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Kiaris H. Nontraditional models as research tools: the road not taken. Trends Mol Med 2024:S1471-4914(24)00191-6. [PMID: 39069395 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmed.2024.07.005] [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: 05/31/2024] [Revised: 07/07/2024] [Accepted: 07/10/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024]
Abstract
Historical reasons resulted in the almost exclusive use of a few species, most prominently Mus musculus, as the mainstream models in biomedical research. This selection was not based on Mus's distinctive relevance to human disease but rather to the pre-existing availability of resources and tools for the species that were used as models, which has enabled their adoption for research in health sciences. Unless the utilization and range of nontraditional research models expand considerably, progress in biomedical research will remain restricted within the trajectory that has been set by the existing models and their ability to provide clinically relevant information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hippokratis Kiaris
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, College of Pharmacy and Peromyscus Genetic Stock Center, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA.
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2
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Carruthers ER, Grimsey NL. Cannabinoid CB 2 receptor orthologues; in vitro function and perspectives for preclinical to clinical translation. Br J Pharmacol 2024; 181:2247-2269. [PMID: 37349984 DOI: 10.1111/bph.16172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Revised: 05/01/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Cannabinoid CB2 receptor agonists are in development as therapeutic agents, including for immune modulation and pain relief. Despite promising results in rodent preclinical studies, efficacy in human clinical trials has been marginal to date. Fundamental differences in ligand engagement and signalling responses between the human CB2 receptor and preclinical model species orthologues may contribute to mismatches in functional outcomes. This is a tangible possibility for the CB2 receptor in that there is a relatively large degree of primary amino acid sequence divergence between human and rodent. Here, we summarise CB2 receptor gene and protein structure, assess comparative molecular pharmacology between CB2 receptor orthologues, and review the current status of preclinical to clinical translation for drugs targeted at the CB2 receptor, focusing on comparisons between human, mouse and rat receptors. We hope that raising wider awareness of, and proposing strategies to address, this additional challenge in drug development will assist in ongoing efforts toward successful therapeutic translation of drugs targeted at the CB2 receptor. LINKED ARTICLES: This article is part of a themed issue Therapeutic Targeting of G Protein-Coupled Receptors: hot topics from the Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists 2021 Virtual Annual Scientific Meeting. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v181.14/issuetoc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma R Carruthers
- Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
- Centre for Brain Research, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
- Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Natasha L Grimsey
- Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
- Centre for Brain Research, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
- Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, Auckland, New Zealand
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3
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Akoto T, Hadvina R, Jones S, Cai J, Yu H, McCord H, Jin CXJ, Estes AJ, Gan L, Kuo A, Smith SB, Liu Y. Identification of Keratoconus-Related Phenotypes in Three Ppip5k2 Mouse Models. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2024; 65:22. [PMID: 38869368 PMCID: PMC11178121 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.65.6.22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 05/25/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Purpose It is necessary to establish a mouse model of keratoconus (KC) for research and therapy. We aimed to determine corneal phenotypes in 3 Ppip5k2 mouse models. Methods Central corneal thickness (CCT) was determined using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) in Ppip5k2+/K^ (n = 41 eyes), Ppip5k2K^/K^ (n = 17 eyes) and 2 knock-in mice, Ppip5k2S419A/+ (n = 54 eyes) and Ppip5k2S419A/S419A (n = 18 eyes), and Ppip5k2D843S/+ (n = 42 eyes) and Ppip5k2D843S/D843S (n = 44 eyes) at 3 and 6 months. Pachymetry maps were generated using the Mouse Corneal Analysis Program (MCAP) to process OCT images. Slit lamp biomicroscopy was used to determine any corneal abnormalities, and, last, hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining using corneal sections from these animals was used to examine morphological changes. Results CCT significantly decreased from 3 to 6 months in the Ppip5k2+/K^ and Ppip5k2K^/K^ mice compared to their littermate controls. OCT-based pachymetry maps revealed abnormally localized thinning in all three models compared to their wild-type (WT) controls. Slit lamp examinations revealed corneal abnormalities in the form of bullous keratopathy, stromal edema, stromal scarring, deep corneal neovascularization, and opacities in the heterozygous/homozygous mice of the three models in comparison with their controls. Corneal histological abnormalities, such as epithelial thickening and stromal layer damage, were observed in the heterozygous/homozygous mice of the three models in comparison with the WT controls. Conclusions We have identified phenotypic and histological changes in the corneas of three mouse lines that could be relevant in the development of animal models of KC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theresa Akoto
- Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomy, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia, United States
| | - Rachel Hadvina
- Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomy, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia, United States
- Center for Biotechnology and Genomic Medicine, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia, United States
| | - Skyler Jones
- Department of Ophthalmology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia, United States
| | - Jingwen Cai
- Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomy, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia, United States
| | - Hongfang Yu
- Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomy, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia, United States
| | - Hayden McCord
- Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomy, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia, United States
| | - Charles X. J. Jin
- Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomy, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia, United States
| | - Amy J. Estes
- Department of Ophthalmology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia, United States
- James and Jean Culver Vision Discovery Institute, Augusta, Georgia, United States
| | - Lin Gan
- James and Jean Culver Vision Discovery Institute, Augusta, Georgia, United States
- Department of Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia, United States
| | - Anthony Kuo
- Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States
| | - Sylvia B. Smith
- Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomy, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia, United States
- Department of Ophthalmology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia, United States
- James and Jean Culver Vision Discovery Institute, Augusta, Georgia, United States
| | - Yutao Liu
- Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomy, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia, United States
- Center for Biotechnology and Genomic Medicine, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia, United States
- James and Jean Culver Vision Discovery Institute, Augusta, Georgia, United States
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4
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Romero‐Castillo L, Li T, Do N, Sareila O, Xu B, Hennings V, Xu Z, Svensson C, Oliveira‐Coelho A, Sener Z, Urbonaviciute V, Ekwall O, Burkhardt H, Holmdahl R. Human MHC Class II and Invariant Chain Knock-in Mice Mimic Rheumatoid Arthritis with Allele Restriction in Immune Response and Arthritis Association. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2024; 11:e2401513. [PMID: 38602454 PMCID: PMC11187888 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202401513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
Transgenic mice expressing human major histocompatibility complex class II (MHCII) risk alleles are widely used in autoimmune disease research, but limitations arise due to non-physiologic expression. To address this, physiologically relevant mouse models are established via knock-in technology to explore the role of MHCII in diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. The gene sequences encoding the ectodomains are replaced with the human DRB1*04:01 and 04:02 alleles, DRA, and CD74 (invariant chain) in C57BL/6N mice. The collagen type II (Col2a1) gene is modified to mimic human COL2. Importantly, DRB1*04:01 knock-in mice display physiologic expression of human MHCII also on thymic epithelial cells, in contrast to DRB1*04:01 transgenic mice. Humanization of the invariant chain enhances MHCII expression on thymic epithelial cells, increases mature B cell numbers in spleen, and improves antigen presentation. To validate its functionality, the collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) model is used, where DRB1*04:01 expression led to a higher susceptibility to arthritis, as compared with mice expressing DRB1*04:02. In addition, the humanized T cell epitope on COL2 allows autoreactive T cell-mediated arthritis development. In conclusion, the humanized knock-in mouse faithfully expresses MHCII, confirming the DRB1*04:01 alleles role in rheumatoid arthritis and being also useful for studying MHCII-associated diseases.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Mice
- Arthritis, Rheumatoid/genetics
- Arthritis, Rheumatoid/immunology
- Antigens, Differentiation, B-Lymphocyte/genetics
- Antigens, Differentiation, B-Lymphocyte/immunology
- Humans
- Disease Models, Animal
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Mice, Transgenic
- Gene Knock-In Techniques/methods
- Histocompatibility Antigens Class II/genetics
- Histocompatibility Antigens Class II/immunology
- Alleles
- Arthritis, Experimental/genetics
- Arthritis, Experimental/immunology
- HLA-DRB1 Chains/genetics
- HLA-DRB1 Chains/immunology
- Collagen Type II/genetics
- Collagen Type II/immunology
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Romero‐Castillo
- Medical Inflammation ResearchDivision of ImmunologyDepartment of Medical Biochemistry and BiophysicsKarolinska InstituteStockholm17177Sweden
| | - Taotao Li
- Medical Inflammation ResearchDivision of ImmunologyDepartment of Medical Biochemistry and BiophysicsKarolinska InstituteStockholm17177Sweden
| | - Nhu‐Nguyen Do
- Medical Inflammation ResearchDivision of ImmunologyDepartment of Medical Biochemistry and BiophysicsKarolinska InstituteStockholm17177Sweden
- Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMPFraunhofer Cluster of Excellence for Immune‐Mediated Diseases CIMDTheodor‐Stern‐Kai 760596Frankfurt am MainGermany
| | - Outi Sareila
- Medical Inflammation ResearchDivision of ImmunologyDepartment of Medical Biochemistry and BiophysicsKarolinska InstituteStockholm17177Sweden
- Medical Inflammation ResearchMediCity Research LaboratoryUniversity of TurkuTurkuFI‐20520Finland
| | - Bingze Xu
- Medical Inflammation ResearchDivision of ImmunologyDepartment of Medical Biochemistry and BiophysicsKarolinska InstituteStockholm17177Sweden
| | - Viktoria Hennings
- Department of PediatricsInstitute of Clinical Sciences and Department of Rheumatology and Inflammation ResearchInstitute of MedicineThe Sahlgrenska AcademyUniversity of GothenburgGothenburg41345Sweden
| | - Zhongwei Xu
- Medical Inflammation ResearchDivision of ImmunologyDepartment of Medical Biochemistry and BiophysicsKarolinska InstituteStockholm17177Sweden
| | - Carolin Svensson
- Medical Inflammation ResearchDivision of ImmunologyDepartment of Medical Biochemistry and BiophysicsKarolinska InstituteStockholm17177Sweden
| | - Ana Oliveira‐Coelho
- Medical Inflammation ResearchDivision of ImmunologyDepartment of Medical Biochemistry and BiophysicsKarolinska InstituteStockholm17177Sweden
| | - Zeynep Sener
- Medical Inflammation ResearchDivision of ImmunologyDepartment of Medical Biochemistry and BiophysicsKarolinska InstituteStockholm17177Sweden
| | - Vilma Urbonaviciute
- Medical Inflammation ResearchDivision of ImmunologyDepartment of Medical Biochemistry and BiophysicsKarolinska InstituteStockholm17177Sweden
| | - Olov Ekwall
- Department of PediatricsInstitute of Clinical Sciences and Department of Rheumatology and Inflammation ResearchInstitute of MedicineThe Sahlgrenska AcademyUniversity of GothenburgGothenburg41345Sweden
| | - Harald Burkhardt
- Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMPFraunhofer Cluster of Excellence for Immune‐Mediated Diseases CIMDTheodor‐Stern‐Kai 760596Frankfurt am MainGermany
- Division of RheumatologyUniversity Hospital FrankfurtGoethe University60590Frankfurt am MainGermany
| | - Rikard Holmdahl
- Medical Inflammation ResearchDivision of ImmunologyDepartment of Medical Biochemistry and BiophysicsKarolinska InstituteStockholm17177Sweden
- Medical Inflammation ResearchMediCity Research LaboratoryUniversity of TurkuTurkuFI‐20520Finland
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5
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De Cock L, Bercier V, Van Den Bosch L. New developments in pre-clinical models of ALS to guide translation. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2024; 176:477-524. [PMID: 38802181 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2024.04.008] [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: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder in which selective death of motor neurons leads to muscle weakness and paralysis. Most research has focused on understanding and treating monogenic familial forms, most frequently caused by mutations in SOD1, FUS, TARDBP and C9orf72, although ALS is mostly sporadic and without a clear genetic cause. Rodent models have been developed to study monogenic ALS, but despite numerous pre-clinical studies and clinical trials, few disease-modifying therapies are available. ALS is a heterogeneous disease with complex underlying mechanisms where several genes and molecular pathways appear to play a role. One reason for the high failure rate of clinical translation from the current models could be oversimplification in pre-clinical studies. Here, we review advances in pre-clinical models to better capture the heterogeneous nature of ALS and discuss the value of novel model systems to guide translation and aid in the development of precision medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lenja De Cock
- Department of Neurosciences, Experimental Neurology and Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), KU Louvain-University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Center for Brain and Disease Research, Laboratory of Neurobiology, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Valérie Bercier
- Department of Neurosciences, Experimental Neurology and Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), KU Louvain-University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Center for Brain and Disease Research, Laboratory of Neurobiology, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ludo Van Den Bosch
- Department of Neurosciences, Experimental Neurology and Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), KU Louvain-University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Center for Brain and Disease Research, Laboratory of Neurobiology, VIB, Leuven, Belgium.
