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Palis J. Erythropoiesis in the mammalian embryo. Exp Hematol 2024:104283. [PMID: 39048071 DOI: 10.1016/j.exphem.2024.104283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2024] [Revised: 07/11/2024] [Accepted: 07/15/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024]
Abstract
Red blood cells (RBCs) comprise a critical component of the cardiovascular network, which constitutes the first functional organ system of the developing mammalian embryo. Examination of circulating blood cells in mammalian embryos revealed two distinct types of erythroid cells: large, nucleated "primitive" erythroblasts followed by smaller, enucleated "definitive" erythrocytes. This review describes the current understanding of primitive and definitive erythropoiesis gleaned from studies in mouse and human embryos and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Primitive erythropoiesis in the mouse embryo comprises a transient wave of committed primitive erythroid progenitors (primitive erythroid colony-forming cells, EryP-CFC) in the early yolk sac that generates a robust cohort of precursors that mature in the bloodstream and enucleate. In contrast, definitive erythropoiesis has two distinct developmental origins. The first comprises a transient wave of definitive erythroid progenitors (burst-forming units erythroid, BFU-E) that emerge in the yolk sac and seed the fetal liver where they terminally mature to provide the first definitive RBCs. The second comprises hematopoietic stem cell (HSC)-derived BFU-E that terminally mature at sites colonized by HSCs particularly the fetal liver and subsequently the bone marrow. Primitive and definitive erythropoiesis are derived from endothelial identity precursors with distinct developmental origins. Although they share prototypical transcriptional regulation, they are also characterized by distinct lineage-specific factors. The exquisitely timed, sequential production of primitive and definitive erythroid cells is necessary for the survival and growth of the mammalian embryo.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Palis
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY.
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2
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Bresnick EH, Papayannopoulou T, Migliaccio AR. Mechanistic and Biological Perspectives on Erythropoiesis. Exp Hematol 2024:104286. [PMID: 39034024 DOI: 10.1016/j.exphem.2024.104286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/23/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Emery H Bresnick
- Wisconsin Blood Cancer Research Institute, Carbone Cancer Center, Department of Cell and Regenerative Biology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI 53705, USA; Division of Hematology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Anna Rita Migliaccio
- Altius Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Seattle, WA, USA; Institute of Nanotechnology, National Research Council (Cnr-NANOTEC), c/o Campus Ecotekne, Lecce, Italy
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3
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Wang X, Zhang W, Zhao S, Yan H, Xin Z, Cui T, Zang R, Zhao L, Wang H, Zhou J, Li X, Yue W, Xi J, Zhang Z, Fang X, Pei X. Decoding human in vitro terminal erythropoiesis originating from umbilical cord blood mononuclear cells and pluripotent stem cells. Cell Prolif 2024; 57:e13614. [PMID: 38499435 PMCID: PMC11216933 DOI: 10.1111/cpr.13614] [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: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Ex vivo red blood cell (RBC) production generates unsatisfactory erythroid cells. A deep exploration into terminally differentiated cells is required to understand the impairments for RBC generation and the underlying mechanisms. Here, we mapped an atlas of terminally differentiated cells from umbilical cord blood mononuclear cells (UCBMN) and pluripotent stem cells (PSC) and observed their dynamic regulation of erythropoiesis at single-cell resolution. Interestingly, we detected a few progenitor cells and non-erythroid cells from both origins. In PSC-derived erythropoiesis (PSCE), the expression of haemoglobin switch regulators (BCL11A and ZBTB7A) were significantly absent, which could be the restraint for its adult globin expression. We also found that PSCE were less active in stress erythropoiesis than in UCBMN-derived erythropoiesis (UCBE), and explored an agonist of stress erythropoiesis gene, TRIB3, could enhance the expression of adult globin in PSCE. Compared with UCBE, there was a lower expression of epigenetic-related proteins (e.g., CASPASE 3 and UBE2O) and transcription factors (e.g., FOXO3 and TAL1) in PSCE, which might restrict PSCE's enucleation. Moreover, we characterized a subpopulation with high proliferation capacity marked by CD99high in colony-forming unit-erythroid cells. Inhibition of CD99 reduced the proliferation of PSC-derived cells and facilitated erythroid maturation. Furthermore, CD99-CD99 mediated the interaction between macrophages and erythroid cells, illustrating a mechanism by which macrophages participate in erythropoiesis. This study provided a reference for improving ex vivo RBC generation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoling Wang
- Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine LabBeijing Institute of Radiation MedicineBeijingPR China
| | - Wei Zhang
- Beijing Institute of Genomics & China National Center for BioinformationChinese Academy of SciencesBeijingPR China
| | - Siqi Zhao
- Beijing Institute of Genomics & China National Center for BioinformationChinese Academy of SciencesBeijingPR China
| | - Hao Yan
- Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine LabBeijing Institute of Radiation MedicineBeijingPR China
| | - Zijuan Xin
- Beijing Institute of Genomics & China National Center for BioinformationChinese Academy of SciencesBeijingPR China
| | - Tiantian Cui
- Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine LabBeijing Institute of Radiation MedicineBeijingPR China
| | - Ruge Zang
- Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine LabBeijing Institute of Radiation MedicineBeijingPR China
| | - Lingping Zhao
- Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine LabBeijing Institute of Radiation MedicineBeijingPR China
| | - Haiyang Wang
- Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine LabBeijing Institute of Radiation MedicineBeijingPR China
| | - Junnian Zhou
- Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine LabBeijing Institute of Radiation MedicineBeijingPR China
| | - Xuan Li
- Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine LabBeijing Institute of Radiation MedicineBeijingPR China
| | - Wen Yue
- Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine LabBeijing Institute of Radiation MedicineBeijingPR China
| | - Jiafei Xi
- Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine LabBeijing Institute of Radiation MedicineBeijingPR China
| | - Zhaojun Zhang
- Beijing Institute of Genomics & China National Center for BioinformationChinese Academy of SciencesBeijingPR China
- Institute for Stem Cell and RegenerationChinese Academy of SciencesBeijingPR China
- Sino‐Danish CollegeUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingPR China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Genome and Precision Medicine TechnologiesBeijingPR China
| | - Xiangdong Fang
- Beijing Institute of Genomics & China National Center for BioinformationChinese Academy of SciencesBeijingPR China
- Institute for Stem Cell and RegenerationChinese Academy of SciencesBeijingPR China
- Sino‐Danish CollegeUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingPR China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Genome and Precision Medicine TechnologiesBeijingPR China
- College of Life SciencesUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingPR China
- Savaid Medical SchoolUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingPR China
- School of Future TechnologyUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingPR China
| | - Xuetao Pei
- Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine LabBeijing Institute of Radiation MedicineBeijingPR China
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Alhaj Hussen K, Louis V, Canque B. A new model of human lymphopoiesis across development and aging. Trends Immunol 2024; 45:495-510. [PMID: 38908962 DOI: 10.1016/j.it.2024.05.007] [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: 05/06/2024] [Revised: 05/25/2024] [Accepted: 05/26/2024] [Indexed: 06/24/2024]
Abstract
Over the past decade our research has implemented a multimodal approach to human lymphopoiesis, combining clonal-scale mapping of lymphoid developmental architecture with the monitoring of dynamic changes in the pattern of lymphocyte generation across ontogeny. We propose that lymphopoiesis stems from founder populations of CD127/interleukin (IL)7R- or CD127/IL7R+ early lymphoid progenitors (ELPs) polarized respectively toward the T-natural killer (NK)/innate lymphoid cell (ILC) or B lineages, arising from newly characterized CD117lo multi-lymphoid progenitors (MLPs). Recent data on the lifelong lymphocyte dynamics of healthy donors suggest that, after birth, lymphopoiesis may become increasingly oriented toward the production of B lymphocytes. Stemming from this, we posit that there are three major developmental transitions, the first occurring during the neonatal period, the next at puberty, and the last during aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kutaiba Alhaj Hussen
- Service de Biochimie, Université de Paris Saclay, Hôpital Paul Brousse, AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - Valentine Louis
- INSERM 1151, Université de Paris, École Pratique des Hautes Études/PSL Research University, Institut Necker Enfants Malades (INEM), Paris, France
| | - Bruno Canque
- INSERM 1151, Université de Paris, École Pratique des Hautes Études/PSL Research University, Institut Necker Enfants Malades (INEM), Paris, France.
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Dorans E, Jagadeesh K, Dey K, Price AL. Linking regulatory variants to target genes by integrating single-cell multiome methods and genomic distance. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2024:2024.05.24.24307813. [PMID: 38826240 PMCID: PMC11142273 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.24.24307813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2024]
Abstract
Methods that analyze single-cell paired RNA-seq and ATAC-seq multiome data have shown great promise in linking regulatory elements to genes. However, existing methods differ in their modeling assumptions and approaches to account for biological and technical noise-leading to low concordance in their linking scores-and do not capture the effects of genomic distance. We propose pgBoost, an integrative modeling framework that trains a non-linear combination of existing linking strategies (including genomic distance) on fine-mapped eQTL data to assign a probabilistic score to each candidate SNP-gene link. We applied pgBoost to single-cell multiome data from 85k cells representing 6 major immune/blood cell types. pgBoost attained higher enrichment for fine-mapped eSNP-eGene pairs (e.g. 21x at distance >10kb) than existing methods (1.2-10x; p-value for difference = 5e-13 vs. distance-based method and < 4e-35 for each other method), with larger improvements at larger distances (e.g. 35x vs. 0.89-6.6x at distance >100kb; p-value for difference < 0.002 vs. each other method). pgBoost also outperformed existing methods in enrichment for CRISPR-validated links (e.g. 4.8x vs. 1.6-4.1x at distance >10kb; p-value for difference = 0.25 vs. distance-based method and < 2e-5 for each other method), with larger improvements at larger distances (e.g. 15x vs. 1.6-2.5x at distance >100kb; p-value for difference < 0.009 for each other method). Similar improvements in enrichment were observed for links derived from Activity-By-Contact (ABC) scores and GWAS data. We further determined that restricting pgBoost to features from a focal cell type improved the identification of SNP-gene links relevant to that cell type. We highlight several examples where pgBoost linked fine-mapped GWAS variants to experimentally validated or biologically plausible target genes that were not implicated by other methods. In conclusion, a non-linear combination of linking strategies, including genomic distance, improves power to identify target genes underlying GWAS associations.
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Mazzarini M, Cherone J, Nguyen T, Martelli F, Varricchio L, Funnell APW, Papayannopoulou T, Migliaccio AR. The glucocorticoid receptor elicited proliferative response in human erythropoiesis is BCL11A-dependent. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.05.577972. [PMID: 38370646 PMCID: PMC10871295 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.05.577972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
Prior evidence indicates that the erythroid cellular response to glucocorticoids (GC) has developmental specificity, namely, that developmentally more advanced cells that are undergoing or have undergone fetal to adult globin switching are more responsive to GC-induced expansion. To investigate the molecular underpinnings of this, we focused on the major developmental globin regulator BCL11A. We compared: a) levels of expression and nuclear content of BCL11A in adult erythroid cells upon GC stimulation; b) response to GC of CD34+ cells from patients with BCL11A microdeletions and reduced BCL11A expression, and; c) response to GC of two cellular models (HUDEP-2 and adult CD34+ cells) before and after reduction of BCL11A expression by shRNA. We observed that: a) GC-expanded erythroid cells from a large cohort of blood donors displayed amplified expression and nuclear accumulation of BCL11A; b) CD34+ cells from BCL11A microdeletion patients generated fewer erythroid cells when cultured with GC compared to their parents, while the erythroid expansion of the patients was similar to that of their parents in cultures without GC, and; c) adult CD34+ cells and HUDEP-2 cells with shRNA-depleted expression of BCL11A exhibit reduced expansion in response to GC. In addition, RNA-seq profiling of shRNA-BCL11A CD34+ cells cultured with and without GC was similar (very few differentially expressed genes), while GC-specific responses (differential expression of GILZ and of numerous additional genes) were observed only in controls cells with unperturbed BCL11A expression. These data indicate that BCL11A is an important participant of certain aspects of the stress pathway sustained by GC.
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Klein DC, Lardo SM, Hainer SJ. The ncBAF Complex Regulates Transcription in AML Through H3K27ac Sensing by BRD9. CANCER RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS 2024; 4:237-252. [PMID: 38126767 PMCID: PMC10831031 DOI: 10.1158/2767-9764.crc-23-0382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Revised: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
The non-canonical BAF complex (ncBAF) subunit BRD9 is essential for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cell viability but has an unclear role in leukemogenesis. Because BRD9 is required for ncBAF complex assembly through its DUF3512 domain, precise bromodomain inhibition is necessary to parse the role of BRD9 as a transcriptional regulator from that of a scaffolding protein. To understand the role of BRD9 bromodomain function in regulating AML, we selected a panel of five AML cell lines with distinct driver mutations, disease classifications, and genomic aberrations and subjected these cells to short-term BRD9 bromodomain inhibition. We examined the bromodomain-dependent growth of these cell lines, identifying a dependency in AML cell lines but not HEK293T cells. To define a mechanism through which BRD9 maintains AML cell survival, we examined nascent transcription, chromatin accessibility, and ncBAF complex binding genome-wide after bromodomain inhibition. We identified extensive regulation of transcription by BRD9 bromodomain activity, including repression of myeloid maturation factors and tumor suppressor genes, while standard AML chemotherapy targets were repressed by inhibition of the BRD9 bromodomain. BRD9 bromodomain activity maintained accessible chromatin at both gene promoters and gene-distal putative enhancer regions, in a manner that qualitatively correlated with enrichment of BRD9 binding. Furthermore, we identified reduced chromatin accessibility at GATA, ETS, and AP-1 motifs and increased chromatin accessibility at SNAIL-, HIC-, and TP53-recognized motifs after BRD9 inhibition. These data suggest a role for BRD9 in regulating AML cell differentiation through modulation of accessibility at hematopoietic transcription factor binding sites. SIGNIFICANCE The bromodomain-containing protein BRD9 is essential for AML cell viability, but it is unclear whether this requirement is due to the protein's role as an epigenetic reader. We inhibited this activity and identified altered gene-distal chromatin regulation and transcription consistent with a more mature myeloid cell state.
