 phosphorylation but is independent of new mRNA synthesis and cognate receptor expression. A new feedback model of the protein tyrosine phosphatase activity recapitulates experimental data and demonstrates JAK-STAT network’s ability to decode relative changes of dose, timing, and type of temporal interferon stimulation. These findings reveal that STAT desensitisation renders cells with signalling memory of type I and II interferon stimulation, which in the future may improve administration of interferon therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eirini Kalliara
- School of Biology, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Singapore Immunology Network, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Malgorzata Kardynska
- Department of Biosensors and Processing of Biomedical Signals, Silesian University of Technology, Zabrze, Poland
- Department of Systems Biology and Engineering, Silesian University of Technology, Gliwice, Poland
| | - James Bagnall
- School of Biology, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - David G. Spiller
- School of Biology, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Werner Müller
- School of Biology, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Dominik Ruckerl
- School of Biology, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Jarosław Śmieja
- Department of Systems Biology and Engineering, Silesian University of Technology, Gliwice, Poland
| | - Subhra K. Biswas
- Singapore Immunology Network, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Pawel Paszek
- School of Biology, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, United Kingdom
- *Correspondence: Pawel Paszek,
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37
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Son M, Frank T, Holst-Hansen T, Wang AG, Junkin M, Kashaf SS, Trusina A, Tay S. Spatiotemporal NF-κB dynamics encodes the position, amplitude, and duration of local immune inputs. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabn6240. [PMID: 36044569 PMCID: PMC9432835 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abn6240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Infected cells communicate through secreted signaling molecules like cytokines, which carry information about pathogens. How differences in cytokine secretion affect inflammatory signaling over space and how responding cells decode information from propagating cytokines are not understood. By computationally and experimentally studying NF-κB dynamics in cocultures of signal-sending cells (macrophages) and signal-receiving cells (fibroblasts), we find that cytokine signals are transmitted by wave-like propagation of NF-κB activity and create well-defined activation zones in responding cells. NF-κB dynamics in responding cells can simultaneously encode information about cytokine dose, duration, and distance to the cytokine source. Spatially resolved transcriptional analysis reveals that responding cells transmit local cytokine information to distance-specific proinflammatory gene expression patterns, creating "gene expression zones." Despite single-cell variability, the size and duration of the signaling zone are tightly controlled by the macrophage secretion profile. Our results highlight how macrophages tune cytokine secretion to control signal transmission distance and how inflammatory signaling interprets these signals in space and time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minjun Son
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
- Institute for Genomics and Systems Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Tino Frank
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zürich, Basel 4058, Switzerland
| | | | - Andrew G. Wang
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Michael Junkin
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zürich, Basel 4058, Switzerland
| | - Sara S. Kashaf
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Ala Trusina
- Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2100, Denmark
| | - Savaş Tay
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
- Institute for Genomics and Systems Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
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38
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Wang AG, Son M, Kenna E, Thom N, Tay S. NF-κB memory coordinates transcriptional responses to dynamic inflammatory stimuli. Cell Rep 2022; 40:111159. [PMID: 35977475 PMCID: PMC10794069 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Revised: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Many scenarios in cellular communication require cells to interpret multiple dynamic signals. It is unclear how exposure to inflammatory stimuli alters transcriptional responses to subsequent stimulus. Using high-throughput microfluidic live-cell analysis, we systematically profile the NF-κB response to different signal sequences in single cells. We find that NF-κB dynamics store the short-term history of received signals: depending on the prior pathogenic or cytokine signal, the NF-κB response to subsequent stimuli varies from no response to full activation. Using information theory, we reveal that these stimulus-dependent changes in the NF-κB response encode and reflect information about the identity and dose of the prior stimulus. Small-molecule inhibition, computational modeling, and gene expression profiling show that this encoding is driven by stimulus-dependent engagement of negative feedback modules. These results provide a model for how signal transduction networks process sequences of inflammatory stimuli to coordinate cellular responses in complex dynamic environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew G Wang
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Minjun Son
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Emma Kenna
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Nicholas Thom
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Savaş Tay
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
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39
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Encoding and decoding NF-κB nuclear dynamics. Curr Opin Cell Biol 2022; 77:102103. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ceb.2022.102103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2021] [Revised: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 04/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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40
