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Yeyeodu S, Hanafi D, Webb K, Laurie NA, Kimbro KS. Population-enriched innate immune variants may identify candidate gene targets at the intersection of cancer and cardio-metabolic disease. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2024; 14:1286979. [PMID: 38577257 PMCID: PMC10991756 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1286979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Both cancer and cardio-metabolic disease disparities exist among specific populations in the US. For example, African Americans experience the highest rates of breast and prostate cancer mortality and the highest incidence of obesity. Native and Hispanic Americans experience the highest rates of liver cancer mortality. At the same time, Pacific Islanders have the highest death rate attributed to type 2 diabetes (T2D), and Asian Americans experience the highest incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and cancers induced by infectious agents. Notably, the pathologic progression of both cancer and cardio-metabolic diseases involves innate immunity and mechanisms of inflammation. Innate immunity in individuals is established through genetic inheritance and external stimuli to respond to environmental threats and stresses such as pathogen exposure. Further, individual genomes contain characteristic genetic markers associated with one or more geographic ancestries (ethnic groups), including protective innate immune genetic programming optimized for survival in their corresponding ancestral environment(s). This perspective explores evidence related to our working hypothesis that genetic variations in innate immune genes, particularly those that are commonly found but unevenly distributed between populations, are associated with disparities between populations in both cancer and cardio-metabolic diseases. Identifying conventional and unconventional innate immune genes that fit this profile may provide critical insights into the underlying mechanisms that connect these two families of complex diseases and offer novel targets for precision-based treatment of cancer and/or cardio-metabolic disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan Yeyeodu
- Julius L Chambers Biomedical/Biotechnology Institute (JLC-BBRI), North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC, United States
- Charles River Discovery Services, Morrisville, NC, United States
| | - Donia Hanafi
- Julius L Chambers Biomedical/Biotechnology Institute (JLC-BBRI), North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Kenisha Webb
- Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry, and Immunology, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Nikia A. Laurie
- Julius L Chambers Biomedical/Biotechnology Institute (JLC-BBRI), North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC, United States
| | - K. Sean Kimbro
- Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry, and Immunology, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
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Genetic association and Mendelian randomization for hypothyroidism highlight immune molecular mechanisms. iScience 2022; 25:104992. [PMID: 36093044 PMCID: PMC9460554 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Revised: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
We carried out a genome-wide association analysis including 51,194 cases of hypothyroidism and 443,383 controls. In total, 139 risk loci were associated to hypothyroidism with genes involved in lymphocyte function. Candidate genes associated with hypothyroidism were identified by using molecular quantitative trait loci, colocalization, and enhancer-promoter chromatin looping. Mendelian randomization (MR) identified 42 blood expressed genes and circulating proteins as candidate causal molecules in hypothyroidism. Drug-gene interaction analysis provided evidence that immune checkpoint and tyrosine kinase inhibitors used in cancer therapy increase the risk of hypothyroidism. Hence, integrative mapping and MR support that expression of genes and proteins enriched in lymphocyte function are associated with the risk of hypothyroidism and provide genetic evidence for drug-induced hypothyroidism and identify actionable potential drug targets. GWAS for hypothyroidism identified 139 risk loci including 76 novel associations GWAS was enriched in pathways related to lymphocyte function In total, 28 potentially deleterious missense variants were identified Mendelian randomization and colocalization identified 61 blood causal candidate genes