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Affiliation(s)
- David C. Klein
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Santana M. Lardo
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Sarah J. Hainer
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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Viennet T, Yin M, Jayaraj A, Kim W, Sun ZYJ, Fujiwara Y, Zhang K, Seruggia D, Seo HS, Dhe-Paganon S, Orkin SH, Arthanari H. Structural Insights into the DNA-Binding Mechanism of BCL11A: The Integral Role of ZnF6. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.17.576058. [PMID: 38293057 PMCID: PMC10827156 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.17.576058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2024]
Abstract
The transcription factor BCL11A is a critical regulator of the switch from fetal hemoglobin (HbF: α 2 γ 2 ) to adult hemoglobin (HbA: α 2 β 2 ) during development. BCL11A binds at a cognate recognition site (TGACCA) in the γ-globin gene promoter and represses its expression. DNA-binding is mediated by a triple zinc finger domain, designated ZnF456. Here, we report comprehensive investigation of ZnF456, leveraging X-ray crystallography and NMR to determine the structures in both the presence and absence of DNA. We delve into the dynamics and mode of interaction with DNA. Moreover, we discovered that the last zinc finger of BCL11A (ZnF6) plays a special role in DNA binding and γ-globin gene repression. Our findings help account for some rare γ-globin gene promoter mutations that perturb BCL11A binding and lead to increased HbF in adults (hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin). Comprehending the DNA binding mechanism of BCL11A opens avenues for the strategic, structure-based design of novel therapeutics targeting sickle cell disease and β-thalassemia.
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Zheng G, Orkin SH. Transcriptional Repressor BCL11A in Erythroid Cells. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2024; 1459:199-215. [PMID: 39017845 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-62731-6_9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/18/2024]
Abstract
BCL11A, a zinc finger repressor, is a stage-specific transcription factor that controls the switch from fetal (HbF, α2γ2) to adult (HbA, α2β2) hemoglobin in erythroid cells. While BCL11A was known as a factor critical for B-lymphoid cell development, its relationship to erythroid cells and HbF arose through genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Subsequent work validated its role as a silencer of γ-globin gene expression in cultured cells and mice. Erythroid-specific loss of BCL11A rescues the phenotype of engineered sickle cell disease (SCD) mice, thereby suggesting that downregulation of BCL11A expression might be beneficial in patients with SCD and β-thalassemia. Common genetic variation in GWAS resides in an erythroid-specific enhancer within the BCL11A gene that is required for its own expression. CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing of the enhancer revealed a GATA-binding site that confers a large portion of its regulatory function. Disruption of the GATA site leads to robust HbF reactivation. Advancement of a guide RNA targeting the GATA-binding site in clinical trials has recently led to approval of first-in-man use of ex vivo CRISPR editing of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) as therapy of SCD and β-thalassemia. Future challenges include expanding access and infrastructure for delivery of genetic therapy to eligible patients, reducing potential toxicity and costs, exploring prospects for in vivo targeting of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), and developing small molecule drugs that impair function of BCL11A protein as an alternative option.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ge Zheng
- Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School and HHMI, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Stuart H Orkin
- Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Boston, MA, USA.
- Harvard Medical School and HHMI, Boston, MA, USA.
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Ebrahimi S, Khosravi MA, Raz A, Karimipoor M, Parvizi P. CRISPR-Cas Technology as a Revolutionary Genome Editing tool: Mechanisms and Biomedical Applications. IRANIAN BIOMEDICAL JOURNAL 2023; 27:219-46. [PMID: 37873636 PMCID: PMC10707817 DOI: 10.61186/ibj.27.5.219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
Programmable nucleases are powerful genomic tools for precise genome editing. These tools precisely recognize, remove, or change DNA at a defined site, thereby, stimulating cellular DNA repair pathways that can cause mutations or accurate replacement or deletion/insertion of a sequence. CRISPR-Cas9 system is the most potent and useful genome editing technique adapted from the defense immune system of certain bacteria and archaea against viruses and phages. In the past decade, this technology made notable progress, and at present, it has largely been used in genome manipulation to make precise gene editing in plants, animals, and human cells. In this review, we aim to explain the basic principle, mechanisms of action, and applications of this system in different areas of medicine, with emphasizing on the detection and treatment of parasitic diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sahar Ebrahimi
- Molecular Systematics Laboratory, Parasitology Department, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
- Molecular Medicine Department, Biotechnology Research Center (BRC), Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Ali Khosravi
- Molecular Medicine Department, Biotechnology Research Center (BRC), Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Abbasali Raz
- Malaria and Vector Research Group (MVRG), Biotechnology Research Center (BRC), Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Morteza Karimipoor
- Molecular Medicine Department, Biotechnology Research Center (BRC), Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Parviz Parvizi
- Molecular Systematics Laboratory, Parasitology Department, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
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Paschoudi K, Yannaki E, Psatha N. Precision Editing as a Therapeutic Approach for β-Hemoglobinopathies. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24119527. [PMID: 37298481 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24119527] [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: 04/21/2023] [Revised: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Beta-hemoglobinopathies are the most common genetic disorders worldwide, caused by a wide spectrum of mutations in the β-globin locus, and associated with morbidity and early mortality in case of patient non-adherence to supportive treatment. Allogeneic transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells (allo-HSCT) used to be the only curative option, although the indispensable need for an HLA-matched donor markedly restricted its universal application. The evolution of gene therapy approaches made possible the ex vivo delivery of a therapeutic β- or γ- globin gene into patient-derived hematopoietic stem cells followed by the transplantation of corrected cells into myeloablated patients, having led to high rates of transfusion independence (thalassemia) or complete resolution of painful crises (sickle cell disease-SCD). Hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin (HPFH), a syndrome characterized by increased γ-globin levels, when co-inherited with β-thalassemia or SCD, converts hemoglobinopathies to a benign condition with mild clinical phenotype. The rapid development of precise genome editing tools (ZFN, TALENs, CRISPR/Cas9) over the last decade has allowed the targeted introduction of mutations, resulting in disease-modifying outcomes. In this context, genome editing tools have successfully been used for the introduction of HPFH-like mutations both in HBG1/HBG2 promoters or/and in the erythroid enhancer of BCL11A to increase HbF expression as an alternative curative approach for β-hemoglobinopathies. The current investigation of new HbF modulators, such as ZBTB7A, KLF-1, SOX6, and ZNF410, further expands the range of possible genome editing targets. Importantly, genome editing approaches have recently reached clinical translation in trials investigating HbF reactivation in both SCD and thalassemic patients. Showing promising outcomes, these approaches are yet to be confirmed in long-term follow-up studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiriaki Paschoudi
- Department of Genetics, Development and Molecular Biology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
- Gene and Cell Therapy Center, Hematology Clinic, George Papanikolaou Hospital, Exokhi, 57010 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Evangelia Yannaki
- Gene and Cell Therapy Center, Hematology Clinic, George Papanikolaou Hospital, Exokhi, 57010 Thessaloniki, Greece
- Department of Hematology, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Nikoletta Psatha
- Department of Genetics, Development and Molecular Biology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
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12
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Lu HY, Orkin SH, Sankaran VG. Fetal Hemoglobin Regulation in Beta-Thalassemia. Hematol Oncol Clin North Am 2023; 37:301-312. [PMID: 36907604 DOI: 10.1016/j.hoc.2022.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2023]
Abstract
β-thalassemia is caused by mutations that reduce β-globin production, causing globin chain imbalance, ineffective erythropoiesis, and consequent anemia. Increased fetal hemoglobin (HbF) levels can ameliorate the severity of β-thalassemia by compensating for the globin chain imbalance. Careful clinical observations paired with population studies and advances in human genetics have enabled the discovery of major regulators of HbF switching (i.e. BCL11A, ZBTB7A) and led to pharmacological and genetic therapies for treating β-thalassemia patients. Recent functional screens using genome editing and other emerging tools have identified many new HbF regulators, which may improve therapeutic HbF induction in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry Y Lu
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Karp Family Research Laboratories, Boston Children's Hospital, 1 Blackfan Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA. https://twitter.com/realhenrylu
| | - Stuart H Orkin
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Karp Family Research Laboratories, Boston Children's Hospital, 1 Blackfan Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA; Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Vijay G Sankaran
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Karp Family Research Laboratories, Boston Children's Hospital, 1 Blackfan Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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13
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Kim YJ, Lee M, Lee YT, Jing J, Sanders JT, Botten GA, He L, Lyu J, Zhang Y, Mettlen M, Ly P, Zhou Y, Xu J. Light-activated macromolecular phase separation modulates transcription by reconfiguring chromatin interactions. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadg1123. [PMID: 37000871 PMCID: PMC10065442 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adg1123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Biomolecular condensates participate in the regulation of gene transcription, yet the relationship between nuclear condensation and transcriptional activation remains elusive. Here, we devised a biotinylated CRISPR-dCas9-based optogenetic method, light-activated macromolecular phase separation (LAMPS), to enable inducible formation, affinity purification, and multiomic dissection of nuclear condensates at the targeted genomic loci. LAMPS-induced condensation at enhancers and promoters activates endogenous gene transcription by chromatin reconfiguration, causing increased chromatin accessibility and de novo formation of long-range chromosomal loops. Proteomic profiling of light-induced condensates by dCas9-mediated affinity purification uncovers multivalent interaction-dependent remodeling of macromolecular composition, resulting in the selective enrichment of transcriptional coactivators and chromatin structure proteins. Our findings support a model whereby the formation of nuclear condensates at native genomic loci reconfigures chromatin architecture and multiprotein assemblies to modulate gene transcription. Hence, LAMPS facilitates mechanistic interrogation of the relationship between nuclear condensation, genome structure, and gene transcription in living cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoon Jung Kim
- Children’s Medical Center Research Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Michael Lee
- Children’s Medical Center Research Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Yi-Tsang Lee
- Center for Translational Cancer Research, Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Ji Jing
- Center for Translational Cancer Research, Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Jacob T. Sanders
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Giovanni A. Botten
- Children’s Medical Center Research Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Lian He
- Center for Translational Cancer Research, Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Junhua Lyu
- Children’s Medical Center Research Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Yuannyu Zhang
- Children’s Medical Center Research Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Marcel Mettlen
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Peter Ly
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Yubin Zhou
- Center for Translational Cancer Research, Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Translational Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Jian Xu
- Children’s Medical Center Research Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
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14
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Gleneadie HJ, Fernandez-Ruiz B, Sardini A, Van de Pette M, Dimond A, Prinjha RK, McGinty J, French PMW, Bagci H, Merkenschlager M, Fisher AG. Endogenous bioluminescent reporters reveal a sustained increase in utrophin gene expression upon EZH2 and ERK1/2 inhibition. Commun Biol 2023; 6:318. [PMID: 36966198 PMCID: PMC10039851 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04666-9] [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: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 03/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an X-linked disorder caused by loss of function mutations in the dystrophin gene (Dmd), resulting in progressive muscle weakening. Here we modelled the longitudinal expression of endogenous Dmd, and its paralogue Utrn, in mice and in myoblasts by generating bespoke bioluminescent gene reporters. As utrophin can partially compensate for Dmd-deficiency, these reporters were used as tools to ask whether chromatin-modifying drugs can enhance Utrn expression in developing muscle. Myoblasts treated with different PRC2 inhibitors showed significant increases in Utrn transcripts and bioluminescent signals, and these responses were independently verified by conditional Ezh2 deletion. Inhibition of ERK1/2 signalling provoked an additional increase in Utrn expression that was also seen in Dmd-mutant cells, and maintained as myoblasts differentiate. These data reveal PRC2 and ERK1/2 to be negative regulators of Utrn expression and provide specialised molecular imaging tools to monitor utrophin expression as a therapeutic strategy for DMD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah J Gleneadie
- Epigenetic Memory Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences (LMS), Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Beatriz Fernandez-Ruiz
- Epigenetic Memory Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences (LMS), Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Alessandro Sardini
- Whole Animal Physiology and Imaging Facility, MRC LMS, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Mathew Van de Pette
- Epigenetic Memory Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences (LMS), Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK
- MRC Toxicology Unit, Gleeson Building, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QR, UK
| | - Andrew Dimond
- Epigenetic Memory Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences (LMS), Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Rab K Prinjha
- Immunology and Epigenetics Research Unit, Research, GlaxoSmithKline, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, Herts, SG1 2NY, UK
| | - James McGinty
- Photonics Group, Department of Physics, Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Paul M W French
- Photonics Group, Department of Physics, Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Hakan Bagci
- Lymphocyte Development Group, MRC LMS, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Matthias Merkenschlager
- Lymphocyte Development Group, MRC LMS, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Amanda G Fisher
- Epigenetic Memory Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences (LMS), Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK.
