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Aygün N, Vuong C, Krupa O, Mory J, Le BD, Valone JM, Liang D, Shafie B, Zhang P, Salinda A, Wen C, Gandal MJ, Love MI, de la Torre-Ubieta L, Stein JL. Genetics of cell-type-specific post-transcriptional gene regulation during human neurogenesis. Am J Hum Genet 2024; 111:1877-1898. [PMID: 39168119 PMCID: PMC11393701 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2024.07.015] [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: 05/29/2024] [Revised: 07/18/2024] [Accepted: 07/23/2024] [Indexed: 08/23/2024] Open
Abstract
The function of some genetic variants associated with brain-relevant traits has been explained through colocalization with expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) conducted in bulk postmortem adult brain tissue. However, many brain-trait associated loci have unknown cellular or molecular function. These genetic variants may exert context-specific function on different molecular phenotypes including post-transcriptional changes. Here, we identified genetic regulation of RNA editing and alternative polyadenylation (APA) within a cell-type-specific population of human neural progenitors and neurons. More RNA editing and isoforms utilizing longer polyadenylation sequences were observed in neurons, likely due to higher expression of genes encoding the proteins mediating these post-transcriptional events. We also detected hundreds of cell-type-specific editing quantitative trait loci (edQTLs) and alternative polyadenylation QTLs (apaQTLs). We found colocalizations of a neuron edQTL in CCDC88A with educational attainment and a progenitor apaQTL in EP300 with schizophrenia, suggesting that genetically mediated post-transcriptional regulation during brain development leads to differences in brain function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nil Aygün
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; UNC Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Celine Vuong
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Semel Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Oleh Krupa
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; UNC Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Jessica Mory
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; UNC Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Brandon D Le
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; UNC Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Jordan M Valone
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; UNC Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Dan Liang
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; UNC Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Beck Shafie
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Semel Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Pan Zhang
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Semel Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Angelo Salinda
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Semel Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Cindy Wen
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Semel Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Michael J Gandal
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Semel Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute, 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, USA
| | - Michael I Love
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Luis de la Torre-Ubieta
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Semel Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Jason L Stein
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; UNC Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
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Xu Y, He C, Fan J, Zhou Y, Cheng C, Meng R, Cui Y, Li W, Gamazon ER, Zhou D. A multi-modal framework improves prediction of tissue-specific gene expression from a surrogate tissue. EBioMedicine 2024; 107:105305. [PMID: 39180788 PMCID: PMC11388271 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2024.105305] [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: 02/13/2024] [Revised: 08/08/2024] [Accepted: 08/09/2024] [Indexed: 08/26/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Tissue-specific analysis of the transcriptome is critical to elucidating the molecular basis of complex traits, but central tissues are often not accessible. We propose a methodology, Multi-mOdal-based framework to bridge the Transcriptome between PEripheral and Central tissues (MOTPEC). METHODS Multi-modal regulatory elements in peripheral blood are incorporated as features for gene expression prediction in 48 central tissues. To demonstrate the utility, we apply it to the identification of BMI-associated genes and compare the tissue-specific results with those derived directly from surrogate blood. FINDINGS MOTPEC models demonstrate superior performance compared with both baseline models in blood and existing models across the 48 central tissues. We identify a set of BMI-associated genes using the central tissue MOTPEC-predicted transcriptome data. The MOTPEC-based differential gene expression (DGE) analysis of BMI in the central tissues (including brain caudate basal ganglia and visceral omentum adipose tissue) identifies 378 genes overlapping the results from a TWAS of BMI, while only 162 overlapping genes are identified using gene expression in blood. Cellular perturbation analysis further supports the utility of MOTPEC for identifying trait-associated gene sets and narrowing the effect size divergence between peripheral blood and central tissues. INTERPRETATION The MOTPEC framework improves the gene expression prediction accuracy for central tissues and enhances the identification of tissue-specific trait-associated genes. FUNDING This research is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China 82204118 (D.Z.), the seed funding of the Key Laboratory of Intelligent Preventive Medicine of Zhejiang Province (2020E10004), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Genomic Innovator Award R35HG010718 (E.R.G.), NIH/NHGRI R01HG011138 (E.R.G.), NIH/NIA R56AG068026 (E.R.G.), NIH Office of the Director U24OD035523 (E.R.G.), and NIH/NIGMS R01GM140287 (E.R.G.).
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Xu
- School of Public Health and the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China; The Key Laboratory of Intelligent Preventive Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Chunfeng He
- School of Public Health and the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China; The Key Laboratory of Intelligent Preventive Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jiayao Fan
- School of Public Health and the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China; The Key Laboratory of Intelligent Preventive Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yuan Zhou
- School of Public Health and the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China; The Key Laboratory of Intelligent Preventive Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Chunxiao Cheng
- School of Public Health and the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China; The Key Laboratory of Intelligent Preventive Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Ran Meng
- School of Public Health and the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Ya Cui
- Division of Computational Biomedicine, Department of Biological Chemistry, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Wei Li
- Division of Computational Biomedicine, Department of Biological Chemistry, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Eric R Gamazon
- Vanderbit Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Data Science Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
| | - Dan Zhou
- School of Public Health and the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China; The Key Laboratory of Intelligent Preventive Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
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Su Y, Shea J, Destephanis D, Su Z. Transcriptomic analysis of the spatiotemporal axis of oogenesis and fertilization in C. elegans. Front Cell Dev Biol 2024; 12:1436975. [PMID: 39224437 PMCID: PMC11366716 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2024.1436975] [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: 05/22/2024] [Accepted: 08/05/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Caenorhabditis elegans hermaphrodite presents a unique model to study the formation of oocytes. However, the size of the model animal and difficulties in retrieval of specific stages of the germline have obviated closer systematic studies of this process throughout the years. Here, we present a transcriptomic level analysis into the oogenesis of C. elegans hermaphrodites. We dissected a hermaphrodite gonad into seven sections corresponding to the mitotic distal region, the pachytene region, the diplotene region, the early diakinesis region and the 3 most proximal oocytes, and deeply sequenced the transcriptome of each of them along with that of the fertilized egg using a single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) protocol. We identified specific gene expression events as well as gene splicing events in finer detail along the gonad and provided novel insights into underlying mechanisms of the oogenesis process. Furthermore, through careful review of relevant research literature coupled with patterns observed in our analysis, we delineate transcripts that may serve functions in the interactions between the germline and cells of the somatic gonad. These results expand our knowledge of the transcriptomic space of the C. elegans germline and lay a foundation on which future studies of the germline can be based upon.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Zhengchang Su
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United States
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4
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Guo X, Ping J, Yang Y, Su X, Shu XO, Wen W, Chen Z, Zhang Y, Tao R, Jia G, He J, Cai Q, Zhang Q, Giles GG, Pearlman R, Rennert G, Vodicka P, Phipps A, Gruber SB, Casey G, Peters U, Long J, Lin W, Zheng W. Large-Scale Alternative Polyadenylation-Wide Association Studies to Identify Putative Cancer Susceptibility Genes. Cancer Res 2024; 84:2707-2719. [PMID: 38759092 PMCID: PMC11326986 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-24-0521] [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: 02/13/2024] [Revised: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/19/2024]
Abstract
Alternative polyadenylation (APA) modulates mRNA processing in the 3'-untranslated regions (3' UTR), affecting mRNA stability and translation efficiency. Research into genetically regulated APA has the potential to provide insights into cancer risk. In this study, we conducted large APA-wide association studies to investigate associations between APA levels and cancer risk. Genetic models were built to predict APA levels in multiple tissues using genotype and RNA sequencing data from 1,337 samples from the Genotype-Tissue Expression project. Associations of genetically predicted APA levels with cancer risk were assessed by applying the prediction models to data from large genome-wide association studies of six common cancers among European ancestry populations: breast, ovarian, prostate, colorectal, lung, and pancreatic cancers. A total of 58 risk genes (corresponding to 76 APA sites) were associated with at least one type of cancer, including 25 genes previously not linked to cancer susceptibility. Of the identified risk APAs, 97.4% and 26.3% were supported by 3'-UTR APA quantitative trait loci and colocalization analyses, respectively. Luciferase reporter assays for four selected putative regulatory 3'-UTR variants demonstrated that the risk alleles of 3'-UTR variants, rs324015 (STAT6), rs2280503 (DIP2B), rs1128450 (FBXO38), and rs145220637 (LDHA), significantly increased the posttranscriptional activities of their target genes compared with reference alleles. Furthermore, knockdown of the target genes confirmed their ability to promote proliferation and migration. Overall, this study provides insights into the role of APA in the genetic susceptibility to common cancers. Significance: Systematic evaluation of associations of alternative polyadenylation with cancer risk reveals 58 putative susceptibility genes, highlighting the contribution of genetically regulated alternative polyadenylation of 3'UTRs to genetic susceptibility to cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xingyi Guo
- Division of Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Jie Ping
- Division of Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Yaohua Yang
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
- Department of Public Health Sciences, UVA Comprehensive Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - Xinwan Su
- International Institutes of Medicine, the Fourth Affiliated Hospital of School of Medicine, and International School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Yiwu, China
| | - Xiao-Ou Shu
- Division of Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Wanqing Wen
- Division of Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Zhishan Chen
- Division of Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Yunjing Zhang
- International Institutes of Medicine, the Fourth Affiliated Hospital of School of Medicine, and International School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Yiwu, China
| | - Ran Tao
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Guochong Jia
- Division of Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Jingni He
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Qiuyin Cai
- Division of Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Qingrun Zhang
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Graham G Giles
- Cancer Epidemiology Division, Cancer Council Victoria, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Rachel Pearlman
- Division of Human Genetics, Department of Internal Medicine, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbus, Ohio
| | - Gad Rennert
- Department of Community Medicine and Epidemiology, Lady Davis Carmel Medical Center, Haifa, Israel
| | - Pavel Vodicka
- Department of Molecular Biology of Cancer, Institute of Experimental Medicine of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
- Institute of Biology and Medical Genetics, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Center in Pilsen, Charles University, Pilsen, Czech Republic
| | - Amanda Phipps
- Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington School of Public Health, Seattle, Washington
| | - Stephen B Gruber
- Department of Preventive Medicine and USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Graham Casey
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - Ulrike Peters
- Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington School of Public Health, Seattle, Washington
| | - Jirong Long
- Division of Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Weiqiang Lin
- International Institutes of Medicine, the Fourth Affiliated Hospital of School of Medicine, and International School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Yiwu, China
| | - Wei Zheng
- Division of Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee
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Guan D, Chen Y, Liu P, Sabo A. Human genetic variation determines 24-hour rhythmic gene expression and disease risk. RESEARCH SQUARE 2024:rs.3.rs-4790200. [PMID: 39149455 PMCID: PMC11326361 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4790200/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/17/2024]
Abstract
24-hour biological rhythms are essential to maintain physiological homeostasis. Disruption of these rhythms increases the risks of multiple diseases. The biological rhythms are known to have a genetic basis formed by core clock genes, but how individual genetic variation shapes the oscillating transcriptome and contributes to human chronophysiology and disease risk is largely unknown. Here, we mapped interactions between temporal gene expression and genotype to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) contributing to rhythmic gene expression. These newly identified QTLs were termed as rhythmic QTLs (rhyQTLs), which determine previously unappreciated rhythmic genes in human subpopulations with specific genotypes. Functionally, rhyQTLs and their associated rhythmic genes contribute extensively to essential chronophysiological processes, including bile acid and lipid metabolism. The identification of rhyQTLs sheds light on the genetic mechanisms of gene rhythmicity, offers mechanistic insights into variations in human disease risk, and enables precision chronotherapeutic approaches for patients.