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IL-7/IL7R axis dysfunction in adults with severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP): a cross-sectional study. Sci Rep 2022; 12:13145. [PMID: 35907923 PMCID: PMC9339003 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-13063-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a worldwide leading cause of death. Recognized risk factors in some severe cases have not been identified. Lymphocytopenia has been frequently described in CAP. Since IL-7, membrane-bound receptor (IL7Rα;CD127) and soluble IL7Rα (sIL7R) are critical in lymphocytes homeostasis, in this work we aimed to evaluate the involvement of the IL-7/IL7Rα axis in the severity of adult CAP, since it has not been explored. The IL7Rα SNPs rs6897932, rs987106, and rs3194051 SNPs in IL7α were genotyped, the systemic expression of the IL7R gene, sIL7R, IL-7, and levels of peripheral IL7Rα+ T lymphocytes were quantified in 202 hospitalized CAP cases. rs3194051GG was more frequent in non-survivors than in survivors; rs987106TT was more frequent and rs3194051AA less frequent in patients at intensive care unit (ICU) than in those not admitted to ICU. IL7Rα gene expression was lower in non-survivors than in survivors, and in severe than in mild cases. CD3+CD127+ lymphocytes were lower in severe than in mild cases; in non-survivors than in survivors and in ICU than in non- ICU admitted cases. sIL7Rα plasmatic levels were higher in non-survivors than in survivors, and in severe than in mild cases. rs6897932CC, rs987106AA and rs3194051GG carriers showed the highest while rs6897932TT showed the lowest sIL7Rα levels. The AUC of sIL7Rα levels predicting 30-day mortality was 0.71. Plasma IL-7 levels were lower in ICU-admitted than in not ICU-admitted and in non-survivors than in survivors. No additional association was detected. In conclusion, rs3194051GG and rs987106TT IL7R genotypes were associated with a poorer prognosis. A significant association between sIL7R levels and SNPs of the IL7R gene is described for the first time in adult CAP. Increased plasmatic sIL7R could contribute to identifying adult CAP cases at risk of death.
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Interleukin-7 and soluble Interleukin-7 receptor levels in type 1 diabetes – Impact of IL7RA polymorphisms, HLA risk genotypes and clinical features. Clin Immunol 2022; 235:108928. [DOI: 10.1016/j.clim.2022.108928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Revised: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Pietzner M, Wheeler E, Carrasco-Zanini J, Kerrison ND, Oerton E, Koprulu M, Luan J, Hingorani AD, Williams SA, Wareham NJ, Langenberg C. Synergistic insights into human health from aptamer- and antibody-based proteomic profiling. Nat Commun 2021; 12:6822. [PMID: 34819519 PMCID: PMC8613205 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27164-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Affinity-based proteomics has enabled scalable quantification of thousands of protein targets in blood enhancing biomarker discovery, understanding of disease mechanisms, and genetic evaluation of drug targets in humans through protein quantitative trait loci (pQTLs). Here, we integrate two partly complementary techniques-the aptamer-based SomaScan® v4 assay and the antibody-based Olink assays-to systematically assess phenotypic consequences of hundreds of pQTLs discovered for 871 protein targets across both platforms. We create a genetically anchored cross-platform proteome-phenome network comprising 547 protein-phenotype connections, 36.3% of which were only seen with one of the two platforms suggesting that both techniques capture distinct aspects of protein biology. We further highlight discordance of genetically predicted effect directions between assays, such as for PILRA and Alzheimer's disease. Our results showcase the synergistic nature of these technologies to better understand and identify disease mechanisms and provide a benchmark for future cross-platform discoveries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maik Pietzner
- grid.5335.00000000121885934MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK ,grid.6363.00000 0001 2218 4662Computational Medicine, Berlin Institute of Health (BIH) at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Eleanor Wheeler
- grid.5335.00000000121885934MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Julia Carrasco-Zanini
- grid.5335.00000000121885934MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Nicola D. Kerrison
- grid.5335.00000000121885934MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Erin Oerton
- grid.5335.00000000121885934MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Mine Koprulu
- grid.5335.00000000121885934MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jian’an Luan
- grid.5335.00000000121885934MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Aroon D. Hingorani
- grid.83440.3b0000000121901201Institute of Cardiovascular Science, Faculty of Population Health, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT UK ,grid.83440.3b0000000121901201UCL BHF Research Accelerator Centre, London, UK ,grid.507332.0Health Data Research UK, London, UK
| | | | - Nicholas J. Wareham
- grid.5335.00000000121885934MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK ,grid.507332.0Health Data Research UK, London, UK
| | - Claudia Langenberg
- MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK. .,Computational Medicine, Berlin Institute of Health (BIH) at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany. .,Health Data Research UK, London, UK.
