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Aparo A, Bonnici V, Avesani S, Cascione L, Giugno R. DiGAS: Differential gene allele spectrum as a descriptor in genetic studies. Comput Biol Med 2024; 179:108924. [PMID: 39067286 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2024.108924] [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: 02/01/2024] [Revised: 07/16/2024] [Accepted: 07/17/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024]
Abstract
Diagnosing individuals with complex genetic diseases is a challenging task. Computational methodologies exploit information at the genotype level by taking into account single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) leveraging the results of genome-wide association studies analysis to assign a statistical significance to each SNP. Recent methodologies extend such an approach by aggregating SNP significance at the genetic level to identify genes that are related to the condition under study. However, such methodologies still suffer from the initial SNP analysis limitations. Here, we present DiGAS, a tool for diagnosing genetic conditions by computing significance, by means of SNP information, directly at the complex level of genetic regions. Such an approach is based on a generalized notion of allele spectrum, which evaluates the complete genetic alterations of the SNP set belonging to a genetic region at the population level. The statistical significance of a region is then evaluated through a differential allele spectrum analysis between the conditions of individuals belonging to the population. Tests, performed on well-established datasets regarding Alzheimer's disease, show that DiGAS outperforms the state of the art in distinguishing between sick and healthy subjects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonino Aparo
- University of Verona, Strada le Grazie, 15, Verona, 37134, Italy; Research Center LURM (Interdepartmental Laboratory of Medical Research), University of Verona, Ple. L.A. Scuro 10, Verona, 37134, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Bonnici
- University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze, 53/A, Parma, 43124, Italy
| | - Simone Avesani
- University of Verona, Strada le Grazie, 15, Verona, 37134, Italy
| | - Luciano Cascione
- Institute of Oncology Research (IOR), Via Francesco Chiesa 5, Bellinzona, 6500, Switzerland
| | - Rosalba Giugno
- University of Verona, Strada le Grazie, 15, Verona, 37134, Italy.
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Zhang YR, Wu BS, Chen SD, Yang L, Deng YT, Guo Y, Wu XR, Liu WS, Kang JJ, Feng JF, Cheng W, Yu JT. Whole exome sequencing analyses identified novel genes for Alzheimer's disease and related dementia. Alzheimers Dement 2024. [PMID: 39129223 DOI: 10.1002/alz.14181] [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: 05/21/2024] [Revised: 07/11/2024] [Accepted: 07/16/2024] [Indexed: 08/13/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The heritability of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is estimated to be 58%-79%. However, known genes can only partially explain the heritability. METHODS Here, we conducted gene-based exome-wide association study (ExWAS) of rare variants and single-variant ExWAS of common variants, utilizing data of 54,569 clinically diagnosed/proxy AD and related dementia (ADRD) and 295,421 controls from the UK Biobank. RESULTS Gene-based ExWAS identified 11 genes predicting a higher ADRD risk, including five novel ones, namely FRMD8, DDX1, DNMT3L, MORC1, and TGM2, along with six previously reported ones, SORL1, GRN, PSEN1, ABCA7, GBA, and ADAM10. Single-variant ExWAS identified two ADRD-associated novel genes, SLCO1C1 and NDNF. The identified genes were predominantly enriched in amyloid-β process pathways, microglia, and brain regions like hippocampus. The druggability evidence suggests that DDX1, DNMT3L, TGM2, SLCO1C1, and NDNF could be effective drug targets. DISCUSSION Our study contributes to the current body of evidence on the genetic etiology of ADRD. HIGHLIGHTS Gene-based analyses of rare variants identified five novel genes for Alzheimer's disease and related dementia (ADRD), including FRMD8, DDX1, DNMT3L, MORC1, and TGM2. Single-variant analyses of common variants identified two novel genes for ADRD, including SLCO1C1 and NDNF. The identified genes were predominantly enriched in amyloid-β process pathways, microglia, and brain regions like hippocampus. DDX1, DNMT3L, TGM2, SLCO1C1, and NDNF could be effective drug targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ya-Ru Zhang
- Department of Neurology and National Center for Neurological Disorders, Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Bang-Sheng Wu
- Department of Neurology and National Center for Neurological Disorders, Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Shi-Dong Chen
- Department of Neurology and National Center for Neurological Disorders, Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Liu Yang
- Department of Neurology and National Center for Neurological Disorders, Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yue-Ting Deng
- Department of Neurology and National Center for Neurological Disorders, Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yu Guo
- Department of Neurology and National Center for Neurological Disorders, Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xin-Rui Wu
- Department of Neurology and National Center for Neurological Disorders, Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wei-Shi Liu
- Department of Neurology and National Center for Neurological Disorders, Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ju-Jiao Kang
- Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Key Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China
| | - Jian-Feng Feng
- Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Key Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China
- Fudan ISTBI-ZJNU Algorithm Centre for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
- Department of Computer Science, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
| | - Wei Cheng
- Department of Neurology and National Center for Neurological Disorders, Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Key Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China
- Fudan ISTBI-ZJNU Algorithm Centre for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
| | - Jin-Tai Yu
- Department of Neurology and National Center for Neurological Disorders, Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
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3
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Wogram E, Sümpelmann F, Dong W, Rawat E, Fernández Maestre I, Fu D, Braswell B, Khalil A, Buescher JM, Mittler G, Borner GHH, Vlachos A, Tholen S, Schilling O, Bell GW, Rambold AS, Akhtar A, Schnell O, Beck J, Abu-Remaileh M, Prinz M, Jaenisch R. Rapid phagosome isolation enables unbiased multiomic analysis of human microglial phagosomes. Immunity 2024:S1074-7613(24)00368-6. [PMID: 39151426 DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2024.07.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2023] [Revised: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 07/19/2024] [Indexed: 08/19/2024]
Abstract
Microglia are the resident macrophages of the central nervous system (CNS). Their phagocytic activity is central during brain development and homeostasis-and in a plethora of brain pathologies. However, little is known about the composition, dynamics, and function of human microglial phagosomes under homeostatic and pathological conditions. Here, we developed a method for rapid isolation of pure and intact phagosomes from human pluripotent stem cell-derived microglia under various in vitro conditions, and from human brain biopsies, for unbiased multiomic analysis. Phagosome profiling revealed that microglial phagosomes were equipped to sense minute changes in their environment and were highly dynamic. We detected proteins involved in synapse homeostasis, or implicated in brain pathologies, and identified the phagosome as the site where quinolinic acid was stored and metabolized for de novo nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) generation in the cytoplasm. Our findings highlight the central role of phagosomes in microglial functioning in the healthy and diseased brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emile Wogram
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Institute of Neuropathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Felix Sümpelmann
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Wentao Dong
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; The Institute for Chemistry, Engineering & Medicine for Human Health (Sarafan ChEM-H), Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Eshaan Rawat
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; The Institute for Chemistry, Engineering & Medicine for Human Health (Sarafan ChEM-H), Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | | | - Dongdong Fu
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Brandyn Braswell
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Andrew Khalil
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Boston, MA 02134, USA
| | - Joerg M Buescher
- Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Stübeweg 51, 79108 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Gerhard Mittler
- Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Stübeweg 51, 79108 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Georg H H Borner
- Department of Proteomics and Signal Transduction, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried 82152, Germany
| | - Andreas Vlachos
- Department of Neuroanatomy, Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Stefan Tholen
- Institute of Surgical Pathology, Medical Center, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Oliver Schilling
- Institute of Surgical Pathology, Medical Center, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
| | - George W Bell
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Angelika S Rambold
- Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Stübeweg 51, 79108 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Asifa Akhtar
- Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Stübeweg 51, 79108 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Oliver Schnell
- Department of Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Jürgen Beck
- Department of Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Monther Abu-Remaileh
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; The Institute for Chemistry, Engineering & Medicine for Human Health (Sarafan ChEM-H), Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Marco Prinz
- Institute of Neuropathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany; BIOSS Centre for Biological Signalling Studies and Centre for Integrative Biological Signalling Studies (CIBSS), University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Rudolf Jaenisch
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.
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Bedwell L, Mavrotas M, Demchenko N, Yaa RM, Willis B, Demianova Z, Syed N, Whitwell HJ, Nott A. FANS Unfixed: Isolation and Proteomic Analysis of Mouse Cell Type-Specific Brain Nuclei. J Proteome Res 2024. [PMID: 39056441 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.4c00161] [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: 07/28/2024]
Abstract
Epigenetic-mediated gene regulation orchestrates brain cell-type gene expression programs, and epigenetic dysregulation is a major driver of aging and disease-associated changes. Proteins that mediate gene regulation are mostly localized to the nucleus; however, nuclear-localized proteins are often underrepresented in gene expression studies and have been understudied in the context of the brain. To address this challenge, we have optimized an approach for nuclei isolation that is compatible with proteomic analysis. This was coupled to a mass spectrometry protocol for detecting proteins in low-concentration samples. We have generated nuclear proteomes for neurons, microglia, and oligodendrocytes from the mouse brain cortex and identified cell-type nuclear proteins associated with chromatin structure and organization, chromatin modifiers such as transcription factors, and RNA-binding proteins, among others. Our nuclear proteomics platform paves the way for assessing brain cell type changes in the nuclear proteome across health and disease, such as neurodevelopmental, aging, neurodegenerative, and neuroinflammatory conditions. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with the identifier PXD053515.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucy Bedwell
- Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, U.K
- UK Dementia Research Institute, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, U.K
| | - Myrto Mavrotas
- Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, U.K
| | - Nikita Demchenko
- MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, U.K
| | - Reuben M Yaa
- Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, U.K
- UK Dementia Research Institute, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, U.K
| | - Brittannie Willis
- Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, U.K
- Department of Metabolism, Digestion, and Reproduction, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, U.K
| | | | - Nelofer Syed
- Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, U.K
| | - Harry J Whitwell
- Department of Metabolism, Digestion, and Reproduction, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, U.K
| | - Alexi Nott
- Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, U.K
- UK Dementia Research Institute, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, U.K
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5
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Martá-Ariza M, Leitner DF, Kanshin E, Suazo J, Pedrosa AG, Thierry M, Lee EB, Devinsky O, Drummond E, Fortea J, Lleó A, Ueberheide B, Wisniewski T. Comparison of the Amyloid Plaque Proteome in Down Syndrome, Early-Onset Alzheimer's Disease and Late-Onset Alzheimer's Disease. RESEARCH SQUARE 2024:rs.3.rs-4469045. [PMID: 39070643 PMCID: PMC11275979 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4469045/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/30/2024]
Abstract
Background Down syndrome (DS) is strongly associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD), attributable to APP overexpression. DS exhibits Amyloid-β (Aβ) and Tau pathology similar to early-onset AD (EOAD) and late-onset AD (LOAD). The study aimed to evaluate the Aβ plaque proteome of DS, EOAD and LOAD. Methods Using unbiased localized proteomics, we analyzed amyloid plaques and adjacent plaque-devoid tissue ('non-plaque') from post-mortem paraffin-embedded tissues in four cohorts (n = 20/group): DS (59.8 ± 4.99 y/o), EOAD (63 ± 4.07 y/o), LOAD (82.1 ± 6.37 y/o) and controls (66.4 ± 13.04). We assessed functional associations using Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment and protein interaction networks. Results We identified differentially abundant Aβ plaque proteins vs. non-plaques (FDR < 5%, fold-change > 1.5) in DS (n = 132), EOAD (n = 192) and in LOAD (n = 128); there were 43 plaque-associated proteins shared between all groups. Positive correlations (p < 0.0001) were observed between plaque-associated proteins in DS and EOAD (R2 = 0.77), DS and LOAD (R2 = 0.73), and EOAD vs. LOAD (R2 = 0.67). Top Biological process (BP) GO terms (p < 0.0001) included lysosomal transport for DS, immune system regulation for EOAD, and lysosome organization for LOAD. Protein networks revealed a plaque enriched signature across all cohorts involving APP metabolism, immune response, and lysosomal functions. In DS, EOAD and LOAD non-plaque vs. control tissue, we identified 263, 269, and 301 differentially abundant proteins, including 65 altered non-plaque proteins across all cohorts. Differentially abundant non-plaque proteins in DS showed a significant (p < 0.0001) but weaker positive correlation with EOAD (R2 = 0.59) and LOAD (R2 = 0.33) compared to the stronger correlation between EOAD and LOAD (R2 = 0.79). The top BP GO term for all groups was chromatin remodeling (DS p = 0.0013, EOAD p = 5.79×10- 9, and LOAD p = 1.69×10- 10). Additional GO terms for DS included extracellular matrix (p = 0.0068), while EOAD and LOAD were associated with protein-DNA complexes and gene expression regulation (p < 0.0001). Conclusions We found strong similarities among the Aβ plaque proteomes in individuals with DS, EOAD and LOAD, and a robust association between the plaque proteomes and lysosomal and immune-related pathways. Further, non-plaque proteomes highlighted altered pathways related to chromatin structure and extracellular matrix (ECM), the latter particularly associated with DS. We identified novel Aβ plaque proteins, which may serve as biomarkers or therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Edward B Lee
- University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine
| | | | | | - Juan Fortea
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona: Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona
| | - Alberto Lleó
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona: Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona
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6
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Hudgins AD, Zhou S, Arey RN, Rosenfeld MG, Murphy CT, Suh Y. A systems biology-based identification and in vivo functional screening of Alzheimer's disease risk genes reveal modulators of memory function. Neuron 2024; 112:2112-2129.e4. [PMID: 38692279 PMCID: PMC11223975 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2022] [Revised: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024]
Abstract
Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have uncovered over 75 genomic loci associated with risk for late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD), but identification of the underlying causal genes remains challenging. Studies of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neurons from LOAD patients have demonstrated the existence of neuronal cell-intrinsic functional defects. Here, we searched for genetic contributions to neuronal dysfunction in LOAD using an integrative systems approach that incorporated multi-evidence-based gene mapping and network-analysis-based prioritization. A systematic perturbation screening of candidate risk genes in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) revealed that neuronal knockdown of the LOAD risk gene orthologs vha-10 (ATP6V1G2), cmd-1 (CALM3), amph-1 (BIN1), ephx-1 (NGEF), and pho-5 (ACP2) alters short-/intermediate-term memory function, the cognitive domain affected earliest during LOAD progression. These results highlight the impact of LOAD risk genes on evolutionarily conserved memory function, as mediated through neuronal endosomal dysfunction, and identify new targets for further mechanistic interrogation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam D Hudgins
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Shiyi Zhou
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Rachel N Arey
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Michael G Rosenfeld
- Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, La Jolla, CA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Coleen T Murphy
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA; LSI Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
| | - Yousin Suh
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA; Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
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7
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Coetzee SG, Hazelett DJ. MotifbreakR v2: extended capability and database integration. ARXIV 2024:arXiv:2407.03441v1. [PMID: 39010878 PMCID: PMC11247919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/17/2024]
Abstract
MotifbreakR is a software tool that scans genetic variants against position weight matrices of transcription factors (TF) to determine the potential for the disruption of TF binding at the site of the variant. It leverages the Bioconductor suite of software packages and annotations to operate across a diverse array of genomes and motif databases. Initially developed to interrogate the effect of single nucleotide variants (common and rare SNVs) on potential TF binding sites, in motifbreakR v2, we have updated the functionality. New features include the ability to query other types of more complex genetic variants, such as short insertions and deletions (indels). This function allows modeling a more extensive array of variants that may have more significant effects on TF binding. Additionally, while TF binding is based partly on sequence preference, predictions of TF binding based on sequence preference alone can indicate many more potential binding events than observed. Adding information from DNA-binding sequencing datasets lends confidence to motif disruption prediction by demonstrating TF binding in cell lines and tissue types. Therefore, motifbreakR implements querying the ReMap2022 database for evidence that a TF matching the disrupted motif binds over the disrupting variant. Finally, in motifbreakR, in addition to the existing interface, we have implemented an R/Shiny graphical user interface to simplify and enhance access to researchers with different skill sets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon G Coetzee
- Department of Computational Biomedicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
| | - Dennis J Hazelett
- Department of Computational Biomedicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
- Cancer Prevention and Control - Samuel Oschin Cancer Center, Cedars-Sinai
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8
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Prasad SK, Singh VV, Acharjee A, Acharjee P. Elucidating hippocampal proteome dynamics in moderate hepatic encephalopathy rats: insights from high-resolution mass spectrometry. Exp Brain Res 2024; 242:1659-1679. [PMID: 38787444 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-024-06853-4] [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: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a debilitating neurological disorder associated with liver failure and characterized by impaired brain function. Decade-long studies have led to significant advances in our understanding of HE; however, effective therapeutic management of HE is lacking, and HE continues to be a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in patients, underscoring the need for continued research into its pathophysiology and treatment. Accordingly, the present study provides a comprehensive overview aimed at elucidating the molecular underpinnings of HE and identifying potential therapeutic targets. A moderate-grade HE model was induced in rats using thioacetamide, which simulates the liver damage observed in patients, and its impact on cognitive function, neuronal arborization, and cellular morphology was also evaluated. We employed label-free LC-MS/MS proteomics to quantitatively profile hippocampal proteins to explore the molecular mechanism of HE pathogenesis; 2175 proteins were identified, 47 of which exhibited significant alterations in moderate-grade HE. The expression of several significantly upregulated proteins, such as FAK1, CD9 and Tspan2, was further validated at the transcript and protein levels, confirming the mass spectrometry results. These proteins have not been previously reported in HE. Utilizing Metascape, a tool for gene annotation and analysis, we further studied the biological pathways integral to brain function, including gliogenesis, the role of erythrocytes in maintaining blood-brain barrier integrity, the modulation of chemical synaptic transmission, astrocyte differentiation, the regulation of organ growth, the response to cAMP, myelination, and synaptic function, which were disrupted during HE. The STRING database further elucidated the protein‒protein interaction patterns among the differentially expressed proteins. This study provides novel insights into the molecular mechanisms driving HE and paves the way for identifying novel therapeutic targets for improved disease management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shambhu Kumar Prasad
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Unit, Department of Zoology, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, 221005, India
| | - Vishal Vikram Singh
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Unit, Department of Zoology, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, 221005, India
| | - Arup Acharjee
- Department of Zoology, University of Allahabad, Prayagraj, 211002, India.