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, OX1 3QU, Oxford, UK.
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15
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Segura EER, Ayoub PG, Hart KL, Kohn DB. Gene Therapy for β-Hemoglobinopathies: From Discovery to Clinical Trials. Viruses 2023; 15:713. [PMID: 36992422 PMCID: PMC10054523 DOI: 10.3390/v15030713] [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: 12/10/2022] [Revised: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Investigations to understand the function and control of the globin genes have led to some of the most exciting molecular discoveries and biomedical breakthroughs of the 20th and 21st centuries. Extensive characterization of the globin gene locus, accompanied by pioneering work on the utilization of viruses as human gene delivery tools in human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HPSCs), has led to transformative and successful therapies via autologous hematopoietic stem-cell transplant with gene therapy (HSCT-GT). Due to the advanced understanding of the β-globin gene cluster, the first diseases considered for autologous HSCT-GT were two prevalent β-hemoglobinopathies: sickle cell disease and β-thalassemia, both affecting functional β-globin chains and leading to substantial morbidity. Both conditions are suitable for allogeneic HSCT; however, this therapy comes with serious risks and is most effective using an HLA-matched family donor (which is not available for most patients) to obtain optimal therapeutic and safe benefits. Transplants from unrelated or haplo-identical donors carry higher risks, although they are progressively improving. Conversely, HSCT-GT utilizes the patient's own HSPCs, broadening access to more patients. Several gene therapy clinical trials have been reported to have achieved significant disease improvement, and more are underway. Based on the safety and the therapeutic success of autologous HSCT-GT, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2022 approved an HSCT-GT for β-thalassemia (Zynteglo™). This review illuminates the β-globin gene research journey, adversities faced, and achievements reached; it highlights important molecular and genetic findings of the β-globin locus, describes the predominant globin vectors, and concludes by describing promising results from clinical trials for both sickle cell disease and β-thalassemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Eugenie Rose Segura
- Molecular Biology Interdepartmental Doctoral Program, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA;
| | - Paul George Ayoub
- Department of Molecular & Medical Pharmacology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Kevyn Lopez Hart
- Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Donald Barry Kohn
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Department of Pediatrics (Hematology/Oncology), David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Stem Cell Research and Regenerative Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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16
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Andrades A, Peinado P, Alvarez-Perez JC, Sanjuan-Hidalgo J, García DJ, Arenas AM, Matia-González AM, Medina PP. SWI/SNF complexes in hematological malignancies: biological implications and therapeutic opportunities. Mol Cancer 2023; 22:39. [PMID: 36810086 PMCID: PMC9942420 DOI: 10.1186/s12943-023-01736-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Hematological malignancies are a highly heterogeneous group of diseases with varied molecular and phenotypical characteristics. SWI/SNF (SWItch/Sucrose Non-Fermentable) chromatin remodeling complexes play significant roles in the regulation of gene expression, being essential for processes such as cell maintenance and differentiation in hematopoietic stem cells. Furthermore, alterations in SWI/SNF complex subunits, especially in ARID1A/1B/2, SMARCA2/4, and BCL7A, are highly recurrent across a wide variety of lymphoid and myeloid malignancies. Most genetic alterations cause a loss of function of the subunit, suggesting a tumor suppressor role. However, SWI/SNF subunits can also be required for tumor maintenance or even play an oncogenic role in certain disease contexts. The recurrent alterations of SWI/SNF subunits highlight not only the biological relevance of SWI/SNF complexes in hematological malignancies but also their clinical potential. In particular, increasing evidence has shown that mutations in SWI/SNF complex subunits confer resistance to several antineoplastic agents routinely used for the treatment of hematological malignancies. Furthermore, mutations in SWI/SNF subunits often create synthetic lethality relationships with other SWI/SNF or non-SWI/SNF proteins that could be exploited therapeutically. In conclusion, SWI/SNF complexes are recurrently altered in hematological malignancies and some SWI/SNF subunits may be essential for tumor maintenance. These alterations, as well as their synthetic lethal relationships with SWI/SNF and non-SWI/SNF proteins, may be pharmacologically exploited for the treatment of diverse hematological cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alvaro Andrades
- grid.4489.10000000121678994Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I. Faculty of Sciences, University of Granada, Granada, Spain ,grid.470860.d0000 0004 4677 7069GENYO, Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research: Pfizer/University of Granada/Andalusian Regional Government, PTS Granada, Granada, Spain ,grid.507088.2Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria de Granada (ibs.GRANADA), Granada, Spain
| | - Paola Peinado
- grid.4489.10000000121678994Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I. Faculty of Sciences, University of Granada, Granada, Spain ,grid.470860.d0000 0004 4677 7069GENYO, Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research: Pfizer/University of Granada/Andalusian Regional Government, PTS Granada, Granada, Spain ,grid.507088.2Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria de Granada (ibs.GRANADA), Granada, Spain ,grid.451388.30000 0004 1795 1830Present Address: The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Juan Carlos Alvarez-Perez
- grid.4489.10000000121678994Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I. Faculty of Sciences, University of Granada, Granada, Spain ,grid.470860.d0000 0004 4677 7069GENYO, Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research: Pfizer/University of Granada/Andalusian Regional Government, PTS Granada, Granada, Spain ,grid.507088.2Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria de Granada (ibs.GRANADA), Granada, Spain
| | - Juan Sanjuan-Hidalgo
- grid.4489.10000000121678994Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I. Faculty of Sciences, University of Granada, Granada, Spain ,grid.470860.d0000 0004 4677 7069GENYO, Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research: Pfizer/University of Granada/Andalusian Regional Government, PTS Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Daniel J. García
- grid.470860.d0000 0004 4677 7069GENYO, Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research: Pfizer/University of Granada/Andalusian Regional Government, PTS Granada, Granada, Spain ,grid.4489.10000000121678994Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology III and Immunology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Alberto M. Arenas
- grid.4489.10000000121678994Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I. Faculty of Sciences, University of Granada, Granada, Spain ,grid.470860.d0000 0004 4677 7069GENYO, Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research: Pfizer/University of Granada/Andalusian Regional Government, PTS Granada, Granada, Spain ,grid.507088.2Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria de Granada (ibs.GRANADA), Granada, Spain
| | - Ana M. Matia-González
- grid.4489.10000000121678994Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I. Faculty of Sciences, University of Granada, Granada, Spain ,grid.470860.d0000 0004 4677 7069GENYO, Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research: Pfizer/University of Granada/Andalusian Regional Government, PTS Granada, Granada, Spain ,grid.507088.2Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria de Granada (ibs.GRANADA), Granada, Spain
| | - Pedro P. Medina
- grid.4489.10000000121678994Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I. Faculty of Sciences, University of Granada, Granada, Spain ,grid.470860.d0000 0004 4677 7069GENYO, Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research: Pfizer/University of Granada/Andalusian Regional Government, PTS Granada, Granada, Spain ,grid.507088.2Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria de Granada (ibs.GRANADA), Granada, Spain
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17
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Yin M, Izadi M, Tenglin K, Viennet T, Zhai L, Zheng G, Arthanari H, Dassama LMK, Orkin SH. Evolution of nanobodies specific for BCL11A. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2218959120. [PMID: 36626555 PMCID: PMC9933118 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2218959120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Transcription factors (TFs) control numerous genes that are directly relevant to many human disorders. However, developing specific reagents targeting TFs within intact cells is challenging due to the presence of highly disordered regions within these proteins. Intracellular antibodies offer opportunities to probe protein function and validate therapeutic targets. Here, we describe the optimization of nanobodies specific for BCL11A, a validated target for the treatment of hemoglobin disorders. We obtained first-generation nanobodies directed to a region of BCL11A comprising zinc fingers 4 to 6 (ZF456) from a synthetic yeast surface display library, and employed error-prone mutagenesis, structural determination, and molecular modeling to enhance binding affinity. Engineered nanobodies recognized ZF6 and mediated targeted protein degradation (TPD) of BCL11A protein in erythroid cells, leading to the anticipated reactivation of fetal hemoglobin (HbF) expression. Evolved nanobodies distinguished BCL11A from its close paralog BCL11B, which shares an identical DNA-binding specificity. Given the ease of manipulation of nanobodies and their exquisite specificity, nanobody-mediated TPD of TFs should be suitable for dissecting regulatory relationships of TFs and gene targets and validating therapeutic potential of proteins of interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maolu Yin
- Dana Farber Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
- HHMI, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
| | - Manizheh Izadi
- Dana Farber Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
- HHMI, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
| | - Karin Tenglin
- Dana Farber Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
- HHMI, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
| | - Thibault Viennet
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, MA02115
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, MA02215
| | - Liting Zhai
- Department of Chemistry and Sarafan ChEM-H, Stanford University, Stanford, CA94305
| | - Ge Zheng
- Dana Farber Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
- HHMI, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
| | - Haribabu Arthanari
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, MA02115
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, MA02215
| | - Laura M. K. Dassama
- Department of Chemistry and Sarafan ChEM-H, Stanford University, Stanford, CA94305
| | - Stuart H. Orkin
- Dana Farber Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
- HHMI, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
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18
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Mahmoud Ahmed NH, Lai MI. The Novel Role of the B-Cell Lymphoma/Leukemia 11A (BCL11A) Gene in β-Thalassaemia Treatment. Cardiovasc Hematol Disord Drug Targets 2023; 22:226-236. [PMID: 36734897 DOI: 10.2174/1871529x23666230123140926] [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: 09/01/2022] [Revised: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
β-thalassaemia is a genetic disorder resulting in a reduction or absence of β-globin gene expression. Due to the high prevalence of β-thalassaemia and the lack of available treatment other than blood transfusion and haematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation, the disease represents a considerable burden to clinical and economic systems. Foetal haemoglobin has an appreciated ameliorating effect in β-haemoglobinopathy, as the γ-globin chain substitutes the β-globin chain reduction by pairing with the excess α-globin chain in β-thalassaemia and reduces sickling in sickle cell disease (SCD). BCL11A is a critical regulator and repressor of foetal haemoglobin. Downregulation of BCL11A in adult erythroblasts and cell lines expressing adult haemoglobin led to a significant increase in foetal haemoglobin levels. Disruption of BCL11A erythroid enhancer resulted in disruption of the BCL11A gene solely in the erythroid lineages and increased γ-globin expression in adult erythroid cells. Autologous haematopoietic stem cell gene therapy represents an attractive treatment option to overcome the immune complications and donor availability associated with allogeneic transplantation. Using genome editing technologies, the disruption of BCL11A to induce γ- globin expression in HSCs has emerged as an alternative approach to treat β-thalassaemia. Targeting the +58 BCL11A erythroid enhancer or BCL11A binding motif at the γ-gene promoter with CRISPR-Cas9 or base editors has successfully disrupted the gene and the binding motif with a subsequent increment in HbF levels. This review outlines the critical role of BCL11A in γ-globin gene silencing and discusses the different genome editing approaches to downregulate BCL11A as a means for ameliorating β-thalassaemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nahil Hassan Mahmoud Ahmed
- Haematology Unit, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Mei I Lai
- Haematology Unit, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.,Genetics and Regenerative Medicine Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
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19
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Identification and characterization of RBM12 as a novel regulator of fetal hemoglobin expression. Blood Adv 2022; 6:5956-5968. [PMID: 35622975 PMCID: PMC9678958 DOI: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2022007904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 05/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The fetal-to-adult hemoglobin transition is clinically relevant because reactivation of fetal hemoglobin (HbF) significantly reduces morbidity and mortality associated with sickle cell disease (SCD) and β-thalassemia. Most studies on the developmental regulation of the globin genes, including genome-wide genetics screens, have focused on DNA binding proteins, including BCL11A and ZBTB7A/LRF and their cofactors. Our understanding of RNA binding proteins (RBPs) in this process is much more limited. Two RBPs, LIN28B and IGF2BP1, are known posttranscriptional regulators of HbF production, but a global view of RBPs is still lacking. Here, we carried out a CRISPR/Cas9-based screen targeting RBPs harboring RNA methyltransferase and/or RNA recognition motif (RRM) domains and identified RNA binding motif 12 (RBM12) as a novel HbF suppressor. Depletion of RBM12 induced HbF expression and attenuated cell sickling in erythroid cells derived from patients with SCD with minimal detrimental effects on cell maturation. Transcriptome and proteome profiling revealed that RBM12 functions independently of major known HbF regulators. Enhanced cross-linking and immunoprecipitation followed by high-throughput sequencing revealed strong preferential binding of RBM12 to 5' untranslated regions of transcripts, narrowing down the mechanism of RBM12 action. Notably, we pinpointed the first of 5 RRM domains as essential, and, in conjunction with a linker domain, sufficient for RBM12-mediated HbF regulation. Our characterization of RBM12 as a negative regulator of HbF points to an additional regulatory layer of the fetal-to-adult hemoglobin switch and broadens the pool of potential therapeutic targets for SCD and β-thalassemia.