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6
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Gordon MG, Kathail P, Choy B, Kim MC, Mazumder T, Gearing M, Ye CJ. Population Diversity at the Single-Cell Level. Annu Rev Genomics Hum Genet 2024; 25:27-49. [PMID: 38382493 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-genom-021623-083207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Population-scale single-cell genomics is a transformative approach for unraveling the intricate links between genetic and cellular variation. This approach is facilitated by cutting-edge experimental methodologies, including the development of high-throughput single-cell multiomics and advances in multiplexed environmental and genetic perturbations. Examining the effects of natural or synthetic genetic variants across cellular contexts provides insights into the mutual influence of genetics and the environment in shaping cellular heterogeneity. The development of computational methodologies further enables detailed quantitative analysis of molecular variation, offering an opportunity to examine the respective roles of stochastic, intercellular, and interindividual variation. Future opportunities lie in leveraging long-read sequencing, refining disease-relevant cellular models, and embracing predictive and generative machine learning models. These advancements hold the potential for a deeper understanding of the genetic architecture of human molecular traits, which in turn has important implications for understanding the genetic causes of human disease.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Pooja Kathail
- Center for Computational Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Bryson Choy
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
- Institute for Human Genetics, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Min Cheol Kim
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
- Institute for Human Genetics, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Thomas Mazumder
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
- Institute for Human Genetics, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Melissa Gearing
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
- Institute for Human Genetics, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Chun Jimmie Ye
- Arc Institute, Palo Alto, California, USA
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
- Institute for Human Genetics, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
- Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute, Gladstone-UCSF Institute of Genomic Immunology, Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA;
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7
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Smail C, Montgomery SB. RNA Sequencing in Disease Diagnosis. Annu Rev Genomics Hum Genet 2024; 25:353-367. [PMID: 38360541 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-genom-021623-121812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) enables the accurate measurement of multiple transcriptomic phenotypes for modeling the impacts of disease variants. Advances in technologies, experimental protocols, and analysis strategies are rapidly expanding the application of RNA-seq to identify disease biomarkers, tissue- and cell-type-specific impacts, and the spatial localization of disease-associated mechanisms. Ongoing international efforts to construct biobank-scale transcriptomic repositories with matched genomic data across diverse population groups are further increasing the utility of RNA-seq approaches by providing large-scale normative reference resources. The availability of these resources, combined with improved computational analysis pipelines, has enabled the detection of aberrant transcriptomic phenotypes underlying rare diseases. Further expansion of these resources, across both somatic and developmental tissues, is expected to soon provide unprecedented insights to resolve disease origin, mechanism of action, and causal gene contributions, suggesting the continued high utility of RNA-seq in disease diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Craig Smail
- Genomic Medicine Center, Children's Mercy Research Institute, Children's Mercy Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri, USA;
| | - Stephen B Montgomery
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Department of Genetics, and Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA;
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8
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Niu Y, Luo J, Zong C. Single-cell total-RNA profiling unveils regulatory hubs of transcription factors. Nat Commun 2024; 15:5941. [PMID: 39009595 PMCID: PMC11251146 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-50291-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Recent development of RNA velocity uses master equations to establish the kinetics of the life cycle of RNAs from unspliced RNA to spliced RNA (i.e., mature RNA) to degradation. To feed this kinetic analysis, simultaneous measurement of unspliced RNA and spliced RNA in single cells is greatly desired. However, the majority of single-cell RNA-seq chemistry primarily captures mature RNA species to measure gene expressions. Here, we develop a one-step total-RNA chemistry-based single-cell RNA-seq method: snapTotal-seq. We benchmark this method with multiple single-cell RNA-seq assays in their performance in kinetic analysis of cell cycle by RNA velocity. Next, with LASSO regression between transcription factors, we identify the critical regulatory hubs mediating the cell cycle dynamics. We also apply snapTotal-seq to profile the oncogene-induced senescence and identify the key regulatory hubs governing the entry of senescence. Furthermore, from the comparative analysis of unspliced RNA and spliced RNA, we identify a significant portion of genes whose expression changes occur in spliced RNA but not to the same degree in unspliced RNA, indicating these gene expression changes are mainly controlled by post-transcriptional regulation. Overall, we demonstrate that snapTotal-seq can provide enriched information about gene regulation, especially during the transition between cell states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yichi Niu
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Houston, TX, USA
- Genetics & Genomics Program, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jiayi Luo
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Houston, TX, USA
- Cancer and Cell Biology Program, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Chenghang Zong
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Houston, TX, USA.
- Genetics & Genomics Program, Houston, TX, USA.
- Cancer and Cell Biology Program, Houston, TX, USA.
- Integrative Molecular and Biomedical Sciences Program, Houston, TX, USA.
- Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
- McNair Medical Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
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9
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Li Z, Zhang W, Li S, Tao X, Xu H, Wu Y, Chen Q, Ning A, Tian T, Zhang L, Cui J, Wang W, Chu M. Integration of apaQTL and eQTL analysis reveals novel SNPs associated with occupational pulmonary fibrosis risk. Arch Toxicol 2024; 98:2117-2129. [PMID: 38538875 DOI: 10.1007/s00204-024-03734-1] [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: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024]
Abstract
To explore the association between apaQTL/eQTL-SNPs and the susceptibility to silicosis. A silicosis-related GWAS was initially conducted to screen for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with the risk of silicosis. Candidate SNPs with apaQTL and eQTL functions were then obtained from the 3'aQTL-atlas and GTEx databases. Subsequently, additional case-control studies were performed to validate the relationship between the candidate apaQTL/eQTL-SNPs and the risk of silicosis. Finally, experiments were conducted to illustrate APA events occurring at different alleles of the identified apaQTL/eQTL-SNPs. The combined results of the GWAS and iMLDR validations indicate that the variant T allele of the rs2974341 located on SMIM19 (additive model: OR = 0.66, the 95% CI = 0.53-0.84, P = 0.001) and the variant T allele of the rs2390488 located on TMTC4 (additive model: OR = 0.72, 95% CI = 0.57-0.90, P = 0.005) were significantly associated with decreased risk of developing silicosis susceptibility. Furthermore, 3'RACE experiments verified the presence of two poly (A) sites (proximal and distal) in SMIM19, rs2974341 may remotely regulate the binding between miRNA-3646 and SMIM19 with its high LD locus rs2974353 to affect the expression level of SMIM19. The rs2974341 variant T allele may contribute to the generation of the shorter 3'UTR transcript of SMIM19 and affect the binding of miRNA-3646 to the target gene SMIM19. The apaQTL/eQTL-SNPs may provide new perspectives for evaluating the regulatory function of SNPs in the development of silicosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenyu Li
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Wendi Zhang
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Siqi Li
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Xiaobo Tao
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Huiwen Xu
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yutong Wu
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Qiong Chen
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Anhui Ning
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Tian Tian
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Lei Zhang
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jiahua Cui
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Wei Wang
- Department of Occupational Health, Center for Disease Control and Prevention of Wuxi, Wuxi, China
| | - Minjie Chu
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China.