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6
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Roy D, Subramaniam B, Chong WC, Bornhorst M, Packer RJ, Nazarian J. Zebrafish-A Suitable Model for Rapid Translation of Effective Therapies for Pediatric Cancers. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:1361. [PMID: 38611039 PMCID: PMC11010887 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16071361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2024] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Pediatric cancers are the leading cause of disease-related deaths in children and adolescents. Most of these tumors are difficult to treat and have poor overall survival. Concerns have also been raised about drug toxicity and long-term detrimental side effects of therapies. In this review, we discuss the advantages and unique attributes of zebrafish as pediatric cancer models and their importance in targeted drug discovery and toxicity assays. We have also placed a special focus on zebrafish models of pediatric brain cancers-the most common and difficult solid tumor to treat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debasish Roy
- Center for Genetic Medicine Research, Children’s National Hospital, Washington, DC 20012, USA; (D.R.)
| | - Bavani Subramaniam
- Center for Genetic Medicine Research, Children’s National Hospital, Washington, DC 20012, USA; (D.R.)
| | - Wai Chin Chong
- Center for Genetic Medicine Research, Children’s National Hospital, Washington, DC 20012, USA; (D.R.)
| | - Miriam Bornhorst
- Center for Genetic Medicine Research, Children’s National Hospital, Washington, DC 20012, USA; (D.R.)
| | - Roger J. Packer
- Center for Genetic Medicine Research, Children’s National Hospital, Washington, DC 20012, USA; (D.R.)
| | - Javad Nazarian
- Center for Genetic Medicine Research, Children’s National Hospital, Washington, DC 20012, USA; (D.R.)
- DIPG/DMG Research Center Zurich, Children’s Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, University Children’s Hospital Zürich, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
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7
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Bolduc V, Guirguis F, Lubben B, Trank L, Silverstein S, Brull A, Nalls M, Cheng J, Garrett L, Bönnemann CG. A humanized knock-in Col6a1 mouse recapitulates a deep-intronic splice-activating variant. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.21.581572. [PMID: 38585878 PMCID: PMC10996637 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.21.581572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
Antisense therapeutics such as splice-modulating antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) are promising tools to treat diseases caused by splice-altering intronic variants. However, their testing in animal models is hampered by the generally poor sequence conservation of the intervening sequences between human and other species. Here we aimed to model in the mouse a recurrent, deep-intronic, splice-activating, COL6A1 variant, associated with a severe form of Collagen VI-related muscular dystrophies (COL6-RDs), for the purpose of testing human-ready antisense therapeutics in vivo. The variant, c.930+189C>T, creates a donor splice site and inserts a 72-nt-long pseudoexon, which, when translated, acts in a dominant-negative manner, but which can be skipped with ASOs. We created a unique humanized mouse allele (designated as "h"), in which a 1.9 kb of the mouse genomic region encoding the amino-terminus (N-) of the triple helical (TH) domain of collagen a1(VI) was swapped for the human orthologous sequence. In addition, we also created an allele that carries the c.930+189C>T variant on the same humanized knock-in sequence (designated as "h+189T"). We show that in both models, the human exons are spliced seamlessly with the mouse exons to generate a chimeric mouse-human collagen a1(VI) protein. In homozygous Col6a1 h+189T/h+189T mice, the pseudoexon is expressed at levels comparable to those observed in heterozygous patients' muscle biopsies. While Col6a1h/h mice do not show any phenotype compared to wildtype animals, Col6a1 h/h+189T and Col6a1 h+189T/h+189T mice have smaller muscle masses and display grip strength deficits detectable as early as 4 weeks of age. The pathogenic h+189T humanized knock-in mouse allele thus recapitulates the pathogenic splicing defects seen in patients' biopsies and allows testing of human-ready precision antisense therapeutics aimed at skipping the pseudoexon. Given that the COL6A1 N-TH region is a hot-spot for COL6-RD variants, the humanized knock-in mouse model can be utilized as a template to introduce other COL6A1 pathogenic variants. This unique humanized mouse model thus represents a valuable tool for the development of antisense therapeutics for COL6-RDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Véronique Bolduc
- Neuromuscular and Neurogenetic Disorders of Childhood Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Fady Guirguis
- Neuromuscular and Neurogenetic Disorders of Childhood Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Berit Lubben
- Neuromuscular and Neurogenetic Disorders of Childhood Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Lindsey Trank
- Neuromuscular and Neurogenetic Disorders of Childhood Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Sarah Silverstein
- Neuromuscular and Neurogenetic Disorders of Childhood Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Astrid Brull
- Neuromuscular and Neurogenetic Disorders of Childhood Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Matthew Nalls
- Neuromuscular and Neurogenetic Disorders of Childhood Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Jun Cheng
- NHGRI Transgenic and Gene Editing Core, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Lisa Garrett
- NHGRI Transgenic and Gene Editing Core, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Carsten G. Bönnemann
- Neuromuscular and Neurogenetic Disorders of Childhood Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
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8
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Khodosevich K, Dragicevic K, Howes O. Drug targeting in psychiatric disorders - how to overcome the loss in translation? Nat Rev Drug Discov 2024; 23:218-231. [PMID: 38114612 DOI: 10.1038/s41573-023-00847-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
In spite of major efforts and investment in development of psychiatric drugs, many clinical trials have failed in recent decades, and clinicians still prescribe drugs that were discovered many years ago. Although multiple reasons have been discussed for the drug development deadlock, we focus here on one of the major possible biological reasons: differences between the characteristics of drug targets in preclinical models and the corresponding targets in patients. Importantly, based on technological advances in single-cell analysis, we propose here a framework for the use of available and newly emerging knowledge from single-cell and spatial omics studies to evaluate and potentially improve the translational predictivity of preclinical models before commencing preclinical and, in particular, clinical studies. We believe that these recommendations will improve preclinical models and the ability to assess drugs in clinical trials, reducing failure rates in expensive late-stage trials and ultimately benefitting psychiatric drug discovery and development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstantin Khodosevich
- Biotech Research and Innovation Centre, Faculty of Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Katarina Dragicevic
- Biotech Research and Innovation Centre, Faculty of Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Oliver Howes
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
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9
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Hurabielle C, LaFlam TN, Gearing M, Ye CJ. Functional genomics in inborn errors of immunity. Immunol Rev 2024; 322:53-70. [PMID: 38329267 PMCID: PMC10950534 DOI: 10.1111/imr.13309] [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] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Inborn errors of immunity (IEI) comprise a diverse spectrum of 485 disorders as recognized by the International Union of Immunological Societies Committee on Inborn Error of Immunity in 2022. While IEI are monogenic by definition, they illuminate various pathways involved in the pathogenesis of polygenic immune dysregulation as in autoimmune or autoinflammatory syndromes, or in more common infectious diseases that may not have a significant genetic basis. Rapid improvement in genomic technologies has been the main driver of the accelerated rate of discovery of IEI and has led to the development of innovative treatment strategies. In this review, we will explore various facets of IEI, delving into the distinctions between PIDD and PIRD. We will examine how Mendelian inheritance patterns contribute to these disorders and discuss advancements in functional genomics that aid in characterizing new IEI. Additionally, we will explore how emerging genomic tools help to characterize new IEI as well as how they are paving the way for innovative treatment approaches for managing and potentially curing these complex immune conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Hurabielle
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, UCSF, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Taylor N LaFlam
- Division of Pediatric Rheumatology, Department of Pediatrics, UCSF, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Melissa Gearing
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, UCSF, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Chun Jimmie Ye
- Institute for Human Genetics, UCSF, San Francisco, California, USA
- Institute of Computational Health Sciences, UCSF, San Francisco, California, USA
- Gladstone Genomic Immunology Institute, San Francisco, California, USA
- Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, UCSF, San Francisco, California, USA
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, UCSF, San Francisco, California, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, UCSF, San Francisco, California, USA
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, UCSF, San Francisco, California, USA
- Arc Institute, Palo Alto, California, USA
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10
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Hankenson FC, Prager EM, Berridge BR. Advocating for Generalizability: Accepting Inherent Variability in Translation of Animal Research Outcomes. Annu Rev Anim Biosci 2024; 12:391-410. [PMID: 38358839 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-animal-021022-043531] [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] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
Advancing scientific discovery requires investigators to embrace research practices that increase transparency and disclosure about materials, methods, and outcomes. Several research advocacy and funding organizations have produced guidelines and recommended practices to enhance reproducibility through detailed and rigorous research approaches; however, confusion around vocabulary terms and a lack of adoption of suggested practices have stymied successful implementation. Although reproducibility of research findings cannot be guaranteed due to extensive inherent variables in attempts at experimental repetition, the scientific community can advocate for generalizability in the application of data outcomes to ensure a broad and effective impact on the comparison of animals to translation within human research. This report reviews suggestions, based upon work with National Institutes of Health advisory groups, for improving rigor and transparency in animal research through aspects of experimental design, statistical assessment, and reporting factors to advocate for generalizability in the application of comparative outcomes between animals and humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- F C Hankenson
- Division of Laboratory Animal Medicine, Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine and University Laboratory Animal Resources, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA;
| | - E M Prager
- Research Program Management, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Tarrytown, New York, USA;
| | - B R Berridge
- B2 Pathology Solutions LLC, Cary, North Carolina, USA;
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11
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Rocha-Martins M. Cell behaviors that pattern developing tissues: the case of the vertebrate nervous system. Curr Top Dev Biol 2023; 159:30-58. [PMID: 38729679 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2023.11.003] [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] [Indexed: 05/12/2024]
Abstract
Morphogenesis from cells to tissue gives rise to the complex architectures that make our organs. How cells and their dynamic behavior are translated into functional spatial patterns is only starting to be understood. Recent advances in quantitative imaging revealed that, although highly heterogeneous, cellular behaviors make reproducible tissue patterns. Emerging evidence suggests that mechanisms of cellular coordination, intrinsic variability and plasticity are critical for robust pattern formation. While pattern development shows a high level of fidelity, tissue organization has undergone drastic changes throughout the course of evolution. In addition, alterations in cell behavior, if unregulated, can cause developmental malformations that disrupt function. Therefore, comparative studies of different species and of disease models offer a powerful approach for understanding how novel spatial configurations arise from variations in cell behavior and the fundamentals of successful pattern formation. In this chapter, I dive into the development of the vertebrate nervous system to explore efforts to dissect pattern formation beyond molecules, the emerging core principles and open questions.
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12
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Teli P, Kale V, Vaidya A. Beyond animal models: revolutionizing neurodegenerative disease modeling using 3D in vitro organoids, microfluidic chips, and bioprinting. Cell Tissue Res 2023; 394:75-91. [PMID: 37572163 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-023-03821-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/14/2023]
Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) are characterized by uncontrolled loss of neuronal cells leading to a progressive deterioration of brain functions. The transition rate of numerous neuroprotective drugs against Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and Huntington's disease, leading to FDA approval, is only 8-14% in the last two decades. Thus, in spite of encouraging preclinical results, these drugs have failed in human clinical trials, demonstrating that traditional cell cultures and animal models cannot accurately replicate human pathophysiology. Hence, in vitro three-dimensional (3D) models have been developed to bridge the gap between human and animal studies. Such technological advancements in 3D culture systems, such as human-induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cells/organoids, organ-on-a-chip technique, and 3D bioprinting, have aided our understanding of the pathophysiology and underlying mechanisms of human NDs. Despite these recent advances, we still lack a 3D model that recapitulates all the key aspects of NDs, thus making it difficult to study the ND's etiology in-depth. Hence in this review, we propose developing a combinatorial approach that allows the integration of patient-derived iPSCs/organoids with 3D bioprinting and organ-on-a-chip technique as it would encompass the neuronal cells along with their niche. Such a 3D combinatorial approach would characterize pathological processes thoroughly, making them better suited for high-throughput drug screening and developing effective novel therapeutics targeting NDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prajakta Teli
- Symbiosis International (Deemed University), Symbiosis School of Biological Sciences, Pune, 412115, India
- Symbiosis International (Deemed University), Symbiosis Center for Stem Cell Research, Pune, 412115, India
| | - Vaijayanti Kale
- Symbiosis International (Deemed University), Symbiosis School of Biological Sciences, Pune, 412115, India
- Symbiosis International (Deemed University), Symbiosis Center for Stem Cell Research, Pune, 412115, India
| | - Anuradha Vaidya
- Symbiosis International (Deemed University), Symbiosis School of Biological Sciences, Pune, 412115, India.
- Symbiosis International (Deemed University), Symbiosis Center for Stem Cell Research, Pune, 412115, India.