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20
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Drakopoulou E, Georgomanoli M, Lederer CW, Panetsos F, Kleanthous M, Voskaridou E, Valakos D, Papanikolaou E, Anagnou NP. The Optimized γ-Globin Lentiviral Vector GGHI-mB-3D Leads to Nearly Therapeutic HbF Levels In Vitro in CD34 + Cells from Sickle Cell Disease Patients. Viruses 2022; 14:v14122716. [PMID: 36560719 PMCID: PMC9783242 DOI: 10.3390/v14122716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Revised: 11/13/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
We have previously demonstrated that both the original γ-globin lentiviral vector (LV) GGHI and the optimized GGHI-mB-3D LV, carrying the novel regulatory elements of the 3D HPFH-1 enhancer and the 3' β-globin UTR, can significantly increase HbF production in thalassemic CD34+ cells and ameliorate the disease phenotype in vitro. In the present study, we investigated whether the GGHI-mB-3D vector can also exhibit an equally therapeutic effect, following the transduction of sickle cell disease (SCD) CD34+ cells at MOI 100, leading to HbF increase coupled with HbS decrease, and thus, to phenotype improvement in vitro. We show that GGHI-mB-3D LV can lead to high and potentially therapeutic HbF levels, reaching a mean 2-fold increase to a mean value of VCN/cell of 1.0 and a mean transduction efficiency of 55%. Furthermore, this increase was accompanied by a significant 1.6-fold HbS decrease, a beneficial therapeutic feature for SCD. In summary, our data demonstrate the efficacy of the optimized γ-globin lentiviral vector to improve the SCD phenotype in vitro, and highlights its potential use in future clinical SCD trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekati Drakopoulou
- Laboratory of Cell and Gene Therapy, Centre of Basic Research, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens (BRFAA), 11527 Athens, Greece
- Laboratory of Biology, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
| | - Maria Georgomanoli
- Laboratory of Cell and Gene Therapy, Centre of Basic Research, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens (BRFAA), 11527 Athens, Greece
- Laboratory of Biology, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
| | - Carsten W. Lederer
- The Molecular Genetics Thalassemia Department, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, 2371 Nicosia, Cyprus
| | | | - Marina Kleanthous
- The Molecular Genetics Thalassemia Department, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, 2371 Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Ersi Voskaridou
- Thalassemia and Sickle Cell Disease Centre, Laiko General Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece
| | - Dimitrios Valakos
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Centre of Basic Research, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens (BRFAA), 11527 Athens, Greece
| | - Eleni Papanikolaou
- Laboratory of Biology, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
| | - Nicholas P. Anagnou
- Laboratory of Cell and Gene Therapy, Centre of Basic Research, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens (BRFAA), 11527 Athens, Greece
- Laboratory of Biology, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
- Correspondence:
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21
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Krüppel-Like Factor 1: A Pivotal Gene Regulator in Erythropoiesis. Cells 2022; 11:cells11193069. [PMID: 36231031 PMCID: PMC9561966 DOI: 10.3390/cells11193069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Revised: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Krüppel-like factor 1 (KLF1) plays a crucial role in erythropoiesis. In-depth studies conducted on mice and humans have highlighted its importance in erythroid lineage commitment, terminal erythropoiesis progression and the switching of globin genes from γ to β. The role of KLF1 in haemoglobin switching is exerted by the direct activation of β-globin gene and by the silencing of γ-globin through activation of BCL11A, an important γ-globin gene repressor. The link between KLF1 and γ-globin silencing identifies this transcription factor as a possible therapeutic target for β-hemoglobinopathies. Moreover, several mutations have been identified in the human genes that are responsible for various benign phenotypes and erythroid disorders. The study of the phenotype associated with each mutation has greatly contributed to the current understanding of the complex role of KLF1 in erythropoiesis. This review will focus on some of the principal functions of KLF1 on erythroid cell commitment and differentiation, spanning from primitive to definitive erythropoiesis. The fundamental role of KLF1 in haemoglobin switching will be also highlighted. Finally, an overview of the principal human mutations and relative phenotypes and disorders will be described.
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22
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Luanpitpong S, Kang X, Janan M, Thumanu K, Li J, Kheolamai P, Issaragrisil S. Metabolic sensor O-GlcNAcylation regulates erythroid differentiation and globin production via BCL11A. Stem Cell Res Ther 2022; 13:274. [PMID: 35739577 PMCID: PMC9219246 DOI: 10.1186/s13287-022-02954-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Human erythropoiesis is a tightly regulated, multistep process encompassing the differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) toward mature erythrocytes. Cellular metabolism is an important regulator of cell fate determination during the differentiation of HSCs. However, how O-GlcNAcylation, a posttranslational modification of proteins that is an ideal metabolic sensor, contributes to the commitment of HSCs to the erythroid lineage and to the terminal erythroid differentiation has not been addressed. Methods Cellular O-GlcNAcylation was manipulated using small molecule inhibition or CRISPR/Cas9 manipulation of catalyzing enzyme O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) and removing enzyme O-GlcNAcase (OGA) in two cell models of erythroid differentiation, starting from: (i) human umbilical cord blood-derived CD34+ hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) to investigate the erythroid lineage specification and differentiation; and (ii) human-derived erythroblastic leukemia K562 cells to investigate the terminal differentiation. The functional and regulatory roles of O-GlcNAcylation in erythroid differentiation, maturation, and globin production were investigated, and downstream signaling was delineated. Results First, we observed that two-step inhibition of OGT and OGA, which were established from the observed dynamics of O-GlcNAc level along the course of differentiation, promotes HSPCs toward erythroid differentiation and enucleation, in agreement with an upregulation of a multitude of erythroid-associated genes. Further studies in the efficient K562 model of erythroid differentiation confirmed that OGA inhibition and subsequent hyper-O-GlcNAcylation enhance terminal erythroid differentiation and affect globin production. Mechanistically, we found that BCL11A is a key mediator of O-GlcNAc-driven erythroid differentiation and β- and α-globin production herein. Additionally, analysis of biochemical contents using synchrotron-based Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy showed unique metabolic fingerprints upon OGA inhibition during erythroid differentiation, supporting that metabolic reprogramming plays a part in this process. Conclusions The evidence presented here demonstrated the novel regulatory role of O-GlcNAc/BCL11A axis in erythroid differentiation, maturation, and globin production that could be important in understanding erythropoiesis and hematologic disorders whose etiology is related to impaired erythroid differentiation and hemoglobinopathies. Our findings may lay the groundwork for future clinical applications toward an ex vivo production of functional human reticulocytes for transfusion from renewable cell sources, i.e., HSPCs and pluripotent stem cells. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13287-022-02954-5.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sudjit Luanpitpong
- Siriraj Center of Excellence for Stem Cell Research, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, 2 Siriraj Hospital, Bangkoknoi, Bangkok, 10700, Thailand.
| | - Xing Kang
- Siriraj Center of Excellence for Stem Cell Research, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, 2 Siriraj Hospital, Bangkoknoi, Bangkok, 10700, Thailand
| | - Montira Janan
- Siriraj Center of Excellence for Stem Cell Research, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, 2 Siriraj Hospital, Bangkoknoi, Bangkok, 10700, Thailand
| | - Kanjana Thumanu
- Synchrotron Light Research Institute (Public Organization), Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand
| | - Jingting Li
- Institute of Precision Medicine, Department of Burns, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Pakpoom Kheolamai
- Center of Excellence in Stem Cell Research and Innovation, Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University, Pathum Thani, 12120, Thailand.
| | - Surapol Issaragrisil
- Siriraj Center of Excellence for Stem Cell Research, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, 2 Siriraj Hospital, Bangkoknoi, Bangkok, 10700, Thailand.,Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
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Rahimmanesh I, Boshtam M, Kouhpayeh S, Khanahmad H, Dabiri A, Ahangarzadeh S, Esmaeili Y, Bidram E, Vaseghi G, Haghjooy Javanmard S, Shariati L, Zarrabi A, Varma RS. Gene Editing-Based Technologies for Beta-hemoglobinopathies Treatment. BIOLOGY 2022; 11:biology11060862. [PMID: 35741383 PMCID: PMC9219845 DOI: 10.3390/biology11060862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2022] [Revised: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Beta (β)-thalassemia is a group of human inherited abnormalities caused by various molecular defects, which involves a decrease or cessation in the balanced synthesis of the β-globin chains in hemoglobin structure. Traditional treatment for β-thalassemia major is allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) from a completely matched donor. The limited number of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-matched donors, long-term use of immunosuppressive regimen and higher risk of immunological complications have limited the application of this therapeutic approach. Furthermore, despite improvements in transfusion practices and chelation treatment, many lingering challenges have encouraged researchers to develop newer therapeutic strategies such as nanomedicine and gene editing. One of the most powerful arms of genetic manipulation is gene editing tools, including transcription activator-like effector nucleases, zinc-finger nucleases, and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat-Cas-associated nucleases. These tools have concentrated on γ- or β-globin addition, regulating the transcription factors involved in expression of endogenous γ-globin such as KLF1, silencing of γ-globin inhibitors including BCL11A, SOX6, and LRF/ZBTB7A, and gene repair strategies. In this review article, we present a systematic overview of the appliances of gene editing tools for β-thalassemia treatment and paving the way for patients' therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilnaz Rahimmanesh
- Applied Physiology Research Center, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan 73461-81746, Iran
| | - Maryam Boshtam
- Isfahan Cardiovascular Research Center, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan 81583-88994, Iran
| | - Shirin Kouhpayeh
- Erythron Genetics and Pathobiology Laboratory, Department of Immunology, Isfahan 76351-81647, Iran
| | - Hossein Khanahmad
- Department of Genetics and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan 73461-81746, Iran
| | - Arezou Dabiri
- Applied Physiology Research Center, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan 73461-81746, Iran
| | - Shahrzad Ahangarzadeh
- Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan 73461-81746, Iran
| | - Yasaman Esmaeili
- Biosensor Research Center, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan 73461-81746, Iran
| | - Elham Bidram
- Biosensor Research Center, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan 73461-81746, Iran
- Department of Biomaterials, Nanotechnology and Tissue Engineering, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan 73461-81746, Iran
| | - Golnaz Vaseghi
- Isfahan Cardiovascular Research Center, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan 81583-88994, Iran
| | - Shaghayegh Haghjooy Javanmard
- Applied Physiology Research Center, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan 73461-81746, Iran
| | - Laleh Shariati
- Department of Biomaterials, Nanotechnology and Tissue Engineering, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan 73461-81746, Iran
- Cancer Prevention Research, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan 73461-81746, Iran
| | - Ali Zarrabi
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Istinye University, Sariyer, Istanbul 34396, Turkey
| | - Rajender S Varma
- Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials, Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Palacky University, Šlechtitelů 27, 783 71 Olomouc, Czech Republic
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24
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Zhang H, Sun R, Fei J, Chen H, Lu D. Correction of Beta-Thalassemia IVS-II-654 Mutation in a Mouse Model Using Prime Editing. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23115948. [PMID: 35682629 PMCID: PMC9180235 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23115948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Prime editing was used to insert and correct various pathogenic mutations except for beta-thalassemia variants, which disrupt functional beta-globin and prevent hemoglobin assembly in erythrocytes. This study investigated the effect of gene correction using prime editor version 3 (PE3) in a mouse model with the human beta-thalassemia IVS-II-654 mutation (C > T). The T conversion generates a 5′ donor site at intron 2 of the beta-globin gene resulting in aberrant splicing of pre-mRNA, which affects beta-globin expression. We microinjected PE3 components (pegRNA, nick sgRNA, and PE2 mRNA) into the zygotes from IVS-II-654 mice to generate mutation-edited mice. Genome sequencing of the IVS-II-654 site showed that PE3 installed the correction (T > C), with an editing efficiency of 14.29%. Reverse transcription-PCR analysis showed that the PE3-induced conversion restored normal splicing of beta-globin mRNA. Subsequent comprehensive phenotypic analysis of thalassemia symptoms, including anemic hematological parameters, anisocytosis, splenomegaly, cardiac hypertrophy, extramedullary hematopoiesis, and iron overload, showed that the corrected IVS-II-654 mice had a normal phenotype identical to the wild type mice. Off-target analysis of pegRNA and nick sgRNA additionally showed the genomic safety of PE3. These results suggest that correction of beta-thalassemia mutation by PE3 may be a straightforward therapeutic strategy for this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haokun Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, MOE Engineering Research Center of Gene Technology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China;
| | - Ruilin Sun
- Shanghai Model Organisms Center, No.3577 Jinke Rd., Shanghai 201203, China; (R.S.); (J.F.)
| | - Jian Fei
- Shanghai Model Organisms Center, No.3577 Jinke Rd., Shanghai 201203, China; (R.S.); (J.F.)
| | - Hongyan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, MOE Engineering Research Center of Gene Technology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China;
- Correspondence: (H.C.); (D.L.)
| | - Daru Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, MOE Engineering Research Center of Gene Technology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China;
- NHC Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Reproductive Health, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Reproductive Health, Chongqing Population and Family Planning, Science and Technology Research Institute, Chongqing 404100, China
- Correspondence: (H.C.); (D.L.)