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10
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Saferali A, Kim W, Xu Z, Chase RP, Cho MH, Laederach A, Castaldi PJ, Hersh CP. Colocalization analysis of 3' UTR alternative polyadenylation quantitative trait loci reveals novel mechanisms underlying associations with lung function. Hum Mol Genet 2024; 33:1164-1175. [PMID: 38569558 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddae055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
While many disease-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs), a large proportion of genome-wide association study (GWAS) variants are of unknown function. Alternative polyadenylation (APA) plays an important role in posttranscriptional regulation by allowing genes to shorten or extend 3' untranslated regions (UTRs). We hypothesized that genetic variants that affect APA in lung tissue may lend insight into the function of respiratory associated GWAS loci. We generated alternative polyadenylation (apa) QTLs using RNA sequencing and whole genome sequencing on 1241 subjects from the Lung Tissue Research Consortium (LTRC) as part of the NHLBI TOPMed project. We identified 56 179 APA sites corresponding to 13 582 unique genes after filtering out APA sites with low usage. We found that a total of 8831 APA sites were associated with at least one SNP with q-value < 0.05. The genomic distribution of lead APA SNPs indicated that the majority are intronic variants (33%), followed by downstream gene variants (26%), 3' UTR variants (17%), and upstream gene variants (within 1 kb region upstream of transcriptional start site, 10%). APA sites in 193 genes colocalized with GWAS data for at least one phenotype. Genes containing the top APA sites associated with GWAS variants include membrane associated ring-CH-type finger 2 (MARCHF2), nectin cell adhesion molecule 2 (NECTIN2), and butyrophilin subfamily 3 member A2 (BTN3A2). Overall, these findings suggest that APA may be an important mechanism for genetic variants in lung function and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
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Affiliation(s)
- Aabida Saferali
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 181 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, United States
| | - Wonji Kim
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 181 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, United States
| | - Zhonghui Xu
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 181 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, United States
| | - Robert P Chase
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 181 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, United States
| | - Michael H Cho
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 181 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, United States
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis St, Boston, MA 02115, United States
| | - Alain Laederach
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 120 South Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States
| | - Peter J Castaldi
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 181 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, United States
- Division of General Medicine and Primary Care, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA 02115, United States
| | - Craig P Hersh
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 181 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, United States
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis St, Boston, MA 02115, United States
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11
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Li Y, Yi Y, Gao X, Wang X, Zhao D, Wang R, Zhang LS, Gao B, Zhang Y, Zhang L, Cao Q, Chen K. 2'-O-methylation at internal sites on mRNA promotes mRNA stability. Mol Cell 2024; 84:2320-2336.e6. [PMID: 38906115 PMCID: PMC11196006 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2024.04.011] [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: 10/24/2022] [Revised: 02/13/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 06/23/2024]
Abstract
2'-O-methylation (Nm) is a prominent RNA modification well known in noncoding RNAs and more recently also found at many mRNA internal sites. However, their function and base-resolution stoichiometry remain underexplored. Here, we investigate the transcriptome-wide effect of internal site Nm on mRNA stability. Combining nanopore sequencing with our developed machine learning method, NanoNm, we identify thousands of Nm sites on mRNAs with a single-base resolution. We observe a positive effect of FBL-mediated Nm modification on mRNA stability and expression level. Elevated FBL expression in cancer cells is associated with increased expression levels for 2'-O-methylated mRNAs of cancer pathways, implying the role of FBL in post-transcriptional regulation. Lastly, we find that FBL-mediated 2'-O-methylation connects to widespread 3' UTR shortening, a mechanism that globally increases RNA stability. Collectively, we demonstrate that FBL-mediated Nm modifications at mRNA internal sites regulate gene expression by enhancing mRNA stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanqiang Li
- Basic and Translational Research Division, Department of Cardiology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Yang Yi
- Department of Urology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA; Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Xinlei Gao
- Basic and Translational Research Division, Department of Cardiology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Xin Wang
- Basic and Translational Research Division, Department of Cardiology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Dongyu Zhao
- Basic and Translational Research Division, Department of Cardiology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Rui Wang
- Department of Urology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA; Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Li-Sheng Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong SAR, China; Department of Chemistry and Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Boyang Gao
- Department of Chemistry and Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Yadong Zhang
- Basic and Translational Research Division, Department of Cardiology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Lili Zhang
- Basic and Translational Research Division, Department of Cardiology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Qi Cao
- Department of Urology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA; Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA.
| | - Kaifu Chen
- Basic and Translational Research Division, Department of Cardiology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Boston, MA, USA; Prostate Cancer Program, Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, Boston, MA, USA.
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12
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Jia J, Fan H, Wan X, Fang Y, Li Z, Tang Y, Zhang Y, Huang J, Fang D. FUS reads histone H3K36me3 to regulate alternative polyadenylation. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:5549-5571. [PMID: 38499486 PMCID: PMC11162772 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkae184] [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: 05/17/2023] [Revised: 02/18/2024] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Complex organisms generate differential gene expression through the same set of DNA sequences in distinct cells. The communication between chromatin and RNA regulates cellular behavior in tissues. However, little is known about how chromatin, especially histone modifications, regulates RNA polyadenylation. In this study, we found that FUS was recruited to chromatin by H3K36me3 at gene bodies. The H3K36me3 recognition of FUS was mediated by the proline residues in the ZNF domain. After these proline residues were mutated or H3K36me3 was abolished, FUS dissociated from chromatin and bound more to RNA, resulting in an increase in polyadenylation sites far from stop codons genome-wide. A proline mutation corresponding to a mutation in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis contributed to the hyperactivation of mitochondria and hyperdifferentiation in mouse embryonic stem cells. These findings reveal that FUS is an H3K36me3 reader protein that links chromatin-mediated alternative polyadenylation to human disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junqi Jia
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Cancer Molecular Cell Biology, Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Haonan Fan
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Cancer Molecular Cell Biology, Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Xinyi Wan
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Cancer Molecular Cell Biology, Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Yuan Fang
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Cancer Molecular Cell Biology, Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Zhuoning Li
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Cancer Molecular Cell Biology, Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Yin Tang
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Cancer Molecular Cell Biology, Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Yanjun Zhang
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Cancer Molecular Cell Biology, Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Jun Huang
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Cancer Molecular Cell Biology, Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Dong Fang
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Cancer Molecular Cell Biology, Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
- Department of Medical Oncology, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, Ministry of Education, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
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13
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Su Y, Shea J, DeStephanis D, Su Z. Transcriptomic Analysis of the Spatiotemporal Axis of Oogenesis and Fertilization in C. elegans. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.03.597235. [PMID: 38895354 PMCID: PMC11185608 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.03.597235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
The oocyte germline of the C. elegans hermaphrodite presents a unique model to study the formation of oocytes. However, the size of the model animal and difficulties in retrieval of specific stages of the germline have obviated closer systematic studies of this process throughout the years. Here, we present a transcriptomic level analysis into the oogenesis of C. elegans hermaphrodites. We dissected a hermaphrodite gonad into seven sections corresponding to the mitotic distal region, the pachytene, the diplotene, the early diakinesis region and the 3 most proximal oocytes, and deeply sequenced the transcriptome of each of them along with that of the fertilized egg using a single-cell RNA-seq protocol. We identified specific gene expression events as well as gene splicing events in finer detail along the oocyte germline and provided novel insights into underlying mechanisms of the oogenesis process. Furthermore, through careful review of relevant research literature coupled with patterns observed in our analysis, we attempt to delineate transcripts that may serve functions in the interaction between the germline and cells of the somatic gonad. These results expand our knowledge of the transcriptomic space of the C. elegans germline and lay a foundation on which future studies of the germline can be based upon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yangqi Su
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
| | - Jonathan Shea
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
| | - Darla DeStephanis
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
| | - Zhengchang Su
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
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14
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Hu X, Cao P, Wang F, Wang T, Duan J, Chen X, Ma X, Zhang Y, Chen J, Liu H, Zhang H, Wu X. Alternative polyadenylation quantitative trait loci contribute to acute myeloid leukemia risk genes regulation. Leuk Res 2024; 141:107499. [PMID: 38640632 DOI: 10.1016/j.leukres.2024.107499] [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: 01/21/2024] [Revised: 03/14/2024] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/21/2024]
Abstract
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a hematopoietic malignancy with a high relapse rate and progressive drug resistance. Alternative polyadenylation (APA) contributes to post-transcriptional dysregulation, but little is known about the association between APA and AML. The APA quantitative trait locus (apaQTL) is a powerful method to investigate the relationship between APA and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). We quantified APA usage in 195 Chinese AML patients and identified 4922 cis-apaQTLs related to 1875 genes, most of which were newly reported. Cis-apaQTLs may modulate the APA selection of 115 genes through poly(A) signals. Colocalization analysis revealed that cis-apaQTLs colocalized with cis-eQTLs may regulate gene expression by affecting miRNA binding sites or RNA secondary structures. We discovered 207 cis-apaQTLs related to AML risk by comparing genotype frequency with the East Asian healthy controls from the 1000 Genomes Project. Genes with cis-apaQTLs were associated with hematological phenotypes and tumor incidence according to the PHARMGKB and MGI databases. Collectively, we profiled an atlas of cis-apaQTLs in Asian AML patients and found their association with APA selection, gene expression, AML risk, and complex traits. Cis-apaQTLs may provide insights into the regulatory mechanisms related to APA in AML occurrence, progression, and prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Hu
- The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Panxiang Cao
- Division of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Hebei Yanda Lu Daopei Hospital, Langfang 065201, China
| | - Fang Wang
- Division of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Hebei Yanda Lu Daopei Hospital, Langfang 065201, China
| | - Tong Wang
- Division of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Hebei Yanda Lu Daopei Hospital, Langfang 065201, China
| | - Junbo Duan
- The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Xue Chen
- Division of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Hebei Yanda Lu Daopei Hospital, Langfang 065201, China
| | - Xiaoli Ma
- Division of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Hebei Yanda Lu Daopei Hospital, Langfang 065201, China
| | - Yang Zhang
- Division of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Hebei Yanda Lu Daopei Hospital, Langfang 065201, China
| | - Jiaqi Chen
- Division of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Hebei Yanda Lu Daopei Hospital, Langfang 065201, China
| | - Hongxing Liu
- Division of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Hebei Yanda Lu Daopei Hospital, Langfang 065201, China.
| | - Huqin Zhang
- The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China.
| | - Xiaoming Wu
- The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China.