| | - Papia Acharjee
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Unit, Department of Zoology, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, 221005, India.
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9
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Chadarevian JP, Hasselmann J, Lahian A, Capocchi JK, Escobar A, Lim TE, Le L, Tu C, Nguyen J, Kiani Shabestari S, Carlen-Jones W, Gandhi S, Bu G, Hume DA, Pridans C, Wszolek ZK, Spitale RC, Davtyan H, Blurton-Jones M. Therapeutic potential of human microglia transplantation in a chimeric model of CSF1R-related leukoencephalopathy. Neuron 2024:S0896-6273(24)00370-2. [PMID: 38897209 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.05.023] [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: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 04/18/2024] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Microglia replacement strategies are increasingly being considered for the treatment of primary microgliopathies like adult-onset leukoencephalopathy with axonal spheroids and pigmented glia (ALSP). However, available mouse models fail to recapitulate the diverse neuropathologies and reduced microglia numbers observed in patients. In this study, we generated a xenotolerant mouse model lacking the fms-intronic regulatory element (FIRE) enhancer within Csf1r, which develops nearly all the hallmark pathologies associated with ALSP. Remarkably, transplantation of human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived microglial (iMG) progenitors restores a homeostatic microglial signature and prevents the development of axonal spheroids, white matter abnormalities, reactive astrocytosis, and brain calcifications. Furthermore, transplantation of CRISPR-corrected ALSP-patient-derived iMG reverses pre-existing spheroids, astrogliosis, and calcification pathologies. Together with the accompanying study by Munro and colleagues, our results demonstrate the utility of FIRE mice to model ALSP and provide compelling evidence that iMG transplantation could offer a promising new therapeutic strategy for ALSP and perhaps other microglia-associated neurological disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean Paul Chadarevian
- Department of Neurobiology & Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA; Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA; Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Jonathan Hasselmann
- Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA; Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Alina Lahian
- Department of Neurobiology & Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA; Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA; Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Joia K Capocchi
- Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Adrian Escobar
- Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Tau En Lim
- Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA; Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Lauren Le
- Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Christina Tu
- Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA; Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Jasmine Nguyen
- Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Sepideh Kiani Shabestari
- Department of Neurobiology & Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA; Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - William Carlen-Jones
- Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Sunil Gandhi
- Department of Neurobiology & Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Guojun Bu
- Division of Life Science, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China
| | - David A Hume
- Mater Research Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Clare Pridans
- University of Edinburgh, University of Edinburgh Center for Inflammation Research, Edinburgh, UK
| | | | - Robert C Spitale
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Hayk Davtyan
- Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA; Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.
| | - Mathew Blurton-Jones
- Department of Neurobiology & Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA; Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA; Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.
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10
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Pratt HE, Andrews G, Shedd N, Phalke N, Li T, Pampari A, Jensen M, Wen C, Consortium P, Gandal MJ, Geschwind DH, Gerstein M, Moore J, Kundaje A, Colubri A, Weng Z. Using a comprehensive atlas and predictive models to reveal the complexity and evolution of brain-active regulatory elements. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadj4452. [PMID: 38781344 PMCID: PMC11114231 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adj4452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Most genetic variants associated with psychiatric disorders are located in noncoding regions of the genome. To investigate their functional implications, we integrate epigenetic data from the PsychENCODE Consortium and other published sources to construct a comprehensive atlas of candidate brain cis-regulatory elements. Using deep learning, we model these elements' sequence syntax and predict how binding sites for lineage-specific transcription factors contribute to cell type-specific gene regulation in various types of glia and neurons. The elements' evolutionary history suggests that new regulatory information in the brain emerges primarily via smaller sequence mutations within conserved mammalian elements rather than entirely new human- or primate-specific sequences. However, primate-specific candidate elements, particularly those active during fetal brain development and in excitatory neurons and astrocytes, are implicated in the heritability of brain-related human traits. Additionally, we introduce PsychSCREEN, a web-based platform offering interactive visualization of PsychENCODE-generated genetic and epigenetic data from diverse brain cell types in individuals with psychiatric disorders and healthy controls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry E. Pratt
- Department of Genomics and Computational Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Gregory Andrews
- Department of Genomics and Computational Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Nicole Shedd
- Department of Genomics and Computational Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Nishigandha Phalke
- Department of Genomics and Computational Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Tongxin Li
- Department of Genomics and Computational Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
- Khoury College of Computer Science, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Anusri Pampari
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Matthew Jensen
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Cindy Wen
- Interdepartmental Program in Bioinformatics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | | | - Michael J. Gandal
- Interdepartmental Program in Bioinformatics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Lifespan Brain Institute, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Daniel H. Geschwind
- Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Program in Neurogenetics, Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Institute of Precision Health, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Mark Gerstein
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
- Program in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
- Department of Computer Science, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
- Department of Statistics and Data Science, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Jill Moore
- Department of Genomics and Computational Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Anshul Kundaje
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Computer Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Andrés Colubri
- Department of Genomics and Computational Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Zhiping Weng
- Department of Genomics and Computational Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
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11
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Kozlova A, Zhang S, Sudwarts A, Zhang H, Smirnou S, Sun X, Stephenson K, Zhao X, Jamison B, Ponnusamy M, He X, Pang ZP, Sanders AR, Bellen HJ, Thinakaran G, Duan J. Alzheimer's disease risk allele of PICALM causes detrimental lipid droplets in microglia. RESEARCH SQUARE 2024:rs.3.rs-4407146. [PMID: 38826437 PMCID: PMC11142308 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4407146/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2024]
Abstract
Despite genome-wide association studies of late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) having identified many genetic risk loci1-6, the underlying disease mechanisms remain largely unknown. Determining causal disease variants and their LOAD-relevant cellular phenotypes has been a challenge. Leveraging our approach for identifying functional GWAS risk variants showing allele-specific open chromatin (ASoC)7, we systematically identified putative causal LOAD risk variants in human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC)-derived neurons, astrocytes, and microglia (MG) and linked PICALM risk allele to a previously unappreciated MG-specific role of PICALM in lipid droplet (LD) accumulation. ASoC mapping uncovered functional risk variants for 26 LOAD risk loci, mostly MG-specific. At the MG-specific PICALM locus, the LOAD risk allele of rs10792832 reduced transcription factor (PU.1) binding and PICALM expression, impairing the uptake of amyloid beta (Aβ) and myelin debris. Interestingly, MG with PICALM risk allele showed transcriptional enrichment of pathways for cholesterol synthesis and LD formation. Genetic and pharmacological perturbations of MG further established a causal link between the reduced PICALM expression, LD accumulation, and phagocytosis deficits. Our work elucidates the selective LOAD vulnerability in microglia for the PICALM locus through detrimental LD accumulation, providing a neurobiological basis that can be exploited for developing novel clinical interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alena Kozlova
- Center for Psychiatric Genetics, NorthShore University HealthSystem, Evanston, IL 60201, USA
| | - Siwei Zhang
- Center for Psychiatric Genetics, NorthShore University HealthSystem, Evanston, IL 60201, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Ari Sudwarts
- Byrd Alzheimer’s Center and Research Institute, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33613, USA
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Hanwen Zhang
- Center for Psychiatric Genetics, NorthShore University HealthSystem, Evanston, IL 60201, USA
| | - Stanislau Smirnou
- Byrd Alzheimer’s Center and Research Institute, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33613, USA
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Xiaotong Sun
- Department of Human Genetics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Kimberly Stephenson
- Center for Psychiatric Genetics, NorthShore University HealthSystem, Evanston, IL 60201, USA
| | - Xiaojie Zhao
- Center for Psychiatric Genetics, NorthShore University HealthSystem, Evanston, IL 60201, USA
| | - Brendan Jamison
- Center for Psychiatric Genetics, NorthShore University HealthSystem, Evanston, IL 60201, USA
| | - Moorthi Ponnusamy
- Byrd Alzheimer’s Center and Research Institute, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33613, USA
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Xin He
- Department of Human Genetics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
- Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Child Health Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
| | - Zhiping P. Pang
- Grossman Institute for Neuroscience, Quantitative Biology and Human Behavior, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Alan R. Sanders
- Center for Psychiatric Genetics, NorthShore University HealthSystem, Evanston, IL 60201, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Hugo J. Bellen
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Gopal Thinakaran
- Byrd Alzheimer’s Center and Research Institute, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33613, USA
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Jubao Duan
- Center for Psychiatric Genetics, NorthShore University HealthSystem, Evanston, IL 60201, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
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12
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Mitra S, Bp K, C R S, Saikumar NV, Philip P, Narayanan M. Alzheimer's disease rewires gene coexpression networks coupling different brain regions. NPJ Syst Biol Appl 2024; 10:50. [PMID: 38724582 PMCID: PMC11082197 DOI: 10.1038/s41540-024-00376-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Connectome studies have shown how Alzheimer's disease (AD) disrupts functional and structural connectivity among brain regions. But the molecular basis of such disruptions is less studied, with most genomic/transcriptomic studies performing within-brain-region analyses. To inspect how AD rewires the correlation structure among genes in different brain regions, we performed an Inter-brain-region Differential Correlation (Inter-DC) analysis of RNA-seq data from Mount Sinai Brain Bank on four brain regions (frontal pole, superior temporal gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus and inferior frontal gyrus, comprising 264 AD and 372 control human post-mortem samples). An Inter-DC network was assembled from all pairs of genes across two brain regions that gained (or lost) correlation strength in the AD group relative to controls at FDR 1%. The differentially correlated (DC) genes in this network complemented known differentially expressed genes in AD, and likely reflects cell-intrinsic changes since we adjusted for cell compositional effects. Each brain region used a distinctive set of DC genes when coupling with other regions, with parahippocampal gyrus showing the most rewiring, consistent with its known vulnerability to AD. The Inter-DC network revealed master dysregulation hubs in AD (at genes ZKSCAN1, SLC5A3, RCC1, IL17RB, PLK4, etc.), inter-region gene modules enriched for known AD pathways (synaptic signaling, endocytosis, etc.), and candidate signaling molecules that could mediate region-region communication. The Inter-DC network generated in this study is a valuable resource of gene pairs, pathways and signaling molecules whose inter-brain-region functional coupling is disrupted in AD, thereby offering a new perspective of AD etiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanga Mitra
- Bioinformatics and Integrative Data Science group, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, Chennai, India
| | - Kailash Bp
- Bioinformatics and Integrative Data Science group, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, Chennai, India
| | - Srivatsan C R
- Bioinformatics and Integrative Data Science group, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, Chennai, India
| | - Naga Venkata Saikumar
- Bioinformatics and Integrative Data Science group, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, Chennai, India
| | - Philge Philip
- Centre for Integrative Biology and Systems Medicine, IIT Madras, Chennai, India
- Robert Bosch Centre for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, IIT Madras, Chennai, India
| | - Manikandan Narayanan
- Bioinformatics and Integrative Data Science group, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, Chennai, India.
- Centre for Integrative Biology and Systems Medicine, IIT Madras, Chennai, India.
- Robert Bosch Centre for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, IIT Madras, Chennai, India.
- Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre, IIT Madras, Chennai, India.