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25
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW HRI is the heme-regulated elF2α kinase that phosphorylates the α-subunit of elF2. Although the role of HRI in inhibiting globin synthesis in erythroid cells is well established, broader roles of HRI in translation have been uncovered recently. This review is to summarize the new discoveries of HRI in stress erythropoiesis and in fetal γ-globin expression. RECENT FINDINGS HRI and activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) mRNAs are highly expressed in early erythroblasts. Inhibition of protein synthesis by HRI-phosphorylated elF2α (elF2αP) is necessary to maintain protein homeostasis in both the cytoplasm and mitochondria. In addition, HRI-elF2αP specifically enhances translation of ATF4 mRNA leading to the repression of mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) signaling. ATF4-target genes are most highly activated during iron deficiency to maintain mitochondrial function, redox homeostasis, and to enable erythroid differentiation. HRI is therefore a master translation regulator of erythropoiesis sensing intracellular heme concentrations and oxidative stress for effective erythropoiesis. Intriguingly, HRI-elF2αP-ATF4 signaling also inhibits fetal hemoglobin production in human erythroid cells. SUMMARY The primary function of HRI is to maintain protein homeostasis accompanied by the induction of ATF4 to mitigate stress. Role of HRI-ATF4 in γ-globin expression raises the potential of HRI as a therapeutic target for hemoglobinopathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jane-Jane Chen
- Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Shuping Zhang
- Medical Science and Technology Innovation Center, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan 250062, China
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26
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Papasavva PL, Patsali P, Loucari CC, Kurita R, Nakamura Y, Kleanthous M, Lederer CW. CRISPR Editing Enables Consequential Tag-Activated MicroRNA-Mediated Endogene Deactivation. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:1082. [PMID: 35163006 PMCID: PMC8834719 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23031082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2021] [Revised: 01/09/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Molecular therapies and functional studies greatly benefit from spatial and temporal precision of genetic intervention. We therefore conceived and explored tag-activated microRNA (miRNA)-mediated endogene deactivation (TAMED) as a research tool and potential lineage-specific therapy. For proof of principle, we aimed to deactivate γ-globin repressor BCL11A in erythroid cells by tagging the 3' untranslated region (UTR) of BCL11A with miRNA recognition sites (MRSs) for the abundant erythromiR miR-451a. To this end, we employed nucleofection of CRISPR/Cas9 ribonucleoprotein (RNP) particles alongside double- or single-stranded oligodeoxynucleotides for, respectively, non-homologous-end-joining (NHEJ)- or homology-directed-repair (HDR)-mediated MRS insertion. NHEJ-based tagging was imprecise and inefficient (≤6%) and uniformly produced knock-in- and indel-containing MRS tags, whereas HDR-based tagging was more efficient (≤18%), but toxic for longer donors encoding concatenated and thus potentially more efficient MRS tags. Isolation of clones for robust HEK293T cells tagged with a homozygous quadruple MRS resulted in 25% spontaneous reduction in BCL11A and up to 36% reduction after transfection with an miR-451a mimic. Isolation of clones for human umbilical cord blood-derived erythroid progenitor-2 (HUDEP-2) cells tagged with single or double MRS allowed detection of albeit weak γ-globin induction. Our study demonstrates suitability of TAMED for physiologically relevant modulation of gene expression and its unsuitability for therapeutic application in its current form.
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Affiliation(s)
- Panayiota L. Papasavva
- Department of Molecular Genetics Thalassemia, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, Nicosia 2371, Cyprus; (P.L.P.); (P.P.); (C.C.L.); (M.K.)
- Cyprus School of Molecular Medicine, Nicosia 2371, Cyprus
| | - Petros Patsali
- Department of Molecular Genetics Thalassemia, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, Nicosia 2371, Cyprus; (P.L.P.); (P.P.); (C.C.L.); (M.K.)
- Cyprus School of Molecular Medicine, Nicosia 2371, Cyprus
| | - Constantinos C. Loucari
- Department of Molecular Genetics Thalassemia, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, Nicosia 2371, Cyprus; (P.L.P.); (P.P.); (C.C.L.); (M.K.)
- Cyprus School of Molecular Medicine, Nicosia 2371, Cyprus
| | - Ryo Kurita
- Research and Development Department, Central Blood Institute, Blood Service Headquarters, Japanese Red Cross Society, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-8521, Japan;
| | - Yukio Nakamura
- Cell Engineering Division, RIKEN BioResource Research Center, Tsukuba 305-0074, Japan;
| | - Marina Kleanthous
- Department of Molecular Genetics Thalassemia, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, Nicosia 2371, Cyprus; (P.L.P.); (P.P.); (C.C.L.); (M.K.)
- Cyprus School of Molecular Medicine, Nicosia 2371, Cyprus
| | - Carsten W. Lederer
- Department of Molecular Genetics Thalassemia, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, Nicosia 2371, Cyprus; (P.L.P.); (P.P.); (C.C.L.); (M.K.)
- Cyprus School of Molecular Medicine, Nicosia 2371, Cyprus
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Epigenomic analysis of KLF1 haploinsufficiency in primary human erythroblasts. Sci Rep 2022; 12:336. [PMID: 35013432 PMCID: PMC8748495 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-04126-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Haploinsufficiency for the erythroid-specific transcription factor KLF1 is associated with hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin (HPFH). Increased HbF ameliorates the symptoms of β-hemoglobinopathies and downregulation of KLF1 activity has been proposed as a potential therapeutic strategy. However, the feasibility of this approach has been challenged by the observation that KLF1 haploinsufficient individuals with the same KLF1 variant, within the same family, display a wide range of HbF levels. This phenotypic variability is not readily explained by co-inheritance of known HbF-modulating variants in the HBB, HBS1L-MYB and/or BCL11A loci. We studied cultured erythroid progenitors obtained from Maltese individuals in which KLF1 p.K288X carriers display HbF levels ranging between 1.3 and 12.3% of total Hb. Using a combination of gene expression analysis, chromatin accessibility assays and promoter activity tests we find that variation in expression of the wildtype KLF1 allele may explain a significant part of the variability in HbF levels observed in KLF1 haploinsufficiency. Our results have general bearing on the variable penetrance of haploinsufficiency phenotypes and on conflicting interpretations of pathogenicity of variants in other transcriptional regulators such as EP300, GATA2 and RUNX1.
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28
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Ansari SH, Hussain Z, Zohaib M, Parveen S, Kaleem B, Qamar H, Adil O, Khan MT, Shamsi TS. A Pragmatic Scoring Tool to Predict Hydroxyurea Response Among β-Thalassemia Major Patients in Pakistan. J Pediatr Hematol Oncol 2022; 44:e77-e83. [PMID: 33710118 DOI: 10.1097/mph.0000000000002136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2020] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Despite high prevalence and incidence of β-thalassemia in Pakistan, there is very limited work on the use of hydroxyurea (HU) in thalassemia patients in the country. This is the first insight regarding genetic profiling of BCL11A and HU responses in Pakistani β-thalassemia. It correlates single-nucleotide polymorphisms on BCL11A (rs4671393, rs766432) and HBG2 (XmnI), age at first transfusion, and β-globin mutations with HU response in β-thalassemia major (BTM). Of 272 patients treated with HU, 98 were complete responders, 55 partial responders, and 119 nonresponders. Our analysis shows that HU response was significantly associated with patients having IVSI-1 or CD 30 mutation (P<0.001), age at first transfusion >1 year (P<0.001), and with the presence of XmnI polymorphism (P<0.001). The single-nucleotide polymorphisms of BCL11A were more prevalent among responders, but could not show significant association with HU response (P>0.05). Cumulative effect of all 5 predicting factors through simple binary scoring indicates that the likelihood of HU response increases with the number of primary and secondary genetic modifiers (P<0.001). Predictors scoring is a pragmatic tool to foresee HU response in patients with BTM. The authors recommend a score of ≥2 for starting HU therapy in Pakistani patients with BTM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saqib H Ansari
- National Institute of Blood Diseases and Bone Marrow Transplantation
| | - Zeeshan Hussain
- National Institute of Blood Diseases and Bone Marrow Transplantation
- Omair Sana Foundation
| | - Muhammad Zohaib
- Omair Sana Foundation
- National Center for Proteomics, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Sadia Parveen
- National Institute of Blood Diseases and Bone Marrow Transplantation
| | - Bushra Kaleem
- National Institute of Blood Diseases and Bone Marrow Transplantation
| | - Hina Qamar
- National Institute of Blood Diseases and Bone Marrow Transplantation
| | | | | | - Tahir S Shamsi
- National Institute of Blood Diseases and Bone Marrow Transplantation
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29
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Soboleva S, Kurita R, Kajitani N, Åkerstrand H, Miharada K. Establishment of an immortalized human erythroid cell line sustaining differentiation potential without inducible gene expression system. Hum Cell 2021; 35:408-417. [PMID: 34817797 DOI: 10.1007/s13577-021-00652-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Ex vivo manufactured red blood cells (RBC) generated from immortalized erythroid cell lines which can continuously grow are expected to become a significant alternative in future transfusion therapies. The ectopic expression of human papilloma virus (HPV) E6/E7 gene has successfully been employed to establish these cell lines. To induce differentiation and maturation of the immortalized cell lines, terminating the HPV-E6/E7 expression through a gene induction system has been believed to be essential. Here, we report that erythroid cell lines established from human bone marrow using simple expression of HPV-E6/E7 are capable of normal erythroid differentiation, without turning gene expression off. Through simply changing cell culture conditions, a newly established cell line, Erythroid Line from Lund University (ELLU), is able to differentiate toward mature cells, including enucleated reticulocytes. ELLU is heterogeneous and, unexpectedly, clones expressing adult hemoglobin rapidly differentiate and produce fragile cells. Upon differentiation, other ELLU clones shift from fetal to adult hemoglobin expression, giving rise to more mature cells. Our findings propose that it is not necessary to employ gene induction systems to establish immortalized erythroid cell lines sustaining differentiation potential and describe novel cellular characteristics for desired functionally competent clones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Svetlana Soboleva
- Division of Molecular Medicine and Gene Therapy, Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Ryo Kurita
- Department of Research and Development, Central Blood Institute, Japanese Red Cross Society, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Naoko Kajitani
- Division of Medical Microbiology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Hugo Åkerstrand
- Division of Molecular Hematology, Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Kenichi Miharada
- Division of Molecular Medicine and Gene Therapy, Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, Lund, Sweden. .,International Research Center for Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan.
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30
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Erlandsson L, Masoumi Z, Hansson LR, Hansson SR. The roles of free iron, heme, haemoglobin, and the scavenger proteins haemopexin and alpha-1-microglobulin in preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction. J Intern Med 2021; 290:952-968. [PMID: 34146434 DOI: 10.1111/joim.13349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Preeclampsia (PE) is a complex pregnancy syndrome characterised by maternal hypertension and organ damage after 20 weeks of gestation and is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease later in life. Extracellular haemoglobin (Hb) and its metabolites heme and iron are highly toxic molecules and several defence mechanisms have evolved to protect the tissue. OBJECTIVES We will discuss the roles of free iron, heme, Hb, and the scavenger proteins haemopexin and alpha-1-microglobulin in pregnancies complicated by PE and fetal growth restriction (FGR). CONCLUSION In PE, oxidative stress causes syncytiotrophoblast (STB) stress and increased shedding of placental STB-derived extracellular vesicles (STBEV). The level in maternal circulation correlates with the severity of hypertension and supports the involvement of STBEVs in causing maternal symptoms in PE. In PE and FGR, iron homeostasis is changed, and iron levels significantly correlate with the severity of the disease. The normal increase in plasma volume taking place during pregnancy is less for PE and FGR and therefore have a different impact on, for example, iron concentration, compared to normal pregnancy. Excess iron promotes ferroptosis is suggested to play a role in trophoblast stress and lipotoxicity. Non-erythroid α-globin regulates vasodilation through the endothelial nitric oxide synthase pathway, and hypoxia-induced α-globin expression in STBs in PE placentas is suggested to contribute to hypertension in PE. Underlying placental pathology in PE with and without FGR might be amplified by iron and heme overload causing oxidative stress and ferroptosis. As the placenta becomes stressed, the release of STBEVs increases and affects the maternal vasculature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lena Erlandsson
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Zahra Masoumi
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Lucas R Hansson
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Stefan R Hansson
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.,Obstetrics and Gynecology, Skåne University Hospital, Lund/Malmö, Sweden
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BCL11A promotes myeloid leukemogenesis by repressing PU.1 target genes. Blood Adv 2021; 6:1827-1843. [PMID: 34714913 PMCID: PMC8941473 DOI: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2021004558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BCL11A promotes myeloid leukemogenesis via the repression of PU.1 target genes. Inhibition of corepressors abrogates the BCL11A function, inducing growth suppression and inhibition of engraftment in AML.