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15
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Li Q, Song Q, Chen Z, Choi J, Moreno V, Ping J, Wen W, Li C, Shu X, Yan J, Shu XO, Cai Q, Long J, Huyghe JR, Pai R, Gruber SB, Casey G, Wang X, Toriola AT, Li L, Singh B, Lau KS, Zhou L, Wu C, Peters U, Zheng W, Long Q, Yin Z, Guo X. Large-scale integration of omics and electronic health records to identify potential risk protein biomarkers and therapeutic drugs for cancer prevention and intervention. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2024:2024.05.29.24308170. [PMID: 38853880 PMCID: PMC11160851 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.29.24308170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2024]
Abstract
Identifying risk protein targets and their therapeutic drugs is crucial for effective cancer prevention. Here, we conduct integrative and fine-mapping analyses of large genome-wide association studies data for breast, colorectal, lung, ovarian, pancreatic, and prostate cancers, and characterize 710 lead variants independently associated with cancer risk. Through mapping protein quantitative trait loci (pQTL) for these variants using plasma proteomics data from over 75,000 participants, we identify 365 proteins associated with cancer risk. Subsequent colocalization analysis identifies 101 proteins, including 74 not reported in previous studies. We further characterize 36 potential druggable proteins for cancers or other disease indications. Analyzing >3.5 million electronic health records, we uncover five drugs (Haloperidol, Trazodone, Tranexamic Acid, Haloperidol, and Captopril) associated with increased cancer risk and two drugs (Caffeine and Acetazolamide) linked to reduced colorectal cancer risk. This study offers novel insights into therapeutic drugs targeting risk proteins for cancer prevention and intervention.
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16
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Inamo J, Suzuki A, Ueda MT, Yamaguchi K, Nishida H, Suzuki K, Kaneko Y, Takeuchi T, Hatano H, Ishigaki K, Ishihama Y, Yamamoto K, Kochi Y. Long-read sequencing for 29 immune cell subsets reveals disease-linked isoforms. Nat Commun 2024; 15:4285. [PMID: 38806455 PMCID: PMC11133395 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48615-4] [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: 12/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Alternative splicing events are a major causal mechanism for complex traits, but they have been understudied due to the limitation of short-read sequencing. Here, we generate a full-length isoform annotation of human immune cells from an individual by long-read sequencing for 29 cell subsets. This contains a number of unannotated transcripts and isoforms such as a read-through transcript of TOMM40-APOE in the Alzheimer's disease locus. We profile characteristics of isoforms and show that repetitive elements significantly explain the diversity of unannotated isoforms, providing insight into the human genome evolution. In addition, some of the isoforms are expressed in a cell-type specific manner, whose alternative 3'-UTRs usage contributes to their specificity. Further, we identify disease-associated isoforms by isoform switch analysis and by integration of several quantitative trait loci analyses with genome-wide association study data. Our findings will promote the elucidation of the mechanism of complex diseases via alternative splicing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Inamo
- Department of Genomic Function and Diversity, Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), Tokyo, 113-8510, Japan
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan
| | - Akari Suzuki
- Laboratory for Autoimmune Diseases, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 230-0045, Japan
| | - Mahoko Takahashi Ueda
- Department of Genomic Function and Diversity, Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), Tokyo, 113-8510, Japan
| | - Kensuke Yamaguchi
- Department of Genomic Function and Diversity, Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), Tokyo, 113-8510, Japan
- Laboratory for Autoimmune Diseases, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 230-0045, Japan
- Biomedical Engineering Research Innovation Center, Institute of Biomaterials and Bioengineering, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), Tokyo, 113-8510, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Nishida
- Department of Molecular Systems Bioanalysis, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan
| | - Katsuya Suzuki
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan
| | - Yuko Kaneko
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan
| | - Tsutomu Takeuchi
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan
- Saitama Medical University, 38 Morohongo, Moroyama, Iruma, Saitama, 350-0495, Japan
| | - Hiroaki Hatano
- Laboratory for Human Immunogenetics, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 230-0045, Japan
| | - Kazuyoshi Ishigaki
- Laboratory for Human Immunogenetics, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 230-0045, Japan
| | - Yasushi Ishihama
- Department of Molecular Systems Bioanalysis, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan
- Laboratory of Proteomics for Drug Discovery, National Institute of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition, Ibaraki, Osaka, 567-0085, Japan
| | - Kazuhiko Yamamoto
- Laboratory for Autoimmune Diseases, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 230-0045, Japan
| | - Yuta Kochi
- Department of Genomic Function and Diversity, Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), Tokyo, 113-8510, Japan.
- Laboratory for Autoimmune Diseases, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 230-0045, Japan.
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17
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Patowary A, Zhang P, Jops C, Vuong CK, Ge X, Hou K, Kim M, Gong N, Margolis M, Vo D, Wang X, Liu C, Pasaniuc B, Li JJ, Gandal MJ, de la Torre-Ubieta L. Developmental isoform diversity in the human neocortex informs neuropsychiatric risk mechanisms. Science 2024; 384:eadh7688. [PMID: 38781356 DOI: 10.1126/science.adh7688] [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: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
RNA splicing is highly prevalent in the brain and has strong links to neuropsychiatric disorders; yet, the role of cell type-specific splicing and transcript-isoform diversity during human brain development has not been systematically investigated. In this work, we leveraged single-molecule long-read sequencing to deeply profile the full-length transcriptome of the germinal zone and cortical plate regions of the developing human neocortex at tissue and single-cell resolution. We identified 214,516 distinct isoforms, of which 72.6% were novel (not previously annotated in Gencode version 33), and uncovered a substantial contribution of transcript-isoform diversity-regulated by RNA binding proteins-in defining cellular identity in the developing neocortex. We leveraged this comprehensive isoform-centric gene annotation to reprioritize thousands of rare de novo risk variants and elucidate genetic risk mechanisms for neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashok Patowary
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, 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
| | - Pan Zhang
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, 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
| | - Connor Jops
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Lifespan Brain Institute at Penn Med and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Celine K Vuong
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Xinzhou Ge
- Department of Statistics, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Kangcheng Hou
- Bioinformatics Interdepartmental Program, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Minsoo Kim
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, 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
| | - Naihua Gong
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Michael Margolis
- Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Daniel Vo
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Lifespan Brain Institute at Penn Med and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Xusheng Wang
- Department of Genetics, Genomics and Informatics, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38103, USA
- Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Chunyu Liu
- Department of Psychiatry, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
- Center for Medical Genetics and Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410008, China
| | - Bogdan Pasaniuc
- Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Bioinformatics Interdepartmental Program, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Institute for Precision Health, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Department of Computational Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Jingyi Jessica Li
- Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Department of Statistics, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Bioinformatics Interdepartmental Program, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Department of Computational Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Michael J Gandal
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, 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
- Department of Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Lifespan Brain Institute at Penn Med and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Luis de la Torre-Ubieta
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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18
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Li G, Wu J, Wang X. Predicting functional UTR variants by integrating region-specific features. Brief Bioinform 2024; 25:bbae248. [PMID: 38783704 PMCID: PMC11116830 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbae248] [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: 01/15/2024] [Revised: 03/30/2024] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
The untranslated region (UTR) of messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA), including the 5'UTR and 3'UTR, plays a critical role in regulating gene expression and translation. Variants within the UTR can lead to changes associated with human traits and diseases; however, computational prediction of UTR variant effect is challenging. Current noncoding variant prediction mainly focuses on the promoters and enhancers, neglecting the unique sequence of the UTR and thereby limiting their predictive accuracy. In this study, using consolidated datasets of UTR variants from disease databases and large-scale experimental data, we systematically analyzed more than 50 region-specific features of UTR, including functional elements, secondary structure, sequence composition and site conservation. Our analysis reveals that certain features, such as C/G-related sequence composition in 5'UTR and A/T-related sequence composition in 3'UTR, effectively differentiate between nonfunctional and functional variant sets, unveiling potential sequence determinants of functional UTR variants. Leveraging these insights, we developed two classification models to predict functional UTR variants using machine learning, achieving an area under the curve (AUC) value of 0.94 for 5'UTR and 0.85 for 3'UTR, outperforming all existing methods. Our models will be valuable for enhancing clinical interpretation of genetic variants, facilitating the prediction and management of disease risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangyu Li
- State Key Laboratory of Common Mechanism Research for Major Diseases; Center for bioinformatics, National Infrastructures for Translational Medicine, Institute of Clinical Medicine and Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, 1 Shuai Fu Yuan, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100005, China
| | - Jiayu Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Common Mechanism Research for Major Diseases; Center for bioinformatics, National Infrastructures for Translational Medicine, Institute of Clinical Medicine and Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, 1 Shuai Fu Yuan, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100005, China
| | - Xiaoyue Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Common Mechanism Research for Major Diseases; Center for bioinformatics, National Infrastructures for Translational Medicine, Institute of Clinical Medicine and Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, 1 Shuai Fu Yuan, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100005, China
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19
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Fansler MM, Mitschka S, Mayr C. Quantifying 3'UTR length from scRNA-seq data reveals changes independent of gene expression. Nat Commun 2024; 15:4050. [PMID: 38744866 PMCID: PMC11094166 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48254-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Although more than half of all genes generate transcripts that differ in 3'UTR length, current analysis pipelines only quantify the amount but not the length of mRNA transcripts. 3'UTR length is determined by 3' end cleavage sites (CS). We map CS in more than 200 primary human and mouse cell types and increase CS annotations relative to the GENCODE database by 40%. Approximately half of all CS are used in few cell types, revealing that most genes only have one or two major 3' ends. We incorporate the CS annotations into a computational pipeline, called scUTRquant, for rapid, accurate, and simultaneous quantification of gene and 3'UTR isoform expression from single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data. When applying scUTRquant to data from 474 cell types and 2134 perturbations, we discover extensive 3'UTR length changes across cell types that are as widespread and coordinately regulated as gene expression changes but affect mostly different genes. Our data indicate that mRNA abundance and mRNA length are two largely independent axes of gene regulation that together determine the amount and spatial organization of protein synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mervin M Fansler
- Tri-Institutional Training Program in Computational Biology and Medicine, Weill Cornell Graduate College, New York, NY, 10021, USA
- Cancer Biology and Genetics Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Sibylle Mitschka
- Cancer Biology and Genetics Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Christine Mayr
- Tri-Institutional Training Program in Computational Biology and Medicine, Weill Cornell Graduate College, New York, NY, 10021, USA.