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13
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Lepiarz-Raba I, Hidayat T, Hannan AJ, Jawaid A. Potential Alzheimer's disease drug targets identified through microglial biology research. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2024; 19:587-602. [PMID: 38590098 DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2024.2335210] [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: 01/20/2024] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Microglia, the primary immune cells in the brain, play multifaceted roles in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Microglia can potentially mitigate the pathological progression of AD by clearing amyloid beta (Aβ) deposits in the brain and through neurotrophic support. In contrast, disproportionate activation of microglial pro-inflammatory pathways, as well as excessive elimination of healthy synapses, can exacerbate neurodegeneration in AD. The challenge, therefore, lies in discerning the precise regulation of the contrasting microglial properties to harness their therapeutic potential in AD. AREAS COVERED This review examines the evidence relevant to the disease-modifying effects of microglial manipulators in AD preclinical models. The deleterious pro-inflammatory effects of microglia in AD can be ameliorated via direct suppression or indirectly through metabolic manipulation, epigenetic targeting, and modulation of the gut-brain axis. Furthermore, microglial clearance of Aβ deposits in AD can be enhanced via strategically targeting microglial membrane receptors, lysosomal functions, and metabolism. EXPERT OPINION Given the intricate and diverse nature of microglial responses throughout the course of AD, therapeutic interventions directed at microglia warrant a tactical approach. This could entail employing therapeutic regimens, which concomitantly suppress pro-inflammatory microglial responses while selectively enhancing Aβ phagocytosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Izabela Lepiarz-Raba
- Laboratory for Translational Research in Exposures and Neuropsychiatric Disorders (TREND), Braincity: Center of Excellence for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Taufik Hidayat
- Laboratory for Translational Research in Exposures and Neuropsychiatric Disorders (TREND), Braincity: Center of Excellence for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Anthony J Hannan
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Ali Jawaid
- Laboratory for Translational Research in Exposures and Neuropsychiatric Disorders (TREND), Braincity: Center of Excellence for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Warsaw, Poland
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14
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Maninger JK, Nowak K, Goberdhan S, O'Donoghue R, Connor-Robson N. Cell type-specific functions of Alzheimer's disease endocytic risk genes. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20220378. [PMID: 38368934 PMCID: PMC10874703 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 02/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Endocytosis is a key cellular pathway required for the internalization of cellular nutrients, lipids and receptor-bound cargoes. It is also critical for the recycling of cellular components, cellular trafficking and membrane dynamics. The endocytic pathway has been consistently implicated in Alzheimer's disease (AD) through repeated genome-wide association studies and the existence of rare coding mutations in endocytic genes. BIN1 and PICALM are two of the most significant late-onset AD risk genes after APOE and are both key to clathrin-mediated endocytic biology. Pathological studies also demonstrate that endocytic dysfunction is an early characteristic of late-onset AD, being seen in the prodromal phase of the disease. Different cell types of the brain have specific requirements of the endocytic pathway. Neurons require efficient recycling of synaptic vesicles and microglia use the specialized form of endocytosis-phagocytosis-for their normal function. Therefore, disease-associated changes in endocytic genes will have varied impacts across different cell types, which remains to be fully explored. Given the genetic and pathological evidence for endocytic dysfunction in AD, understanding how such changes and the related cell type-specific vulnerabilities impact normal cellular function and contribute to disease is vital and could present novel therapeutic opportunities. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Understanding the endo-lysosomal network in neurodegeneration'.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Karolina Nowak
- Cardiff University, Dementia Research Institute, Cardiff University¸ Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Srilakshmi Goberdhan
- Cardiff University, Dementia Research Institute, Cardiff University¸ Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Rachel O'Donoghue
- Cardiff University, Dementia Research Institute, Cardiff University¸ Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Natalie Connor-Robson
- Cardiff University, Dementia Research Institute, Cardiff University¸ Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK
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15
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Wang J, Luo GY, Tian T, Zhao YQ, Meng SY, Wu JH, Han WX, Deng B, Ni J. Shared genetic basis and causality between schizophrenia and inflammatory bowel disease: evidence from a comprehensive genetic analysis. Psychol Med 2024:1-11. [PMID: 38563283 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291724000771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The comorbidity between schizophrenia (SCZ) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) observed in epidemiological studies is partially attributed to genetic overlap, but the magnitude of shared genetic components and the causality relationship between them remains unclear. METHODS By leveraging large-scale genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics for SCZ, IBD, ulcerative colitis (UC), and Crohn's disease (CD), we conducted a comprehensive genetic pleiotropic analysis to uncover shared loci, genes, or biological processes between SCZ and each of IBD, UC, and CD, independently. Univariable and multivariable Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses were applied to assess the causality across these two disorders. RESULTS SCZ genetically correlated with IBD (rg = 0.14, p = 3.65 × 10−9), UC (rg = 0.15, p = 4.88 × 10−8), and CD (rg = 0.12, p = 2.27 × 10−6), all surpassed the Bonferroni correction. Cross-trait meta-analysis identified 64, 52, and 66 significantly independent loci associated with SCZ and IBD, UC, and CD, respectively. Follow-up gene-based analysis found 11 novel pleiotropic genes (KAT5, RABEP1, ELP5, CSNK1G1, etc) in all joint phenotypes. Co-expression and pathway enrichment analysis illustrated those novel genes were mainly involved in core immune-related signal transduction and cerebral disorder-related pathways. In univariable MR, genetic predisposition to SCZ was associated with an increased risk of IBD (OR 1.11, 95% CI 1.07–1.15, p = 1.85 × 10−6). Multivariable MR indicated a causal effect of genetic liability to SCZ on IBD risk independent of Actinobacteria (OR 1.11, 95% CI 1.06–1.16, p = 1.34 × 10−6) or BMI (OR 1.11, 95% CI 1.04–1.18, p = 1.84 × 10−3). CONCLUSIONS We confirmed a shared genetic basis, pleiotropic loci/genes, and causal relationship between SCZ and IBD, providing novel insights into the biological mechanism and therapeutic targets underlying these two disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Wang
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Guang-Yu Luo
- Department of Gastroenterology, Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital Affiliated to Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Tian Tian
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Yu-Qiang Zhao
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Shi-Yin Meng
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Jun-Hua Wu
- Teaching Center for Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Wen-Xiu Han
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Bin Deng
- Department of Gastroenterology, Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital Affiliated to Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Jing Ni
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
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16
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Orlowski A, Karippaparambil J, Paumier JM, Ghanta S, Pallares E, Tandukar J, Gao R, Gowrishankar S. Axonal organelle buildup from loss of AP-4 complex function causes exacerbation of amyloid plaque pathology and gliosis in Alzheimer's disease mouse model. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.31.587499. [PMID: 38617351 PMCID: PMC11014495 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.31.587499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
Lysosomes and related precursor organelles robustly build up in swollen axons that surround amyloid plaques and disrupted axonal lysosome transport has been implicated in worsening Alzheimer's pathology. Our prior studies have revealed that loss of Adaptor protein-4 (AP-4) complex function, linked primarily to Spastic Paraplegia (HSP), leads to a similar build of lysosomes in structures we term "AP-4 dystrophies". Surprisingly, these AP-4 dystrophies were also characterized by enrichment of components of APP processing machinery, β-site cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) and Presenilin 2. Our studies examining whether the abnormal axonal lysosome build up resulting from AP-4 loss could lead to amyloidogenesis revealed that the loss of AP-4 complex function in an Alzheimer's disease model resulted in a strong increase in size and abundance of amyloid plaques in the hippocampus and corpus callosum as well as increased microglial association with the plaques. Interestingly, we found a further increase in enrichment of the secretase, BACE1, in the axonal swellings of the plaques of Alzheimer model mice lacking AP-4 complex compared to those having normal AP-4 complex function, suggestive of increased amyloidogenic processing under this condition. Additionally, the exacerbation of plaque pathology was region-specific as it did not increase in the cortex. The burden of the AP-4 linked axonal dystrophies/AP-4 dystrophies was higher in the corpus callosum and hippocampus compared to the cortex, establishing the critical role of AP-4 -dependent axonal lysosome transport and maturation in regulating amyloidogenic amyloid precursor protein processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Orlowski
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612 USA
| | - Joseph Karippaparambil
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612 USA
| | - Jean-Michel Paumier
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612 USA
| | - Shraddha Ghanta
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612 USA
| | - Eduardo Pallares
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612 USA
| | - Jamuna Tandukar
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607 USA
| | - Ruixuan Gao
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607 USA
- Department of Chemistry, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607 USA
| | - Swetha Gowrishankar
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612 USA
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17
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Podleśny-Drabiniok A, Novikova G, Liu Y, Dunst J, Temizer R, Giannarelli C, Marro S, Kreslavsky T, Marcora E, Goate AM. BHLHE40/41 regulate microglia and peripheral macrophage responses associated with Alzheimer's disease and other disorders of lipid-rich tissues. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2058. [PMID: 38448474 PMCID: PMC10917780 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46315-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Genetic and experimental evidence suggests that Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk alleles and genes may influence disease susceptibility by altering the transcriptional and cellular responses of macrophages, including microglia, to damage of lipid-rich tissues like the brain. Recently, sc/nRNA sequencing studies identified similar transcriptional activation states in subpopulations of macrophages in aging and degenerating brains and in other diseased lipid-rich tissues. We collectively refer to these subpopulations of microglia and peripheral macrophages as DLAMs. Using macrophage sc/nRNA-seq data from healthy and diseased human and mouse lipid-rich tissues, we reconstructed gene regulatory networks and identified 11 strong candidate transcriptional regulators of the DLAM response across species. Loss or reduction of two of these transcription factors, BHLHE40/41, in iPSC-derived microglia and human THP-1 macrophages as well as loss of Bhlhe40/41 in mouse microglia, resulted in increased expression of DLAM genes involved in cholesterol clearance and lysosomal processing, increased cholesterol efflux and storage, and increased lysosomal mass and degradative capacity. These findings provide targets for therapeutic modulation of macrophage/microglial function in AD and other disorders affecting lipid-rich tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Podleśny-Drabiniok
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Gloriia Novikova
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- OMNI Bioinformatics Department, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Yiyuan Liu
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Josefine Dunst
- Department of Medicine, Division of Immunology and Allergy, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
- Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Rose Temizer
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Chiara Giannarelli
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, NYU Cardiovascular Research Center, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Pathology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Samuele Marro
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Black Family Stem Cell Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Taras Kreslavsky
- Department of Medicine, Division of Immunology and Allergy, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
- Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Edoardo Marcora
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
| | - Alison Mary Goate
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
- Black Family Stem Cell Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
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18
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Zhang Z, Liu X, Zhang S, Song Z, Lu K, Yang W. A review and analysis of key biomarkers in Alzheimer's disease. Front Neurosci 2024; 18:1358998. [PMID: 38445255 PMCID: PMC10912539 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1358998] [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: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects over 50 million elderly individuals worldwide. Although the pathogenesis of AD is not fully understood, based on current research, researchers are able to identify potential biomarker genes and proteins that may serve as effective targets against AD. This article aims to present a comprehensive overview of recent advances in AD biomarker identification, with highlights on the use of various algorithms, the exploration of relevant biological processes, and the investigation of shared biomarkers with co-occurring diseases. Additionally, this article includes a statistical analysis of key genes reported in the research literature, and identifies the intersection with AD-related gene sets from databases such as AlzGen, GeneCard, and DisGeNet. For these gene sets, besides enrichment analysis, protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks utilized to identify central genes among the overlapping genes. Enrichment analysis, protein interaction network analysis, and tissue-specific connectedness analysis based on GTEx database performed on multiple groups of overlapping genes. Our work has laid the foundation for a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of AD and more accurate identification of key AD markers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhihao Zhang
- School of Computer Science and Technology, Xinjiang University, Ürümqi, China
- College of Medical Engineering and Technology, Xinjiang Medical University, Ürümqi, China
| | - Xiangtao Liu
- College of Medical Engineering and Technology, Xinjiang Medical University, Ürümqi, China
| | - Suixia Zhang
- College of Medical Engineering and Technology, Xinjiang Medical University, Ürümqi, China
- College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogenesis, Prevention, Treatment of Central Asian High Incidence Diseases, First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Ürümqi, China
| | - Zhixin Song
- College of Medical Engineering and Technology, Xinjiang Medical University, Ürümqi, China
| | - Ke Lu
- School of Computer Science and Technology, Xinjiang University, Ürümqi, China
| | - Wenzhong Yang
- School of Computer Science and Technology, Xinjiang University, Ürümqi, China
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19
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Rogers BB, Anderson AG, Lauzon SN, Davis MN, Hauser RM, Roberts SC, Rodriguez-Nunez I, Trausch-Lowther K, Barinaga EA, Hall PI, Knuesel MT, Taylor JW, Mackiewicz M, Roberts BS, Cooper SJ, Rizzardi LF, Myers RM, Cochran JN. Neuronal MAPT expression is mediated by long-range interactions with cis-regulatory elements. Am J Hum Genet 2024; 111:259-279. [PMID: 38232730 PMCID: PMC10870142 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2023.12.015] [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: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Tauopathies are a group of neurodegenerative diseases defined by abnormal aggregates of tau, a microtubule-associated protein encoded by MAPT. MAPT expression is near absent in neural progenitor cells (NPCs) and increases during differentiation. This temporally dynamic expression pattern suggests that MAPT expression could be controlled by transcription factors and cis-regulatory elements specific to differentiated cell types. Given the relevance of MAPT expression to neurodegeneration pathogenesis, identification of such elements is relevant to understanding disease risk and pathogenesis. Here, we performed chromatin conformation assays (HiC & Capture-C), single-nucleus multiomics (RNA-seq+ATAC-seq), bulk ATAC-seq, and ChIP-seq for H3K27ac and CTCF in NPCs and differentiated neurons to nominate candidate cis-regulatory elements (cCREs). We assayed these cCREs using luciferase assays and CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) experiments to measure their effects on MAPT expression. Finally, we integrated cCRE annotations into an analysis of genetic variation in neurodegeneration-affected individuals and control subjects. We identified both proximal and distal regulatory elements for MAPT and confirmed the regulatory function for several regions, including three regions centromeric to MAPT beyond the H1/H2 haplotype inversion breakpoint. We also found that rare and predicted damaging genetic variation in nominated CREs was nominally depleted in dementia-affected individuals relative to control subjects, consistent with the hypothesis that variants that disrupt MAPT enhancer activity, and thereby reduced MAPT expression, may be protective against neurodegenerative disease. Overall, this study provides compelling evidence for pursuing detailed knowledge of CREs for genes of interest to permit better understanding of disease risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brianne B Rogers
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL 35806, USA; University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | | | - Shelby N Lauzon
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL 35806, USA
| | - M Natalie Davis
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL 35806, USA
| | - Rebecca M Hauser
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL 35806, USA
| | - Sydney C Roberts
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL 35806, USA
| | | | | | - Erin A Barinaga
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL 35806, USA
| | - Paige I Hall
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL 35806, USA
| | | | - Jared W Taylor
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL 35806, USA
| | - Mark Mackiewicz
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL 35806, USA
| | - Brian S Roberts
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL 35806, USA
| | - Sara J Cooper
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL 35806, USA
| | | | - Richard M Myers
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL 35806, USA.