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Mahadevan A, Tipler A, Jones H. Shared developmental pathways of the placenta and fetal heart. Placenta 2023; 141:35-42. [PMID: 36604258 DOI: 10.1016/j.placenta.2022.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Revised: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Congenital heart defects (CHD) remain the most common class of birth defect worldwide, affecting 1 in every 110 live births. A host of clinical and morphological indicators of placental dysfunction are observed in pregnancies complicated by fetal CHD and, with the recent emergence of single-cell sequencing capabilities, the molecular and physiological associations between the embryonic heart and developing placenta are increasingly evident. In CHD pregnancies, a hostile intrauterine environment may negatively influence and alter fetal development. Placental maldevelopment and dysfunction creates this hostile in-utero environment and may manifest in the development of various subtypes of CHD, with downstream perfusion and flow-related alterations leading to yet further disruption in placental structure and function. The adverse in-utero environment of CHD-complicated pregnancies is well studied, however the specific etiological role that the placenta plays in CHD development remains unclear. Many mouse and rat models have been used to characterize the relationship between CHD and placental dysfunction, but these paradigms present substantial limitations in the assessment of both the heart and placenta. Improvements in non-invasive placental assessment can mitigate these limitations and drive human-specific investigation in relation to fetal and placental development. Here, we review the clinical, structural, and molecular relationships between CHD and placental dysfunction, the CHD subtype-dependence of these changes, and the future of Placenta-Heart axis modeling and investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aditya Mahadevan
- Physiology and Aging, University of Florida College of Medicine, USA; Center for Research in Perinatal Outcomes, University of Florida, USA
| | - Alyssa Tipler
- Physiology and Aging, University of Florida College of Medicine, USA; Center for Research in Perinatal Outcomes, University of Florida, USA
| | - Helen Jones
- Physiology and Aging, University of Florida College of Medicine, USA; Center for Research in Perinatal Outcomes, University of Florida, USA.
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14
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Powell G, Simon MM, Pulit S, Mallon AM, Lindgren CM. Genic constraint against nonsynonymous variation across the mouse genome. BMC Genomics 2023; 24:562. [PMID: 37736706 PMCID: PMC10514939 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-023-09637-2] [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: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Selective constraint, the depletion of variation due to negative selection, provides insights into the functional impact of variants and disease mechanisms. However, its characterization in mice, the most commonly used mammalian model, remains limited. This study aims to quantify mouse gene constraint using a new metric called the nonsynonymous observed expected ratio (NOER) and investigate its relationship with gene function. RESULTS NOER was calculated using whole-genome sequencing data from wild mouse populations (Mus musculus sp and Mus spretus). Positive correlations were observed between mouse gene constraint and the number of associated knockout phenotypes, indicating stronger constraint on pleiotropic genes. Furthermore, mouse gene constraint showed a positive correlation with the number of pathogenic variant sites in their human orthologues, supporting the relevance of mouse models in studying human disease variants. CONCLUSIONS NOER provides a resource for assessing the fitness consequences of genetic variants in mouse genes and understanding the relationship between gene constraint and function. The study's findings highlight the importance of pleiotropy in selective constraint and support the utility of mouse models in investigating human disease variants. Further research with larger sample sizes can refine constraint estimates in mice and enable more comprehensive comparisons of constraint between mouse and human orthologues.
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Affiliation(s)
- George Powell
- Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Information and Discovery, Big Data Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- Mammalian Genetics Unit, MRC Harwell Institute, Oxfordshire, OX11 0RD, UK.
| | - Michelle M Simon
- Mammalian Genetics Unit, MRC Harwell Institute, Oxfordshire, OX11 0RD, UK
| | - Sara Pulit
- Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Information and Discovery, Big Data Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Ann-Marie Mallon
- Mammalian Genetics Unit, MRC Harwell Institute, Oxfordshire, OX11 0RD, UK
| | - Cecilia M Lindgren
- Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Information and Discovery, Big Data Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Medical and Population Genetics Program, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
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15
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Zhang Z, Chen N, Yin N, Liu R, He Y, Li D, Tong M, Gao A, Lu P, Zhao Y, Li H, Zhang J, Zhang D, Gu W, Hong J, Wang W, Qi L, Ning G, Wang J. The rs1421085 variant within FTO promotes brown fat thermogenesis. Nat Metab 2023; 5:1337-1351. [PMID: 37460841 DOI: 10.1038/s42255-023-00847-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/06/2023]
Abstract
One lead genetic risk signal of obesity-the rs1421085 T>C variant within the FTO gene-is reported to be functional in vitro but lacks evidence at an organism level. Here we recapitulate the homologous human variant in mice with global and brown adipocyte-specific variant knock-in and reveal that mice carrying the C-allele show increased brown fat thermogenic capacity and resistance to high-fat diet-induced adiposity, whereas the obesity-related phenotypic changes are blunted at thermoneutrality. Both in vivo and in vitro data reveal that the C-allele in brown adipocytes enhances the transcription of the Fto gene, which is associated with stronger chromatin looping linking the enhancer region and Fto promoter. Moreover, FTO knockdown or inhibition effectively eliminates the increased thermogenic ability of brown adipocytes carrying the C-allele. Taken together, these findings identify rs1421085 T>C as a functional variant promoting brown fat thermogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiyin Zhang
- Department of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Shanghai Institute of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, Key Laboratory for Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases of the National Health Commission of the PR China, Shanghai National Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Na Chen
- Department of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Shanghai Institute of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, Key Laboratory for Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases of the National Health Commission of the PR China, Shanghai National Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Nan Yin
- Department of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Shanghai Institute of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, Key Laboratory for Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases of the National Health Commission of the PR China, Shanghai National Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Ruixin Liu
- Department of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Shanghai Institute of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, Key Laboratory for Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases of the National Health Commission of the PR China, Shanghai National Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yang He
- Department of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Shanghai Institute of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, Key Laboratory for Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases of the National Health Commission of the PR China, Shanghai National Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Danjie Li
- Department of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Shanghai Institute of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, Key Laboratory for Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases of the National Health Commission of the PR China, Shanghai National Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Muye Tong
- Department of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Shanghai Institute of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, Key Laboratory for Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases of the National Health Commission of the PR China, Shanghai National Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Aibo Gao
- Department of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Shanghai Institute of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, Key Laboratory for Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases of the National Health Commission of the PR China, Shanghai National Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Peng Lu
- Department of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Shanghai Institute of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, Key Laboratory for Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases of the National Health Commission of the PR China, Shanghai National Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuxiao Zhao
- Department of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Shanghai Institute of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, Key Laboratory for Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases of the National Health Commission of the PR China, Shanghai National Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Huabing Li
- Shanghai Institute of Immunology, State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Junfang Zhang
- Laboratory of Aquacultural Resources and Utilization, Ministry of Education, College of Fishery and Life Science, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, China
| | - Dan Zhang
- Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Weiqiong Gu
- Department of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Shanghai Institute of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, Key Laboratory for Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases of the National Health Commission of the PR China, Shanghai National Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jie Hong
- Department of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Shanghai Institute of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, Key Laboratory for Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases of the National Health Commission of the PR China, Shanghai National Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Weiqing Wang
- Department of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Shanghai Institute of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, Key Laboratory for Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases of the National Health Commission of the PR China, Shanghai National Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Lu Qi
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Guang Ning
- Department of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Shanghai Institute of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, Key Laboratory for Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases of the National Health Commission of the PR China, Shanghai National Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jiqiu Wang
- Department of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Shanghai Institute of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
- Shanghai National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, Key Laboratory for Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases of the National Health Commission of the PR China, Shanghai National Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai, China.
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Adair BA, Korecki AJ, Djaksigulova D, Wagner PK, Chiu NY, Lam SL, Lengyell TC, Leavitt BR, Simpson EM. ABE8e Corrects Pax6-Aniridic Variant in Humanized Mouse ESCs and via LNPs in Ex Vivo Cortical Neurons. Ophthalmol Ther 2023; 12:2049-2068. [PMID: 37210469 PMCID: PMC10287867 DOI: 10.1007/s40123-023-00729-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/22/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Aniridia is a rare congenital vision-loss disease caused by heterozygous variants in the PAX6 gene. There is no vision-saving therapy, but one exciting approach is to use CRISPR/Cas9 to permanently correct the causal genomic variants. Preclinical studies to develop such a therapy in animal models face the challenge of showing efficacy when binding human DNA. Thus, we hypothesized that a CRISPR gene therapy can be developed and optimized in humanized mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) that will be able to distinguish between an aniridia patient variant and nonvariant chromosome and lay the foundation for human therapy. METHODS To answer the challenge of binding human DNA, we proposed the "CRISPR Humanized Minimally Mouse Models" (CHuMMMs) strategy. Thus, we minimally humanized Pax6 exon 9, the location of the most common aniridia variant c.718C > T. We generated and characterized a nonvariant CHuMMMs mouse, and a CHuMMMs cell-based disease model, in which we tested five CRISPR enzymes for therapeutic efficacy. We then delivered the therapy via lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) to alter a second variant in ex vivo cortical primary neurons. RESULTS We successfully established a nonvariant CHuMMMs mouse and three novel CHuMMMs aniridia cell lines. We showed that humanization did not disrupt Pax6 function in vivo, as the mouse showed no ocular phenotype. We developed and optimized a CRISPR therapeutic strategy for aniridia in the in vitro system, and found that the base editor, ABE8e, had the highest correction of the patient variant at 76.8%. In the ex vivo system, the LNP-encapsulated ABE8e ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex altered the second patient variant and rescued 24.8% Pax6 protein expression. CONCLUSION We demonstrated the usefulness of the CHuMMMs approach, and showed the first genomic editing by ABE8e encapsulated as an LNP-RNP. Furthermore, we laid the foundation for translation of the proposed CRISPR therapy to preclinical mouse studies and eventually patients with aniridia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bethany A Adair
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics at British Columbia Children's Hospital, The University of British Columbia, 950 West 28th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4H4, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, The University of British Columbia, 950 West 28th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Andrea J Korecki
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics at British Columbia Children's Hospital, The University of British Columbia, 950 West 28th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Diana Djaksigulova
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics at British Columbia Children's Hospital, The University of British Columbia, 950 West 28th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | | | - Nina Y Chiu
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics at British Columbia Children's Hospital, The University of British Columbia, 950 West 28th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4H4, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, The University of British Columbia, 950 West 28th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Siu Ling Lam
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics at British Columbia Children's Hospital, The University of British Columbia, 950 West 28th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Tess C Lengyell
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics at British Columbia Children's Hospital, The University of British Columbia, 950 West 28th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Blair R Leavitt
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics at British Columbia Children's Hospital, The University of British Columbia, 950 West 28th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4H4, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, The University of British Columbia, 950 West 28th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4H4, Canada
- Incisive Genetics Inc., Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Elizabeth M Simpson
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics at British Columbia Children's Hospital, The University of British Columbia, 950 West 28th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4H4, Canada.
- Department of Medical Genetics, The University of British Columbia, 950 West 28th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4H4, Canada.
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17
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Berube LL, Nickel KOP, Iida M, Ramisetty S, Kulkarni P, Salgia R, Wheeler DL, Kimple RJ. Radiation Sensitivity: The Rise of Predictive Patient-Derived Cancer Models. Semin Radiat Oncol 2023; 33:279-286. [PMID: 37331782 PMCID: PMC10287034 DOI: 10.1016/j.semradonc.2023.03.005] [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] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
Patient-derived cancer models have been used for decades to improve our understanding of cancer and test anticancer treatments. Advances in radiation delivery have made these models more attractive for studying radiation sensitizers and understanding an individual patient's radiation sensitivity. Advances in the use of patient-derived cancer models lead to a more clinically relevant outcome, although many questions remain regarding the optimal use of patient-derived xenografts and patient-derived spheroid cultures. The use of patient-derived cancer models as personalized predictive avatars through mouse and zebrafish models is discussed, and the advantages and disadvantages of patient-derived spheroids are reviewed. In addition, the use of large repositories of patient-derived models to develop predictive algorithms to guide treatment selection is discussed. Finally, we review methods for establishing patient-derived models and identify key factors that influence their use as both avatars and models of cancer biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liliana L Berube
- Department of Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI; Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI
| | - Kwang-Ok P Nickel
- Department of Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI
| | - Mari Iida
- Department of Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI
| | - Sravani Ramisetty
- Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA
| | - Prakash Kulkarni
- Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA
| | - Ravi Salgia
- Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA
| | - Deric L Wheeler
- Department of Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI; University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, Madison, WI
| | - Randall J Kimple
- Department of Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI; Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI; University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, Madison, WI.
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18
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Chen A, Neuwirth I, Herndler-Brandstetter D. Modeling the Tumor Microenvironment and Cancer Immunotherapy in Next-Generation Humanized Mice. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:2989. [PMID: 37296949 PMCID: PMC10251926 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15112989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2023] [Revised: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer immunotherapy has brought significant clinical benefits to numerous patients with malignant disease. However, only a fraction of patients experiences complete and durable responses to currently available immunotherapies. This highlights the need for more effective immunotherapies, combination treatments and predictive biomarkers. The molecular properties of a tumor, intratumor heterogeneity and the tumor immune microenvironment decisively shape tumor evolution, metastasis and therapy resistance and are therefore key targets for precision cancer medicine. Humanized mice that support the engraftment of patient-derived tumors and recapitulate the human tumor immune microenvironment of patients represent a promising preclinical model to address fundamental questions in precision immuno-oncology and cancer immunotherapy. In this review, we provide an overview of next-generation humanized mouse models suitable for the establishment and study of patient-derived tumors. Furthermore, we discuss the opportunities and challenges of modeling the tumor immune microenvironment and testing a variety of immunotherapeutic approaches using human immune system mouse models.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Dietmar Herndler-Brandstetter
- Center for Cancer Research, Medical University of Vienna and Comprehensive Cancer Center, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (A.C.); (I.N.)