The transcriptional repressor BCL11A is involved in hematological malignancies, B-cell development, and fetal-to-adult hemoglobin switching. However, the molecular mechanism by which it promotes the development of myeloid leukemia remains largely unknown. We find that Bcl11a cooperates with the pseudokinase Trib1 in the development of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Bcl11a promotes the proliferation and engraftment of Trib1-expressing AML cells in vitro and in vivo. Chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing analysis showed that, upon DNA binding, Bcl11a is significantly associated with PU.1, an inducer of myeloid differentiation, and that Bcl11a represses several PU.1 target genes, such as Asb2, Clec5a, and Fcgr3. Asb2, as a Bcl11a target gene that modulates cytoskeleton and cell-cell interaction, plays a key role in Bcl11a-induced malignant progression. The repression of PU.1 target genes by Bcl11a is achieved by sequence-specific DNA-binding activity and recruitment of corepressors by Bcl11a. Suppression of the corepressor components HDAC and LSD1 reverses the repressive activity. Moreover, treatment of AML cells with the HDAC inhibitor pracinostat and the LSD1 inhibitor GSK2879552 resulted in growth inhibition in vitro and in vivo. High BCL11A expression is associated with worse prognosis in humans with AML. Blocking of BCL11A expression upregulates the expression of PU.1 target genes and inhibits the growth of HL-60 cells and their engraftment to the bone marrow, suggesting that BCL11A is involved in human myeloid malignancies via the suppression of PU.1 transcriptional activity.
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32
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Shen Y, Li R, Teichert K, Montbleau KE, Verboon JM, Voit RA, Sankaran VG. Pathogenic BCL11A variants provide insights into the mechanisms of human fetal hemoglobin silencing. PLoS Genet 2021; 17:e1009835. [PMID: 34634037 PMCID: PMC8530301 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1009835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Revised: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Increased production of fetal hemoglobin (HbF) can ameliorate the severity of sickle cell disease and β-thalassemia. BCL11A has been identified as a key regulator of HbF silencing, although its precise mechanisms of action remain incompletely understood. Recent studies have identified pathogenic mutations that cause heterozygous loss-of-function of BCL11A and result in a distinct neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterized by persistent HbF expression. While the majority of cases have deletions or null mutations causing haploinsufficiency of BCL11A, several missense variants have also been identified. Here, we perform functional studies on these variants to uncover specific liabilities for BCL11A's function in HbF silencing. We find several mutations in an N-terminal C2HC zinc finger that increase proteasomal degradation of BCL11A. We also identify a distinct C-terminal missense variant in the fifth zinc finger domain that we demonstrate causes loss-of-function through disruption of DNA binding. Our analysis of missense variants causing loss-of-function in vivo illuminates mechanisms by which BCL11A silences HbF and also suggests potential therapeutic avenues for HbF induction to treat sickle cell disease and β-thalassemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong Shen
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children’s Hospital and Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Rick Li
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children’s Hospital and Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Kristian Teichert
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children’s Hospital and Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Kara E. Montbleau
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children’s Hospital and Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Jeffrey M. Verboon
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children’s Hospital and Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Richard A. Voit
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children’s Hospital and Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Vijay G. Sankaran
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children’s Hospital and Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
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Himadewi P, Wang XQD, Feng F, Gore H, Liu Y, Yu L, Kurita R, Nakamura Y, Pfeifer GP, Liu J, Zhang X. 3'HS1 CTCF binding site in human β-globin locus regulates fetal hemoglobin expression. eLife 2021; 10:e70557. [PMID: 34585664 PMCID: PMC8500713 DOI: 10.7554/elife.70557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [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: 05/21/2021] [Accepted: 09/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutations in the adult β-globin gene can lead to a variety of hemoglobinopathies, including sickle cell disease and β-thalassemia. An increase in fetal hemoglobin expression throughout adulthood, a condition named hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin (HPFH), has been found to ameliorate hemoglobinopathies. Deletional HPFH occurs through the excision of a significant portion of the 3' end of the β-globin locus, including a CTCF binding site termed 3'HS1. Here, we show that the deletion of this CTCF site alone induces fetal hemoglobin expression in both adult CD34+ hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells and HUDEP-2 erythroid progenitor cells. This induction is driven by the ectopic access of a previously postulated distal enhancer located in the OR52A1 gene downstream of the locus, which can also be insulated by the inversion of the 3'HS1 CTCF site. This suggests that genetic editing of this binding site can have therapeutic implications to treat hemoglobinopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pamela Himadewi
- Center for Epigenetics, Van Andel Research InstituteGrand RapidsUnited States
| | - Xue Qing David Wang
- Center for Epigenetics, Van Andel Research InstituteGrand RapidsUnited States
| | - Fan Feng
- Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of MichiganAnn ArborUnited States
| | - Haley Gore
- Center for Epigenetics, Van Andel Research InstituteGrand RapidsUnited States
| | - Yushuai Liu
- Center for Epigenetics, Van Andel Research InstituteGrand RapidsUnited States
| | - Lei Yu
- Cell and Development Biology, University of MichiganAnn ArborUnited States
| | - Ryo Kurita
- Department of Research and Development, Central Blood Institute, Japanese Red Cross SocietyTokyoJapan
| | - Yukio Nakamura
- Cell Engineering Division, RIKEN BioResource Research CenterTsukubaJapan
- Faculty of Medicine, University of TsukubaTsukubaJapan
| | - Gerd P Pfeifer
- Center for Epigenetics, Van Andel Research InstituteGrand RapidsUnited States
| | - Jie Liu
- Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of MichiganAnn ArborUnited States
| | - Xiaotian Zhang
- Center for Epigenetics, Van Andel Research InstituteGrand RapidsUnited States
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Li X, Chen M, Liu B, Lu P, Lv X, Zhao X, Cui S, Xu P, Nakamura Y, Kurita R, Chen B, Huang DCS, Liu DP, Liu M, Zhao Q. Transcriptional silencing of fetal hemoglobin expression by NonO. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:9711-9723. [PMID: 34379783 PMCID: PMC8464040 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Revised: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Human fetal globin (γ-globin) genes are developmentally silenced after birth, and reactivation of γ-globin expression in adulthood ameliorates symptoms of hemoglobin disorders, such as sickle cell disease (SCD) and β-thalassemia. However, the mechanisms by which γ-globin expression is precisely regulated are still incompletely understood. Here, we found that NonO (non-POU domain-containing octamer-binding protein) interacted directly with SOX6, and repressed the expression of γ-globin gene in human erythroid cells. We showed that NonO bound to the octamer binding motif, ATGCAAAT, of the γ-globin proximal promoter, resulting in inhibition of γ-globin transcription. Depletion of NonO resulted in significant activation of γ-globin expression in K562, HUDEP-2, and primary human erythroid progenitor cells. To confirm the role of NonO in vivo, we further generated a conditional knockout of NonO by using IFN-inducible Mx1-Cre transgenic mice. We found that induced NonO deletion reactivated murine embryonic globin and human γ-globin gene expression in adult β-YAC mice, suggesting a conserved role for NonO during mammalian evolution. Thus, our data indicate that NonO acts as a novel transcriptional repressor of γ-globin gene expression through direct promoter binding, and is essential for γ-globin gene silencing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyu Li
- The State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Hematology and Urology, the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, China-Australia Institute of Translational Medicine, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Mengxia Chen
- The State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Hematology and Urology, the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, China-Australia Institute of Translational Medicine, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Biru Liu
- The State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Hematology and Urology, the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, China-Australia Institute of Translational Medicine, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Peifen Lu
- The State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Hematology and Urology, the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, China-Australia Institute of Translational Medicine, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xiang Lv
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Xiang Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Shuaiying Cui
- Section of Hematology-Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Peipei Xu
- The State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Hematology and Urology, the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, China-Australia Institute of Translational Medicine, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yukio Nakamura
- Cell Engineering Division, RIKEN BioResource Center, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0074, Japan
| | - Ryo Kurita
- Department of Research and Development, Central Blood Institute, Japanese Red Cross Society, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Bing Chen
- The State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Hematology and Urology, the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, China-Australia Institute of Translational Medicine, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - David C S Huang
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - De-Pei Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Ming Liu
- The State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Hematology and Urology, the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, China-Australia Institute of Translational Medicine, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Quan Zhao
- The State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Hematology and Urology, the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, China-Australia Institute of Translational Medicine, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
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35
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Wang H, Chen M, Xu S, Pan Y, Zhang Y, Huang H, Xu L. Abnormal regulation of microRNAs and related genes in pediatric β-thalassemia. J Clin Lab Anal 2021; 35:e23945. [PMID: 34398996 PMCID: PMC8418487 DOI: 10.1002/jcla.23945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Revised: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Background MicroRNAs (miRNAs) participate in the reactivation of γ‐globin expression in β‐thalassemia. However, the miRNA transcriptional profiles of pediatric β‐thalassemia remain unclear. Accordingly, in this study, we assessed miRNA expression in pediatric patients with β‐thalassemia. Methods Differentially expressed miRNAs in pediatric patients with β‐thalassemia were determined using microRNA sequencing. Results Hsa‐miR‐483‐3p, hsa‐let‐7f‐1‐3p, hsa‐let‐7a‐3p, hsa‐miR‐543, hsa‐miR‐433‐3p, hsa‐miR‐4435, hsa‐miR‐329‐3p, hsa‐miR‐92b‐5p, hsa‐miR‐6747‐3p and hsa‐miR‐495‐3p were significantly upregulated, whereas hsa‐miR‐4508, hsa‐miR‐20a‐5p, hsa‐let‐7b‐5p, hsa‐miR‐93‐5p, hsa‐let‐7i‐5p, hsa‐miR‐6501‐5p, hsa‐miR‐221‐3p, hsa‐let‐7g‐5p, hsa‐miR‐106a‐5p, and hsa‐miR‐17‐5p were significantly downregulated in pediatric patients with β‐thalassemia. After integrating our data with a previously published dataset, we found that hsa‐let‐7b‐5p and hsa‐let‐7i‐5p expression levels were also lower in adolescent or adult patients with β‐thalassemia. The predicted target genes of hsa‐let‐7b‐5p and hsa‐let‐7i‐5p were associated with the transforming growth factor β receptor, phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase/AKT, FoxO, Hippo, and mitogen‐activated protein kinase signaling pathways. We also identified 12 target genes of hsa‐let‐7a‐3p and hsa‐let‐7f‐1‐3p and 21 target genes of hsa‐let‐7a‐3p and hsa‐let‐7f‐1‐3p, which were differentially expressed in patients with β‐thalassemia. Finally, we found that hsa‐miR‐190‐5p and hsa‐miR‐1278‐5p may regulate hemoglobin switching by modulation of the B‐cell lymphoma/leukemia 11A gene. Conclusion The results of the study show that several microRNAs are dysregulated in pediatric β‐thalassemia. Further, the results also indicate toward a critical role of let7 miRNAs in the pathogenesis of pediatric β‐thalassemia, which needs to be investigated further.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haiwei Wang
- Medical Genetic Diagnosis and Therapy Center, Fujian Maternity and Child Health Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Meihuan Chen
- Medical Genetic Diagnosis and Therapy Center, Fujian Maternity and Child Health Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Shiyi Xu
- Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
| | - Yali Pan
- Medical Technology and Engineering College of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Yanhong Zhang
- Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, China
| | - Hailong Huang
- Medical Genetic Diagnosis and Therapy Center, Fujian Maternity and Child Health Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Liangpu Xu
- Medical Genetic Diagnosis and Therapy Center, Fujian Maternity and Child Health Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
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36
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King AJ, Songdej D, Downes DJ, Beagrie RA, Liu S, Buckley M, Hua P, Suciu MC, Marieke Oudelaar A, Hanssen LLP, Jeziorska D, Roberts N, Carpenter SJ, Francis H, Telenius J, Olijnik AA, Sharpe JA, Sloane-Stanley J, Eglinton J, Kassouf MT, Orkin SH, Pennacchio LA, Davies JOJ, Hughes JR, Higgs DR, Babbs C. Reactivation of a developmentally silenced embryonic globin gene. Nat Commun 2021; 12:4439. [PMID: 34290235 PMCID: PMC8295333 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24402-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2020] [Accepted: 06/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The α- and β-globin loci harbor developmentally expressed genes, which are silenced throughout post-natal life. Reactivation of these genes may offer therapeutic approaches for the hemoglobinopathies, the most common single gene disorders. Here, we address mechanisms regulating the embryonically expressed α-like globin, termed ζ-globin. We show that in embryonic erythroid cells, the ζ-gene lies within a ~65 kb sub-TAD (topologically associating domain) of open, acetylated chromatin and interacts with the α-globin super-enhancer. By contrast, in adult erythroid cells, the ζ-gene is packaged within a small (~10 kb) sub-domain of hypoacetylated, facultative heterochromatin within the acetylated sub-TAD and that it no longer interacts with its enhancers. The ζ-gene can be partially re-activated by acetylation and inhibition of histone de-acetylases. In addition to suggesting therapies for severe α-thalassemia, these findings illustrate the general principles by which reactivation of developmental genes may rescue abnormalities arising from mutations in their adult paralogues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J King
- MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Duantida Songdej
- MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Damien J Downes
- MRC Molecular Haematology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Robert A Beagrie
- MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Siyu Liu
- MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Oxford Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Megan Buckley
- MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Peng Hua
- MRC Molecular Haematology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Maria C Suciu
- MRC Molecular Haematology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Lars L P Hanssen
- MRC Molecular Haematology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Danuta Jeziorska
- MRC Molecular Haematology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Nigel Roberts
- MRC Molecular Haematology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Stephanie J Carpenter
- MRC Molecular Haematology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Helena Francis
- MRC Molecular Haematology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Jelena Telenius
- MRC Molecular Haematology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- MRC WIMM Centre for Computational Biology, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Aude-Anais Olijnik
- MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Jacqueline A Sharpe
- MRC Molecular Haematology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Jacqueline Sloane-Stanley
- MRC Molecular Haematology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Jennifer Eglinton
- National Haemoglobinopathy Reference Laboratory, Department of Haematology, Level 4, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK
| | - Mira T Kassouf
- MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Stuart H Orkin
- Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Harvard Medical School and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Len A Pennacchio
- Functional Genomics Department, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Comparative Biochemistry Program, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - James O J Davies
- MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Jim R Hughes
- MRC Molecular Haematology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- MRC WIMM Centre for Computational Biology, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Douglas R Higgs
- MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | - Christian Babbs
- MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
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Sun J, Wang J, Zheng D, Hu X. Advances in therapeutic application of CRISPR-Cas9. Brief Funct Genomics 2021; 19:164-174. [PMID: 31769791 DOI: 10.1093/bfgp/elz031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2019] [Revised: 09/04/2019] [Accepted: 10/03/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-associated protein 9 (Cas9) is one of the most versatile and efficient gene editing technologies, which is derived from adaptive immune strategies for bacteria and archaea. With the remarkable development of programmable nuclease-based genome engineering these years, CRISPR-Cas9 system has developed quickly in recent 5 years and has been widely applied in countless areas, including genome editing, gene function investigation and gene therapy both in vitro and in vivo. In this paper, we briefly introduce the mechanisms of CRISPR-Cas9 tool in genome editing. More importantly, we review the recent therapeutic application of CRISPR-Cas9 in various diseases, including hematologic diseases, infectious diseases and malignant tumor. Finally, we discuss the current challenges and consider thoughtfully what advances are required in order to further develop the therapeutic application of CRISPR-Cas9 in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinyu Sun
- Sparkfire Scientific Research Group, Nanjing Medical University, China
| | - Jianchu Wang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, No. 18 Zhongshan Road, Baise 533000, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China
| | - Donghui Zheng
- Department of Nephrology, Huai'an Second People's Hospital and The Affiliated Huai'an Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Huai'an, China
| | - Xiaorong Hu
- Department of Cardiology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430071, P.R. China
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38
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Eaton WA. Impact of hemoglobin biophysical studies on molecular pathogenesis and drug therapy for sickle cell disease. Mol Aspects Med 2021; 84:100971. [PMID: 34274158 DOI: 10.1016/j.mam.2021.100971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Basic research on hemoglobin has been essential for understanding the origin and treatment of many hematological disorders due to abnormal hemoglobins. The most important of the hemoglobinopathies is sickle cell disease - Linus Pauling's "molecular disease" that gave birth to molecular medicine. In this review, I will describe the contributions of basic biophysical research on normal and sickle cell hemoglobin (HbS) to understanding the molecular pathogenesis of the disease and providing the conceptual basis for the various approaches to drug therapy that target HbS polymerization. Most prominent among these are the experimental results on the solubility of HbS as a function of oxygen saturation explained by the allosteric model of Monod, Wyman, and Changeux and the Gill-Wyman thermodynamic linkage relation between solubility and oxygen binding, the solubility of mixtures of HbS with normal or fetal hemoglobin explained by Minton's thermodynamic model, and the highly unusual kinetics of HbS polymerization explained by a novel double nucleation mechanism that also accounts for the aggregation kinetics of the Alzheimer's peptide. The HbS polymerization kinetics are of great importance to understanding the pathophysiology and clinical course, as well as guiding drug development for treating this common and severe disease. The article focuses primarily on experimental and theoretical results from my lab, so it is not a comprehensive review of the subject.