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20
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Balak CD, Han CZ, Glass CK. Deciphering microglia phenotypes in health and disease. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2024; 84:102146. [PMID: 38171044 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2023.102146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Microglia are the major immune cells of the central nervous system (CNS) that perform numerous adaptive functions required for normal CNS development and homeostasis but are also linked to neurodegenerative and behavioral diseases. Microglia development and function are strongly influenced by brain environmental signals that are integrated at the level of transcriptional enhancers to drive specific programs of gene expression. Here, we describe a conceptual framework for how lineage-determining and signal-dependent transcription factors interact to select and regulate the ensembles of enhancers that determine microglia development and function. We then highlight recent findings that advance these concepts and conclude with a consideration of open questions that represent some of the major hurdles to be addressed in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher D Balak
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California, San Diego, USA; Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, University of California, San Diego, USA
| | - Claudia Z Han
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California, San Diego, USA
| | - Christopher K Glass
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California, San Diego, USA; Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, USA.
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21
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Choi J, Ehrlich ME, Roussos P, Wang P, Yuan GC, Song X. QuadST: A Powerful and Robust Approach for Identifying Cell-Cell Interaction-Changed Genes on Spatially Resolved Transcriptomics. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.12.04.570019. [PMID: 38106025 PMCID: PMC10723309 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.04.570019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Spatially resolved transcriptomics (SRT) have enabled profiling spatial organization of cells and their transcriptome in situ. Various analytical methods have been developed to uncover cell-cell interaction processes using SRT data. To improve upon existing efforts, we developed a novel statistical framework called QuadST for the robust and powerful identification of interaction-changed genes (ICGs) for cell-type-pair specific interactions on a single-cell SRT dataset. QuadST is motivated by the idea that in the presence of cell-cell interaction, gene expression level can vary with cell-cell distance between cell type pairs, which can be particularly pronounced within and in the vicinity of cell-cell interaction distance. Specifically, QuadST infers ICGs in a specific cell type pair's interaction based on a quantile regression model, which allows us to assess the strength of distance-expression association across entire distance quantiles conditioned on gene expression level. To identify ICGs, QuadST performs a hypothesis testing with an empirically estimated FDR, whose upper bound is determined by the ratio of cumulative associations at symmetrically smaller and larger distance quantiles simultaneously across all genes. Simulation studies illustrate that QuadST provides consistent FDR control and better power performance than other compared methods. Its application on SRT datasets profiled from mouse brains demonstrates that QuadST can identify ICGs presumed to play a role in specific cell type pair interactions (e.g., synaptic pathway genes among excitatory neuron cell interactions). These results suggest that QuadST can be a useful tool to discover genes and regulatory processes involved in specific cell type pair interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinmyung Choi
- Institute for Health Care Delivery Science, Department of Population Health Science and Policy, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Michelle E. Ehrlich
- Departments of Neurology, Pediatrics, and Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Panos Roussos
- Center for Disease Neurogenomics, Department of Psychiatry, Department of Genetics and Genomics Sciences, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, NY, USA; Mental Illness Research Education, and Clinical Center (VISN 2 South), James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Pei Wang
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn Institute for Data Science and Genomic Technology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Guo-Cheng Yuan
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY USA
| | - Xiaoyu Song
- Institute for Health Care Delivery Science, Department of Population Health Science and Policy, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
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22
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Humphrey J, Brophy E, Kosoy R, Zeng B, Coccia E, Mattei D, Ravi A, Efthymiou AG, Navarro E, Muller BZ, Snijders GJLJ, Allan A, Münch A, Kitata RB, Kleopoulos SP, Argyriou S, Shao Z, Francoeur N, Tsai CF, Gritsenko MA, Monroe ME, Paurus VL, Weitz KK, Shi T, Sebra R, Liu T, de Witte LD, Goate AM, Bennett DA, Haroutunian V, Hoffman GE, Fullard JF, Roussos P, Raj T. Long-read RNA-seq atlas of novel microglia isoforms elucidates disease-associated genetic regulation of splicing. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.12.01.23299073. [PMID: 38076956 PMCID: PMC10705658 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.01.23299073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
Microglia, the innate immune cells of the central nervous system, have been genetically implicated in multiple neurodegenerative diseases. We previously mapped the genetic regulation of gene expression and mRNA splicing in human microglia, identifying several loci where common genetic variants in microglia-specific regulatory elements explain disease risk loci identified by GWAS. However, identifying genetic effects on splicing has been challenging due to the use of short sequencing reads to identify causal isoforms. Here we present the isoform-centric microglia genomic atlas (isoMiGA) which leverages the power of long-read RNA-seq to identify 35,879 novel microglia isoforms. We show that the novel microglia isoforms are involved in stimulation response and brain region specificity. We then quantified the expression of both known and novel isoforms in a multi-ethnic meta-analysis of 555 human microglia short-read RNA-seq samples from 391 donors, the largest to date, and found associations with genetic risk loci in Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. We nominate several loci that may act through complex changes in isoform and splice site usage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack Humphrey
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience & Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer’s Disease, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Icahn Genomics Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Estelle and Daniel Maggin Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Erica Brophy
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience & Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer’s Disease, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Icahn Genomics Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Estelle and Daniel Maggin Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Roman Kosoy
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience & Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Icahn Genomics Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Center for Disease Neurogenomics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
| | - Biao Zeng
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience & Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Icahn Genomics Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Center for Disease Neurogenomics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
| | - Elena Coccia
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience & Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer’s Disease, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Icahn Genomics Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Estelle and Daniel Maggin Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Daniele Mattei
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience & Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer’s Disease, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Icahn Genomics Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Estelle and Daniel Maggin Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ashvin Ravi
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience & Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer’s Disease, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Icahn Genomics Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Estelle and Daniel Maggin Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Anastasia G. Efthymiou
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience & Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer’s Disease, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Elisa Navarro
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience & Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer’s Disease, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Icahn Genomics Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Estelle and Daniel Maggin Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine (Universidad Complutense de Madrid), Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain
- Instituto Ramon y Cajal de Investigacion Sanitaria (IRYCIS), Madrid, Spain
| | - Benjamin Z. Muller
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience & Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer’s Disease, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Icahn Genomics Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Estelle and Daniel Maggin Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Gijsje JLJ Snijders
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience & Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer’s Disease, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
| | - Amanda Allan
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience & Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer’s Disease, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Icahn Genomics Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Estelle and Daniel Maggin Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Alexandra Münch
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience & Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer’s Disease, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Reta Birhanu Kitata
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington, USA
| | - Steven P Kleopoulos
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience & Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Icahn Genomics Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Center for Disease Neurogenomics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
| | - Stathis Argyriou
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience & Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Icahn Genomics Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Center for Disease Neurogenomics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
| | - Zhiping Shao
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience & Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Icahn Genomics Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Center for Disease Neurogenomics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
| | - Nancy Francoeur
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Icahn Genomics Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Chia-Feng Tsai
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington, USA
| | - Marina A Gritsenko
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington, USA
| | - Matthew E Monroe
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington, USA
| | - Vanessa L Paurus
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington, USA
| | - Karl K Weitz
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington, USA
| | - Tujin Shi
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington, USA
| | - Robert Sebra
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Icahn Genomics Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Black Family Stem Cell Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Global Health and Emerging Pathogens Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Tao Liu
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington, USA
| | - Lot D. de Witte
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience & Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer’s Disease, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
| | - Alison M. Goate
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience & Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer’s Disease, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Icahn Genomics Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Estelle and Daniel Maggin Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - David A. Bennett
- Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Vahram Haroutunian
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience & Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Mental Illness Research Education, and Clinical Center (VISN 2 South), James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Gabriel E. Hoffman
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience & Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Icahn Genomics Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Center for Disease Neurogenomics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
| | - John F. Fullard
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience & Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Icahn Genomics Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Center for Disease Neurogenomics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
| | - Panos Roussos
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience & Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Icahn Genomics Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Center for Disease Neurogenomics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
- Mental Illness Research Education, and Clinical Center (VISN 2 South), James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Towfique Raj
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience & Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer’s Disease, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Icahn Genomics Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Estelle and Daniel Maggin Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
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23
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Chen J, Zhao X, Huang C, Lin J. Novel insights into molecular signatures and pathogenic cell populations shared by systemic lupus erythematosus and vascular dementia. Funct Integr Genomics 2023; 23:337. [PMID: 37971684 DOI: 10.1007/s10142-023-01270-2] [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: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
Although vascular dementia (VD) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) may share immune-mediated pathophysiologic processes, the underlying mechanisms are unclear. This study investigated shared gene signatures in SLE versus VD, as well as their potential molecular mechanisms. Bulk RNA sequencing (RNAseq) and single-cell or single-nucleus RNAseq (sc/snRNAseq) datasets from SLE blood samples and VD brain samples were obtained from Gene Expression Omnibus. The identification of genes associated with both SLE and VD was performed using the weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and machine learning algorithms. For the sc/snRNAseq data, an unbiased clustering pipeline based on Seurat and CellChat was used to determine the cellular landscape profile and examine intracellular communication, respectively. The results were subsequently validated using a mice model of SLE with cognitive dysfunction (female MRL/lpr mice). WGCNA and machine learning identified C1QA, LY96, CD163, and MS4A4A as key genes for SLE and VD. sc/snRNAseq analyses revealed that CD163 and MS4A4A were upregulated in mononuclear phagocytes (MPs) from SLE and VD samples and were associated with monocyte-macrophage differentiation. Intriguingly, LGALS9-associated molecular pathway, as the only signaling pathway common between SLE and VD via CellChat analysis, exhibited significant upregulation in cortical microglia of MRL/lpr mice. Our analyses identified C1QA, LY96, CD163, and MS4A4A as potential biomarkers for SLE and VD. Moreover, the upregulation of CD163/MS4A4A and activation of LGALS9 signaling in MPs may contribute to the pathogenesis of VD with SLE. These findings offer novel insight into the mechanisms underlying VD in SLE patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Chen
- Department of Neurology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510630, China
- Department of Rheumatology, Integrated Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiao'feng Zhao
- Department of Rheumatology, Integrated Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Cheng Huang
- Department of Neurology, Clinical Neuroscience Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jia'xing Lin
- Department of Neurology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510630, China.
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24
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Ralvenius WT, Mungenast AE, Woolf H, Huston MM, Gillingham TZ, Godin SK, Penney J, Cam HP, Gao F, Fernandez CG, Czako B, Lightfoot Y, Ray WJ, Beckmann A, Goate AM, Marcora E, Romero-Molina C, Ayata P, Schaefer A, Gjoneska E, Tsai LH. A novel molecular class that recruits HDAC/MECP2 complexes to PU.1 motifs reduces neuroinflammation. J Exp Med 2023; 220:e20222105. [PMID: 37642942 PMCID: PMC10465325 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20222105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Revised: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Pervasive neuroinflammation occurs in many neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). SPI1/PU.1 is a transcription factor located at a genome-wide significant AD-risk locus and its reduced expression is associated with delayed onset of AD. We analyzed single-cell transcriptomic datasets from microglia of human AD patients and found an enrichment of PU.1-binding motifs in the differentially expressed genes. In hippocampal tissues from transgenic mice with neurodegeneration, we found vastly increased genomic PU.1 binding. We then screened for PU.1 inhibitors using a PU.1 reporter cell line and discovered A11, a molecule with anti-inflammatory efficacy and nanomolar potency. A11 regulated genes putatively by recruiting a repressive complex containing MECP2, HDAC1, SIN3A, and DNMT3A to PU.1 motifs, thus representing a novel mechanism and class of molecules. In mouse models of AD, A11 ameliorated neuroinflammation, loss of neuronal integrity, AD pathology, and improved cognitive performance. This study uncovers a novel class of anti-inflammatory molecules with therapeutic potential for neurodegenerative disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- William T. Ralvenius
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Alison E. Mungenast
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Hannah Woolf
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Margaret M. Huston
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Tyler Z. Gillingham
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Stephen K. Godin
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Jay Penney
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Hugh P. Cam
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Fan Gao
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Celia G. Fernandez
- The Neurodegeneration Consortium, Therapeutics Discovery Division, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Barbara Czako
- The Neurodegeneration Consortium, Therapeutics Discovery Division, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Yaima Lightfoot
- The Neurodegeneration Consortium, Therapeutics Discovery Division, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - William J. Ray
- The Neurodegeneration Consortium, Therapeutics Discovery Division, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Adrian Beckmann
- The Neurodegeneration Consortium, Therapeutics Discovery Division, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Alison M. Goate
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer’s Disease, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Edoardo Marcora
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer’s Disease, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Carmen Romero-Molina
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer’s Disease, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Pinar Ayata
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer’s Disease, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Advanced Science Research Center at the Graduate Center, Neuroscience Initiative, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
| | - Anne Schaefer
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer’s Disease, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Cologne, Germany
| | - Elizabeta Gjoneska
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Neurobiology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Li-Huei Tsai
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
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25
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Kearns NA, Iatrou A, Flood DJ, De Tissera S, Mullaney ZM, Xu J, Gaiteri C, Bennett DA, Wang Y. Dissecting the human leptomeninges at single-cell resolution. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7036. [PMID: 37923721 PMCID: PMC10624900 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42825-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Emerging evidence shows that the meninges conduct essential immune surveillance and immune defense at the brain border, and the dysfunction of meningeal immunity contributes to aging and neurodegeneration. However, no study exists on the molecular properties of cell types within human leptomeninges. Here, we provide single nuclei profiling of dissected postmortem leptomeninges from aged individuals. We detect diverse cell types, including unique meningeal endothelial, mural, and fibroblast subtypes. For immune cells, we show that most T cells express CD8 and bear characteristics of tissue-resident memory T cells. We also identify distinct subtypes of border-associated macrophages (BAMs) that display differential gene expressions from microglia and express risk genes for Alzheimer's Disease (AD), as nominated by genome-wide association studies (GWAS). We discover cell-type-specific differentially expressed genes in individuals with Alzheimer's dementia, particularly in fibroblasts and BAMs. Indeed, when cultured, leptomeningeal cells display the signature of ex vivo AD fibroblasts upon amyloid-β treatment. We further explore ligand-receptor interactions within the leptomeningeal niche and computationally infer intercellular communications in AD. Thus, our study establishes a molecular map of human leptomeningeal cell types, providing significant insight into the border immune and fibrotic responses in AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola A Kearns
- Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
| | - Artemis Iatrou
- Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, 02478, USA
| | - Daniel J Flood
- Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
| | - Sashini De Tissera
- Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
| | - Zachary M Mullaney
- Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
| | - Jishu Xu
- Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
| | - Chris Gaiteri
- Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, 13210, USA
| | - David A Bennett
- Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
| | - Yanling Wang
- Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA.
- Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA.
- Rush Graduate College, Rush University, Chicago IL, 60612, USA.
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26
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Boylan MA, Pincetic A, Romano G, Tatton N, Kenkare-Mitra S, Rosenthal A. Targeting Progranulin as an Immuno-Neurology Therapeutic Approach. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:15946. [PMID: 37958929 PMCID: PMC10647331 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242115946] [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: 09/19/2023] [Revised: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Immuno-neurology is an emerging therapeutic strategy for dementia and neurodegeneration designed to address immune surveillance failure in the brain. Microglia, as central nervous system (CNS)-resident myeloid cells, routinely perform surveillance of the brain and support neuronal function. Loss-of-function (LOF) mutations causing decreased levels of progranulin (PGRN), an immune regulatory protein, lead to dysfunctional microglia and are associated with multiple neurodegenerative diseases, including frontotemporal dementia caused by the progranulin gene (GRN) mutation (FTD-GRN), Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), limbic-predominant age-related transactivation response deoxyribonucleic acid binding protein 43 (TDP-43) encephalopathy (LATE), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Immuno-neurology targets immune checkpoint-like proteins, offering the potential to convert aging and dysfunctional microglia into disease-fighting cells that counteract multiple disease pathologies, clear misfolded proteins and debris, promote myelin and synapse repair, optimize neuronal function, support astrocytes and oligodendrocytes, and maintain brain vasculature. Several clinical trials are underway to elevate PGRN levels as one strategy to modulate the function of microglia and counteract neurodegenerative changes associated with various disease states. If successful, these and other immuno-neurology drugs have the potential to revolutionize the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders by harnessing the brain's immune system and shifting it from an inflammatory/pathological state to an enhanced physiological/homeostatic state.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Arnon Rosenthal
- Alector, Inc., 131 Oyster Point Blvd, Suite 600, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
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27
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Xu M, Liu Q, Bi R, Li Y, Li H, Kang WB, Yan Z, Zheng Q, Sun C, Ye M, Xiang BL, Luo XJ, Li M, Zhang DF, Yao YG. Coexistence of Multiple Functional Variants and Genes Underlies Genetic Risk Locus 11p11.2 of Alzheimer's Disease. Biol Psychiatry 2023; 94:743-759. [PMID: 37290560 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2023.05.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Revised: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Genome-wide association studies have identified dozens of genetic risk loci for Alzheimer's disease (AD), yet the underlying causal variants and biological mechanisms remain elusive, especially for loci with complex linkage disequilibrium and regulation. METHODS To fully untangle the causal signal at a single locus, we performed a functional genomic study of 11p11.2 (the CELF1/SPI1 locus). Genome-wide association study signals at 11p11.2 were integrated with datasets of histone modification, open chromatin, and transcription factor binding to distill potentially functional variants (fVars). Their allelic regulatory activities were confirmed by allele imbalance, reporter assays, and base editing. Expressional quantitative trait loci and chromatin interaction data were incorporated to assign target genes to fVars. The relevance of these genes to AD was assessed by convergent functional genomics using bulk brain and single-cell transcriptomic, epigenomic, and proteomic datasets of patients with AD and control individuals, followed by cellular assays. RESULTS We found that 24 potential fVars, rather than a single variant, were responsible for the risk of 11p11.2. These fVars modulated transcription factor binding and regulated multiple genes by long-range chromatin interactions. Besides SPI1, convergent evidence indicated that 6 target genes (MTCH2, ACP2, NDUFS3, PSMC3, C1QTNF4, and MADD) of fVars were likely to be involved in AD development. Disruption of each gene led to cellular amyloid-β and phosphorylated tau changes, supporting the existence of multiple likely causal genes at 11p11.2. CONCLUSIONS Multiple variants and genes at 11p11.2 may contribute to AD risk. This finding provides new insights into the mechanistic and therapeutic challenges of AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Xu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences & Yunnan Province and KIZ/CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China; Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Qianjin Liu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences & Yunnan Province and KIZ/CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China; Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Rui Bi
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences & Yunnan Province and KIZ/CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China; Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China; National Resource Center for Non-Human Primates, National Research Facility for Phenotypic & Genetic Analysis of Model Animals (Primate Facility), Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China; Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Yu Li
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences & Yunnan Province and KIZ/CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China; Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Hongli Li
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences & Yunnan Province and KIZ/CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China; Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Wei-Bo Kang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences & Yunnan Province and KIZ/CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China; Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Zhongjiang Yan
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences & Yunnan Province and KIZ/CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China; Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Quanzhen Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences & Yunnan Province and KIZ/CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China; Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Chunli Sun
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences & Yunnan Province and KIZ/CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China; Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Maosen Ye
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences & Yunnan Province and KIZ/CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China; Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Bo-Lin Xiang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences & Yunnan Province and KIZ/CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China; Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Xiong-Jian Luo
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences & Yunnan Province and KIZ/CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China; Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Ming Li
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences & Yunnan Province and KIZ/CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China; Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Deng-Feng Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences & Yunnan Province and KIZ/CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China; Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China; National Resource Center for Non-Human Primates, National Research Facility for Phenotypic & Genetic Analysis of Model Animals (Primate Facility), Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China; Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China.
| | - Yong-Gang Yao
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences & Yunnan Province and KIZ/CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China; Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China; National Resource Center for Non-Human Primates, National Research Facility for Phenotypic & Genetic Analysis of Model Animals (Primate Facility), Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China; Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China.
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28
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Evans F, Alí-Ruiz D, Rego N, Negro-Demontel ML, Lago N, Cawen FA, Pannunzio B, Sanchez-Molina P, Reyes L, Paolino A, Rodríguez-Duarte J, Pérez-Torrado V, Chicote-González A, Quijano C, Marmisolle I, Mulet AP, Schlapp G, Meikle MN, Bresque M, Crispo M, Savio E, Malagelada C, Escande C, Peluffo H. CD300f immune receptor contributes to healthy aging by regulating inflammaging, metabolism, and cognitive decline. Cell Rep 2023; 42:113269. [PMID: 37864797 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113269] [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: 03/10/2023] [Revised: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Emerging evidence suggests that immune receptors may participate in many aging-related processes such as energy metabolism, inflammation, and cognitive decline. CD300f, a TREM2-like lipid-sensing immune receptor, is an exceptional receptor as it integrates activating and inhibitory cell-signaling pathways that modulate inflammation, efferocytosis, and microglial metabolic fitness. We hypothesize that CD300f can regulate systemic aging-related processes and ultimately healthy lifespan. We closely followed several cohorts of two strains of CD300f-/- and WT mice of both sexes for 30 months and observed an important reduction in lifespan and healthspan in knockout mice. This was associated with systemic inflammaging, increased cognitive decline, reduced brain glucose uptake observed by 18FDG PET scans, enrichment in microglial aging/neurodegeneration phenotypes, proteostasis alterations, senescence, increased frailty, and sex-dependent systemic metabolic changes. Moreover, the absence of CD300f altered macrophage immunometabolic phenotype. Taken together, we provide strong evidence suggesting that myeloid cell CD300f immune receptor contributes to healthy aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frances Evans
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, UDELAR, Montevideo, Uruguay; Neuroinflammation and Gene Therapy Laboratory, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Daniela Alí-Ruiz
- Neuroinflammation and Gene Therapy Laboratory, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Natalia Rego
- Bioinformatics Unit, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay; Faculty of Sciences, UDELAR, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - María Luciana Negro-Demontel
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, UDELAR, Montevideo, Uruguay; Neuroinflammation and Gene Therapy Laboratory, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Natalia Lago
- Neuroinflammation and Gene Therapy Laboratory, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Fabio Andrés Cawen
- Neuroinflammation and Gene Therapy Laboratory, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Bruno Pannunzio
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, UDELAR, Montevideo, Uruguay; Neuroinflammation and Gene Therapy Laboratory, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Paula Sanchez-Molina
- Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, and Institute of Neuroscience, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Laura Reyes
- Uruguayan Center for Molecular Imaging (CUDIM), Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Andrea Paolino
- Uruguayan Center for Molecular Imaging (CUDIM), Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Jorge Rodríguez-Duarte
- Laboratory of Vascular Biology and Drug Development, INDICYO Program, Institut Pasteur Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Valentina Pérez-Torrado
- Metabolic Diseases and Aging Laboratory, INDICYO Program, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Almudena Chicote-González
- Unitat de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Departament de Biomedicina, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Barcelona, Spain; Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Celia Quijano
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas (CEINBIO), Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Inés Marmisolle
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas (CEINBIO), Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Ana Paula Mulet
- Unidad de Biotecnología en Animales de Laboratorio, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Geraldine Schlapp
- Unidad de Biotecnología en Animales de Laboratorio, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - María Noel Meikle
- Unidad de Biotecnología en Animales de Laboratorio, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Mariana Bresque
- Metabolic Diseases and Aging Laboratory, INDICYO Program, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Martina Crispo
- Unidad de Biotecnología en Animales de Laboratorio, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Eduardo Savio
- Uruguayan Center for Molecular Imaging (CUDIM), Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Cristina Malagelada
- Unitat de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Departament de Biomedicina, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Barcelona, Spain; Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carlos Escande
- Metabolic Diseases and Aging Laboratory, INDICYO Program, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Hugo Peluffo
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, UDELAR, Montevideo, Uruguay; Neuroinflammation and Gene Therapy Laboratory, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay; Unitat de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Departament de Biomedicina, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Barcelona, Spain; Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Barcelona, Spain.
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29
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Richards T, Perron JC, Patel K, Wurpel J, Reznik SE, Schanne F. Therapeutic Intervention of Neuroinflammatory Alzheimer Disease Model by Inhibition of Classical Complement Pathway with the Use of Anti-C1r Loaded Exosomes. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-3399248. [PMID: 37886595 PMCID: PMC10602145 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3399248/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complex neurodegenerative disease associated with memory decline, cognitive impairment, amyloid plaque formation and tau tangles. Neuroinflammation has been shown to be a precursor to apparent amyloid plaque accumulation and subsequent synaptic loss and cognitive decline. In this study, the ability of a novel, small molecule, T-ALZ01, to inhibit neuroinflammatory processes was analyzed. T-ALZ01, an inhibitor of complement component C1r, demonstrated a significant reduction in the levels of the inflammatory cytokines, IL-6 and TNF-α in vitro. An LPS-induced animal model, whereby animals were injected intraperitoneally with 0.5 mg/kg LPS, was used to analyze the effect of T-ALZ01 on neuroinflammation in vivo. Moreover, exosomes (nanosized, endogenous extracellular vehicles) were used as drug delivery vehicles to facilitate intranasal administration of T-ALZ01 across the blood-brain barrier. T-ALZ01 demonstrated significant reduction in degenerating neurons and the activation of resident microglia and astrocytes, as well as inflammatory markers in vivo. This study demonstrates a significant use of small molecule complement inhibitors via exosome drug delivery as a possible therapeutic in disorders characterized by neuroinflammation, such AD.
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30
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Perna A, Montine KS, White LR, Montine TJ, Cholerton BA. Paradigm Shift: Multiple Potential Pathways to Neurodegenerative Dementia. Neurotherapeutics 2023; 20:1641-1652. [PMID: 37733209 PMCID: PMC10684852 DOI: 10.1007/s13311-023-01441-w] [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] [Accepted: 09/09/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Neurodegenerative dementia can result from multiple underlying abnormalities, including neurotransmitter imbalances, protein aggregation, and other neurotoxic events. A major complication in identifying effective treatment targets is the frequent co-occurrence of multiple neurodegenerative processes, occurring either in parallel or sequentially. The path towards developing effective treatments for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other dementias has been relatively slow and until recently has focused on disease symptoms. Aducanumab and lecanemab, recently approved by the FDA, are meant to target disease structures but have only modest benefit on symptom progression and remain unproven in reversing or preventing dementia. A third, donanemab, appears more promising but awaits FDA approval. Ongoing trials include potential cognition enhancers, new combinations of known drugs for synergistic effects, prodrugs with less toxicity, and increasing interest in drugs targeting neuroinflammation or microbiome. Scientific and technological advances offer the opportunity to move in new therapy directions, such as modifying microglia to prevent or suppress underlying disease. A major challenge, however, is that underlying comorbidities likely influence the effectiveness of therapies. Indeed, the full range of comorbidity, today only definitively identified postmortem, likely contributes to failed clinical trials and overmedication of older adults, since it is difficult to exclude (during life) people unlikely to respond. Our current knowledge thus signals that a paradigm shift towards individualized and multimodal treatments is necessary to effectively advance the field of dementia therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amalia Perna
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University, 300 Pasteur Dr., Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
| | - Kathleen S Montine
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University, 300 Pasteur Dr., Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Lon R White
- Pacific Health Research and Education Institute, Honolulu, HI, USA
| | - Thomas J Montine
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University, 300 Pasteur Dr., Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Brenna A Cholerton
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University, 300 Pasteur Dr., Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
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Litke R, Vicari J, Huang BT, Shapiro L, Roh KH, Silver A, Talreja P, Palacios N, Yoon Y, Kellner C, Kaniskan H, Vangeti S, Jin J, Ramos-Lopez I, Mobbs C. Novel small molecules inhibit proteotoxicity and inflammation: Mechanistic and therapeutic implications for Alzheimer's Disease, healthspan and lifespan- Aging as a consequence of glycolysis. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.12.544352. [PMID: 37398396 PMCID: PMC10312632 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.12.544352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
Inflammation drives many age-related, especially neurological, diseases, and likely mediates age-related proteotoxicity. For example, dementia due to Alzheimer's Disease (AD), cerebral vascular disease, many other neurodegenerative conditions is increasingly among the most devastating burdens on the American (and world) health system and threatens to bankrupt the American health system as the population ages unless effective treatments are developed. Dementia due to either AD or cerebral vascular disease, and plausibly many other neurodegenerative and even psychiatric conditions, is driven by increased age-related inflammation, which in turn appears to mediate Abeta and related proteotoxic processes. The functional significance of inflammation during aging is also supported by the fact that Humira, which is simply an antibody to the pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-a, is the best-selling drug in the world by revenue. These observations led us to develop parallel high-throughput screens to discover small molecules which inhibit age-related Abeta proteotoxicity in a C. elegans model of AD AND LPS-induced microglial TNF-a. In the initial screen of 2560 compounds (Microsource Spectrum library) to delay Abeta proteotoxicity, the most protective compounds were, in order, phenylbutyrate, methicillin, and quetiapine, which belong to drug classes (HDAC inhibitors, beta lactam antibiotics, and tricyclic antipsychotics, respectably) already robustly implicated as promising to protect in neurodegenerative diseases, especially AD. RNAi and chemical screens indicated that the protective effects of HDAC inhibitors to reduce Abeta proteotoxicity are mediated by inhibition of HDAC2, also implicated in human AD, dependent on the HAT Creb binding protein (Cbp), which is also required for the protective effects of both dietary restriction and the daf-2 mutation (inactivation of IGF-1 signaling) during aging. In addition to methicillin, several other beta lactam antibiotics also delayed Abeta proteotoxicity and reduced microglial TNF-a. In addition to quetiapine, several other tricyclic antipsychotic drugs also delayed age-related Abeta proteotoxicity and increased microglial TNF-a, leading to the synthesis of a novel congener, GM310, which delays Abeta as well as Huntingtin proteotoxicity, inhibits LPS-induced mouse and human microglial and monocyte TNF-a, is highly concentrated in brain after oral delivery with no apparent toxicity, increases lifespan, and produces molecular responses highly similar to those produced by dietary restriction, including induction of Cbp inhibition of inhibitors of Cbp, and genes promoting a shift away from glycolysis and toward metabolism of alternate (e.g., lipid) substrates. GM310, as well as FDA-approved tricyclic congeners, prevented functional impairments and associated increase in TNF-a in a mouse model of stroke. Robust reduction of glycolysis by GM310 was functionally corroborated by flux analysis, and the glycolytic inhibitor 2-DG inhibited microglial TNF-a and other markers of inflammation, delayed Abeta proteotoxicity, and increased lifespan. These results support the value of phenotypic screens to discover drugs to treat age-related, especially neurological and even psychiatric diseases, including AD and stroke, and to clarify novel mechanisms driving neurodegeneration (e.g., increased microglial glycolysis drives neuroinflammation and subsequent neurotoxicity) suggesting novel treatments (selective inhibitors of microglial glycolysis).