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19
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Fisher EM, Greensmith L, Malaspina A, Fratta P, Hanna MG, Schiavo G, Isaacs AM, Orrell RW, Cunningham TJ, Arozena AA. Opinion: more mouse models and more translation needed for ALS. Mol Neurodegener 2023; 18:30. [PMID: 37143081 PMCID: PMC10161557 DOI: 10.1186/s13024-023-00619-2] [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: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a complex disorder most of which is 'sporadic' of unknown origin but approximately 10% is familial, arising from single mutations in any of more than 30 genes. Thus, there are more than 30 familial ALS subtypes, with different, often unknown, molecular pathologies leading to a complex constellation of clinical phenotypes. We have mouse models for many genetic forms of the disorder, but these do not, on their own, necessarily show us the key pathological pathways at work in human patients. To date, we have no models for the 90% of ALS that is 'sporadic'. Potential therapies have been developed mainly using a limited set of mouse models, and through lack of alternatives, in the past these have been tested on patients regardless of aetiology. Cancer researchers have undertaken therapy development with similar challenges; they have responded by producing complex mouse models that have transformed understanding of pathological processes, and they have implemented patient stratification in multi-centre trials, leading to the effective translation of basic research findings to the clinic. ALS researchers have successfully adopted this combined approach, and now to increase our understanding of key disease pathologies, and our rate of progress for moving from mouse models to mechanism to ALS therapies we need more, innovative, complex mouse models to address specific questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth M.C. Fisher
- UCL Queen Square Motor Neuron Disease Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG UK
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG UK
| | - Linda Greensmith
- UCL Queen Square Motor Neuron Disease Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG UK
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG UK
| | - Andrea Malaspina
- UCL Queen Square Motor Neuron Disease Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG UK
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG UK
| | - Pietro Fratta
- UCL Queen Square Motor Neuron Disease Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG UK
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG UK
| | - Michael G. Hanna
- UCL Queen Square Motor Neuron Disease Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG UK
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG UK
| | - Giampietro Schiavo
- UCL Queen Square Motor Neuron Disease Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG UK
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, London, WC1E 6BT UK
| | - Adrian M. Isaacs
- UCL Queen Square Motor Neuron Disease Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, London, WC1E 6BT UK
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG UK
| | - Richard W. Orrell
- UCL Queen Square Motor Neuron Disease Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG UK
- Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG UK
| | - Thomas J. Cunningham
- MRC Prion Unit at UCL, Courtauld Building, 33 Cleveland Street, London, W1W 7FF UK
| | - Abraham Acevedo Arozena
- Research Unit, Hospital Universitario de Canarias, ITB-ULL and CIBERNED, La Laguna, 38320 Spain
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20
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Polikarpova AV, Egorova TV, Lunev EA, Tsitrina AA, Vassilieva SG, Savchenko IM, Silaeva YY, Deykin AV, Bardina MV. CRISPR/Cas9-generated mouse model with humanizing single-base substitution in the Gnao1 for safety studies of RNA therapeutics. Front Genome Ed 2023; 5:1034720. [PMID: 37077890 PMCID: PMC10106585 DOI: 10.3389/fgeed.2023.1034720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The development of personalized medicine for genetic diseases requires preclinical testing in the appropriate animal models. GNAO1 encephalopathy is a severe neurodevelopmental disorder caused by heterozygous de novo mutations in the GNAO1 gene. GNAO1 c.607 G>A is one of the most common pathogenic variants, and the mutant protein Gαo-G203R likely adversely affects neuronal signaling. As an innovative approach, sequence-specific RNA-based therapeutics such as antisense oligonucleotides or effectors of RNA interference are potentially applicable for selective suppression of the mutant GNAO1 transcript. While in vitro validation can be performed in patient-derived cells, a humanized mouse model to rule out the safety of RNA therapeutics is currently lacking. In the present work, we employed CRISPR/Cas9 technology to introduce a single-base substitution into exon 6 of the Gnao1 to replace the murine Gly203-coding triplet (GGG) with the codon used in the human gene (GGA). We verified that genome-editing did not interfere with the Gnao1 mRNA or Gαo protein synthesis and did not alter localization of the protein in the brain structures. The analysis of blastocysts revealed the off-target activity of the CRISPR/Cas9 complexes; however, no modifications of the predicted off-target sites were detected in the founder mouse. Histological staining confirmed the absence of abnormal changes in the brain of genome-edited mice. The created mouse model with the “humanized” fragment of the endogenous Gnao1 is suitable to rule out unintended targeting of the wild-type allele by RNA therapeutics directed at lowering GNAO1 c.607 G>A transcripts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna V. Polikarpova
- Laboratory of Modeling and Gene Therapy of Hereditary Diseases, Institute of Gene Biology Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
- Marlin Biotech, Sochi, Russia
| | - Tatiana V. Egorova
- Laboratory of Modeling and Gene Therapy of Hereditary Diseases, Institute of Gene Biology Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
- Marlin Biotech, Sochi, Russia
| | - Evgenii A. Lunev
- Laboratory of Modeling and Gene Therapy of Hereditary Diseases, Institute of Gene Biology Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
- Marlin Biotech, Sochi, Russia
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Institute of Gene Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Alexandra A. Tsitrina
- Koltzov Institute of Developmental Biology Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Svetlana G. Vassilieva
- Laboratory of Modeling and Gene Therapy of Hereditary Diseases, Institute of Gene Biology Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
- Marlin Biotech, Sochi, Russia
| | - Irina M. Savchenko
- Marlin Biotech, Sochi, Russia
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Institute of Gene Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Yuliya Y. Silaeva
- Core Facility Center, Institute of Gene Biology Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Alexey V. Deykin
- Marlin Biotech, Sochi, Russia
- Core Facility Center, Institute of Gene Biology Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
- Laboratory of Genetic Technologies and Genome Editing for Biomedicine and Animal Health, Joint Center for Genetic Technologies, Belgorod National Research University, Belgorod, Russia
| | - Maryana V. Bardina
- Laboratory of Modeling and Gene Therapy of Hereditary Diseases, Institute of Gene Biology Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
- Marlin Biotech, Sochi, Russia
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Institute of Gene Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
- *Correspondence: Maryana V. Bardina,
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21
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Mehta PR, Brown AL, Ward ME, Fratta P. The era of cryptic exons: implications for ALS-FTD. Mol Neurodegener 2023; 18:16. [PMID: 36922834 PMCID: PMC10018954 DOI: 10.1186/s13024-023-00608-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
TDP-43 is an RNA-binding protein with a crucial nuclear role in splicing, and mislocalises from the nucleus to the cytoplasm in a range of neurodegenerative disorders. TDP-43 proteinopathy spans a spectrum of incurable, heterogeneous, and increasingly prevalent neurodegenerative diseases, including the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia disease spectrum and a significant fraction of Alzheimer's disease. There are currently no directed disease-modifying therapies for TDP-43 proteinopathies, and no way to distinguish who is affected before death. It is now clear that TDP-43 proteinopathy leads to a number of molecular changes, including the de-repression and inclusion of cryptic exons. Importantly, some of these cryptic exons lead to the loss of crucial neuronal proteins and have been shown to be key pathogenic players in disease pathogenesis (e.g., STMN2), as well as being able to modify disease progression (e.g., UNC13A). Thus, these aberrant splicing events make promising novel therapeutic targets to restore functional gene expression. Moreover, presence of these cryptic exons is highly specific to patients and areas of the brain affected by TDP-43 proteinopathy, offering the potential to develop biomarkers for early detection and stratification of patients. In summary, the discovery of cryptic exons gives hope for novel diagnostics and therapeutics on the horizon for TDP-43 proteinopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Puja R Mehta
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL Queen Square Motor Neuron Disease Centre, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Anna-Leigh Brown
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL Queen Square Motor Neuron Disease Centre, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Michael E Ward
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Pietro Fratta
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL Queen Square Motor Neuron Disease Centre, London, WC1N 3BG, UK.
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22
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James KA, Stromin JI, Steenkamp N, Combrinck MI. Understanding the relationships between physiological and psychosocial stress, cortisol and cognition. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2023; 14:1085950. [PMID: 36950689 PMCID: PMC10025564 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1085950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Stress is viewed as a state of real or perceived threat to homeostasis, the management of which involves the endocrine, nervous, and immune systems. These systems work independently and interactively as part of the stress response. The scientific stress literature, which spans both animal and human studies, contains heterogeneous findings about the effects of stress on the brain and the body. This review seeks to summarise and integrate literature on the relationships between these systems, examining particularly the roles of physiological and psychosocial stress, the stress hormone cortisol, as controlled by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, and the effects of stress on cognitive functioning. Health conditions related to impaired HPA axis functioning and their associated neuropsychiatric symptoms will also be considered. Lastly, this review will provide suggestions of clinical applicability for endocrinologists who are uniquely placed to measure outcomes related to endocrine, nervous and immune system functioning and identify areas of intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharine Ann James
- Applied Cognitive Science and Experimental Neuropsychology Team (ACSENT) Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Juliet Ilena Stromin
- Applied Cognitive Science and Experimental Neuropsychology Team (ACSENT) Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Nina Steenkamp
- Applied Cognitive Science and Experimental Neuropsychology Team (ACSENT) Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Marc Irwin Combrinck
- Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
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23
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Extracellular Matrix-Based Approaches in Cardiac Regeneration: Challenges and Opportunities. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232415783. [PMID: 36555424 PMCID: PMC9779713 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232415783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Revised: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Cardiac development is characterized by the active proliferation of different cardiac cell types, in particular cardiomyocytes and endothelial cells, that eventually build the beating heart. In mammals, these cells lose their regenerative potential early after birth, representing a major obstacle to our current capacity to restore the myocardial structure and function after an injury. Increasing evidence indicates that the cardiac extracellular matrix (ECM) actively regulates and orchestrates the proliferation, differentiation, and migration of cardiac cells within the heart, and that any change in either the composition of the ECM or its mechanical properties ultimately affect the behavior of these cells throughout one's life. Thus, understanding the role of ECMs' proteins and related signaling pathways on cardiac cell proliferation is essential to develop effective strategies fostering the regeneration of a damaged heart. This review provides an overview of the components of the ECM and its mechanical properties, whose function in cardiac regeneration has been elucidated, with a major focus on the strengths and weaknesses of the experimental models so far exploited to demonstrate the actual pro-regenerative capacity of the components of the ECM and to translate this knowledge into new therapies.
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24
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Moin SM, Boyington JC, Boyoglu-Barnum S, Gillespie RA, Cerutti G, Cheung CSF, Cagigi A, Gallagher JR, Brand J, Prabhakaran M, Tsybovsky Y, Stephens T, Fisher BE, Creanga A, Ataca S, Rawi R, Corbett KS, Crank MC, Karlsson Hedestam GB, Gorman J, McDermott AB, Harris AK, Zhou T, Kwong PD, Shapiro L, Mascola JR, Graham BS, Kanekiyo M. Co-immunization with hemagglutinin stem immunogens elicits cross-group neutralizing antibodies and broad protection against influenza A viruses. Immunity 2022; 55:2405-2418.e7. [PMID: 36356572 PMCID: PMC9772109 DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2022.10.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Revised: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Current influenza vaccines predominantly induce immunity to the hypervariable hemagglutinin (HA) head, requiring frequent vaccine reformulation. Conversely, the immunosubdominant yet conserved HA stem harbors a supersite that is targeted by broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs), representing a prime target for universal vaccines. Here, we showed that the co-immunization of two HA stem immunogens derived from group 1 and 2 influenza A viruses elicits cross-group protective immunity and neutralizing antibody responses in mice, ferrets, and nonhuman primates (NHPs). Immunized mice were protected from multiple group 1 and 2 viruses, and all animal models showed broad serum-neutralizing activity. A bnAb isolated from an immunized NHP broadly neutralized and protected against diverse viruses, including H5N1 and H7N9. Genetic and structural analyses revealed strong homology between macaque and human bnAbs, illustrating common biophysical constraints for acquiring cross-group specificity. Vaccine elicitation of stem-directed cross-group-protective immunity represents a step toward the development of broadly protective influenza vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Syed M Moin
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Jeffrey C Boyington
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Seyhan Boyoglu-Barnum
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Rebecca A Gillespie
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Gabriele Cerutti
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Crystal Sao-Fong Cheung
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Alberto Cagigi
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - John R Gallagher
- Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Joshua Brand
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Madhu Prabhakaran
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Yaroslav Tsybovsky
- Vaccine Research Center Electron Microscopy Unit, Cancer Research Technology Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Tyler Stephens
- Vaccine Research Center Electron Microscopy Unit, Cancer Research Technology Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Brian E Fisher
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Adrian Creanga
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Sila Ataca
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Reda Rawi
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Kizzmekia S Corbett
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Michelle C Crank
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | | | - Jason Gorman
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Adrian B McDermott
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Audray K Harris
- Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Tongqing Zhou
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Peter D Kwong
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Lawrence Shapiro
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - John R Mascola
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Barney S Graham
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Masaru Kanekiyo
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
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25
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Zhao R, Talenti A, Fang L, Liu S, Liu G, Chue Hong NP, Tenesa A, Hassan M, Prendergast JGD. The conservation of human functional variants and their effects across livestock species. Commun Biol 2022; 5:1003. [PMID: 36131008 PMCID: PMC9492664 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03961-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the clear potential of livestock models of human functional variants to provide important insights into the biological mechanisms driving human diseases and traits, their use to date has been limited. Generating such models via genome editing is costly and time consuming, and it is unclear which variants will have conserved effects across species. In this study we address these issues by studying naturally occurring livestock models of human functional variants. We show that orthologues of over 1.6 million human variants are already segregating in domesticated mammalian species, including several hundred previously directly linked to human traits and diseases. Models of variants linked to particular phenotypes, including metabolomic disorders and height, are preferentially shared across species, meaning studying the genetic basis of these phenotypes is particularly tractable in livestock. Using machine learning we demonstrate it is possible to identify human variants that are more likely to have an existing livestock orthologue, and, importantly, we show that the effects of functional variants are often conserved in livestock, acting on orthologous genes with the same direction of effect. Consequently, this work demonstrates the substantial potential of naturally occurring livestock carriers of orthologues of human functional variants to disentangle their functional impacts. An investigation of genetic variants that exist across human and livestock species supports the clear potential of livestock models in providing insights into the mechanisms driving human diseases and traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rongrong Zhao
- The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush Campus, Midlothian, EH25 9RG, UK
| | - Andrea Talenti
- The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush Campus, Midlothian, EH25 9RG, UK
| | - Lingzhao Fang
- The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush Campus, Midlothian, EH25 9RG, UK
| | - Shuli Liu
- Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310024, China
| | - George Liu
- Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory, Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Beltsville, Maryland, 20705, USA
| | | | - Albert Tenesa
- The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush Campus, Midlothian, EH25 9RG, UK
| | - Musa Hassan
- The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush Campus, Midlothian, EH25 9RG, UK
| | - James G D Prendergast
- The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush Campus, Midlothian, EH25 9RG, UK.