- Cancer Biology and Genetics Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10065, USA.
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20
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Brümmer A, Bergmann S. Disentangling genetic effects on transcriptional and post-transcriptional gene regulation through integrating exon and intron expression QTLs. Nat Commun 2024; 15:3786. [PMID: 38710690 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48244-x] [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: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) studies typically consider exon expression of genes and discard intronic RNA sequencing reads despite their information on RNA metabolism. Here, we quantify genetic effects on exon and intron levels of genes and their ratio in lymphoblastoid cell lines, revealing thousands of cis-QTLs of each type. While genetic effects are often shared between cis-QTL types, 7814 (47%) are not detected as top cis-QTLs at exon levels. We show that exon levels preferentially capture genetic effects on transcriptional regulation, while exon-intron-ratios better detect those on co- and post-transcriptional processes. Considering all cis-QTL types substantially increases (by 71%) the number of colocalizing variants identified by genome-wide association studies (GWAS). It further allows dissecting the potential gene regulatory processes underlying GWAS associations, suggesting comparable contributions by transcriptional (50%) and co- and post-transcriptional regulation (46%) to complex traits. Overall, integrating intronic RNA sequencing reads in eQTL studies expands our understanding of genetic effects on gene regulatory processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anneke Brümmer
- Department of Computational Biology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Lausanne, Switzerland.
- Bioinformatics Competence Center, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Sven Bergmann
- Department of Computational Biology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Lausanne, Switzerland.
- Department of Integrative Biomedical Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
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21
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Tang Y, Zhang J, Li W, Liu X, Chen S, Mi S, Yang J, Teng J, Fang L, Yu Y. Identification and characterization of whole blood gene expression and splicing quantitative trait loci during early to mid-lactation of dairy cattle. BMC Genomics 2024; 25:445. [PMID: 38711039 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-024-10346-7] [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: 09/30/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Characterization of regulatory variants (e.g., gene expression quantitative trait loci, eQTL; gene splicing QTL, sQTL) is crucial for biologically interpreting molecular mechanisms underlying loci associated with complex traits. However, regulatory variants in dairy cattle, particularly in specific biological contexts (e.g., distinct lactation stages), remain largely unknown. In this study, we explored regulatory variants in whole blood samples collected during early to mid-lactation (22-150 days after calving) of 101 Holstein cows and analyzed them to decipher the regulatory mechanisms underlying complex traits in dairy cattle. RESULTS We identified 14,303 genes and 227,705 intron clusters expressed in the white blood cells of 101 cattle. The average heritability of gene expression and intron excision ratio explained by cis-SNPs is 0.28 ± 0.13 and 0.25 ± 0.13, respectively. We identified 23,485 SNP-gene expression pairs and 18,166 SNP-intron cluster pairs in dairy cattle during early to mid-lactation. Compared with the 2,380,457 cis-eQTLs reported to be present in blood in the Cattle Genotype-Tissue Expression atlas (CattleGTEx), only 6,114 cis-eQTLs (P < 0.05) were detected in the present study. By conducting colocalization analysis between cis-e/sQTL and the results of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) from four traits, we identified a cis-e/sQTL (rs109421300) of the DGAT1 gene that might be a key marker in early to mid-lactation for milk yield, fat yield, protein yield, and somatic cell score (PP4 > 0.6). Finally, transcriptome-wide association studies (TWAS) revealed certain genes (e.g., FAM83H and TBC1D17) whose expression in white blood cells was significantly (P < 0.05) associated with complex traits. CONCLUSIONS This study investigated the genetic regulation of gene expression and alternative splicing in dairy cows during early to mid-lactation and provided new insights into the regulatory mechanisms underlying complex traits of economic importance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongjie Tang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Ministry of Agriculture & National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Jinning Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Ministry of Agriculture & National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Wenlong Li
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Ministry of Agriculture & National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Xueqin Liu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Ministry of Agriculture & National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Siqian Chen
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Ministry of Agriculture & National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Siyuan Mi
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Ministry of Agriculture & National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Jinyan Yang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Ministry of Agriculture & National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Jinyan Teng
- State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding Industry, National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Agro-Animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China
| | - Lingzhao Fang
- Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics, Aarhus University, Aarhus, 8000, Denmark.
| | - Ying Yu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Ministry of Agriculture & National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China.
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22
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Wu Q, Gu Z, Shang B, Wan D, Zhang Q, Zhang X, Xie P, Cheng S, Zhang W, Zhang K. Circulating tumor cell clustering modulates RNA splicing and polyadenylation to facilitate metastasis. Cancer Lett 2024; 588:216757. [PMID: 38417668 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2024.216757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2023] [Revised: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/01/2024]
Abstract
Circulating tumor cell (CTC) clusters exhibit significantly higher metastatic potential compared to single CTCs. However, the underlying mechanism behind this phenomenon remains unclear, and the role of posttranscriptional RNA regulation in CTC clusters has not been explored. Here, we conducted a comparative analysis of alternative splicing (AS) and alternative polyadenylation (APA) profiles between single CTCs and CTC clusters. We identified 994 and 836 AS events in single CTCs and CTC clusters, respectively, with ∼20% of AS events showing differential regulation between the two cell types. A key event in this differential splicing was observed in SRSF6, which disrupted AS profiles and contributed to the increased malignancy of CTC clusters. Regarding APA, we found a global lengthening of 3' UTRs in CTC clusters compared to single CTCs. This alteration was primarily governed by 14 core APA factors, particularly PPP1CA. The modified APA profiles facilitated the cell cycle progression of CTC clusters and indicated their reduced susceptibility to oxidative stress. Further investigation revealed that the proportion of H2AFY mRNA with long 3' UTR instead of short 3' UTR was higher in CTC clusters than single CTCs. The AU-rich elements (AREs) within the long 3' UTR of H2AFY mRNA enhance mRNA stability and translation activity, resulting in promoting cell proliferation and invasion, which potentially facilitate the establishment and rapid formation of metastatic tumors mediated by CTC clusters. These findings provide new insights into the mechanisms driving CTC cluster metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quanyou Wu
- Division of Abdominal Cancer, Department of Medical Oncology, Cancer Center and Laboratory of Molecular Targeted Therapy in Oncology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, 610041, China; State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Department of Etiology and Carcinogenesis, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China
| | - Zhaoru Gu
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Department of Etiology and Carcinogenesis, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China
| | - Bingqing Shang
- Department of Urology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China
| | - Duo Wan
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Department of Etiology and Carcinogenesis, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China
| | - Qi Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Department of Etiology and Carcinogenesis, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China
| | - Xiaoli Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Department of Etiology and Carcinogenesis, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China
| | - Peipei Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Department of Etiology and Carcinogenesis, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China
| | - Shujun Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Department of Etiology and Carcinogenesis, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China.
| | - Wen Zhang
- Department of Immunology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China.
| | - Kaitai Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Department of Etiology and Carcinogenesis, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China.