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Maltz E, Wollman R. Quantifying the phenotypic information in mRNA abundance. Mol Syst Biol 2022; 18:e11001. [PMID: 35965452 PMCID: PMC9376724 DOI: 10.15252/msb.202211001] [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: 02/24/2022] [Revised: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Quantifying the dependency between mRNA abundance and downstream cellular phenotypes is a fundamental open problem in biology. Advances in multimodal single‐cell measurement technologies provide an opportunity to apply new computational frameworks to dissect the contribution of individual genes and gene combinations to a given phenotype. Using an information theory approach, we analyzed multimodal data of the expression of 83 genes in the Ca2+ signaling network and the dynamic Ca2+ response in the same cell. We found that the overall expression levels of these 83 genes explain approximately 60% of Ca2+ signal entropy. The average contribution of each single gene was 17%, revealing a large degree of redundancy between genes. Using different heuristics, we estimated the dependency between the size of a gene set and its information content, revealing that on average, a set of 53 genes contains 54% of the information about Ca2+ signaling. Our results provide the first direct quantification of information content about complex cellular phenotype that exists in mRNA abundance measurements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan Maltz
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Institute of Quantitative and Computational Bioscience, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Roy Wollman
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Institute of Quantitative and Computational Bioscience, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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41
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Kim J, Sheu KM, Cheng QJ, Hoffmann A, Enciso G. Stochastic models of nucleosome dynamics reveal regulatory rules of stimulus-induced epigenome remodeling. Cell Rep 2022; 40:111076. [PMID: 35830792 PMCID: PMC10074953 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Revised: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The genomic positions of nucleosomes are a defining feature of the cell's epigenomic state, but signal-dependent transcription factors (SDTFs), upon activation, bind to specific genomic locations and modify nucleosome positioning. Here we leverage SDTFs as perturbation probes to learn about nucleosome dynamics in living cells. We develop Markov models of nucleosome dynamics and fit them to time course sequencing data of DNA accessibility. We find that (1) the dynamics of DNA unwrapping are significantly slower in cells than reported from cell-free experiments, (2) only models with cooperativity in wrapping and unwrapping fit the available data, (3) SDTF activity produces the highest eviction probability when its binding site is adjacent to but not on the nucleosome dyad, and (4) oscillatory SDTF activity results in high location variability. Our work uncovers the regulatory rules governing SDTF-induced nucleosome dynamics in live cells, which can predict chromatin accessibility alterations during inflammation at single-nucleosome resolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinsu Kim
- Department of Mathematics, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, South Korea
| | - Katherine M Sheu
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Quen J Cheng
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Alexander Hoffmann
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - German Enciso
- Department of Mathematics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA; Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.
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Ying T, Alexander H. Quantifying information of intracellular signaling: progress with machine learning. REPORTS ON PROGRESS IN PHYSICS. PHYSICAL SOCIETY (GREAT BRITAIN) 2022; 85:10.1088/1361-6633/ac7a4a. [PMID: 35724636 PMCID: PMC9507437 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6633/ac7a4a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Cells convey information about their extracellular environment to their core functional machineries. Studying the capacity of intracellular signaling pathways to transmit information addresses fundamental questions about living systems. Here, we review how information-theoretic approaches have been used to quantify information transmission by signaling pathways that are functionally pleiotropic and subject to molecular stochasticity. We describe how recent advances in machine learning have been leveraged to address the challenges of complex temporal trajectory datasets and how these have contributed to our understanding of how cells employ temporal coding to appropriately adapt to environmental perturbations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tang Ying
- Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- International Academic Center of Complex Systems, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai 519087, China
| | - Hoffmann Alexander
- Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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43
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Kizilirmak C, Bianchi ME, Zambrano S. Insights on the NF-κB System Using Live Cell Imaging: Recent Developments and Future Perspectives. Front Immunol 2022; 13:886127. [PMID: 35844496 PMCID: PMC9277462 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.886127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The transcription factor family of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) proteins is widely recognized as a key player in inflammation and the immune responses, where it plays a fundamental role in translating external inflammatory cues into precise transcriptional programs, including the timely expression of a wide variety of cytokines/chemokines. Live cell imaging in single cells showed approximately 15 years ago that the canonical activation of NF-κB upon stimulus is very dynamic, including oscillations of its nuclear localization with a period close to 1.5 hours. This observation has triggered a fruitful interdisciplinary research line that has provided novel insights on the NF-κB system: how its heterogeneous response differs between cell types but also within homogeneous populations; how NF-κB dynamics translate external cues into intracellular signals and how NF-κB dynamics affects gene expression. Here we review the main features of this live cell imaging approach to the study of NF-κB, highlighting the key findings, the existing gaps of knowledge and hinting towards some of the potential future steps of this thriving research field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cise Kizilirmak
- School of Medicine, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