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AlAnazi FH, Al-kuraishy HM, Alexiou A, Papadakis M, Ashour MHM, Alnaaim SA, Elhussieny O, Saad HM, Batiha GES. Primary Hypothyroidism and Alzheimer's Disease: A Tale of Two. Cell Mol Neurobiol 2023; 43:3405-3416. [PMID: 37540395 PMCID: PMC10477255 DOI: 10.1007/s10571-023-01392-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023]
Abstract
Hypothyroidism (HPT) HPT could be a risk factor for the development and progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In addition, progressive neurodegeneration in AD may affect the metabolism of thyroid hormones (THs) in the brain causing local brain HPT. Hence, the present review aimed to clarify the potential association between HPT and AD. HPT promotes the progression of AD by inducing the production of amyloid beta (Aβ) and tau protein phosphorylation with the development of synaptic plasticity and memory dysfunction. Besides, the metabolism of THs is dysregulated in AD due to the accumulation of Aβ and tau protein phosphorylation leading to local brain HPT. Additionally, HPT can affect AD neuropathology through various mechanistic pathways including dysregulation of transthyretin, oxidative stress, ER stress, autophagy dysfunction mitochondrial dysfunction, and inhibition of brain-derived neurotrophic factor. Taken together there is a potential link between HPT and AD, as HPT adversely impacts AD neuropathology and the reverse is also true.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faisal Holil AlAnazi
- Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, Majmaah University, Majmaah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hayder M. Al-kuraishy
- Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Medicine, Medical Faculty, College of Medicine, Al-Mustansiriyah University, P.O. Box 14132, Baghdad, Iraq
| | - Athanasios Alexiou
- Department of Science and Engineering, Novel Global Community Educational Foundation, Hebersham, NSW 2770 Australia
- AFNP Med, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Marios Papadakis
- Department of Surgery II, University Hospital Witten-Herdecke, University of Witten-Herdecke, Heusnerstrasse 40, 42283 Wuppertal, Germany
| | | | - Saud A. Alnaaim
- Clinical Neurosciences Department, College of Medicine, King Faisal University, Hofuf, Saudi Arabia
| | - Omnya Elhussieny
- Department of Histology and Cytology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Matrouh University, Marsa Matruh, 51744 Egypt
| | - Hebatallah M. Saad
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Matrouh University, Marsa Matruh, 51744 Egypt
| | - Gaber El-Saber Batiha
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Damanhour University, Damanhour, 22511 Egypt
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Xiong X, James BT, Boix CA, Park YP, Galani K, Victor MB, Sun N, Hou L, Ho LL, Mantero J, Scannail AN, Dileep V, Dong W, Mathys H, Bennett DA, Tsai LH, Kellis M. Epigenomic dissection of Alzheimer's disease pinpoints causal variants and reveals epigenome erosion. Cell 2023; 186:4422-4437.e21. [PMID: 37774680 PMCID: PMC10782612 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.08.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2022] [Revised: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/01/2023]
Abstract
Recent work has identified dozens of non-coding loci for Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk, but their mechanisms and AD transcriptional regulatory circuitry are poorly understood. Here, we profile epigenomic and transcriptomic landscapes of 850,000 nuclei from prefrontal cortexes of 92 individuals with and without AD to build a map of the brain regulome, including epigenomic profiles, transcriptional regulators, co-accessibility modules, and peak-to-gene links in a cell-type-specific manner. We develop methods for multimodal integration and detecting regulatory modules using peak-to-gene linking. We show AD risk loci are enriched in microglial enhancers and for specific TFs including SPI1, ELF2, and RUNX1. We detect 9,628 cell-type-specific ATAC-QTL loci, which we integrate alongside peak-to-gene links to prioritize AD variant regulatory circuits. We report differential accessibility of regulatory modules in late AD in glia and in early AD in neurons. Strikingly, late-stage AD brains show global epigenome dysregulation indicative of epigenome erosion and cell identity loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xushen Xiong
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 32 Vassar St, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University, 1369 West Wenyi Road, Hangzhou 311121, China
| | - Benjamin T James
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 32 Vassar St, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 415 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Carles A Boix
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 32 Vassar St, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 415 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Yongjin P Park
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 32 Vassar St, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 415 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Department of Statistics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Kyriaki Galani
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 32 Vassar St, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 415 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Matheus B Victor
- Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Na Sun
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 32 Vassar St, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 415 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Lei Hou
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 32 Vassar St, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 415 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Li-Lun Ho
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 32 Vassar St, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 415 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Julio Mantero
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 32 Vassar St, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 415 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Aine Ni Scannail
- Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Vishnu Dileep
- Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Weixiu Dong
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Hansruedi Mathys
- Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - David A Bennett
- Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Li-Huei Tsai
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 415 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Manolis Kellis
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 32 Vassar St, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 415 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.
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Lillo A, Serrano-Marín J, Lillo J, Raïch I, Navarro G, Franco R. Differential Gene Expression in Activated Microglia Treated with Adenosine A 2A Receptor Antagonists Highlights Olfactory Receptor 56 and T-Cell Activation GTPase-Activating Protein 1 as Potential Biomarkers of the Polarization of Activated Microglia. Cells 2023; 12:2213. [PMID: 37759436 PMCID: PMC10526142 DOI: 10.3390/cells12182213] [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: 08/04/2023] [Revised: 08/26/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Microglial activation often accompanies the plastic changes occurring in the brain of patients with neurodegenerative diseases. A2A and A3 adenosine receptors have been proposed as therapeutic targets to combat neurodegeneration. RNAseq was performed using samples isolated from lipopolysaccharide/interferon-γ activated microglia treated with SCH 58261, a selective A2A receptor antagonist, and with both SCH 58261 and 2-Cl-IB-MECA, a selective A3 receptor agonist. None of the treatments led to any clear microglial phenotype when gene expression for classical biomarkers of microglial polarization was assessed. However, many of the downregulated genes were directly or indirectly related to immune system-related events. Searching for genes whose expression was both significantly and synergistically affected when treated with the two adenosine receptor ligands, the AC122413.1 and Olfr56 were selected among those that were, respectively, upregulated and downregulated. We therefore propose that the products of these genes, olfactory receptor 56 and T-cell activation GTPase-activating protein 1, deserve attention as potential biomarkers of phenotypes that occur upon microglial activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Lillo
- Department of Biochemistry and Physiology, School of Pharmacy and Food Science, Universitat de Barcelona, 08007 Barcelona, Spain; (A.L.); (J.L.); (I.R.); (G.N.)
- CiberNed, Network Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, National Spanish Health Institute Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Joan Serrano-Marín
- Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biomedicine, Faculty of Biology, Universitat de Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain;
| | - Jaume Lillo
- Department of Biochemistry and Physiology, School of Pharmacy and Food Science, Universitat de Barcelona, 08007 Barcelona, Spain; (A.L.); (J.L.); (I.R.); (G.N.)
- Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biomedicine, Faculty of Biology, Universitat de Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain;
| | - Iu Raïch
- Department of Biochemistry and Physiology, School of Pharmacy and Food Science, Universitat de Barcelona, 08007 Barcelona, Spain; (A.L.); (J.L.); (I.R.); (G.N.)
- Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biomedicine, Faculty of Biology, Universitat de Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain;
| | - Gemma Navarro
- Department of Biochemistry and Physiology, School of Pharmacy and Food Science, Universitat de Barcelona, 08007 Barcelona, Spain; (A.L.); (J.L.); (I.R.); (G.N.)
- CiberNed, Network Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, National Spanish Health Institute Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Institute of Neurosciences, Universitat de Barcelona, 08007 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Rafael Franco
- CiberNed, Network Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, National Spanish Health Institute Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biomedicine, Faculty of Biology, Universitat de Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain;
- School of Chemistry, Universitat de Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
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35
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Lutz MW, Chiba-Falek O. Bioinformatics pipeline to guide post-GWAS studies in Alzheimer's: A new catalogue of disease candidate short structural variants. Alzheimers Dement 2023; 19:4094-4109. [PMID: 37253165 PMCID: PMC10524333 DOI: 10.1002/alz.13168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Revised: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Short structural variants (SSVs), including insertions/deletions (indels), are common in the human genome and impact disease risk. The role of SSVs in late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) has been understudied. In this study, we developed a bioinformatics pipeline of SSVs within LOAD-genome-wide association study (GWAS) regions to prioritize regulatory SSVs based on the strength of their predicted effect on transcription factor (TF) binding sites. METHODS The pipeline utilized publicly available functional genomics data sources including candidate cis-regulatory elements (cCREs) from ENCODE and single-nucleus (sn)RNA-seq data from LOAD patient samples. RESULTS We catalogued 1581 SSVs in candidate cCREs in LOAD GWAS regions that disrupted 737 TF sites. That included SSVs that disrupted the binding of RUNX3, SPI1, and SMAD3, within the APOE-TOMM40, SPI1, and MS4A6A LOAD regions. CONCLUSIONS The pipeline developed here prioritized non-coding SSVs in cCREs and characterized their putative effects on TF binding. The approach integrates multiomics datasets for validation experiments using disease models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael W. Lutz
- Division of Translational Brain Sciences, Department of Neurology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Ornit Chiba-Falek
- Division of Translational Brain Sciences, Department of Neurology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
- Center for Genomic and Computational Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
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36
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Mishra P, Silva A, Sharma J, Nguyen J, Pizzo DP, Hinz D, Sahoo D, Cherqui S. Rescue of Alzheimer's disease phenotype in a mouse model by transplantation of wild-type hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112956. [PMID: 37561625 PMCID: PMC10617121 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112956] [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: 11/03/2022] [Revised: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/22/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent cause of dementia; microglia have been implicated in AD pathogenesis, but their role is still matter of debate. Our study showed that single systemic wild-type (WT) hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) transplantation rescued the AD phenotype in 5xFAD mice and that transplantation may prevent microglia activation. Indeed, complete prevention of memory loss and neurocognitive impairment and decrease of β-amyloid plaques in the hippocampus and cortex were observed in the WT HSPC-transplanted 5xFAD mice compared with untreated 5xFAD mice and with mice transplanted with 5xFAD HSPCs. Neuroinflammation was also significantly reduced. Transcriptomic analysis revealed a significant decrease in gene expression related to "disease-associated microglia" in the cortex and "neurodegeneration-associated endothelial cells" in the hippocampus of the WT HSPC-transplanted 5xFAD mice compared with diseased controls. This work shows that HSPC transplant has the potential to prevent AD-associated complications and represents a promising therapeutic avenue for this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priyanka Mishra
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Alexander Silva
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Jay Sharma
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Jacqueline Nguyen
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Donald P Pizzo
- Department of Pathology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Denise Hinz
- Flow Cytometry Core Facility, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Debashis Sahoo
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA; Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of California, La Jolla, La Jolla, CA, USA; Moores Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, La Jolla, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Stephanie Cherqui
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
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37
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Berson E, Sreenivas A, Phongpreecha T, Perna A, Grandi FC, Xue L, Ravindra NG, Payrovnaziri N, Mataraso S, Kim Y, Espinosa C, Chang AL, Becker M, Montine KS, Fox EJ, Chang HY, Corces MR, Aghaeepour N, Montine TJ. Whole genome deconvolution unveils Alzheimer's resilient epigenetic signature. Nat Commun 2023; 14:4947. [PMID: 37587197 PMCID: PMC10432546 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40611-4] [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: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Assay for Transposase Accessible Chromatin by sequencing (ATAC-seq) accurately depicts the chromatin regulatory state and altered mechanisms guiding gene expression in disease. However, bulk sequencing entangles information from different cell types and obscures cellular heterogeneity. To address this, we developed Cellformer, a deep learning method that deconvolutes bulk ATAC-seq into cell type-specific expression across the whole genome. Cellformer enables cost-effective cell type-specific open chromatin profiling in large cohorts. Applied to 191 bulk samples from 3 brain regions, Cellformer identifies cell type-specific gene regulatory mechanisms involved in resilience to Alzheimer's disease, an uncommon group of cognitively healthy individuals that harbor a high pathological load of Alzheimer's disease. Cell type-resolved chromatin profiling unveils cell type-specific pathways and nominates potential epigenetic mediators underlying resilience that may illuminate therapeutic opportunities to limit the cognitive impact of the disease. Cellformer is freely available to facilitate future investigations using high-throughput bulk ATAC-seq data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eloise Berson
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
| | - Anjali Sreenivas
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Thanaphong Phongpreecha
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Amalia Perna
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Fiorella C Grandi
- Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Gladstone Institute of Data Science and Biotechnology, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Lei Xue
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Neal G Ravindra
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Neelufar Payrovnaziri
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Samson Mataraso
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Yeasul Kim
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Camilo Espinosa
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Alan L Chang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Martin Becker
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | | | - Edward J Fox
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Howard Y Chang
- Center for Personal Dynamic Regulomes, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - M Ryan Corces
- Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Gladstone Institute of Data Science and Biotechnology, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Nima Aghaeepour
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
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Zhou X, Xu R, Lu T, Xu R, Wang C, Peng B, Chang X, Shen Z, Wang K, Shi J, Zhao J, Zhang LY. Identification of immunotherapy biomarkers for improving the clinical outcome of homologous recombination deficiency patients with lung adenocarcinoma. Aging (Albany NY) 2023; 15:8090-8112. [PMID: 37578930 PMCID: PMC10496994 DOI: 10.18632/aging.204957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/16/2023]
Abstract
Homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) is a common molecular signature of genomic instability and has been shown to be a biomarker for targeted therapies. However, there is a lack of studies on the role of HRD changes in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) transcriptomics. HRD scores were determined using single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array data from LUAD patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Transcriptional data from patients with different scores were analyzed to identify biomarkers associated with HRD. Candidate biomarkers were validated using Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO)-sourced datasets and an immunotherapy cohort. According to the bulk transcriptome and clinical characteristics of 912 LUAD patients and Single-cell RNA-seq of 9 LUAD patients from TCGA and GEO databases, we observed increased MS4A6A expression in HRD tumors; high MS4A6A expression predicted improved survival outcomes. Furthermore, a comprehensive analysis of the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) revealed a positive correlation between MS4A6A expression and neoantigen loading and immune cell infiltration. Additionally, the immunotherapy cohort confirmed the possibility of using MS4A6A as a biomarker. Collectively, we suggest that MS4A6A is associated with HRD and provide a new perspective toward identifying promising biomarkers for immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiang Zhou
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150084, China
| | - Rongjian Xu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong 266005, China
| | - Tong Lu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150084, China
| | - Ran Xu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150084, China
| | - Chenghao Wang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150084, China
| | - Bo Peng
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150084, China
| | - Xiaoyan Chang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150084, China
| | - Zhiping Shen
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150084, China
| | - Kaiyu Wang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150084, China
| | - Jiaxin Shi
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150084, China
| | - Jiaying Zhao
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150084, China
| | - Lin-You Zhang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150084, China
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39
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Lambert JC, Ramirez A, Grenier-Boley B, Bellenguez C. Step by step: towards a better understanding of the genetic architecture of Alzheimer's disease. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:2716-2727. [PMID: 37131074 PMCID: PMC10615767 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-02076-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2022] [Revised: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is considered to have a large genetic component. Our knowledge of this component has progressed over the last 10 years, thanks notably to the advent of genome-wide association studies and the establishment of large consortia that make it possible to analyze hundreds of thousands of cases and controls. The characterization of dozens of chromosomal regions associated with the risk of developing AD and (in some loci) the causal genes responsible for the observed disease signal has confirmed the involvement of major pathophysiological pathways (such as amyloid precursor protein metabolism) and opened up new perspectives (such as the central role of microglia and inflammation). Furthermore, large-scale sequencing projects are starting to reveal the major impact of rare variants - even in genes like APOE - on the AD risk. This increasingly comprehensive knowledge is now being disseminated through translational research; in particular, the development of genetic risk/polygenic risk scores is helping to identify the subpopulations more at risk or less at risk of developing AD. Although it is difficult to assess the efforts still needed to comprehensively characterize the genetic component of AD, several lines of research can be improved or initiated. Ultimately, genetics (in combination with other biomarkers) might help to redefine the boundaries and relationships between various neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Charles Lambert
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167-RID-AGE Facteurs de risque et déterminants moléculaires des maladies liées au vieillissement, Lille, France.