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23
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Salcedo-Tacuma D, Asad N, Howells G, Anderson R, Smith DM. Proteasome hyperactivation rewires the proteome enhancing stress resistance, proteostasis, lipid metabolism and ERAD in C. elegans. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.04.588128. [PMID: 38617285 PMCID: PMC11014606 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.04.588128] [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
Proteasome dysfunction is implicated in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases and age-related proteinopathies. Using a C. elegans model, we demonstrate that 20S proteasome hyperactivation, facilitated by 20S gate-opening, accelerates the targeting of intrinsically disordered proteins. This leads to increased protein synthesis, extensive rewiring of the proteome and transcriptome, enhanced oxidative stress defense, accelerated lipid metabolism, and peroxisome proliferation. It also promotes ER-associated degradation (ERAD) of aggregation-prone proteins, such as alpha-1 antitrypsin (ATZ) and various lipoproteins. Notably, our results reveal that 20S proteasome hyperactivation suggests a novel role in ERAD with broad implications for proteostasis-related disorders, simultaneously affecting lipid homeostasis and peroxisome proliferation. Furthermore, the enhanced cellular capacity to mitigate proteostasis challenges, alongside unanticipated acceleration of lipid metabolism is expected to contribute to the longevity phenotype of this mutant. Remarkably, the mechanism of longevity induced by 20S gate opening appears unique, independent of known longevity and stress-resistance pathways. These results support the therapeutic potential of 20S proteasome activation in mitigating proteostasis-related disorders broadly and provide new insights into the complex interplay between proteasome activity, cellular health, and aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Salcedo-Tacuma
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, West Virginia University School of Medicine, 4 Medical Center Dr., Morgantown, WV USA
| | - Nadeeem. Asad
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, West Virginia University School of Medicine, 4 Medical Center Dr., Morgantown, WV USA
| | - Giovanni Howells
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, West Virginia University School of Medicine, 4 Medical Center Dr., Morgantown, WV USA
| | - Raymond Anderson
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, West Virginia University School of Medicine, 4 Medical Center Dr., Morgantown, WV USA
| | - David M. Smith
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, West Virginia University School of Medicine, 4 Medical Center Dr., Morgantown, WV USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
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24
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Li Y, Gong J, Sun Q, Vong EG, Cheng X, Wang B, Yuan Y, Jin L, Gamazon ER, Zhou D, Lai M, Zhang D. Alternative polyadenylation quantitative trait methylation mapping in human cancers provides clues into the molecular mechanisms of APA. Am J Hum Genet 2024; 111:562-583. [PMID: 38367620 PMCID: PMC10940021 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2024.01.010] [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: 09/12/2023] [Revised: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Genetic variants are involved in the orchestration of alternative polyadenylation (APA) events, while the role of DNA methylation in regulating APA remains unclear. We generated a comprehensive atlas of APA quantitative trait methylation sites (apaQTMs) across 21 different types of cancer (1,612 to 60,219 acting in cis and 4,448 to 142,349 in trans). Potential causal apaQTMs in non-cancer samples were also identified. Mechanistically, we observed a strong enrichment of cis-apaQTMs near polyadenylation sites (PASs) and both cis- and trans-apaQTMs in proximity to transcription factor (TF) binding regions. Through the integration of ChIP-signals and RNA-seq data from cell lines, we have identified several regulators of APA events, acting either directly or indirectly, implicating novel functions of some important genes, such as TCF7L2, which is known for its involvement in type 2 diabetes and cancers. Furthermore, we have identified a vast number of QTMs that share the same putative causal CpG sites with five different cancer types, underscoring the roles of QTMs, including apaQTMs, in the process of tumorigenesis. DNA methylation is extensively involved in the regulation of APA events in human cancers. In an attempt to elucidate the potential underlying molecular mechanisms of APA by DNA methylation, our study paves the way for subsequent experimental validations into the intricate biological functions of DNA methylation in APA regulation and the pathogenesis of human cancers. To present a comprehensive catalog of apaQTM patterns, we introduce the Pancan-apaQTM database, available at https://pancan-apaqtm-zju.shinyapps.io/pancanaQTM/.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yige Li
- Department of Pathology, and Department of Medical Oncology of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China; Department of Pathology, Key Laboratory of Disease Proteomics of Zhejiang Province, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China; Department of Pathology, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Jingwen Gong
- Department of Pathology, and Department of Medical Oncology of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China; Department of Pathology, Key Laboratory of Disease Proteomics of Zhejiang Province, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China; Alibaba-Zhejiang University Joint Research Center of Future Digital Healthcare, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Qingrong Sun
- Department of Pathology, Key Laboratory of Disease Proteomics of Zhejiang Province, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China; Alibaba-Zhejiang University Joint Research Center of Future Digital Healthcare, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China; Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, 1369 West Wenyi Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China; College of Information Science and Technology, ZheJiang Shuren University, Hangzhou 310015, ZheJiang, China
| | - Eu Gene Vong
- Department of Pathology, Key Laboratory of Disease Proteomics of Zhejiang Province, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China; Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China; The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Xiaoqing Cheng
- Department of Pathology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Binghong Wang
- Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Ying Yuan
- Department of Medical Oncology, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China; Cancer Institute (Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, Chinese National Ministry of Education), the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Li Jin
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Human Phenome Institute, Zhangjiang Fudan International Innovation Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Research Unit of Dissecting the Population Genetics and Developing New Technologies for Treatment and Prevention of Skin Phenotypes and Dermatological Diseases (2019RU058), Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Eric R Gamazon
- Division of Genetic Medicine, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Data Science Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Dan Zhou
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; School of Public Health and the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Maode Lai
- Department of Pathology, Key Laboratory of Disease Proteomics of Zhejiang Province, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China; Alibaba-Zhejiang University Joint Research Center of Future Digital Healthcare, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China; Department of Pathology, Research Unit of Intelligence Classification of Tumor Pathology and Precision Therapy, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (2019RU042), Key Laboratory of Disease Proteomics of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.
| | - Dandan Zhang
- Department of Pathology, and Department of Medical Oncology of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China; Department of Pathology, Key Laboratory of Disease Proteomics of Zhejiang Province, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China; Alibaba-Zhejiang University Joint Research Center of Future Digital Healthcare, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China; Department of Pathology, Research Unit of Intelligence Classification of Tumor Pathology and Precision Therapy, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (2019RU042), Key Laboratory of Disease Proteomics of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.
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25
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Yang X, Wu Y, Chen X, Qiu J, Huang C. The Transcriptional Landscape of Immune-Response 3'-UTR Alternative Polyadenylation in Melanoma. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:3041. [PMID: 38474285 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25053041] [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: 02/06/2024] [Revised: 02/29/2024] [Accepted: 03/02/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
The prognosis of patients with malignant melanoma has been improved in recent decades due to advancements in immunotherapy. However, a considerable proportion of patients are refractory to treatment, particularly at advanced stages. This underscores the necessity of developing a new strategy to improve it. Alternative polyadenylation (APA), as a marker of crucial posttranscriptional regulation, has emerged as a major new type of epigenetic marker involved in tumorigenesis. However, the potential roles of APA in shaping the tumor microenvironment (TME) are largely unexplored. Herein, we collected two cohorts comprising melanoma patients who received immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) immunotherapy to quantify transcriptome-wide discrepancies in APA. We observed a global change in 3'-UTRs between responders and non-responders, which might involve DNA damage response, angiogenesis, PI3K-AKT signaling pathways, etc. Ten putative master APA regulatory factors for those APA events were detected via a network analysis. Notably, we established an immune response-related APA scoring system (IRAPAss), which exhibited a great performance of predicting immunotherapy response in multiple cohorts. Furthermore, we examined the correlation of APA with TME at the single-cell level using four single-cell immune profiles of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), which revealed an overall discrepancy in 3'-UTR length across diverse T cell populations, probably contributing to immunoregulation in melanoma. In conclusion, our study provides a transcriptional landscape of APA implicated in immunoregulation, which might lay the foundation for developing a new strategy for improving immunotherapy response for melanoma patients by targeting APA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Yang
- Dr. Nesher's Biophysics Laboratory for Innovative Drug Discovery, State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Taipa, Macao SAR 999078, China
| | - Yingyi Wu
- Dr. Nesher's Biophysics Laboratory for Innovative Drug Discovery, State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Taipa, Macao SAR 999078, China
| | - Xingyu Chen
- Dr. Nesher's Biophysics Laboratory for Innovative Drug Discovery, State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Taipa, Macao SAR 999078, China
| | - Jiayue Qiu
- Dr. Nesher's Biophysics Laboratory for Innovative Drug Discovery, State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Taipa, Macao SAR 999078, China
| | - Chen Huang
- Dr. Nesher's Biophysics Laboratory for Innovative Drug Discovery, State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Taipa, Macao SAR 999078, China
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26
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Chen H, Wang Z, Gong L, Wang Q, Chen W, Wang J, Ma X, Ding R, Li X, Zou X, Plass M, Lian C, Ni T, Wei GH, Li W, Deng L, Li L. A distinct class of pan-cancer susceptibility genes revealed by an alternative polyadenylation transcriptome-wide association study. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1729. [PMID: 38409266 PMCID: PMC10897204 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46064-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Alternative polyadenylation plays an important role in cancer initiation and progression; however, current transcriptome-wide association studies mostly ignore alternative polyadenylation when identifying putative cancer susceptibility genes. Here, we perform a pan-cancer 3' untranslated region alternative polyadenylation transcriptome-wide association analysis by integrating 55 well-powered (n > 50,000) genome-wide association studies datasets across 22 major cancer types with alternative polyadenylation quantification from 23,955 RNA sequencing samples across 7,574 individuals. We find that genetic variants associated with alternative polyadenylation are co-localized with 28.57% of cancer loci and contribute a significant portion of cancer heritability. We further identify 642 significant cancer susceptibility genes predicted to modulate cancer risk via alternative polyadenylation, 62.46% of which have been overlooked by traditional expression- and splicing- studies. As proof of principle validation, we show that alternative alleles facilitate 3' untranslated region lengthening of CRLS1 gene leading to increased protein abundance and promoted proliferation of breast cancer cells. Together, our study highlights the significant role of alternative polyadenylation in discovering new cancer susceptibility genes and provides a strong foundational framework for enhancing our understanding of the etiology underlying human cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Chen
- Institute of Systems and Physical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Zeyang Wang
- Institute of Systems and Physical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Lihai Gong
- Institute of Systems and Physical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Qixuan Wang
- Institute of Systems and Physical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Wenyan Chen
- Institute of Systems and Physical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Jia Wang
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Xuelian Ma
- Institute of Systems and Physical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Ruofan Ding
- Institute of Systems and Physical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Xing Li
- Institute of Systems and Physical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Xudong Zou
- Institute of Systems and Physical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Mireya Plass
- Gene Regulation of Cell Identity Group, Regenerative Medicine Program, Bellvitge Institute for Biomedical Research (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, 08908, Spain
- Program for Advancing Clinical Translation of Regenerative Medicine of Catalonia, P-CMR[C], L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, 08908, Spain
- Center for Networked Biomedical Research on Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), Madrid, 28029, Spain
| | - Cheng Lian
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Ting Ni
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center of Genetics and Development, Human Phenome Institute, School of Life Sciences and Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Gong-Hong Wei
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
- Disease Networks Research Unit, Faculty of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine & Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu, Oulu, 90410, Finland
| | - Wei Li
- Division of Computational Biomedicine, Department of Biological Chemistry, School of Medicine, The University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA.