- Division of Genetics and Cell Biology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Marco E. Bianchi
- School of Medicine, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
- Division of Genetics and Cell Biology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
- *Correspondence: Marco E. Bianchi, ; Samuel Zambrano,
| | - Samuel Zambrano
- School of Medicine, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
- Division of Genetics and Cell Biology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
- *Correspondence: Marco E. Bianchi, ; Samuel Zambrano,
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44
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Sheu KM, Hoffmann A. Functional Hallmarks of Healthy Macrophage Responses: Their Regulatory Basis and Disease Relevance. Annu Rev Immunol 2022; 40:295-321. [PMID: 35471841 PMCID: PMC10074967 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-immunol-101320-031555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Macrophages are first responders for the immune system. In this role, they have both effector functions for neutralizing pathogens and sentinel functions for alerting other immune cells of diverse pathologic threats, thereby initiating and coordinating a multipronged immune response. Macrophages are distributed throughout the body-they circulate in the blood, line the mucosal membranes, reside within organs, and survey the connective tissue. Several reviews have summarized their diverse roles in different physiological scenarios and in the initiation or amplification of different pathologies. In this review, we propose that both the effector and the sentinel functions of healthy macrophages rely on three hallmark properties: response specificity, context dependence, and stimulus memory. When these hallmark properties are diminished, the macrophage's biological functions are impaired, which in turn results in increased risk for immune dysregulation, manifested by immune deficiency or autoimmunity. We review the evidence and the molecular mechanisms supporting these functional hallmarks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine M Sheu
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics and Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA;
| | - Alexander Hoffmann
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics and Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA;
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Qin W, Guo J, Gou W, Wu S, Guo N, Zhao Y, Hou W. Molecular mechanisms of isoflavone puerarin against cardiovascular diseases: What we know and where we go. CHINESE HERBAL MEDICINES 2022; 14:234-243. [PMID: 36117660 PMCID: PMC9476793 DOI: 10.1016/j.chmed.2021.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Revised: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 12/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/09/2022] Open
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Haga M, Okada M. Systems approaches to investigate the role of NF-κB signaling in aging. Biochem J 2022; 479:161-183. [PMID: 35098992 PMCID: PMC8883486 DOI: 10.1042/bcj20210547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Revised: 01/06/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway is one of the most well-studied pathways related to inflammation, and its involvement in aging has attracted considerable attention. As aging is a complex phenomenon and is the result of a multi-step process, the involvement of the NF-κB pathway in aging remains unclear. To elucidate the role of NF-κB in the regulation of aging, different systems biology approaches have been employed. A multi-omics data-driven approach can be used to interpret and clarify unknown mechanisms but cannot generate mechanistic regulatory structures alone. In contrast, combining this approach with a mathematical modeling approach can identify the mechanistics of the phenomena of interest. The development of single-cell technologies has also helped clarify the heterogeneity of the NF-κB response and underlying mechanisms. Here, we review advances in the understanding of the regulation of aging by NF-κB by focusing on omics approaches, single-cell analysis, and mathematical modeling of the NF-κB network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masatoshi Haga
- Laboratory for Cell Systems, Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
- Basic Research Development Division, ROHTO Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Ikuno-ku, Osaka 544-8666, Japan
| | - Mariko Okada
- Laboratory for Cell Systems, Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
- Center for Drug Design and Research, National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition, Ibaraki, Osaka 567-0085, Japan
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IκBα is required for full transcriptional induction of some NFκB-regulated genes in response to TNF in MCF-7 cells. NPJ Syst Biol Appl 2021; 7:42. [PMID: 34853340 PMCID: PMC8636565 DOI: 10.1038/s41540-021-00204-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Inflammatory stimuli triggers the degradation of three inhibitory κB (IκB) proteins, allowing for nuclear translocation of nuclear factor-κB (NFκB) for transcriptional induction of its target genes. Of these three, IκBα is a well-known negative feedback regulator that limits the duration of NFκB activity. We sought to determine whether IκBα's role in enabling or limiting NFκB activation is important for tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-induced gene expression in human breast cancer cells (MCF-7). Contrary to our expectations, many more TNF-response genes showed reduced induction than enhanced induction in IκBα knockdown cells. Mathematical modeling was used to investigate the underlying mechanism. We found that the reduced activation of some NFκB target genes in IκBα-deficient cells could be explained by the incoherent feedforward loop (IFFL) model. In addition, for a subset of genes, prolonged NFκB activity due to loss of negative feedback control did not prolong their transient activation; this implied a multi-state transcription cycle control of gene induction. Genes encoding key inflammation-related transcription factors, such as JUNB and KLF10, were found to be best represented by a model that contained both the IFFL and the transcription cycle motif. Our analysis sheds light on the regulatory strategies that safeguard inflammatory gene expression from overproduction and repositions the function of IκBα not only as a negative feedback regulator of NFκB but also as an enabler of NFκB-regulated stimulus-responsive inflammatory gene expression. This study indicates the complex involvement of IκBα in the inflammatory response to TNF that is induced by radiation therapy in breast cancer.