| | - Alfredo Ramirez
- Division of Neurogenetics and Molecular Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Department of Neurodegenerative diseases and Geriatric Psychiatry, University Hospital Bonn, Medical Faculty, Bonn, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry & Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, San Antonio, TX, USA
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Benjamin Grenier-Boley
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167-RID-AGE Facteurs de risque et déterminants moléculaires des maladies liées au vieillissement, Lille, France
| | - Céline Bellenguez
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167-RID-AGE Facteurs de risque et déterminants moléculaires des maladies liées au vieillissement, Lille, France
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Kamal A, Arnold C, Claringbould A, Moussa R, Servaas NH, Kholmatov M, Daga N, Nogina D, Mueller‐Dott S, Reyes‐Palomares A, Palla G, Sigalova O, Bunina D, Pabst C, Zaugg JB. GRaNIE and GRaNPA: inference and evaluation of enhancer-mediated gene regulatory networks. Mol Syst Biol 2023; 19:e11627. [PMID: 37073532 PMCID: PMC10258561 DOI: 10.15252/msb.202311627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Revised: 04/01/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Enhancers play a vital role in gene regulation and are critical in mediating the impact of noncoding genetic variants associated with complex traits. Enhancer activity is a cell-type-specific process regulated by transcription factors (TFs), epigenetic mechanisms and genetic variants. Despite the strong mechanistic link between TFs and enhancers, we currently lack a framework for jointly analysing them in cell-type-specific gene regulatory networks (GRN). Equally important, we lack an unbiased way of assessing the biological significance of inferred GRNs since no complete ground truth exists. To address these gaps, we present GRaNIE (Gene Regulatory Network Inference including Enhancers) and GRaNPA (Gene Regulatory Network Performance Analysis). GRaNIE (https://git.embl.de/grp-zaugg/GRaNIE) builds enhancer-mediated GRNs based on covariation of chromatin accessibility and RNA-seq across samples (e.g. individuals), while GRaNPA (https://git.embl.de/grp-zaugg/GRaNPA) assesses the performance of GRNs for predicting cell-type-specific differential expression. We demonstrate their power by investigating gene regulatory mechanisms underlying the response of macrophages to infection, cancer and common genetic traits including autoimmune diseases. Finally, our methods identify the TF PURA as a putative regulator of pro-inflammatory macrophage polarisation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aryan Kamal
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Structural and Computational Biology UnitHeidelbergGermany
- Faculty of BiosciencesCollaboration for Joint PhD Degree between EMBL and Heidelberg UniversityHeidelbergGermany
| | - Christian Arnold
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Structural and Computational Biology UnitHeidelbergGermany
| | - Annique Claringbould
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Structural and Computational Biology UnitHeidelbergGermany
| | - Rim Moussa
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Structural and Computational Biology UnitHeidelbergGermany
| | - Nila H Servaas
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Structural and Computational Biology UnitHeidelbergGermany
| | - Maksim Kholmatov
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Structural and Computational Biology UnitHeidelbergGermany
| | - Neha Daga
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Structural and Computational Biology UnitHeidelbergGermany
| | - Daria Nogina
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Structural and Computational Biology UnitHeidelbergGermany
| | - Sophia Mueller‐Dott
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Structural and Computational Biology UnitHeidelbergGermany
| | - Armando Reyes‐Palomares
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Structural and Computational Biology UnitHeidelbergGermany
- Present address:
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyComplutense University of MadridMadridSpain
| | - Giovanni Palla
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Structural and Computational Biology UnitHeidelbergGermany
- Present address:
Institute of Computational BiologyHelmholtz Center MunichOberschleißheimGermany
| | - Olga Sigalova
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Structural and Computational Biology UnitHeidelbergGermany
- Faculty of BiosciencesCollaboration for Joint PhD Degree between EMBL and Heidelberg UniversityHeidelbergGermany
| | - Daria Bunina
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Structural and Computational Biology UnitHeidelbergGermany
| | - Caroline Pabst
- Department of Medicine V, Hematology, Oncology and RheumatologyUniversity Hospital HeidelbergHeidelbergGermany
- Molecular Medicine Partnership UnitUniversity of HeidelbergHeidelbergGermany
| | - Judith B Zaugg
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Structural and Computational Biology UnitHeidelbergGermany
- Molecular Medicine Partnership UnitUniversity of HeidelbergHeidelbergGermany
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Nott A, Holtman IR. Genetic insights into immune mechanisms of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1168539. [PMID: 37359515 PMCID: PMC10285485 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1168539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Microglia, the macrophages of the brain, are vital for brain homeostasis and have been implicated in a broad range of brain disorders. Neuroinflammation has gained traction as a possible therapeutic target for neurodegeneration, however, the precise function of microglia in specific neurodegenerative disorders is an ongoing area of research. Genetic studies offer valuable insights into understanding causality, rather than merely observing a correlation. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified many genetic loci that are linked to susceptibility to neurodegenerative disorders. (Post)-GWAS studies have determined that microglia likely play an important role in the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). The process of understanding how individual GWAS risk loci affect microglia function and mediate susceptibility is complex. A rapidly growing number of publications with genomic datasets and computational tools have formulated new hypotheses that guide the biological interpretation of AD and PD genetic risk. In this review, we discuss the key concepts and challenges in the post-GWAS interpretation of AD and PD GWAS risk alleles. Post-GWAS challenges include the identification of target cell (sub)type(s), causal variants, and target genes. Crucially, the prediction of GWAS-identified disease-risk cell types, variants and genes require validation and functional testing to understand the biological consequences within the pathology of the disorders. Many AD and PD risk genes are highly pleiotropic and perform multiple important functions that might not be equally relevant for the mechanisms by which GWAS risk alleles exert their effect(s). Ultimately, many GWAS risk alleles exert their effect by changing microglia function, thereby altering the pathophysiology of these disorders, and hence, we believe that modelling this context is crucial for a deepened understanding of these disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexi Nott
- Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- UK Dementia Research Institute, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Inge R. Holtman
- Department of Biomedical Sciences of Cells and Systems, Section Molecular Neurobiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
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Temple S. Advancing cell therapy for neurodegenerative diseases. Cell Stem Cell 2023; 30:512-529. [PMID: 37084729 PMCID: PMC10201979 DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2023.03.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Revised: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/23/2023]
Abstract
Cell-based therapies are being developed for various neurodegenerative diseases that affect the central nervous system (CNS). Concomitantly, the roles of individual cell types in neurodegenerative pathology are being uncovered by genetic and single-cell studies. With a greater understanding of cellular contributions to health and disease and with the arrival of promising approaches to modulate them, effective therapeutic cell products are now emerging. This review examines how the ability to generate diverse CNS cell types from stem cells, along with a deeper understanding of cell-type-specific functions and pathology, is advancing preclinical development of cell products for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sally Temple
- Neural Stem Cell Institute, Rensselaer, NY 12144, USA.