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Hehenkamp P, Hoffmann M, Kummer S, Reinauer C, Döing C, Förtsch K, Enczmann J, Balz V, Mayatepek E, Meissner T, Jacobsen M, Seyfarth J. Interleukin-7-dependent nonclassical monocytes and CD40 expression are affected in children with type 1 diabetes. Eur J Immunol 2021; 51:3214-3227. [PMID: 34625948 DOI: 10.1002/eji.202149229] [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: 02/22/2021] [Revised: 08/13/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The important role of IL-7 in the generation of self-reactive T-cells in autoimmune diseases is well established. Recent studies on autoimmunity-associated genetic polymorphisms indicated that differential IL-7 receptor (IL-7R) expression of monocytes may play a role in the underlying pathogenesis. The relevance of IL-7-mediated monocyte functions in type 1 diabetes remains elusive. In the present study, we characterized monocyte phenotype and IL-7-mediated effects in children with type 1 diabetes and healthy controls with multicolor flow cytometry and t-distributed Stochastic Neighbor-Embedded (t-SNE)-analyses. IL-7R expression of monocytes rapidly increased in vitro and was boosted through LPS. In the presence of IL-7, we detected lower monocyte IL-7R expression in type 1 diabetes patients as compared to healthy controls. This difference was most evident for the subset of nonclassical monocytes, which increased after IL-7 stimulation. t-SNE analyses revealed IL-7-dependent differences in monocyte subset distribution and expression of activation and maturation markers (i.e., HLA-DR, CD80, CD86, CD40). Notably, monocyte CD40 expression increased considerably by IL-7 and CD40/IL-7R co-expression differed between patients and controls. This study shows the unique effects of IL-7 on monocyte phenotype and functions. Lower IL-7R expression on IL-7-induced CD40high monocytes and impaired IL-7 response characterize monocytes from patients with type 1 diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Hehenkamp
- Department of General Pediatrics, Neonatology and Pediatric Cardiology, Medical Faculty, University Hospital, Heinrich-Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Maximilian Hoffmann
- Department of General Pediatrics, Neonatology and Pediatric Cardiology, Medical Faculty, University Hospital, Heinrich-Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Sebastian Kummer
- Department of General Pediatrics, Neonatology and Pediatric Cardiology, Medical Faculty, University Hospital, Heinrich-Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Christina Reinauer
- Department of General Pediatrics, Neonatology and Pediatric Cardiology, Medical Faculty, University Hospital, Heinrich-Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Carsten Döing
- Department of General Pediatrics, Neonatology and Pediatric Cardiology, Medical Faculty, University Hospital, Heinrich-Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Katharina Förtsch
- Department of General Pediatrics, Neonatology and Pediatric Cardiology, Medical Faculty, University Hospital, Heinrich-Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Jürgen Enczmann
- Institute for Transplantation Diagnostics and Cell Therapeutics, Medical Faculty, University Hospital, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Vera Balz
- Institute for Transplantation Diagnostics and Cell Therapeutics, Medical Faculty, University Hospital, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Ertan Mayatepek
- Department of General Pediatrics, Neonatology and Pediatric Cardiology, Medical Faculty, University Hospital, Heinrich-Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Thomas Meissner
- Department of General Pediatrics, Neonatology and Pediatric Cardiology, Medical Faculty, University Hospital, Heinrich-Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Marc Jacobsen
- Department of General Pediatrics, Neonatology and Pediatric Cardiology, Medical Faculty, University Hospital, Heinrich-Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Julia Seyfarth
- Department of General Pediatrics, Neonatology and Pediatric Cardiology, Medical Faculty, University Hospital, Heinrich-Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
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