| | - Lin Deng
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
| | - Lei Li
- Institute of Systems and Physical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
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Zhang T, Li C, Zhu J, Li Y, Wang Z, Tong CY, Xi Y, Han Y, Koiwa H, Peng X, Zhang X. Structured 3' UTRs destabilize mRNAs in plants. Genome Biol 2024; 25:54. [PMID: 38388963 PMCID: PMC10885604 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-024-03186-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND RNA secondary structure (RSS) can influence the regulation of transcription, RNA processing, and protein synthesis, among other processes. 3' untranslated regions (3' UTRs) of mRNA also hold the key for many aspects of gene regulation. However, there are often contradictory results regarding the roles of RSS in 3' UTRs in gene expression in different organisms and/or contexts. RESULTS Here, we incidentally observe that the primary substrate of miR159a (pri-miR159a), when embedded in a 3' UTR, could promote mRNA accumulation. The enhanced expression is attributed to the earlier polyadenylation of the transcript within the hybrid pri-miR159a-3' UTR and, resultantly, a poorly structured 3' UTR. RNA decay assays indicate that poorly structured 3' UTRs could promote mRNA stability, whereas highly structured 3' UTRs destabilize mRNA in vivo. Genome-wide DMS-MaPseq also reveals the prevailing inverse relationship between 3' UTRs' RSS and transcript accumulation in the transcriptomes of Arabidopsis, rice, and even human. Mechanistically, transcripts with highly structured 3' UTRs are preferentially degraded by 3'-5' exoribonuclease SOV and 5'-3' exoribonuclease XRN4, leading to decreased expression in Arabidopsis. Finally, we engineer different structured 3' UTRs to an endogenous FT gene and alter the FT-regulated flowering time in Arabidopsis. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that highly structured 3' UTRs typically cause reduced accumulation of the harbored transcripts in Arabidopsis. This pattern extends to rice and even mammals. Furthermore, our study provides a new strategy of engineering the 3' UTRs' RSS to modify plant traits in agricultural production and mRNA stability in biotechnology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianru Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
- Molecular and Environmental Plant Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Changhao Li
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Jiaying Zhu
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
| | - Yanjun Li
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
- State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-products, Institute of Plant Virology, Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315211, China
| | - Zhiye Wang
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Chun-Yip Tong
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Yu Xi
- Department of Medical Physiology, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Bryan, TX, 77807, USA
| | - Yi Han
- National Engineering Laboratory of Crop Stress Resistence Breeding, School of Life Sciences, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, China
| | - Hisashi Koiwa
- Department of Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Xu Peng
- Department of Medical Physiology, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Bryan, TX, 77807, USA
| | - Xiuren Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
- Molecular and Environmental Plant Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
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Meng X, Li C, Hei Y, Zhou X, Zhou G. Comparative alternative polyadenylation profiles in differentiated adipocytes of subcutaneous and intramuscular fat tissue in cattle. Gene 2024; 894:147949. [PMID: 37918547 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2023.147949] [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: 05/15/2023] [Revised: 09/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
Alternative polyadenylation (APA) is a key molecular mechanism involved in the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression, which has been proven to play a critical role in cell differentiation. In the present study, we performed IVT-SAPAS sequencing to profile the dynamic changes of APA sites in bovine subcutaneous preadipocytes and intramuscular preadipocytes during adipogenesis. A total of 52621 high quality APA sites were identified in preadipocytes and adipocytes. Compared with preadipocytes, the increased usage of canonical AATAAA was observed in the cell-biased APA sites of adipocytes. Furthermore, 1933 and 2140 differentially expressed APA (DE-APA) sites, as well as 341 and 337 untranslated region-APA (UTR-APA) switching genes were identified in subcutaneous preadipocytes and intramuscular preadipocytes during adipogenesis, respectively. The UTR-APA switching genes showed divergent trends in preadipocytes, among which UTR-APA switching genes in intramuscular preadipocytes tended to use shorter 3'UTR for differentiation into mature adipocytes. APA events mediated by UTR-APA switching in intramuscular adipocytes were enriched in lipid synthesis and adipocyte differentiation. TRIB3, WWTR1, and INSIG1 played important roles in the differentiation of intramuscular preadipocytes. Briefly, our results provided new insights into understanding the mechanisms of bovine adipocyte differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangge Meng
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Swine Genetics and Breeding of Ministry of Agriculture, College of Animal Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Chengping Li
- College of Life Science, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng, China
| | - Yu Hei
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Swine Genetics and Breeding of Ministry of Agriculture, College of Animal Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Xiang Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Swine Genetics and Breeding of Ministry of Agriculture, College of Animal Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China; Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Wuhan, China; Shenzhen Institute of Nutrition and Health, Huazhong Agricultural University, Shenzhen, China; Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Genome Analysis Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen, China.
| | - Guoli Zhou
- College of Life Science, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng, China.
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Shi S, Zhang H, Chu X, Cai Q, He D, Qin X, Wei W, Zhang N, Zhao Y, Jia Y, Zhang F, Wen Y. Identifying novel chemical-related susceptibility genes for five psychiatric disorders through integrating genome-wide association study and tissue-specific 3'aQTL annotation datasets. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2024:10.1007/s00406-023-01753-0. [PMID: 38305800 DOI: 10.1007/s00406-023-01753-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2024]
Abstract
The establishment of 3'aQTLs comprehensive database provides an opportunity to help explore the functional interpretation from the genome-wide association study (GWAS) data of psychiatric disorders. In this study, we aim to search novel susceptibility genes, pathways, and related chemicals of five psychiatric disorders via GWAS and 3'aQTLs datasets. The GWAS datasets of five psychiatric disorders were collected from the open platform of Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC, https://www.med.unc.edu/pgc/ ) and iPSYCH ( https://ipsych.dk/ ) (Demontis et al. in Nat Genet 51(1):63-75, 2019; Grove et al. in Nat Genet 51:431-444, 2019; Genomic Dissection of Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia in Cell 173: 1705-1715.e1716, 2018; Mullins et al. in Nat Genet 53: 817-829; Howard et al. in Nat Neurosci 22: 343-352, 2019). The 3'untranslated region (3'UTR) alternative polyadenylation (APA) quantitative trait loci (3'aQTLs) summary datasets of 12 brain regions were obtained from another public platform ( https://wlcb.oit.uci.edu/3aQTLatlas/ ) (Cui et al. in Nucleic Acids Res 50: D39-D45, 2022). First, we aligned the GWAS-associated SNPs of psychiatric disorders and datasets of 3'aQTLs, and then, the GWAS-associated 3'aQTLs were identified from the overlap. Second, gene ontology (GO) and pathway analysis was applied to investigate the potential biological functions of matching genes based on the methods provided by MAGMA. Finally, chemical-related gene-set analysis (GSA) was also conducted by MAGMA to explore the potential interaction of GWAS-associated 3'aQTLs and multiple chemicals in the mechanism of psychiatric disorders. A number of susceptibility genes with 3'aQTLs were found to be associated with psychiatric disorders and some of them had brain-region specificity. For schizophrenia (SCZ), HLA-A showed associated with psychiatric disorders in all 12 brain regions, such as cerebellar hemisphere (P = 1.58 × 10-36) and cortex (P = 1.58 × 10-36). GO and pathway analysis identified several associated pathways, such as Phenylpropanoid Metabolic Process (GO:0009698, P = 6.24 × 10-7 for SCZ). Chemical-related GSA detected several chemical-related gene sets associated with psychiatric disorders. For example, gene sets of Ferulic Acid (P = 6.24 × 10-7), Morin (P = 4.47 × 10-2) and Vanillic Acid (P = 6.24 × 10-7) were found to be associated with SCZ. By integrating the functional information from 3'aQTLs, we identified several susceptibility genes and associated pathways especially chemical-related gene sets for five psychiatric disorders. Our results provided new insights to understand the etiology and mechanism of psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sirong Shi
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases of National Health and Family Planning Commission, School of Public Health, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710061, People's Republic of China
| | - Huijie Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases of National Health and Family Planning Commission, School of Public Health, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710061, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaoge Chu
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases of National Health and Family Planning Commission, School of Public Health, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710061, People's Republic of China
| | - Qingqing Cai
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases of National Health and Family Planning Commission, School of Public Health, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710061, People's Republic of China
| | - Dan He
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases of National Health and Family Planning Commission, School of Public Health, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710061, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaoyue Qin
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases of National Health and Family Planning Commission, School of Public Health, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710061, People's Republic of China
| | - Wenming Wei
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases of National Health and Family Planning Commission, School of Public Health, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710061, People's Republic of China
| | - Na Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases of National Health and Family Planning Commission, School of Public Health, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710061, People's Republic of China
| | - Yijing Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases of National Health and Family Planning Commission, School of Public Health, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710061, People's Republic of China
| | - Yumeng Jia
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases of National Health and Family Planning Commission, School of Public Health, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710061, People's Republic of China
| | - Feng Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases of National Health and Family Planning Commission, School of Public Health, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710061, People's Republic of China
| | - Yan Wen
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases of National Health and Family Planning Commission, School of Public Health, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710061, People's Republic of China.