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26
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Olguín V, Durán A, Las Heras M, Rubilar JC, Cubillos FA, Olguín P, Klein AD. Genetic Background Matters: Population-Based Studies in Model Organisms for Translational Research. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:7570. [PMID: 35886916 PMCID: PMC9316598 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23147570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Revised: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
We are all similar but a bit different. These differences are partially due to variations in our genomes and are related to the heterogeneity of symptoms and responses to treatments that patients exhibit. Most animal studies are performed in one single strain with one manipulation. However, due to the lack of variability, therapies are not always reproducible when treatments are translated to humans. Panels of already sequenced organisms are valuable tools for mimicking human phenotypic heterogeneities and gene mapping. This review summarizes the current knowledge of mouse, fly, and yeast panels with insightful applications for translational research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeria Olguín
- Centro de Genética y Genómica, Facultad de Medicina, Clínica Alemana Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago 7610658, Chile; (V.O.); (A.D.); (M.L.H.); (J.C.R.)
| | - Anyelo Durán
- Centro de Genética y Genómica, Facultad de Medicina, Clínica Alemana Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago 7610658, Chile; (V.O.); (A.D.); (M.L.H.); (J.C.R.)
| | - Macarena Las Heras
- Centro de Genética y Genómica, Facultad de Medicina, Clínica Alemana Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago 7610658, Chile; (V.O.); (A.D.); (M.L.H.); (J.C.R.)
| | - Juan Carlos Rubilar
- Centro de Genética y Genómica, Facultad de Medicina, Clínica Alemana Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago 7610658, Chile; (V.O.); (A.D.); (M.L.H.); (J.C.R.)
| | - Francisco A. Cubillos
- Departamento de Biología, Santiago, Facultad de Química y Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago 9170022, Chile;
- Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology (iBio), Santiago 7500565, Chile
| | - Patricio Olguín
- Program in Human Genetics, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Biomedical Neurosciences Institute, Department of Neuroscience, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8380453, Chile;
| | - Andrés D. Klein
- Centro de Genética y Genómica, Facultad de Medicina, Clínica Alemana Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago 7610658, Chile; (V.O.); (A.D.); (M.L.H.); (J.C.R.)
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27
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Daley EJ, Yoon SH, Reyes M, Bruce M, Brooks DJ, Bouxsein M, Potts JT, Kronenberg HM, Wein MN, Lanske B, Jüppner H, Gardella TJ. Actions of Parathyroid Hormone Ligand Analogues in Humanized PTH1R Knockin Mice. Endocrinology 2022; 163:6573221. [PMID: 35460406 PMCID: PMC9167040 DOI: 10.1210/endocr/bqac054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Rodent models are commonly used to evaluate parathyroid hormone (PTH) and PTH-related protein (PTHrP) ligands and analogues for their pharmacologic activities and potential therapeutic utility toward diseases of bone and mineral ion metabolism. Divergence, however, in the amino acid sequences of rodent and human PTH receptors (rat and mouse PTH1Rs are 91% identical to the human PTH1R) can lead to differences in receptor-binding and signaling potencies for such ligands when assessed on rodent vs human PTH1Rs, as shown by cell-based assays in vitro. This introduces an element of uncertainty in the accuracy of rodent models for performing such preclinical evaluations. To overcome this potential uncertainty, we used a homologous recombination-based knockin (KI) approach to generate a mouse (in-host strain C57Bl/6N) in which complementary DNA encoding the human PTH1R replaces a segment (exon 4) of the murine PTH1R gene so that the human and not the mouse PTH1R protein is expressed. Expression is directed by the endogenous mouse promoter and hence occurs in all biologically relevant cells and tissues and at appropriate levels. The resulting homozygous hPTH1R-KI (humanized) mice were healthy over at least 10 generations and showed functional responses to injected PTH analog peptides that are consistent with a fully functional human PTH1R in target bone and kidney cells. The initial evaluation of these mice and their potential utility for predicting behavior of PTH analogues in humans is reported here.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eileen J Daley
- Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Endocrine Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA
| | - Sung-Hee Yoon
- Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Endocrine Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA
| | - Monica Reyes
- Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Endocrine Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA
| | - Michael Bruce
- Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Endocrine Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA
| | - Daniel J Brooks
- Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Endocrine Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA
| | - Mary Bouxsein
- Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Endocrine Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA
| | - John T Potts
- Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Endocrine Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA
| | - Henry M Kronenberg
- Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Endocrine Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA
| | - Marc N Wein
- Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Endocrine Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA
| | - Beate Lanske
- Radius Health Inc, Boston, Massachusetts 02210, USA
| | - Harald Jüppner
- Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Endocrine Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA
| | - Thomas J Gardella
- Correspondence: Thomas J. Gardella, PhD, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Endocrine Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Thier 1025, 50 Blossom St, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
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28
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Humanized substitutions of Vmat1 in mice alter amygdala-dependent behaviors associated with the evolution of anxiety. iScience 2022; 25:104800. [PMID: 35992083 PMCID: PMC9385864 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2021] [Revised: 05/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
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29
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Zhang HB, Ding XB, Jin J, Guo WP, Yang QL, Chen PC, Yao H, Ruan L, Tao YT, Chen X. Predicted mouse interactome and network-based interpretation of differentially expressed genes. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0264174. [PMID: 35390003 PMCID: PMC8989236 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2021] [Accepted: 02/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The house mouse or Mus musculus has become a premier mammalian model for genetic research due to its genetic and physiological similarities to humans. It brought mechanistic insights into numerous human diseases and has been routinely used to assess drug efficiency and toxicity, as well as to predict patient responses. To facilitate molecular mechanism studies in mouse, we present the Mouse Interactome Database (MID, Version 1), which includes 155,887 putative functional associations between mouse protein-coding genes inferred from functional association evidence integrated from 9 public databases. These putative functional associations are expected to cover 19.32% of all mouse protein interactions, and 26.02% of these function associations may represent protein interactions. On top of MID, we developed a gene set linkage analysis (GSLA) web tool to annotate potential functional impacts from observed differentially expressed genes. Two case studies show that the MID/GSLA system provided precise and informative annotations that other widely used gene set annotation tools, such as PANTHER and DAVID, did not. Both MID and GSLA are accessible through the website http://mouse.biomedtzc.cn.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hai-Bo Zhang
- Institute of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, School of Electronics & Information Engineering, Taizhou University, Taizhou, China
| | - Xiao-Bao Ding
- Institute of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, School of Electronics & Information Engineering, Taizhou University, Taizhou, China
| | - Jie Jin
- Institute of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, School of Electronics & Information Engineering, Taizhou University, Taizhou, China
| | - Wen-Ping Guo
- Institute of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, School of Electronics & Information Engineering, Taizhou University, Taizhou, China
| | - Qiao-Lei Yang
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Peng-Cheng Chen
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Heng Yao
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Li Ruan
- Institute of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, School of Electronics & Information Engineering, Taizhou University, Taizhou, China
| | - Yu-Tian Tao
- Institute of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, School of Electronics & Information Engineering, Taizhou University, Taizhou, China
- * E-mail: (YTT); (XC)
| | - Xin Chen
- Institute of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, School of Electronics & Information Engineering, Taizhou University, Taizhou, China
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Joint Institute for Genetics and Genome Medicine between Zhejiang University and University of Toronto, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- * E-mail: (YTT); (XC)
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30
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Efficient targeted transgenesis of large donor DNA into multiple mouse genetic backgrounds using bacteriophage Bxb1 integrase. Sci Rep 2022; 12:5424. [PMID: 35361849 PMCID: PMC8971409 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-09445-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The development of mouse models of human disease and synthetic biology research by targeted transgenesis of large DNA constructs represent a significant genetic engineering hurdle. We developed an efficient, precise, single-copy integration of large transgenes directly into zygotes using multiple mouse genetic backgrounds. We used in vivo Bxb1 mediated recombinase-mediated cassette exchange (RMCE) with a transgene “landing pad” composed of dual heterologous Bxb1 attachment (att) sites in cis, within the Gt(ROSA)26Sor safe harbor locus. RMCE of donor was achieved by microinjection of vector DNA carrying cognate attachment sites flanking the donor transgene with Bxb1-integrase mRNA. This approach achieves perfect vector-free integration of donor constructs at efficiencies > 40% with up to ~ 43 kb transgenes. Coupled with a nanopore-based Cas9-targeted sequencing (nCATS), complete verification of precise insertion sequence was achieved. As a proof-of-concept we describe the development of C57BL/6J and NSG Krt18-ACE2 models for SARS-CoV2 research with verified heterozygous N1 animals within ~ 4 months. Additionally, we created a series of mice with diverse backgrounds carrying a single att site including FVB/NJ, PWK/PhJ, NOD/ShiLtJ, CAST/EiJ and DBA/2J allowing for rapid transgene insertion. Combined, this system enables predictable, rapid development with simplified characterization of precisely targeted transgenic animals across multiple genetic backgrounds.
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31
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Powell G, Long H, Zolkiewski L, Dumbell R, Mallon AM, Lindgren CM, Simon MM. Modelling the genetic aetiology of complex disease: human-mouse conservation of noncoding features and disease-associated loci. Biol Lett 2022; 18:20210630. [PMID: 35317627 PMCID: PMC8941414 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2021.0630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the genetic aetiology of loci associated with a disease is crucial for developing preventative measures and effective treatments. Mouse models are used extensively to understand human pathobiology and mechanistic functions of disease-associated loci. However, the utility of mouse models is limited in part by evolutionary divergence in transcription regulation for pathways of interest. Here, we summarize the alignment of genomic (exonic and multi-cell regulatory) annotations alongside Mendelian and complex disease-associated variant sites between humans and mice. Our results highlight the importance of understanding evolutionary divergence in transcription regulation when interpreting functional studies using mice as models for human disease variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- George Powell
- Big Data Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Information and Discovery, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7LF, UK.,MRC Harwell Institute, Mammalian Genetics Unit, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK
| | - Helen Long
- Big Data Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Information and Discovery, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7LF, UK.,MRC Harwell Institute, Mammalian Genetics Unit, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK
| | - Louisa Zolkiewski
- MRC Harwell Institute, Mammalian Genetics Unit, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK.,Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK
| | - Rebecca Dumbell
- Nottingham Trent University, Clifton Lane, Nottingham NG11 8NS, UK
| | - Ann-Marie Mallon
- MRC Harwell Institute, Mammalian Genetics Unit, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK
| | - Cecilia M Lindgren
- Big Data Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Information and Discovery, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7LF, UK.,Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK.,Nottingham Trent University, Clifton Lane, Nottingham NG11 8NS, UK.,Medical and Population Genetics Program, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Michelle M Simon
- MRC Harwell Institute, Mammalian Genetics Unit, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK
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32
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Kenny SE, Antaw F, Locke WJ, Howard CB, Korbie D, Trau M. Next-Generation Molecular Discovery: From Bottom-Up In Vivo and In Vitro Approaches to In Silico Top-Down Approaches for Therapeutics Neogenesis. Life (Basel) 2022; 12:363. [PMID: 35330114 PMCID: PMC8950575 DOI: 10.3390/life12030363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein and drug engineering comprises a major part of the medical and research industries, and yet approaches to discovering and understanding therapeutic molecular interactions in biological systems rely on trial and error. The general approach to molecular discovery involves screening large libraries of compounds, proteins, or antibodies, or in vivo antibody generation, which could be considered "bottom-up" approaches to therapeutic discovery. In these bottom-up approaches, a minimal amount is known about the therapeutics at the start of the process, but through meticulous and exhaustive laboratory work, the molecule is characterised in detail. In contrast, the advent of "big data" and access to extensive online databases and machine learning technologies offers promising new avenues to understanding molecular interactions. Artificial intelligence (AI) now has the potential to predict protein structure at an unprecedented accuracy using only the genetic sequence. This predictive approach to characterising molecular structure-when accompanied by high-quality experimental data for model training-has the capacity to invert the process of molecular discovery and characterisation. The process has potential to be transformed into a top-down approach, where new molecules can be designed directly based on the structure of a target and the desired function, rather than performing screening of large libraries of molecular variants. This paper will provide a brief evaluation of bottom-up approaches to discovering and characterising biological molecules and will discuss recent advances towards developing top-down approaches and the prospects of this.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie E. Kenny
- Centre for Personalised Nanomedicine, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN), The University of Queensland, Corner of College and Cooper Roads (Bldg 75), Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; (S.E.K.); (F.A.); (C.B.H.)