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The Role of lncRNAs in Regulating the Intestinal Mucosal Mechanical Barrier. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2021; 2021:2294942. [PMID: 34820453 PMCID: PMC8608538 DOI: 10.1155/2021/2294942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2021] [Revised: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
lncRNA is a transcript that is more than 200 bp in length. Currently, evidence has shown that lncRNA is of great significance in cell activity, involved in epigenetics, gene transcription, chromatin regulation, etc. The existence of an intestinal mucosal mechanical barrier hinders the invasion of pathogenic bacteria and toxins, maintaining the stability of the intestinal environment. Serious destruction or dysfunction of the mechanical barrier often leads to intestinal diseases. This review first summarizes the ability of lncRNAs to regulate the intestinal mucosal mechanical barrier. We then discussed how lncRNAs participate in various intestinal diseases by regulating the intestinal mucosal mechanical barrier. Finally, we envision its potential as a new marker for diagnosing and treating intestinal inflammatory diseases.
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Sprooten J, Vankerckhoven A, Vanmeerbeek I, Borras DM, Berckmans Y, Wouters R, Laureano RS, Baert T, Boon L, Landolfo C, Testa AC, Fischerova D, Van Holsbeke C, Bourne T, Chiappa V, Froyman W, Schols D, Agostinis P, Timmerman D, Tejpar S, Vergote I, Coosemans A, Garg AD. Peripherally-driven myeloid NFkB and IFN/ISG responses predict malignancy risk, survival, and immunotherapy regime in ovarian cancer. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:jitc-2021-003609. [PMID: 34795003 PMCID: PMC8603275 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-003609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Tumors can influence peripheral immune macroenvironment, thereby creating opportunities for non-invasive serum/plasma immunobiomarkers for immunostratification and immunotherapy designing. However, current approaches for immunobiomarkers’ detection are largely quantitative, which is unreliable for assessing functional peripheral immunodynamics of patients with cancer. Hence, we aimed to design a functional biomarker modality for capturing peripheral immune signaling in patients with cancer for reliable immunostratification. Methods We used a data-driven in silico framework, integrating existing tumor/blood bulk-RNAseq or single-cell (sc)RNAseq datasets of patients with cancer, to inform the design of an innovative serum-screening modality, that is, serum-functional immunodynamic status (sFIS) assay. Next, we pursued proof-of-concept analyses via multiparametric serum profiling of patients with ovarian cancer (OV) with sFIS assay combined with Luminex (cytokines/soluble immune checkpoints), CA125-antigen detection, and whole-blood immune cell counts. Here, sFIS assay’s ability to determine survival benefit or malignancy risk was validated in a discovery (n=32) and/or validation (n=699) patient cohorts. Lastly, we used an orthotopic murine metastatic OV model, with anti-OV therapy selection via in silico drug–target screening and murine serum screening via sFIS assay, to assess suitable in vivo immunotherapy options. Results In silico data-driven framework predicted that peripheral immunodynamics of patients with cancer might be best captured via analyzing myeloid nuclear factor kappa-light-chain enhancer of activated B cells (NFκB) signaling and interferon-stimulated genes' (ISG) responses. This helped in conceptualization of an ‘in sitro’ (in vitro+in situ) sFIS assay, where human myeloid cells were exposed to patients’ serum in vitro, to assess serum-induced (si)-NFκB or interferon (IFN)/ISG responses (as active signaling reporter activity) within them, thereby ‘mimicking’ patients’ in situ immunodynamic status. Multiparametric serum profiling of patients with OV established that sFIS assay can: decode peripheral immunology (by indicating higher enrichment of si-NFκB over si-IFN/ISG responses), estimate survival trends (si-NFκB or si-IFN/ISG responses associating with negative or positive prognosis, respectively), and coestimate malignancy risk (relative to benign/borderline ovarian lesions). Biologically, we documented dominance of pro-tumorigenic, myeloid si-NFκB responseHIGHsi-IFN/ISG responseLOW inflammation in periphery of patients with OV. Finally, in an orthotopic murine metastatic OV model, sFIS assay predicted the higher capacity of chemo-immunotherapy (paclitaxel–carboplatin plus anti-TNF antibody combination) in achieving a pro-immunogenic peripheral milieu (si-IFN/ISG responseHIGHsi-NFκB responseLOW), which aligned with high antitumor efficacy. Conclusions We established sFIS assay as a novel biomarker resource for serum screening in patients with OV to evaluate peripheral immunodynamics, patient survival trends and malignancy risk, and to design preclinical chemo-immunotherapy strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenny Sprooten
- Laboratory of Cell Stress & Immunity, Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ann Vankerckhoven
- Department of Oncology, Leuven Cancer Institute, Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Isaure Vanmeerbeek
- Laboratory of Cell Stress & Immunity, Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Daniel M Borras
- Laboratory of Cell Stress & Immunity, Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Yani Berckmans