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Affiliation(s)
- William A Eaton
- Laboratory of Chemical Physics, 5/104, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
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39
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Salah NY, Ali HGA, Bassiouny N, Salem L, Taha SI, Youssef MK, Annaka L, Barakat NM. BCL11A Polymorphism in Egyptian Children with β-Thalassemia: Relation to Phenotypic Heterogeneity. J Pediatr Genet 2021; 12:16-22. [PMID: 36684548 PMCID: PMC9848767 DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1728744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 03/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Fetal hemoglobin (HbF) is a potent genetic modifier of β-thalassemia phenotype. B-cell lymphoma 11A ( BCL11A ) gene results in significant silencing of HbF. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of different BCL11A genotypes among a cohort of Egyptian children with β-thalassemia and to correlate them to HbF and clinical severity score. Eighty-two children with β-thalassemia (aged 12.95 ± 3.63 years) were recruited from the Pediatric Hematology Clinic, Ain Shams University. They were divided based on the clinical severity of β-thalassemia into three subgroups: 20 mild (24.4%), 24 moderate (29.3%), and 38 severe (46.3%). Age, gender, age of diagnosis, initial HbF level, transfusion history, and history of splenectomy were assessed. Anthropometric measures, signs of anemia and hemosiderosis, and the severity score were determined. Laboratory investigations such as complete blood picture, ferritin, and single gene polymorphism genotyping of the rs11886868 were also performed. Our findings showed that 16 children had CC genotype (19.5%), 38 had TC genotype (46.3%), and 28 had TT genotype (34.1%) of the rs#. β-thalassemia children with TT genotype had significantly higher severity scoring than the other two groups ( p < 0.001). Moreover, mean initial HbF was found to be lower in children with TT genotype followed by TC and CC genotypes ( p < 0.001). Increased γ-globin expression associated with BCL11A gene polymorphism is associated with better clinical severity of β-thalassemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nouran Y. Salah
- Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt,Address for correspondence Nouran Yousef Salah, MD Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University25 Korash Street, Nasr City, Cairo 11375Egypt
| | - Heba G. A. Ali
- Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Noha Bassiouny
- Department of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Lamya Salem
- Department of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Sara I. Taha
- Department of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Mariam K. Youssef
- Department of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Layla Annaka
- Department of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Noha M. Barakat
- Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
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40
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Zakaria NA, Islam MA, Abdullah WZ, Bahar R, Mohamed Yusoff AA, Abdul Wahab R, Shamsuddin S, Johan MF. Epigenetic Insights and Potential Modifiers as Therapeutic Targets in β-Thalassemia. Biomolecules 2021; 11:755. [PMID: 34070036 PMCID: PMC8158146 DOI: 10.3390/biom11050755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2021] [Revised: 05/01/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Thalassemia, an inherited quantitative globin disorder, consists of two types, α- and β-thalassemia. β-thalassemia is a heterogeneous disease that can be asymptomatic, mild, or even severe. Considerable research has focused on investigating its underlying etiology. These studies found that DNA hypomethylation in the β-globin gene cluster is significantly related to fetal hemoglobin (HbF) elevation. Histone modification reactivates γ-globin gene expression in adults and increases β-globin expression. Down-regulation of γ-globin suppressor genes, i.e., BCL11A, KLF1, HBG-XMN1, HBS1L-MYB, and SOX6, elevates the HbF level. β-thalassemia severity is predictable through FLT1, ARG2, NOS2A, and MAP3K5 gene expression. NOS2A and MAP3K5 may predict the β-thalassemia patient's response to hydroxyurea, a HbF-inducing drug. The transcription factors NRF2 and BACH1 work with antioxidant enzymes, i.e., PRDX1, PRDX2, TRX1, and SOD1, to protect erythrocytes from oxidative damage, thus increasing their lifespan. A single β-thalassemia-causing mutation can result in different phenotypes, and these are predictable by IGSF4 and LARP2 methylation as well as long non-coding RNA expression levels. Finally, the coinheritance of β-thalassemia with α-thalassemia ameliorates the β-thalassemia clinical presentation. In conclusion, the management of β-thalassemia is currently limited to genetic and epigenetic approaches, and numerous factors should be further explored in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nur Atikah Zakaria
- Department of Haematology, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian 16150, Malaysia; (N.A.Z.); (W.Z.A.); (R.B.)
| | - Md Asiful Islam
- Department of Haematology, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian 16150, Malaysia; (N.A.Z.); (W.Z.A.); (R.B.)
| | - Wan Zaidah Abdullah
- Department of Haematology, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian 16150, Malaysia; (N.A.Z.); (W.Z.A.); (R.B.)
| | - Rosnah Bahar
- Department of Haematology, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian 16150, Malaysia; (N.A.Z.); (W.Z.A.); (R.B.)
| | - Abdul Aziz Mohamed Yusoff
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medical Sciences, University Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian 16150, Malaysia;
| | - Ridhwan Abdul Wahab
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Kulliyyah of Allied Health Sciences, International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuantan 25200, Malaysia;
| | - Shaharum Shamsuddin
- School of Health Sciences, University Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian 16150, Malaysia;
- Institute for Research in Molecular Medicine (INFORMM), University Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian 16150, Malaysia
- USM-RIKEN Interdisciplinary Collaboration for Advanced Sciences (URICAS), Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang 11800, Malaysia
| | - Muhammad Farid Johan
- Department of Haematology, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian 16150, Malaysia; (N.A.Z.); (W.Z.A.); (R.B.)
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Predictive SNPs for β 0-thalassemia/HbE disease severity. Sci Rep 2021; 11:10352. [PMID: 33990643 PMCID: PMC8121782 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-89641-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2021] [Accepted: 04/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
β-Thalassemia/HbE disease has a wide spectrum of clinical phenotypes ranging from asymptomatic to dependent on regular blood transfusions. Ability to predict disease severity is helpful for clinical management and treatment decision making. A thalassemia severity score has been developed from Mediterranean β-thalassemia patients. However, different ethnic groups may have different allele frequency and linkage disequilibrium structures. Here, Thai β0-thalassemia/HbE disease genome-wild association studies (GWAS) data of 487 patients were analyzed by SNP interaction prioritization algorithm, interacting Loci (iLoci), to find predictive SNPs for disease severity. Three SNPs from two SNP interaction pairs associated with disease severity were identifies. The three-SNP disease severity risk score composed of rs766432 in BCL11A, rs9399137 in HBS1L-MYB and rs72872548 in HBE1 showed more than 85% specificity and 75% accuracy. The three-SNP predictive score was then validated in two independent cohorts of Thai and Malaysian β0-thalassemia/HbE patients with comparable specificity and accuracy. The SNP risk score could be used for prediction of clinical severity for Southeast Asia β0-thalassemia/HbE population.