| | - Fiach Antaw
- Centre for Personalised Nanomedicine, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN), The University of Queensland, Corner of College and Cooper Roads (Bldg 75), Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; (S.E.K.); (F.A.); (C.B.H.)
| | - Warwick J. Locke
- Molecular Diagnostic Solutions, Health and Biosecurity, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Building 101, Clunies Ross Street, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia;
| | - Christopher B. Howard
- Centre for Personalised Nanomedicine, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN), The University of Queensland, Corner of College and Cooper Roads (Bldg 75), Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; (S.E.K.); (F.A.); (C.B.H.)
| | - Darren Korbie
- Centre for Personalised Nanomedicine, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN), The University of Queensland, Corner of College and Cooper Roads (Bldg 75), Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; (S.E.K.); (F.A.); (C.B.H.)
| | - Matt Trau
- Centre for Personalised Nanomedicine, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN), The University of Queensland, Corner of College and Cooper Roads (Bldg 75), Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; (S.E.K.); (F.A.); (C.B.H.)
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
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33
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Minami Y, Yuan Y, Ueda HR. High-throughput Genetically Modified Animal Experiments Achieved by Next-generation Mammalian Genetics. J Biol Rhythms 2022; 37:135-151. [PMID: 35137623 DOI: 10.1177/07487304221075002] [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: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Animal models are essential tools for modern scientists to conduct biological experiments and investigate their hypotheses in vivo. However, for the past decade, raising the throughput of such animal experiments has been a great challenge. Conventionally, in vivo high-throughput assay was achieved through large-scale mutagen-driven forward genetic screening, which took years to find causal genes. In contrast, reverse genetics accelerated the causal gene identification process, but its throughput was also limited by 2 barriers, that is, the genome modification step and the time-consuming crossing step. Defined as genetics without crossing, next-generation genetics is able to produce gene-modified animals that can be analyzed at the founder generation (F0). This method is or can be accomplished through recent technological advances in gene editing and virus-based efficient gene modifications. Notably, next-generation genetics has accelerated the process of cross-species studies, and it will be a useful technique during animal experiments as it can provide genetic perturbation at an individual level without crossing. In this review, we begin by introducing the history of animal-based high-throughput analysis, with a specific focus on chronobiology. We then describe ways that gene modification efficiency during animal experiments was enhanced and why crossing remained a barrier to reaching higher efficiency. Moreover, we mention the Triple CRISPR as a critical technique for achieving next-generation genetics. Finally, we discuss the potential applications and limitations of next-generation mammalian genetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoichi Minami
- Department of Systems Pharmacology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yufei Yuan
- Department of Systems Pharmacology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hiroki R Ueda
- Department of Systems Pharmacology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.,Laboratory for Synthetic Biology, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Suita, Japan
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Cumberland MJ, Riebel LL, Roy A, O’Shea C, Holmes AP, Denning C, Kirchhof P, Rodriguez B, Gehmlich K. Basic Research Approaches to Evaluate Cardiac Arrhythmia in Heart Failure and Beyond. Front Physiol 2022; 13:806366. [PMID: 35197863 PMCID: PMC8859441 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.806366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Patients with heart failure often develop cardiac arrhythmias. The mechanisms and interrelations linking heart failure and arrhythmias are not fully understood. Historically, research into arrhythmias has been performed on affected individuals or in vivo (animal) models. The latter however is constrained by interspecies variation, demands to reduce animal experiments and cost. Recent developments in in vitro induced pluripotent stem cell technology and in silico modelling have expanded the number of models available for the evaluation of heart failure and arrhythmia. An agnostic approach, combining the modalities discussed here, has the potential to improve our understanding for appraising the pathology and interactions between heart failure and arrhythmia and can provide robust and validated outcomes in a variety of research settings. This review discusses the state of the art models, methodologies and techniques used in the evaluation of heart failure and arrhythmia and will highlight the benefits of using them in combination. Special consideration is paid to assessing the pivotal role calcium handling has in the development of heart failure and arrhythmia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max J. Cumberland
- Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Leto L. Riebel
- Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Ashwin Roy
- Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Christopher O’Shea
- Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew P. Holmes
- Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Chris Denning
- Stem Cell Biology Unit, Biodiscovery Institute, British Heart Foundation Centre for Regenerative Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Paulus Kirchhof
- Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
- University Heart and Vascular Center, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Blanca Rodriguez
- Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Katja Gehmlich
- Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
- Cardiovascular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford and British Heart Foundation Centre of Research Excellence Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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35
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Kazuki Y, Gao FJ, Yamakawa M, Hirabayashi M, Kazuki K, Kajitani N, Miyagawa-Tomita S, Abe S, Sanbo M, Hara H, Kuniishi H, Ichisaka S, Hata Y, Koshima M, Takayama H, Takehara S, Nakayama Y, Hiratsuka M, Iida Y, Matsukura S, Noda N, Li Y, Moyer AJ, Cheng B, Singh N, Richtsmeier JT, Oshimura M, Reeves RH. A transchromosomic rat model with human chromosome 21 shows robust Down syndrome features. Am J Hum Genet 2022; 109:328-344. [PMID: 35077668 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2021.12.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Progress in earlier detection and clinical management has increased life expectancy and quality of life in people with Down syndrome (DS). However, no drug has been approved to help individuals with DS live independently and fully. Although rat models could support more robust physiological, behavioral, and toxicology analysis than mouse models during preclinical validation, no DS rat model is available as a result of technical challenges. We developed a transchromosomic rat model of DS, TcHSA21rat, which contains a freely segregating, EGFP-inserted, human chromosome 21 (HSA21) with >93% of its protein-coding genes. RNA-seq of neonatal forebrains demonstrates that TcHSA21rat expresses HSA21 genes and has an imbalance in global gene expression. Using EGFP as a marker for trisomic cells, flow cytometry analyses of peripheral blood cells from 361 adult TcHSA21rat animals show that 81% of animals retain HSA21 in >80% of cells, the criterion for a "Down syndrome karyotype" in people. TcHSA21rat exhibits learning and memory deficits and shows increased anxiety and hyperactivity. TcHSA21rat recapitulates well-characterized DS brain morphology, including smaller brain volume and reduced cerebellar size. In addition, the rat model shows reduced cerebellar foliation, which is not observed in DS mouse models. Moreover, TcHSA21rat exhibits anomalies in craniofacial morphology, heart development, husbandry, and stature. TcHSA21rat is a robust DS animal model that can facilitate DS basic research and provide a unique tool for preclinical validation to accelerate DS drug development.
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36
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Hopkins C, de Castro LF, Corsi A, Boyce A, Collins MT, Riminucci M, Heegaard AM. Fibrous dysplasia animal models: A systematic review. Bone 2022; 155:116270. [PMID: 34875396 DOI: 10.1016/j.bone.2021.116270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Revised: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/09/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Fibrous dysplasia (FD) is a rare genetic bone disorder resulting in an overproduction of cAMP leading to a structurally unsound tissue, caused by a genetic mutation in the guanine nucleotide-binding protein gene (GNAS). In order to better understand this disease, several animal models have been developed with different strategies and features. OBJECTIVE Conduct a systematic review to analyze and compare animal models with the causative mutation and features of FD. METHODS A PRISMA search was conducted in Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science. Studies reporting an in vivo model of FD that expressed the causative mutation were included for analysis. Models without the causative mutation, but developed an FD phenotype and models of FD cell implantation were included for subanalysis. RESULTS Seven unique models were identified. The models were assessed and compared for their face validity, construct validity, mosaicism, and induction methods. This was based on the features of clinical FD that were reported within the categories of: macroscopic features, imaging, histology and histomorphometry, histochemical and cellular markers, and blood/urine markers. LIMITATIONS None of the models reported all features of FD and some features were only reported in one model. This made comparing models a challenge, but indicates areas where further research is necessary. CONCLUSION The benefits and disadvantages of every model were assessed from a practical and scientific standpoint. While all published reports lacked complete data, the models have nonetheless informed our understanding of FD and provided meaningful information to guide researchers in bench and clinical research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chelsea Hopkins
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Luis Fernandez de Castro
- Skeletal Disorders and Mineral Homeostasis Section, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Alessandro Corsi
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Alison Boyce
- Metabolic Bone Disorders Unit, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Michael T Collins
- Skeletal Disorders and Mineral Homeostasis Section, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Mara Riminucci
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Anne-Marie Heegaard
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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37
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Benatti HR, Gray-Edwards HL. Adeno-Associated Virus Delivery Limitations for Neurological Indications. Hum Gene Ther 2022; 33:1-7. [PMID: 35049369 DOI: 10.1089/hum.2022.29196.hrb] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Hector Ribeiro Benatti
- Horae Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Heather L Gray-Edwards
- Horae Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Radiology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
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38
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Grunwald HA, Weitzel AJ, Cooper KL. Applications of and considerations for using CRISPR-Cas9-mediated gene conversion systems in rodents. Nat Protoc 2022; 17:3-14. [PMID: 34949863 DOI: 10.1038/s41596-021-00646-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Genetic elements that are inherited at super-Mendelian frequencies could be used in a 'gene drive' to spread an allele to high prevalence in a population with the goal of eliminating invasive species or disease vectors. We recently demonstrated that the gene conversion mechanism underlying a CRISPR-Cas9-mediated gene drive is feasible in mice. Although substantial technical hurdles remain, overcoming these could lead to strategies that might decrease the spread of rodent-borne Lyme disease or eliminate invasive populations of mice and rats that devastate island ecology. Perhaps more immediately achievable at moderate gene conversion efficiency, applications in a laboratory setting could produce complex genotypes that reduce the time and cost in both dollars and animal lives compared with Mendelian inheritance strategies. Here, we discuss what we have learned from early efforts to achieve CRISPR-Cas9-mediated gene conversion, potential for broader applications in the laboratory, current limitations, and plans for optimizing this potentially powerful technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah A Grunwald
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Alexander J Weitzel
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Kimberly L Cooper
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
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39