- Department of Oncology, Leuven Cancer Institute, Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Roxanne Wouters
- Department of Oncology, Leuven Cancer Institute, Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Raquel S Laureano
- Laboratory of Cell Stress & Immunity, Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Thais Baert
- Department of Oncology, Leuven Cancer Institute, Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Department of Oncology, Leuven Cancer Institute, Laboratory of Gynaecologic Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Chiara Landolfo
- Department of Oncology, Leuven Cancer Institute, Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Department of Development and Regeneration, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital, Imperial College, London, UK.,Dipartimento Scienze della Salute della Donna e del Bambino, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonia Carla Testa
- Dipartimento Scienze della Salute della Donna e del Bambino, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico, Rome, Italy.,Dipartimento Scienze della Vita e Sanità pubblica, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
| | | | | | - Tom Bourne
- Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital, Imperial College, London, UK
| | | | - Wouter Froyman
- Department of Development and Regeneration, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, UZ Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Dominique Schols
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Rega Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Patrizia Agostinis
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Cell Death Research and Therapy Laboratory, KU Leuven, Belgium.,VIB Center for Cancer Biology, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Dirk Timmerman
- Department of Development and Regeneration, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, UZ Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Sabine Tejpar
- Laboratory for Molecular Digestive Oncology, Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ignace Vergote
- Department of Oncology, Leuven Cancer Institute, Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Department of Oncology, Leuven Cancer Institute, Laboratory of Gynaecologic Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, UZ Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - An Coosemans
- Department of Oncology, Leuven Cancer Institute, Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Abhishek D Garg
- Laboratory of Cell Stress & Immunity, Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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50
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Puck A, Künig S, Modak M, May L, Fritz P, Battin C, Radakovics K, Steinberger P, Reipert BM, Crowe BA, Stöckl J. The soluble cytoplasmic tail of CD45 regulates T-cell activation via TLR4 signaling. Eur J Immunol 2021; 51:3176-3185. [PMID: 34626426 DOI: 10.1002/eji.202149227] [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: 02/22/2021] [Revised: 08/03/2021] [Accepted: 10/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
The soluble cytoplasmic tail of CD45 (ct-CD45) is a cleavage fragment of CD45, that is generated during the activation of human phagocytes. Upon release to the extracellular space, ct-CD45 binds to human T cells and inhibits their activation in vitro. Here, we studied the potential role of TLR4 as a receptor for ct-CD45. Treatment of Jurkat TLR4/CD14 reporter cells with ct-CD45 induced the upregulation of the reporter gene NFκB-eGFP and could be blocked by inhibitors of TLR4 signaling. Conversely, ct-CD45 did not promote the NFκB-controlled eGFP induction in reporter cells expressing TLR1, TLR2, and TLR6 transgenes and did not lead to the activation of the transcription factors NFκB, AP-1, and NFAT in a Jurkat reporter cell line expressing endogenous TLR5. Moreover, ct-CD45 binds to recombinant TLR4 in an in vitro assay and this association was reduced in the presence of oxidized 1-palmitoyl-2-arachidonyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphorylcholine. Blockade of TLR4 with mAb HTA125 partially reversed the ct-CD45-mediated inhibition of T-cell proliferation. Interestingly, targeting of TLR4 with mAb W7C11 also suppressed T-cell proliferation. In summary, the results of this study demonstrate that ct-CD45 acts via a noncanonical TLR4 activation pathway on T cells, which modulates TCR signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Puck
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sarojinidevi Künig
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Madhura Modak
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Lara May
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Pia Fritz
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Claire Battin
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Katharina Radakovics
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Peter Steinberger
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Birgit M Reipert
- Department of Immunology, Drug Discovery Austria, Baxalta Innovations GmbH, Vienna, Austria
| | - Brian A Crowe
- Department of Immunology, Drug Discovery Austria, Baxalta Innovations GmbH, Vienna, Austria
| | - Johannes Stöckl
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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