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Zeng L, White CC, Bennett DA, Klein HU, De Jager PL. Genetic insights into the association between inflammatory bowel disease and Alzheimer's disease. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.04.17.23286845. [PMID: 37131588 PMCID: PMC10153331 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.17.23286845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Background Myeloid cells, including monocytes, macrophages, microglia, dendritic cells and neutrophils are a part of innate immunity, playing a major role in orchestrating innate and adaptive immune responses. Microglia are the resident myeloid cells of the central nervous system, and many Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk loci are found in or near genes that are highly or sometimes uniquely expressed in myeloid cells. Similarly, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) loci are also enriched for genes expressed by myeloid cells. However, the extent to which there is overlap between the effects of AD and IBD susceptibility loci in myeloid cells remains poorly described, and the substantial IBD genetic maps may help to accelerate AD research. Methods Here, we leveraged summary statistics from large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to investigate the causal effect of IBD (including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease) variants on AD and AD endophenotypes. Microglia and monocyte expression Quantitative Trait Locus (eQTLs) were used to examine the functional consequences of IBD and AD risk variants enrichment in two different myeloid cell subtypes. Results Our results showed that, while PTK2B is implicated in both diseases and both sets of risk loci are enriched for myeloid genes, AD and IBD susceptibility loci largely implicate distinct sets of genes and pathways. AD loci are significantly more enriched for microglial eQTLs than IBD. We also found that genetically determined IBD is associated with a lower risk of AD, which may driven by a negative effect on the accumulation of neurofibrillary tangles (beta=-1.04, p=0.013). In addition, IBD displayed a significant positive genetic correlation with psychiatric disorders and multiple sclerosis, while AD showed a significant positive genetic correlation with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Conclusion To our knowledge, this is the first study to systematically contrast the genetic association between IBD and AD, our findings highlight a possible genetically protective effect of IBD on AD even if the majority of effects on myeloid cell gene expression by the two sets of disease variants are distinct. Thus, IBD myeloid studies may not help to accelerate AD functional studies, but our observation reinforces the role of myeloid cells in the accumulation of tau proteinopathy and provides a new avenue for discovering a protective factor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Zeng
- Center for Translational and Computational Neuroimmunology, Department of Neurology and the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's disease and the Aging brain, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Charles C White
- Center for Translational and Computational Neuroimmunology, Department of Neurology and the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's disease and the Aging brain, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - David A Bennett
- Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Hans-Ulrich Klein
- Center for Translational and Computational Neuroimmunology, Department of Neurology and the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's disease and the Aging brain, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Philip L De Jager
- Center for Translational and Computational Neuroimmunology, Department of Neurology and the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's disease and the Aging brain, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
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Rogers BB, Anderson AG, Lauzon SN, Davis MN, Hauser RM, Roberts SC, Rodriguez-Nunez I, Trausch-Lowther K, Barinaga EA, Taylor JW, Mackiewicz M, Roberts BS, Cooper SJ, Rizzardi LF, Myers RM, Cochran JN. MAPT expression is mediated by long-range interactions with cis-regulatory elements. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.07.531520. [PMID: 37090552 PMCID: PMC10120716 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.07.531520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/25/2023]
Abstract
Background Tauopathies are a group of neurodegenerative diseases driven by abnormal aggregates of tau, a microtubule associated protein encoded by the MAPT gene. MAPT expression is absent in neural progenitor cells (NPCs) and increases during differentiation. This temporally dynamic expression pattern suggests that MAPT expression is controlled by transcription factors and cis-regulatory elements specific to differentiated cell types. Given the relevance of MAPT expression to neurodegeneration pathogenesis, identification of such elements is relevant to understanding genetic risk factors. Methods We performed HiC, chromatin conformation capture (Capture-C), single-nucleus multiomics (RNA-seq+ATAC-seq), bulk ATAC-seq, and ChIP-seq for H3K27Ac and CTCF in NPCs and neurons differentiated from human iPSC cultures. We nominated candidate cis-regulatory elements (cCREs) for MAPT in human NPCs, differentiated neurons, and pure cultures of inhibitory and excitatory neurons. We then assayed these cCREs using luciferase assays and CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) experiments to measure their effects on MAPT expression. Finally, we integrated cCRE annotations into an analysis of genetic variation in AD cases and controls. Results Using orthogonal genomics approaches, we nominated 94 cCREs for MAPT, including the identification of cCREs specifically active in differentiated neurons. Eleven regions enhanced reporter gene transcription in luciferase assays. Using CRISPRi, 5 of the 94 regions tested were identified as necessary for MAPT expression as measured by RT-qPCR and RNA-seq. Rare and predicted damaging genetic variation in both nominated and confirmed CREs was depleted in AD cases relative to controls (OR = 0.40, p = 0.004), consistent with the hypothesis that variants that disrupt MAPT enhancer activity, and thereby reduce MAPT expression, may be protective against neurodegenerative disease. Conclusions We identified both proximal and distal regulatory elements for MAPT and confirmed the regulatory function for several regions, including three regions centromeric to MAPT beyond the well-described H1/H2 haplotype inversion breakpoint. This study provides compelling evidence for pursuing detailed knowledge of CREs for genes of interest to permit better understanding of disease risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brianne B. Rogers
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL, USA
- University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Jared W. Taylor
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL, USA
| | - Mark Mackiewicz
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL, USA
| | | | - Sara J. Cooper
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL, USA
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Andrews SJ, Renton AE, Fulton-Howard B, Podlesny-Drabiniok A, Marcora E, Goate AM. The complex genetic architecture of Alzheimer's disease: novel insights and future directions. EBioMedicine 2023; 90:104511. [PMID: 36907103 PMCID: PMC10024184 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2023.104511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 66.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complex multifactorial neurodegenerative disorder and the most common form of dementia. AD is highly heritable, with heritability estimates of ∼70% from twin studies. Progressively larger genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have continued to expand our knowledge of AD/dementia genetic architecture. Until recently these efforts had identified 39 disease susceptibility loci in European ancestry populations. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS Two new AD/dementia GWAS have dramatically expanded the sample sizes and the number of disease susceptibility loci. The first increased total sample size to 1,126,563-with an effective sample size of 332,376-by predominantly including new biobank and population-based dementia datasets. The second, expands on an earlier GWAS from the International Genomics of Alzheimer's Project (IGAP) by increasing the number of clinically-defined AD cases/controls in addition to incorporating biobank dementia datasets, resulting in a total sample size to 788,989 and an effective sample size of 382,472. Collectively both GWAS identified 90 independent variants across 75 AD/dementia susceptibility loci, including 42 novel loci. Pathway analyses indicate the susceptibility loci are enriched for genes involved in amyloid plaque and neurofibrillary tangle formation, cholesterol metabolism, endocytosis/phagocytosis, and the innate immune system. Gene prioritization efforts for the novel loci identified 62 candidate causal genes. Many of the candidate genes from known and newly discovered loci play key roles in macrophages and highlight phagocytic clearance of cholesterol-rich brain tissue debris by microglia (efferocytosis) as a core pathogenetic hub and putative therapeutic target for AD. WHERE NEXT?: While GWAS in European ancestry populations have substantially enhanced our understanding of AD genetic architecture, heritability estimates from population based GWAS cohorts are markedly smaller than those from twin studies. While this missing heritability is likely due to a combination of factors, it highlights that our understanding of AD genetic architecture and genetic risk mechanisms remains incomplete. These knowledge gaps result from several underexplored areas in AD research. First, rare variants remain understudied due to methodological issues in identifying them and the cost of generating sufficiently powered whole exome/genome sequencing datasets. Second, sample sizes of non-European ancestry populations in AD GWAS remain small. Third, GWAS of AD neuroimaging and cerebrospinal fluid endophenotypes remains limited due to low compliance and high costs associated with measuring amyloid-β and tau levels and other disease-relevant biomarkers. Studies generating sequencing data, including diverse populations, and incorporating blood-based AD biomarkers are set to substantially improve our knowledge of AD genetic architecture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shea J Andrews
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Alan E Renton
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Brian Fulton-Howard
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Anna Podlesny-Drabiniok
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Edoardo Marcora
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Alison M Goate
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
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Mordelt A, de Witte LD. Microglia-mediated synaptic pruning as a key deficit in neurodevelopmental disorders: Hype or hope? Curr Opin Neurobiol 2023; 79:102674. [PMID: 36657237 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2022.102674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Revised: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
There is a consensus in the field that microglia play a prominent role in neurodevelopmental processes like synaptic pruning and neuronal network maturation. Thus, a current momentum of associating microglia deficits with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) emerged. This concept is challenged by rodent studies and clinical data. Intriguingly, reduced numbers of microglia or altered microglial functions do not necessarily lead to overt NDD phenotypes, and neuropsychiatric symptoms seem to develop primarily in adulthood. Hence, it remains open for discussion whether microglia are truly indispensable for healthy neurodevelopment. Here, we critically discuss the role of microglia in synaptic pruning and highlight area- and age dependency. We propose an updated model of microglia-mediated synaptic pruning in the context of NDDs and discuss the potential of targeting microglia for treatment of these disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annika Mordelt
- Department of Human Genetics and Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Centre for Neuroscience, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
| | - Lot D de Witte
- Department of Human Genetics and Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Centre for Neuroscience, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
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Ayoub CA, Wagner CS, Kuret J. Identification of gene networks mediating regional resistance to tauopathy in late-onset Alzheimer’s disease. PLoS Genet 2023; 19:e1010681. [PMID: 36972319 PMCID: PMC10079065 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Revised: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Neurofibrillary lesions composed of tau protein aggregates are defining hallmarks of Alzheimer’s Disease. Despite tau filaments appearing to spread between networked brain regions in a prion-like manner, certain areas including cerebellum resist trans-synaptic spread of tauopathy and degeneration of their constituent neuronal cell bodies. To identify molecular correlates of resistance, we derived and implemented a ratio of ratios approach for disaggregating gene expression data on the basis of regional vulnerability to tauopathic neurodegeneration. When applied to vulnerable pre-frontal cortex as an internal reference for resistant cerebellum, the approach segregated adaptive changes in expression into two components. The first was enriched for neuron-derived transcripts associated with proteostasis including specific members of the molecular chaperone family and was unique to resistant cerebellum. When produced as purified proteins, each of the identified chaperones depressed aggregation of 2N4R tau in vitro at sub-stoichiometric concentrations, consistent with the expression polarity deduced from ratio of ratios testing. In contrast, the second component enriched for glia- and microglia-derived transcripts associated with neuroinflammation, segregating these pathways from susceptibility to tauopathy. These data support the utility of ratio of ratios testing for establishing the polarity of gene expression changes with respect to selective vulnerability. The approach has the potential to identify new targets for drug discovery predicated on their ability to promote resistance to disease in vulnerable neuron populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher A. Ayoub
- Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
- * E-mail: (CAA); (JK)
| | - Connor S. Wagner
- Department of Biological Chemistry & Pharmacology, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Jeff Kuret
- Department of Biological Chemistry & Pharmacology, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
- * E-mail: (CAA); (JK)
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Ritzel RM, Li Y, Jiao Y, Lei Z, Doran SJ, He J, Shahror RA, Henry RJ, Khan R, Tan C, Liu S, Stoica BA, Faden AI, Szeto G, Loane DJ, Wu J. Brain injury accelerates the onset of a reversible age-related microglial phenotype associated with inflammatory neurodegeneration. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadd1101. [PMID: 36888713 PMCID: PMC9995070 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.add1101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Lipofuscin is an autofluorescent (AF) pigment formed by lipids and misfolded proteins, which accumulates in postmitotic cells with advanced age. Here, we immunophenotyped microglia in the brain of old C57BL/6 mice (>18 months old) and demonstrate that in comparison to young mice, one-third of old microglia are AF, characterized by profound changes in lipid and iron content, phagocytic activity, and oxidative stress. Pharmacological depletion of microglia in old mice eliminated the AF microglia following repopulation and reversed microglial dysfunction. Age-related neurological deficits and neurodegeneration after traumatic brain injury (TBI) were attenuated in old mice lacking AF microglia. Furthermore, increased phagocytic activity, lysosomal burden, and lipid accumulation in microglia persisted for up to 1 year after TBI, were modified by APOE4 genotype, and chronically driven by phagocyte-mediated oxidative stress. Thus, AF may reflect a pathological state in aging microglia associated with increased phagocytosis of neurons and myelin and inflammatory neurodegeneration that can be further accelerated by TBI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodney M. Ritzel
- Department of Anesthesiology and Shock, Trauma and Anesthesiology Research (STAR) Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Yun Li
- Department of Anesthesiology and Shock, Trauma and Anesthesiology Research (STAR) Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Yun Jiao
- Department of Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA
| | - Zhuofan Lei
- Department of Anesthesiology and Shock, Trauma and Anesthesiology Research (STAR) Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Sarah J. Doran
- Department of Anesthesiology and Shock, Trauma and Anesthesiology Research (STAR) Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Junyun He
- Department of Anesthesiology and Shock, Trauma and Anesthesiology Research (STAR) Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Rami A. Shahror
- Department of Anesthesiology and Shock, Trauma and Anesthesiology Research (STAR) Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Rebecca J. Henry
- Department of Anesthesiology and Shock, Trauma and Anesthesiology Research (STAR) Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Romeesa Khan
- Department of Neurology, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 6431 Fannin Street, Houston, TX 77370, USA
| | - Chunfeng Tan
- Department of Neurology, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 6431 Fannin Street, Houston, TX 77370, USA
| | - Shaolin Liu
- Department of Anatomy, Howard University, Washington, DC 20059, USA
| | - Bogdan A. Stoica
- Department of Anesthesiology and Shock, Trauma and Anesthesiology Research (STAR) Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Alan I. Faden
- Department of Anesthesiology and Shock, Trauma and Anesthesiology Research (STAR) Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
- University of Maryland Center to Advance Chronic Pain Research, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Gregory Szeto
- Department of Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA
- Allen Institute for Immunology and Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - David J. Loane
- Department of Anesthesiology and Shock, Trauma and Anesthesiology Research (STAR) Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
- School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Junfang Wu
- Department of Anesthesiology and Shock, Trauma and Anesthesiology Research (STAR) Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
- University of Maryland Center to Advance Chronic Pain Research, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
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Anderson AG, Rogers BB, Loupe JM, Rodriguez-Nunez I, Roberts SC, White LM, Brazell JN, Bunney WE, Bunney BG, Watson SJ, Cochran JN, Myers RM, Rizzardi LF. Single nucleus multiomics identifies ZEB1 and MAFB as candidate regulators of Alzheimer's disease-specific cis-regulatory elements. CELL GENOMICS 2023; 3:100263. [PMID: 36950385 PMCID: PMC10025452 DOI: 10.1016/j.xgen.2023.100263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Revised: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Cell type-specific transcriptional differences between brain tissues from donors with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and unaffected controls have been well documented, but few studies have rigorously interrogated the regulatory mechanisms responsible for these alterations. We performed single nucleus multiomics (snRNA-seq plus snATAC-seq) on 105,332 nuclei isolated from cortical tissues from 7 AD and 8 unaffected donors to identify candidate cis-regulatory elements (CREs) involved in AD-associated transcriptional changes. We detected 319,861 significant correlations, or links, between gene expression and cell type-specific transposase accessible regions enriched for active CREs. Among these, 40,831 were unique to AD tissues. Validation experiments confirmed the activity of many regions, including several candidate regulators of APP expression. We identified ZEB1 and MAFB as candidate transcription factors playing important roles in AD-specific gene regulation in neurons and microglia, respectively. Microglia links were globally enriched for heritability of AD risk and previously identified active regulatory regions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Brianne B. Rogers
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL, USA
- University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Jacob M. Loupe
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL, USA
| | | | | | - Lauren M. White
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL, USA
| | | | - William E. Bunney
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, College of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Blynn G. Bunney
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, College of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Stanley J. Watson
- Mental Health Research Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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Crawford K, Leonenko G, Baker E, Grozeva D, Lan-Leung B, Holmans P, Williams J, O'Donovan MC, Escott-Price V, Ivanov DK. Golgi apparatus, endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondrial function implicated in Alzheimer's disease through polygenic risk and RNA sequencing. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:1327-1336. [PMID: 36577842 PMCID: PMC10005937 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01926-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Revised: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Polygenic risk scores (PRS) have been widely adopted as a tool for measuring common variant liability and they have been shown to predict lifetime risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) development. However, the relationship between PRS and AD pathogenesis is largely unknown. To this end, we performed a differential gene-expression and associated disrupted biological pathway analyses of AD PRS vs. case/controls in human brain-derived cohort sample (cerebellum/temporal cortex; MayoRNAseq). The results highlighted already implicated mechanisms: immune and stress response, lipids, fatty acids and cholesterol metabolisms, endosome and cellular/neuronal death, being disrupted biological pathways in both case/controls and PRS, as well as previously less well characterised processes such as cellular structures, mitochondrial respiration and secretion. Despite heterogeneity in terms of differentially expressed genes in case/controls vs. PRS, there was a consensus of commonly disrupted biological mechanisms. Glia and microglia-related terms were also significantly disrupted, albeit not being the top disrupted Gene Ontology terms. GWAS implicated genes were significantly and in their majority, up-regulated in response to different PRS among the temporal cortex samples, suggesting potential common regulatory mechanisms. Tissue specificity in terms of disrupted biological pathways in temporal cortex vs. cerebellum was observed in relation to PRS, but limited tissue specificity when the datasets were analysed as case/controls. The largely common biological mechanisms between a case/control classification and in association with PRS suggests that PRS stratification can be used for studies where suitable case/control samples are not available or the selection of individuals with high and low PRS in clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen Crawford
- UK Dementia Research Institute (UKDRI) at Cardiff University, College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Hadyn Ellis Building, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK
- MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Cardiff University, School of Medicine, Hadyn Ellis Building, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Ganna Leonenko
- UK Dementia Research Institute (UKDRI) at Cardiff University, College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Hadyn Ellis Building, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Emily Baker
- UK Dementia Research Institute (UKDRI) at Cardiff University, College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Hadyn Ellis Building, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Detelina Grozeva
- UK Dementia Research Institute (UKDRI) at Cardiff University, College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Hadyn Ellis Building, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK
- Centre for Trials Research, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Benoit Lan-Leung
- UK Dementia Research Institute (UKDRI) at Cardiff University, College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Hadyn Ellis Building, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Peter Holmans
- MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Cardiff University, School of Medicine, Hadyn Ellis Building, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Julie Williams
- UK Dementia Research Institute (UKDRI) at Cardiff University, College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Hadyn Ellis Building, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Michael C O'Donovan
- MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Cardiff University, School of Medicine, Hadyn Ellis Building, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Valentina Escott-Price
- MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Cardiff University, School of Medicine, Hadyn Ellis Building, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Dobril K Ivanov
- UK Dementia Research Institute (UKDRI) at Cardiff University, College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Hadyn Ellis Building, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK.
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