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Devoy A, Price G, De Giorgio F, Bunton-Stasyshyn R, Thompson D, Gasco S, Allan A, Codner GF, Nair RR, Tibbit C, McLeod R, Ali Z, Noda J, Marrero-Gagliardi A, Brito-Armas JM, Williams C, Öztürk MM, Simon M, O'Neill E, Bryce-Smith S, Harrison J, Atkins G, Corrochano S, Stewart M, Gilthorpe JD, Teboul L, Acevedo-Arozena A, Fisher EM, Cunningham TJ. Generation and analysis of innovative genomically humanized knockin SOD1, TARDBP (TDP-43), and FUS mouse models. iScience 2021; 24:103463. [PMID: 34988393 PMCID: PMC8710557 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.103463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Revised: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/frontotemporal dementia (ALS/FTD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder, and continued innovation is needed for improved understanding and for developing therapeutics. We have created next-generation genomically humanized knockin mouse models, by replacing the mouse genomic region of Sod1, Tardbp (TDP-43), and Fus, with their human orthologs, preserving human protein biochemistry and splicing with exons and introns intact. We establish a new standard of large knockin allele quality control, demonstrating the utility of indirect capture for enrichment of a genomic region of interest followed by Oxford Nanopore sequencing. Extensive analysis shows that homozygous humanized animals only express human protein at endogenous levels. Characterization of humanized FUS animals showed that they are phenotypically normal throughout their lifespan. These humanized strains are vital for preclinical assessment of interventions and serve as templates for the addition of coding or non-coding human ALS/FTD mutations to dissect disease pathomechanisms, in a physiological context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anny Devoy
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Georgia Price
- UK MRC Harwell Institute, Harwell Campus, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK
| | - Francesca De Giorgio
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Rosie Bunton-Stasyshyn
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK
- UK MRC Harwell Institute, Harwell Campus, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK
| | - David Thompson
- UK MRC Harwell Institute, Harwell Campus, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK
| | - Samanta Gasco
- UK MRC Harwell Institute, Harwell Campus, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK
| | - Alasdair Allan
- UK MRC Harwell Institute, Harwell Campus, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK
| | - Gemma F. Codner
- UK MRC Harwell Institute, Harwell Campus, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK
| | - Remya R. Nair
- UK MRC Harwell Institute, Harwell Campus, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK
| | - Charlotte Tibbit
- UK MRC Harwell Institute, Harwell Campus, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK
| | - Ross McLeod
- UK MRC Harwell Institute, Harwell Campus, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK
| | - Zeinab Ali
- UK MRC Harwell Institute, Harwell Campus, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK
| | - Judith Noda
- Research Unit, Hospital Universitario de Canarias; ITB-ULL and CIBERNED, 38320 La Laguna, Spain
| | | | - José M. Brito-Armas
- Research Unit, Hospital Universitario de Canarias; ITB-ULL and CIBERNED, 38320 La Laguna, Spain
| | - Chloe Williams
- Department of Integrative Medical Biology, Umeå University, 901 87, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Muhammet M. Öztürk
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Michelle Simon
- UK MRC Harwell Institute, Harwell Campus, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK
| | - Edward O'Neill
- UK MRC Harwell Institute, Harwell Campus, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK
| | - Sam Bryce-Smith
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Jackie Harrison
- UK MRC Harwell Institute, Harwell Campus, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK
| | - Gemma Atkins
- UK MRC Harwell Institute, Harwell Campus, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK
| | | | - Michelle Stewart
- UK MRC Harwell Institute, Harwell Campus, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK
| | | | - Lydia Teboul
- UK MRC Harwell Institute, Harwell Campus, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD, UK
| | - Abraham Acevedo-Arozena
- Research Unit, Hospital Universitario de Canarias; ITB-ULL and CIBERNED, 38320 La Laguna, Spain
| | - Elizabeth M.C. Fisher
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK
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40
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Nakano K, Shimizu Y, Arai T, Kaneko T, Okamura T. The versatile electric condition in mouse embryos for genome editing using a three-step square-wave pulse electroporator. Exp Anim 2021; 71:214-223. [PMID: 34880157 PMCID: PMC9130034 DOI: 10.1538/expanim.21-0130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Technique for Animal Knockout system by Electroporation (TAKE) is a simple and efficient method to generate genetically modified (GM) mice using the clustered regularly interspaced short
palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) systems. To reinforce the versatility of electroporation used for gene editing in mice, the electric condition was optimized
for vitrified-warmed mouse embryos, and applied to the fresh embryos from widely used inbred strains (C57BL/6NCr, BALB/cCrSlc, FVB/NJcl, and C3H/HeJJcl). The electric pulse settings (poring
pulse: voltage, 150 V; pulse width, 1.0 ms; pulse interval, 50 ms; number of pulses, +4; transfer pulse: voltage, 20 V; pulse width, 50 ms; pulse interval, 50 ms; number of pulses, ±5) were
optimal for vitrified-warmed mouse embryos, which could efficiently deliver the gRNA/Cas9 complex into the zygotes without zona pellucida thinning process and edit the target locus. These
electric condition efficiently generated GM mice in widely used inbred mouse strains. In addition, electroporation using the electrode with a 5 mm gap could introduce more than 100 embryos
within 5 min without specific pretreatment and sophisticated technical skills, such as microinjection, and exhibited a high developmental rate of embryos and genome-editing efficiency in the
generated offspring, leading to the rapid and efficient generation of genome editing mice. The electric condition used in this study is highly versatile and can contribute to understanding
human diseases and gene functions by generating GM mice more easily and efficiently.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenta Nakano
- Department of Laboratory Animal Medicine, Research Institute, National Center for Global Health and Medicine (NCGM)
| | - Yukiko Shimizu
- Department of Laboratory Animal Medicine, Research Institute, National Center for Global Health and Medicine (NCGM)
| | - Tetsuya Arai
- Department of Laboratory Animal Medicine, Research Institute, National Center for Global Health and Medicine (NCGM)
| | - Taketo Kaneko
- Department of Chemistry and Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Iwate University.,Division of Fundamental and Applied Sciences, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Iwate University
| | - Tadashi Okamura
- Department of Laboratory Animal Medicine, Research Institute, National Center for Global Health and Medicine (NCGM)
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41
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Zárybnický T, Heikkinen A, Kangas SM, Karikoski M, Martínez-Nieto GA, Salo MH, Uusimaa J, Vuolteenaho R, Hinttala R, Sipilä P, Kuure S. Modeling Rare Human Disorders in Mice: The Finnish Disease Heritage. Cells 2021; 10:cells10113158. [PMID: 34831381 PMCID: PMC8621025 DOI: 10.3390/cells10113158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Revised: 11/04/2021] [Accepted: 11/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The modification of genes in animal models has evidently and comprehensively improved our knowledge on proteins and signaling pathways in human physiology and pathology. In this review, we discuss almost 40 monogenic rare diseases that are enriched in the Finnish population and defined as the Finnish disease heritage (FDH). We will highlight how gene-modified mouse models have greatly facilitated the understanding of the pathological manifestations of these diseases and how some of the diseases still lack proper models. We urge the establishment of subsequent international consortiums to cooperatively plan and carry out future human disease modeling strategies. Detailed information on disease mechanisms brings along broader understanding of the molecular pathways they act along both parallel and transverse to the proteins affected in rare diseases, therefore also aiding understanding of common disease pathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomáš Zárybnický
- Stem Cells and Metabolism Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 63, 00014 Helsinki, Finland;
| | - Anne Heikkinen
- Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, 90014 Oulu, Finland; (A.H.); (S.M.K.); (M.H.S.); (R.V.)
- Oulu Center for Cell-Matrix Research, Faculty of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 8000, 90014 Oulu, Finland
| | - Salla M. Kangas
- Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, 90014 Oulu, Finland; (A.H.); (S.M.K.); (M.H.S.); (R.V.)
- PEDEGO Research Unit, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 8000, 90014 Oulu, Finland;
- Medical Research Center, Oulu University Hospital, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, 90014 Oulu, Finland
| | - Marika Karikoski
- Research Centre for Integrative Physiology and Pharmacology, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Turku, 20520 Turku, Finland; (M.K.); (G.A.M.-N.)
| | - Guillermo Antonio Martínez-Nieto
- Research Centre for Integrative Physiology and Pharmacology, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Turku, 20520 Turku, Finland; (M.K.); (G.A.M.-N.)
- Turku Center for Disease Modelling (TCDM), Institute of Biomedicine, University of Turku, 20520 Turku, Finland
| | - Miia H. Salo
- Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, 90014 Oulu, Finland; (A.H.); (S.M.K.); (M.H.S.); (R.V.)
- PEDEGO Research Unit, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 8000, 90014 Oulu, Finland;
- Medical Research Center, Oulu University Hospital, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, 90014 Oulu, Finland
| | - Johanna Uusimaa
- PEDEGO Research Unit, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 8000, 90014 Oulu, Finland;
- Medical Research Center, Oulu University Hospital, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, 90014 Oulu, Finland
- Clinic for Children and Adolescents, Division of Pediatric Neurology, Oulu University Hospital, P.O. Box 20, 90029 Oulu, Finland
| | - Reetta Vuolteenaho
- Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, 90014 Oulu, Finland; (A.H.); (S.M.K.); (M.H.S.); (R.V.)
| | - Reetta Hinttala
- Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, 90014 Oulu, Finland; (A.H.); (S.M.K.); (M.H.S.); (R.V.)
- PEDEGO Research Unit, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 8000, 90014 Oulu, Finland;
- Medical Research Center, Oulu University Hospital, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, 90014 Oulu, Finland
- Correspondence: (R.H.); (P.S.); (S.K.)
| | - Petra Sipilä
- Research Centre for Integrative Physiology and Pharmacology, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Turku, 20520 Turku, Finland; (M.K.); (G.A.M.-N.)
- Turku Center for Disease Modelling (TCDM), Institute of Biomedicine, University of Turku, 20520 Turku, Finland
- Correspondence: (R.H.); (P.S.); (S.K.)
| | - Satu Kuure
- Stem Cells and Metabolism Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 63, 00014 Helsinki, Finland;
- GM-Unit, Laboratory Animal Center, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, 00790 Helsinki, Finland
- Correspondence: (R.H.); (P.S.); (S.K.)
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Atta S, Kramani NE, Mohamed SR, Mohamed MA, Hassan SH, Hesham R, Mohamed AM, Abdel-Halim EE, Mohamed YA, El-Ahwany E. MicroRNA-199: A Potential Therapeutic Tool for Hepatocellular Carcinoma in an Experimental Model. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev 2021; 22:2771-2779. [PMID: 34582645 PMCID: PMC8850877 DOI: 10.31557/apjcp.2021.22.9.2771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the major health problems throughout the world with a very poor prognosis. MicroRNAs are small regulatory non-protein-coding RNA molecules. We aimed at investigating microRNA-199 as a potential therapeutic tool for HCC both in vitro and in an experimental model. A therapeutic strategy based on the effect of microRNAs to target genes responsible for liver cancer was adopted in this work. The ability of these small RNAs to potently influence cellular behavior was also investigated. The role of miR-199a in the development of liver cancer has been identified using a systematic literature search using miRBase. HepG2 cell line was used to test the effect of miRNA199a in vitro. Hepatocellular carcinoma was induced in Male Balb/C mice by diethylnitrosamine (DEN). Mice were treated with miRNA-199a and sacrificed after 16 weeks and blood samples and liver specimens were collected for biochemical and histopathological assessment. Histopathological examination of liver specimens after miRNA 199a treatment showed regression of Hepatocellular carcinoma with restoration of normal architecture. AFP, VEGF and TNFα levels decreased after treatment with miRNA 199a. Caspase 3 and 9; showed decreased expression in animals treated with miRNA 199a than non-treated ones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shimaa Atta
- Immunology Lab, Theodor Bilharz Research Institute, Kornish El Nil street, Giza, Egypt.