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Wessels MW, Cnossen MH, van Dijk TB, Gillemans N, Schmidt KLJ, van Lom K, Vinjamur DS, Coyne S, Kurita R, Nakamura Y, de Man SA, Pfundt R, Azmani Z, Brouwer RWW, Bauer DE, van den Hout MCGN, van IJcken WFJ, Philipsen S. Molecular analysis of the erythroid phenotype of a patient with BCL11A haploinsufficiency. Blood Adv 2021; 5:2339-2349. [PMID: 33938942 PMCID: PMC8114548 DOI: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2020003753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2020] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The BCL11A gene encodes a transcriptional repressor with essential functions in multiple tissues during human development. Haploinsufficiency for BCL11A causes Dias-Logan syndrome (OMIM 617101), an intellectual developmental disorder with hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin (HPFH). Due to the severe phenotype, disease-causing variants in BCL11A occur de novo. We describe a patient with a de novo heterozygous variant, c.1453G>T, in the BCL11A gene, resulting in truncation of the BCL11A-XL protein (p.Glu485X). The truncated protein lacks the 3 C-terminal DNA-binding zinc fingers and the nuclear localization signal, rendering it inactive. The patient displayed high fetal hemoglobin (HbF) levels (12.1-18.7% of total hemoglobin), in contrast to the parents who had HbF levels of 0.3%. We used cultures of patient-derived erythroid progenitors to determine changes in gene expression and chromatin accessibility. In addition, we investigated DNA methylation of the promoters of the γ-globin genes HBG1 and HBG2. HUDEP1 and HUDEP2 cells were used as models for fetal and adult human erythropoiesis, respectively. Similar to HUDEP1 cells, the patient's cells displayed Assay for Transposase-Accessible Chromatin (ATAC) peaks at the HBG1/2 promoters and significant expression of HBG1/2 genes. In contrast, HBG1/2 promoter methylation and genome-wide gene expression profiling were consistent with normal adult erythropoiesis. We conclude that HPFH is the major erythroid phenotype of constitutive BCL11A haploinsufficiency. Given the essential functions of BCL11A in other hematopoietic lineages and the neuronal system, erythroid-specific targeting of the BCL11A gene has been proposed for reactivation of γ-globin expression in β-hemoglobinopathy patients. Our data strongly support this approach.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marjon H Cnossen
- Department of Pediatric Hematology
- Academic Center for Hemoglobinopathies and Rare Anemias
| | - Thamar B van Dijk
- Academic Center for Hemoglobinopathies and Rare Anemias
- Department of Cell Biology, and
| | - Nynke Gillemans
- Academic Center for Hemoglobinopathies and Rare Anemias
- Department of Cell Biology, and
| | - K L Juliëtte Schmidt
- Academic Center for Hemoglobinopathies and Rare Anemias
- Department of Cell Biology, and
| | - Kirsten van Lom
- Academic Center for Hemoglobinopathies and Rare Anemias
- Department of Hematology, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Divya S Vinjamur
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatric Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Boston, MA
- Broad Institute, Boston, MA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Steven Coyne
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatric Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Boston, MA
- Broad Institute, Boston, MA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Ryo Kurita
- Department of Research and Development, Central Blood Institute, Blood Service Headquarters, Japanese Red Cross Society, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yukio Nakamura
- Cell Engineering Division, RIKEN, BioResource Center, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Stella A de Man
- Department of Pediatrics, Amphia Hospital, Breda, The Netherlands
| | - Rolph Pfundt
- Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; and
| | - Zakia Azmani
- Department of Cell Biology, and
- Center for Biomics, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Rutger W W Brouwer
- Department of Cell Biology, and
- Center for Biomics, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Daniel E Bauer
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatric Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Boston, MA
- Broad Institute, Boston, MA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | | | - Wilfred F J van IJcken
- Department of Cell Biology, and
- Center for Biomics, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Sjaak Philipsen
- Academic Center for Hemoglobinopathies and Rare Anemias
- Department of Cell Biology, and
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43
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Small amounts of fetal hemoglobin can be expressed in a subset of adult red blood cells called F-cells. This review examines the potential mechanisms and clinical implications of the heterogeneity of fetal hemoglobin expression. RECENT FINDINGS Although the heterocellular nature of fetal hemoglobin expression in adult red blood cells has been noted for over 70 years, the molecular basis of this phenomenon has been unclear. Recent discoveries of novel regulators of fetal hemoglobin as well as technological advances have shed new light on these cells. SUMMARY Fetal hemoglobin reactivation in adult red blood cells through genetic or pharmacological approaches can involve both increasing the number of F-cells and cellular fetal hemoglobin content. New technologies enable the study and eventually the improvement of these parameters in patients with sickle cell disease and β-thalassemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugene Khandros
- Division of Hematology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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Smarca5-mediated epigenetic programming facilitates fetal HSPC development in vertebrates. Blood 2021; 137:190-202. [PMID: 32756943 DOI: 10.1182/blood.2020005219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2020] [Accepted: 07/15/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Nascent hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) acquire definitive hematopoietic characteristics only when they develop into fetal HSPCs; however, the mechanisms underlying fetal HSPC development are poorly understood. Here, we profiled the chromatin accessibility and transcriptional features of zebrafish nascent and fetal HSPCs using ATAC-seq and RNA-seq and revealed dynamic changes during HSPC transition. Functional assays demonstrated that chromatin remodeler-mediated epigenetic programming facilitates fetal HSPC development in vertebrates. Systematical screening of chromatin remodeler-related genes identified that smarca5 is responsible for the maintenance of chromatin accessibility at promoters of hematopoiesis-related genes in fetal HSPCs. Mechanistically, Smarca5 interacts with nucleolin to promote chromatin remodeling, thereby facilitating genomic binding of transcription factors to regulate expression of hematopoietic regulators such as bcl11ab. Our results unravel a new role of epigenetic regulation and reveal that Smarca5-mediated epigenetic programming is responsible for fetal HSPC development, which will provide new insights into the generation of functional HSPCs both in vivo and in vitro.
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45
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Barbarani G, Labedz A, Stucchi S, Abbiati A, Ronchi AE. Physiological and Aberrant γ-Globin Transcription During Development. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:640060. [PMID: 33869190 PMCID: PMC8047207 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.640060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2020] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The expression of the fetal Gγ- and Aγ-globin genes in normal development is confined to the fetal period, where two γ-globin chains assemble with two α-globin chains to form α2γ2 tetramers (HbF). HbF sustains oxygen delivery to tissues until birth, when β-globin replaces γ-globin, leading to the formation of α2β2 tetramers (HbA). However, in different benign and pathological conditions, HbF is expressed in adult cells, as it happens in the hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin, in anemias and in some leukemias. The molecular basis of γ-globin differential expression in the fetus and of its inappropriate activation in adult cells is largely unknown, although in recent years, a few transcription factors involved in this process have been identified. The recent discovery that fetal cells can persist to adulthood and contribute to disease raises the possibility that postnatal γ-globin expression could, in some cases, represent the signature of the fetal cellular origin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gloria Barbarani
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie e Bioscienze, Università di Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy
| | - Agata Labedz
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie e Bioscienze, Università di Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy
| | - Sarah Stucchi
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie e Bioscienze, Università di Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy
| | - Alessia Abbiati
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie e Bioscienze, Università di Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy
| | - Antonella E Ronchi
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie e Bioscienze, Università di Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy
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46
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Liu N, Xu S, Yao Q, Zhu Q, Kai Y, Hsu JY, Sakon P, Pinello L, Yuan GC, Bauer DE, Orkin SH. Transcription factor competition at the γ-globin promoters controls hemoglobin switching. Nat Genet 2021; 53:511-520. [PMID: 33649594 PMCID: PMC8038971 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-021-00798-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Accepted: 01/21/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
BCL11A, the major regulator of fetal hemoglobin (HbF, α2γ2) level, represses γ-globin expression through direct promoter binding in adult erythroid cells in a switch to adult hemoglobin (HbA, α2β2). To uncover how BCL11A initiates repression, we used CRISPR-Cas9, dCas9, dCas9-KRAB and dCas9-VP64 screens to dissect the γ-globin promoters and identified an activator element near the BCL11A-binding site. Using CUT&RUN and base editing, we demonstrate that a proximal CCAAT box is occupied by the activator NF-Y. BCL11A competes with NF-Y binding through steric hindrance to initiate repression. Occupancy of NF-Y is rapidly established following BCL11A depletion, and precedes γ-globin derepression and locus control region (LCR)-globin loop formation. Our findings reveal that the switch from fetal to adult globin gene expression within the >50-kb β-globin gene cluster is initiated by competition between a stage-selective repressor and a ubiquitous activating factor within a remarkably discrete region of the γ-globin promoters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan Liu
- Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Shuqian Xu
- Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Hematology, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Qiuming Yao
- Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Molecular Pathology Unit & Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Qian Zhu
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Yan Kai
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jonathan Y Hsu
- Molecular Pathology Unit & Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Phraew Sakon
- Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Luca Pinello
- Molecular Pathology Unit & Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Guo-Cheng Yuan
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Daniel E Bauer
- Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Stuart H Orkin
- Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston, MA, USA.
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47
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Korporaal A, Gillemans N, Heshusius S, Cantú I, van den Akker E, van Dijk TB, von Lindern M, Philipsen S. Hemoglobin switching in mice carrying the Klf1Nan variant. Haematologica 2021; 106:464-473. [PMID: 32467144 PMCID: PMC7849558 DOI: 10.3324/haematol.2019.239830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2019] [Accepted: 02/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Haploinsufficiency for transcription factor KLF1 causes a variety of human erythroid phenotypes, such as the In(Lu) blood type, increased HbA2 levels, and hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin. Severe dominant congenital dyserythropoietic anemia IV (OMIM 613673) is associated with the KLF1 p.E325K variant. CDA-IV patients display ineffective erythropoiesis and hemolysis resulting in anemia, accompanied by persistent high levels of embryonic and fetal hemoglobin. The mouse Nan strain carries a variant in the orthologous residue, KLF1 p.E339D. Klf1Nan causes dominant hemolytic anemia with many similarities to CDA-IV. Here we investigated the impact of Klf1Nan on the developmental expression patterns of the endogenous beta-like and alpha-like globins, and the human beta-like globins carried on a HBB locus transgene. We observe that the switch from primitive, yolk sac-derived, erythropoiesis to definitive, fetal liver-derived, erythropoiesis is delayed in Klf1wt/Nan embryos. This is reflected in globin expression patterns measured between E12.5 and E14.5. Cultured Klf1wt/Nan E12.5 fetal liver cells display growth- and differentiation defects. These defects likely contribute to the delayed appearance of definitive erythrocytes in the circulation of Klf1wt/Nan embryos. After E14.5, expression of the embryonic/fetal globin genes is silenced rapidly. In adult Klf1wt/Nan animals, silencing of the embryonic/fetal globin genes is impeded, but only minute amounts are expressed. Thus, in contrast to human KLF1 p.E325K, mouse KLF1 p.E339D does not lead to persistent high levels of embryonic/fetal globins. Our results support the notion that KLF1 affects gene expression in a variant-specific manner, highlighting the necessity to characterize KLF1 variant-specific phenotypes of patients in detail.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Korporaal
- Erasmus MC Department of Cell Biology, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Nynke Gillemans
- Erasmus MC Department of Cell Biology, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Steven Heshusius
- Department of Hematopoiesis, Sanquin Research, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ileana Cantú
- Erasmus MC Department of Cell Biology, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | | | | | - Sjaak Philipsen
- Erasmus MC Department of Cell Biology, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
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48
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Frati G, Miccio A. Genome Editing for β-Hemoglobinopathies: Advances and Challenges. J Clin Med 2021; 10:482. [PMID: 33525591 PMCID: PMC7865242 DOI: 10.3390/jcm10030482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Revised: 01/19/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
β-hemoglobinopathies are the most common genetic disorders worldwide and are caused by mutations affecting the production or the structure of adult hemoglobin. Patients affected by these diseases suffer from anemia, impaired oxygen delivery to tissues, and multi-organ damage. In the absence of a compatible donor for allogeneic bone marrow transplantation, the lifelong therapeutic options are symptomatic care, red blood cell transfusions and pharmacological treatments. The last decades of research established lentiviral-mediated gene therapy as an efficacious therapeutic strategy. However, this approach is highly expensive and associated with a variable outcome depending on the effectiveness of the viral vector and the quality of the cell product. In the last years, genome editing emerged as a valuable tool for the development of curative strategies for β-hemoglobinopathies. Moreover, due to the wide range of its applications, genome editing has been extensively used to study regulatory mechanisms underlying globin gene regulation allowing the identification of novel genetic and pharmacological targets. In this work, we review the current advances and challenges of genome editing approaches to β-hemoglobinopathies. Special focus has been directed towards strategies aimed at correcting the defective β-globin gene or at inducing fetal hemoglobin (HbF), which are in an advanced state of clinical development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giacomo Frati
- Laboratory of Chromatin and Gene Regulation during Development, Imagine Institute, Université de Paris, INSERM UMR 1163, F-75015 Paris, France
| | - Annarita Miccio
- Laboratory of Chromatin and Gene Regulation during Development, Imagine Institute, Université de Paris, INSERM UMR 1163, F-75015 Paris, France
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49
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark C Walters
- From the Blood and Marrow Transplant Program, University of California, San Francisco-Benioff Children's Hospital, Oakland
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50
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Katayama K, Ishii K, Terashima H, Tsuda E, Suzuki M, Yotsumoto K, Hiramoto K, Yasumatsu I, Torihata M, Ishiyama T, Muto T, Katagiri T. Discovery of DS79932728: A Potent, Orally Available G9a/GLP Inhibitor for Treating β-Thalassemia and Sickle Cell Disease. ACS Med Chem Lett 2021; 12:121-128. [PMID: 33488973 DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.0c00572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Therapeutic reactivation of the γ-globin genes for fetal hemoglobin (HbF) production is an attractive strategy for treating β-thalassemia and sickle cell disease. It was reported that genetic knockdown of the histone lysine methyltransferase EHMT2/1 (G9a/GLP) is sufficient to induce HbF production. The aim of the present work was to acquire a G9a/GLP inhibitor that induces HbF production sufficiently. It was revealed that tetrahydroazepine has versatility as a side chain in various skeletons. We ultimately obtained a promising aminoindole derivative (DS79932728), a potent and orally bioavailable G9a/GLP inhibitor that was found to induce γ-globin production in a phlebotomized cynomolgus monkey model. This work could facilitate the development of effective new approaches for treating β-thalassemia and sickle cell disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katsushi Katayama
- R&D Division, Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., 1-2-58 Hiromachi, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 140-8710, Japan
| | - Ken Ishii
- R&D Division, Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., 1-2-58 Hiromachi, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 140-8710, Japan
| | - Hideki Terashima
- R&D Division, Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., 1-2-58 Hiromachi, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 140-8710, Japan
| | - Eisuke Tsuda
- R&D Division, Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., 1-2-58 Hiromachi, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 140-8710, Japan
| | - Makoto Suzuki
- Daiichi Sankyo RD Novare Co., Ltd., 1-16-13 Kitakasai, Edogawa-ku, Tokyo 134-8630, Japan
| | - Keiichi Yotsumoto
- R&D Division, Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., 1-2-58 Hiromachi, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 140-8710, Japan
| | - Kumiko Hiramoto
- Daiichi Sankyo RD Novare Co., Ltd., 1-16-13 Kitakasai, Edogawa-ku, Tokyo 134-8630, Japan
| | - Isao Yasumatsu
- Daiichi Sankyo RD Novare Co., Ltd., 1-2-58 Hiromachi, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 140-8710, Japan
| | - Munefumi Torihata
- R&D Division, Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., 1-2-58 Hiromachi, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 140-8710, Japan
| | - Takashi Ishiyama
- R&D Division, Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., 1-2-58 Hiromachi, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 140-8710, Japan
| | - Tsuyoshi Muto
- R&D Division, Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., 1-2-58 Hiromachi, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 140-8710, Japan
| | - Takahiro Katagiri
- R&D Division, Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., 1-2-58 Hiromachi, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 140-8710, Japan
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