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Long JE, Jankovic M, Maddalo D. Drug discovery oncology in a mouse: concepts, models and limitations. Future Sci OA 2021; 7:FSO737. [PMID: 34295539 PMCID: PMC8288236 DOI: 10.2144/fsoa-2021-0019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The utilization of suitable mouse models is a critical step in the drug discovery oncology workflow as their generation and use are important for target identification and validation as well as toxicity and efficacy assessments. Current murine models have been instrumental in furthering insights into the mode of action of drugs before transitioning into the clinic. Recent advancements in genome editing with the development of the CRISPR/Cas9 system and the possibility of applying such technology directly in vivo have expanded the toolkit of preclinical models available. In this review, a brief presentation of the current models used in drug discovery will be provided with a particular emphasis on the novel CRISPR/Cas9 models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason E Long
- Department of Translational Oncology, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Maja Jankovic
- Department of Medicine, Division of Experimental Medicine, McGill University, Montréal, QC, H4A 3J1, Canada
- Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, Montréal, QC, H4A 3J1, Canada
| | - Danilo Maddalo
- Department of Translational Oncology, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
- Pharmaceutical Research & Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Basel, 4070, Switzerland
- Author for correspondence:
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44
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Martinez Hernandez A, Silbern I, Geffers I, Tatenhorst L, Becker S, Urlaub H, Zweckstetter M, Griesinger C, Eichele G. Low-Expressing Synucleinopathy Mouse Models Based on Oligomer-Forming Mutations and C-Terminal Truncation of α-Synuclein. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:643391. [PMID: 34220415 PMCID: PMC8248494 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.643391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
α-synuclein (αSyn) is the main protein component of Lewy bodies, intracellular inclusions found in the brain of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. Neurotoxic αSyn species are broadly modified post-translationally and, in patients with genetic forms of PD, carry genetically encoded amino acid substitutions. Mutations and C-terminal truncation can increase αSyn oligomerization and fibrillization. Although several genetic mouse models based on αSyn mutations and/or truncations exist, there is still a lack of mouse models for synucleinopathies not relying on overexpression. We report here two synucleinopathy mouse models, which are based on a triple alanine to proline mutation and a C-terminal truncation of αSyn, but do not overexpress the mutant protein when compared to the endogenous mouse protein. We knocked hαSyn TP or hαSynΔ119 (h stands for "human") into the murine αSyn locus. hαSynTP is a structure-based mutant with triple alanine to proline substitutions that favors oligomers, is neurotoxic and evokes PD-like symptoms in Drosophila melanogaster. hαSynΔ119 lacks 21 amino acids at the C-terminus, favors fibrillary aggregates and occurs in PD. Knocking-in of hαSyn TP or hαSynΔ119 into the murine αSyn locus places the mutant protein under the control of the endogenous regulatory elements while simultaneously disrupting the mαSyn gene. Mass spectrometry revealed that hαSyn TP and hαSynΔ119 mice produced 12 and 10 times less mutant protein, compared to mαSyn in wild type mice. We show phenotypes in 1 and 1.5 years old hαSyn TP and hαSynΔ119 mice, despite the lower levels of hαSynTP and hαSynΔ119 expression. Direct comparison of the two mouse models revealed many commonalities but also aspects unique to each model. Commonalities included strong immunoactive state, impaired olfaction and motor coordination deficits. Neither model showed DAergic neuronal loss. Impaired climbing abilities at 1 year of age and a deviant gait pattern at 1.5 years old were specific for hαSynΔ119 mice, while a compulsive behavior was exclusively detected in hαSyn TP mice starting at 1 year of age. We conclude that even at very moderate levels of expression the two αSyn variants evoke measurable and progressive deficiencies in mutant mice. The two transgenic mouse models can thus be suitable to study αSyn-variant-based pathology in vivo and test new therapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Martinez Hernandez
- Genes and Behavior Department, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Ivan Silbern
- Institute of Clinical Chemistry, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.,Bioanalytical Mass Spectrometry Group, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Insa Geffers
- Genes and Behavior Department, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Lars Tatenhorst
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Göttingen, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.,Cluster of Excellence Nanoscale Microscopy and Molecular Physiology of the Brain, Göttingen, Germany.,Center for Biostructural Imaging of Neurodegeneration, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Stefan Becker
- NMR-Based Structural Biology Department, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Henning Urlaub
- Institute of Clinical Chemistry, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.,Bioanalytical Mass Spectrometry Group, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Markus Zweckstetter
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Göttingen, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.,NMR-Based Structural Biology Department, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, Germany.,German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, DZNE, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Christian Griesinger
- Cluster of Excellence Nanoscale Microscopy and Molecular Physiology of the Brain, Göttingen, Germany.,NMR-Based Structural Biology Department, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, Germany.,Cluster of Excellence "Multiscale Bioimaging: From Molecular Machines to Networks of Excitable Cells" (MBExC), University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Gregor Eichele
- Genes and Behavior Department, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, Germany
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45
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Dash PK, Gorantla S, Poluektova L, Hasan M, Waight E, Zhang C, Markovic M, Edagwa B, Machhi J, Olson KE, Wang X, Mosley RL, Kevadiya B, Gendelman HE. Humanized Mice for Infectious and Neurodegenerative disorders. Retrovirology 2021; 18:13. [PMID: 34090462 PMCID: PMC8179712 DOI: 10.1186/s12977-021-00557-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2021] [Accepted: 05/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Humanized mice model human disease and as such are used commonly for research studies of infectious, degenerative and cancer disorders. Recent models also reflect hematopoiesis, natural immunity, neurobiology, and molecular pathways that influence disease pathobiology. A spectrum of immunodeficient mouse strains permit long-lived human progenitor cell engraftments. The presence of both innate and adaptive immunity enables high levels of human hematolymphoid reconstitution with cell susceptibility to a broad range of microbial infections. These mice also facilitate investigations of human pathobiology, natural disease processes and therapeutic efficacy in a broad spectrum of human disorders. However, a bridge between humans and mice requires a complete understanding of pathogen dose, co-morbidities, disease progression, environment, and genetics which can be mirrored in these mice. These must be considered for understanding of microbial susceptibility, prevention, and disease progression. With known common limitations for access to human tissues, evaluation of metabolic and physiological changes and limitations in large animal numbers, studies in mice prove important in planning human clinical trials. To these ends, this review serves to outline how humanized mice can be used in viral and pharmacologic research emphasizing both current and future studies of viral and neurodegenerative diseases. In all, humanized mouse provides cost-effective, high throughput studies of infection or degeneration in natural pathogen host cells, and the ability to test transmission and eradication of disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prasanta K Dash
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198, USA
| | - Santhi Gorantla
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198, USA
| | - Larisa Poluektova
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198, USA
| | - Mahmudul Hasan
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198, USA
| | - Emiko Waight
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198, USA
| | - Chen Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198, USA
| | - Milica Markovic
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198, USA
| | - Benson Edagwa
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198, USA
| | - Jatin Machhi
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198, USA
| | - Katherine E Olson
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198, USA
| | - Xinglong Wang
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198, USA
| | - R Lee Mosley
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198, USA
| | - Bhavesh Kevadiya
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198, USA
| | - Howard E Gendelman
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198, USA.
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198, USA.
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46
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Pfeiffer J, Lorenz K. Murine models for heart failure: Their creation and applicability to human still require critical and careful considerations. IJC HEART & VASCULATURE 2021; 34:100781. [PMID: 33997255 PMCID: PMC8091868 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijcha.2021.100781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2021] [Accepted: 04/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Pfeiffer
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Würzburg, Versbacher Str. 9, 97078 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Kristina Lorenz
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Würzburg, Versbacher Str. 9, 97078 Würzburg, Germany
- Leibniz-Institut für Analytische Wissenschaften - ISAS - e.V, Bunsen-Kirchhoff-Str. 11, 44139 Dortmund, Germany
- Comprehensive Heart Failure Center, University Hospital of Würzburg, Am Schwarzenberg 15, 97078 Würzburg, Germany
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47
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Patten KT, Valenzuela AE, Wallis C, Berg EL, Silverman JL, Bein KJ, Wexler AS, Lein PJ. The Effects of Chronic Exposure to Ambient Traffic-Related Air Pollution on Alzheimer's Disease Phenotypes in Wildtype and Genetically Predisposed Male and Female Rats. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2021; 129:57005. [PMID: 33971107 PMCID: PMC8110309 DOI: 10.1289/ehp8905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Epidemiological data link traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) to increased risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Preclinical data corroborating this association are largely from studies of male animals exposed acutely or subchronically to high levels of isolated fractions of TRAP. What remains unclear is whether chronic exposure to ambient TRAP modifies AD risk and the influence of sex on this interaction. OBJECTIVES This study sought to assess effects of chronic exposure to ambient TRAP on the time to onset and severity of AD phenotypes in a preclinical model and to determine whether sex or genetic susceptibility influences outcomes. METHODS Male and female TgF344-AD rats that express human AD risk genes and wildtype littermates were housed in a vivarium adjacent to a heavily trafficked tunnel in Northern California and exposed for up to 14 months to filtered air (FA) or TRAP drawn from the tunnel and delivered to animals unchanged in real time. Refractive particles in the brain and AD phenotypes were quantified in 3-, 6-, 10-, and 15-month-old animals using hyperspectral imaging, behavioral testing, and neuropathologic measures. RESULTS Particulate matter (PM) concentrations in TRAP exposure chambers fluctuated with traffic flow but remained below 24-h PM with aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5) U.S. National Ambient Air Quality Standards limits. Ultrafine PM was a predominant component of TRAP. Nano-sized refractive particles were detected in the hippocampus of TRAP animals. TRAP-exposed animals had more amyloid plaque deposition, higher hyperphosphorylated tau levels, more neuronal cell loss, and greater cognitive deficits in an age-, genotype-, and sex-dependent manner. TRAP-exposed animals also had more microglial cell activation, but not astrogliosis. DISCUSSION These data demonstrate that chronic exposure to ambient TRAP promoted AD phenotypes in wildtype and genetically susceptible rats. TRAP effects varied according to age, sex, and genotype, suggesting that AD progression depends on complex interactions between environment and genetics. These findings suggest current PM2.5 regulations are insufficient to protect the aging brain. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP8905.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelley T. Patten
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of California Davis (UC Davis) School of Veterinary Medicine, Davis, California, USA
| | - Anthony E. Valenzuela
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of California Davis (UC Davis) School of Veterinary Medicine, Davis, California, USA
| | | | - Elizabeth L. Berg
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UC Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, California, USA
| | - Jill L. Silverman
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UC Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, California, USA
- The MIND Institute, UC Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, California, USA
| | - Keith J. Bein
- Air Quality Research Center, UC Davis, Davis, California, USA
- Center for Health and the Environment, UC Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Anthony S. Wexler
- Air Quality Research Center, UC Davis, Davis, California, USA
- Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Land, Air and Water Resources, UC Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Pamela J. Lein
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of California Davis (UC Davis) School of Veterinary Medicine, Davis, California, USA
- The MIND Institute, UC Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, California, USA
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48
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Ensinck M, Mottais A, Detry C, Leal T, Carlon MS. On the Corner of Models and Cure: Gene Editing in Cystic Fibrosis. Front Pharmacol 2021; 12:662110. [PMID: 33986686 PMCID: PMC8111007 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.662110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a severe genetic disease for which curative treatment is still lacking. Next generation biotechnologies and more efficient cell-based and in vivo disease models are accelerating the development of novel therapies for CF. Gene editing tools, like CRISPR-based systems, can be used to make targeted modifications in the genome, allowing to correct mutations directly in the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane conductance Regulator (CFTR) gene. Alternatively, with these tools more relevant disease models can be generated, which in turn will be invaluable to evaluate novel gene editing-based therapies for CF. This critical review offers a comprehensive description of currently available tools for genome editing, and the cell and animal models which are available to evaluate them. Next, we will give an extensive overview of proof-of-concept applications of gene editing in the field of CF. Finally, we will touch upon the challenges that need to be addressed before these proof-of-concept studies can be translated towards a therapy for people with CF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marjolein Ensinck
- Molecular Virology and Gene Therapy, Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Angélique Mottais
- Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique, Louvain Centre for Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Claire Detry
- Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique, Louvain Centre for Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Teresinha Leal
- Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique, Louvain Centre for Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Marianne S. Carlon
- Molecular Virology and Gene Therapy, Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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49
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Lu H, Zhang J, Chen YE, Garcia-Barrio MT. Integration of Transformative Platforms for the Discovery of Causative Genes in Cardiovascular Diseases. Cardiovasc Drugs Ther 2021; 35:637-654. [PMID: 33856594 DOI: 10.1007/s10557-021-07175-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) are powerful epidemiological tools to find genes and variants associated with cardiovascular diseases while follow-up biological studies allow to better understand the etiology and mechanisms of disease and assign causality. Improved methodologies and reduced costs have allowed wider use of bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing, human-induced pluripotent stem cells, organoids, metabolomics, epigenomics, and novel animal models in conjunction with GWAS. In this review, we feature recent advancements relevant to cardiovascular diseases arising from the integration of genetic findings with multiple enabling technologies within multidisciplinary teams to highlight the solidifying transformative potential of this approach. Well-designed workflows integrating different platforms are greatly improving and accelerating the unraveling and understanding of complex disease processes while promoting an effective way to find better drug targets, improve drug design and repurposing, and provide insight towards a more personalized clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haocheng Lu
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical Center, 2800 Plymouth Rd, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-2800, USA
| | - Jifeng Zhang
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical Center, 2800 Plymouth Rd, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-2800, USA.,Center for Advanced Models for Translational Sciences and Therapeutics, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Y Eugene Chen
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical Center, 2800 Plymouth Rd, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-2800, USA. .,Center for Advanced Models for Translational Sciences and Therapeutics, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.
| | - Minerva T Garcia-Barrio
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical Center, 2800 Plymouth Rd, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-2800, USA.
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50
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Akerman I, Maestro MA, De Franco E, Grau V, Flanagan S, García-Hurtado J, Mittler G, Ravassard P, Piemonti L, Ellard S, Hattersley AT, Ferrer J. Neonatal diabetes mutations disrupt a chromatin pioneering function that activates the human insulin gene. Cell Rep 2021; 35:108981. [PMID: 33852861 PMCID: PMC8052186 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.108981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Revised: 01/04/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the central role of chromosomal context in gene transcription, human noncoding DNA variants are generally studied outside of their genomic location. This limits our understanding of disease-causing regulatory variants. INS promoter mutations cause recessive neonatal diabetes. We show that all INS promoter point mutations in 60 patients disrupt a CC dinucleotide, whereas none affect other elements important for episomal promoter function. To model CC mutations, we humanized an ∼3.1-kb region of the mouse Ins2 gene. This recapitulated developmental chromatin states and cell-specific transcription. A CC mutant allele, however, abrogated active chromatin formation during pancreas development. A search for transcription factors acting through this element revealed that another neonatal diabetes gene product, GLIS3, has a pioneer-like ability to derepress INS chromatin, which is hampered by the CC mutation. Our in vivo analysis, therefore, connects two human genetic defects in an essential mechanism for developmental activation of the INS gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ildem Akerman
- Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research (IMSR), Medical School, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK; Centre for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism (CEDAM), University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
| | - Miguel Angel Maestro
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, Barcelona 08003, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en red Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas (CIBERDEM), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Elisa De Franco
- Institute of Biomedical and Clinical Science, University of Exeter Medical School, Exeter, UK
| | - Vanessa Grau
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, Barcelona 08003, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en red Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas (CIBERDEM), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sarah Flanagan
- Institute of Biomedical and Clinical Science, University of Exeter Medical School, Exeter, UK
| | - Javier García-Hurtado
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, Barcelona 08003, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en red Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas (CIBERDEM), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Gerhard Mittler
- Max-Planck Institute for Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Philippe Ravassard
- INSERM, CNRS, Paris Brain Institute - Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Lorenzo Piemonti
- Diabetes Research Institute, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele and Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - Sian Ellard
- Institute of Biomedical and Clinical Science, University of Exeter Medical School, Exeter, UK; Exeter Genomics Laboratory, Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, Exeter, UK
| | - Andrew T Hattersley
- Institute of Biomedical and Clinical Science, University of Exeter Medical School, Exeter, UK
| | - Jorge Ferrer
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, Barcelona 08003, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en red Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas (CIBERDEM), Barcelona, Spain; Section of Genetics and Genomics, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Imperial College London, London, UK.
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