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Arnold FJ, Cui Y, Michels S, Colwin MR, Stockford C, Ye W, Tam OH, Menon S, Situ WG, Ehsani KCK, Howard S, Hammell MG, Li W, La Spada AR. TDP-43 dysregulation of polyadenylation site selection is a defining feature of RNA misprocessing in ALS/FTD and related disorders. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.22.576709. [PMID: 38328178 PMCID: PMC10849549 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.22.576709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Nuclear clearance and cytoplasmic aggregation of the RNA-binding protein TDP-43 are observed in many neurodegenerative disorders, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and fronto- temporal dementia (FTD). Although TDP-43 dysregulation of splicing has emerged as a key event in these diseases, TDP-43 can also regulate polyadenylation; yet, this has not been adequately studied. Here, we applied the dynamic analysis of polyadenylation from RNA-seq (DaPars) tool to ALS/FTD transcriptome datasets, and report extensive alternative polyadenylation (APA) upon TDP-43 alteration in ALS/FTD cell models and postmortem ALS/FTD neuronal nuclei. Importantly, many identified APA genes highlight pathways implicated in ALS/FTD pathogenesis. To determine the functional significance of APA elicited by TDP-43 nuclear depletion, we examined microtubule affinity regulating kinase 3 (MARK3). Nuclear loss of TDP-43 yielded increased expression of MARK3 transcripts with longer 3'UTRs, resulting in greater transcript stability and elevated MARK3 protein levels, which promotes increased neuronal tau S262 phosphorylation. Our findings define changes in polyadenylation site selection as a previously unrecognized feature of TDP-43-driven disease pathology in ALS/FTD and highlight a potentially novel mechanistic link between TDP-43 dysfunction and tau regulation.
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Raabe FJ, Hausruckinger A, Gagliardi M, Ahmad R, Almeida V, Galinski S, Hoffmann A, Weigert L, Rummel CK, Murek V, Trastulla L, Jimenez-Barron L, Atella A, Maidl S, Menegaz D, Hauger B, Wagner EM, Gabellini N, Kauschat B, Riccardo S, Cesana M, Papiol S, Sportelli V, Rex-Haffner M, Stolte SJ, Wehr MC, Salcedo TO, Papazova I, Detera-Wadleigh S, McMahon FJ, Schmitt A, Falkai P, Hasan A, Cacchiarelli D, Dannlowski U, Nenadić I, Kircher T, Scheuss V, Eder M, Binder EB, Spengler D, Rossner MJ, Ziller MJ. Polygenic risk for schizophrenia converges on alternative polyadenylation as molecular mechanism underlying synaptic impairment. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.09.574815. [PMID: 38260577 PMCID: PMC10802452 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.09.574815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a genetically heterogenous psychiatric disorder of highly polygenic nature. Correlative evidence from genetic studies indicate that the aggregated effects of distinct genetic risk factor combinations found in each patient converge onto common molecular mechanisms. To prove this on a functional level, we employed a reductionistic cellular model system for polygenic risk by differentiating induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from 104 individuals with high polygenic risk load and controls into cortical glutamatergic neurons (iNs). Multi-omics profiling identified widespread differences in alternative polyadenylation (APA) in the 3' untranslated region of many synaptic transcripts between iNs from SCZ patients and healthy donors. On the cellular level, 3'APA was associated with a reduction in synaptic density of iNs. Importantly, differential APA was largely conserved between postmortem human prefrontal cortex from SCZ patients and healthy donors, and strongly enriched for transcripts related to synapse biology. 3'APA was highly correlated with SCZ polygenic risk and affected genes were significantly enriched for SCZ associated common genetic variation. Integrative functional genomic analysis identified the RNA binding protein and SCZ GWAS risk gene PTBP2 as a critical trans-acting factor mediating 3'APA of synaptic genes in SCZ subjects. Functional characterization of PTBP2 in iNs confirmed its key role in 3'APA of synaptic transcripts and regulation of synapse density. Jointly, our findings show that the aggregated effects of polygenic risk converge on 3'APA as one common molecular mechanism that underlies synaptic impairments in SCZ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian J. Raabe
- Lab for Genomics of Complex Diseases, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, 80804 Munich, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, 80336 Munich, Germany
- International Max Planck Research School for Translational Psychiatry (IMPRS-TP), 80804 Munich, Germany
| | - Anna Hausruckinger
- Lab for Genomics of Complex Diseases, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, 80804 Munich, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Miriam Gagliardi
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany
- Center for Soft Nanoscience, University of Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Ruhel Ahmad
- Lab for Genomics of Complex Diseases, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, 80804 Munich, Germany
| | - Valeria Almeida
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, 80336 Munich, Germany
- Institute of Biology, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Sabrina Galinski
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, 80336 Munich, Germany
- Systasy Bioscience GmbH, 81669 Munich, Germany
| | - Anke Hoffmann
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, 80804 Munich, Germany
| | - Liesa Weigert
- Lab for Genomics of Complex Diseases, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, 80804 Munich, Germany
| | - Christine K. Rummel
- Lab for Genomics of Complex Diseases, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, 80804 Munich, Germany
- International Max Planck Research School for Translational Psychiatry (IMPRS-TP), 80804 Munich, Germany
| | - Vanessa Murek
- Lab for Genomics of Complex Diseases, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, 80804 Munich, Germany
| | - Lucia Trastulla
- Lab for Genomics of Complex Diseases, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, 80804 Munich, Germany
| | - Laura Jimenez-Barron
- Lab for Genomics of Complex Diseases, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, 80804 Munich, Germany
| | - Alessia Atella
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany
- Center for Soft Nanoscience, University of Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Susanne Maidl
- Lab for Genomics of Complex Diseases, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, 80804 Munich, Germany
| | - Danusa Menegaz
- Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, 80804 Munich, Germany
| | - Barbara Hauger
- Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, 80804 Munich, Germany
| | | | - Nadia Gabellini
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, 80336 Munich, Germany
| | - Beate Kauschat
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, 80336 Munich, Germany
| | - Sara Riccardo
- Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (TIGEM), Armenise/Harvard Laboratory of Integrative Genomics, Pozzuoli, Italy
- NEGEDIA (Next Generation Diagnostic), Pozzuoli, Italy
| | - Marcella Cesana
- Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (TIGEM), Armenise/Harvard Laboratory of Integrative Genomics, Pozzuoli, Italy
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University of Naples “Federico II”, Naples, Italy
| | - Sergi Papiol
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, 80336 Munich, Germany
- Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, 80804 Munich, Germany
- Institute of Psychiatric Phenomics and Genomics (IPPG), University Hospital, LMU Munich, 80336 Munich, Germany
| | - Vincenza Sportelli
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, 80804 Munich, Germany
| | - Monika Rex-Haffner
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, 80804 Munich, Germany
| | - Sebastian J. Stolte
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, 80336 Munich, Germany
| | - Michael C. Wehr
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, 80336 Munich, Germany
- Systasy Bioscience GmbH, 81669 Munich, Germany
| | - Tatiana Oviedo Salcedo
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, 80336 Munich, Germany
| | - Irina Papazova
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, University of Augsburg, 86156 Augsburg, Germany
| | - Sevilla Detera-Wadleigh
- Human Genetics Branch, National Institute of Mental Health Intramural Research Program (NIMH-IRP), Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Francis J McMahon
- Human Genetics Branch, National Institute of Mental Health Intramural Research Program (NIMH-IRP), Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Andrea Schmitt
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, 80336 Munich, Germany
- Laboratory of Neuroscience (LIM27), Institute of Psychiatry, University of São Paulo, São Paulo-SP 05403-903, Brazil
| | - Peter Falkai
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, 80336 Munich, Germany
- Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, 80804 Munich, Germany
| | - Alkomiet Hasan
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, University of Augsburg, 86156 Augsburg, Germany
| | - Davide Cacchiarelli
- Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (TIGEM), Armenise/Harvard Laboratory of Integrative Genomics, Pozzuoli, Italy
- School for Advanced Studies, Genomics and Experimental Medicine Program, University of Naples “Federico II”, Naples, Italy
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Naples “Federico II”, Naples, Italy
| | - Udo Dannlowski
- Institute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Igor Nenadić
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University and University Hospital Marburg, UKGM, 35039 Marburg, Germany
| | - Tilo Kircher
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University and University Hospital Marburg, UKGM, 35039 Marburg, Germany
| | - Volker Scheuss
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, 80336 Munich, Germany
- MSH Medical School Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Matthias Eder
- Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, 80804 Munich, Germany
| | - Elisabeth B. Binder
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, 80804 Munich, Germany
| | - Dietmar Spengler
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, 80804 Munich, Germany
| | - Moritz J. Rossner
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, 80336 Munich, Germany
| | - Michael J. Ziller
- Lab for Genomics of Complex Diseases, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, 80804 Munich, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany
- Center for Soft Nanoscience, University of Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany
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Lang X, Yu C, Shen M, Gu L, Qian Q, Zhou D, Tan J, Li Y, Peng X, Diao S, Deng Z, Ruan Z, Xu Z, Xing J, Li C, Wang R, Ding C, Cao Y, Liu Q. PRMD: an integrated database for plant RNA modifications. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:D1597-D1613. [PMID: 37831097 PMCID: PMC10768107 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad851] [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: 07/16/2023] [Revised: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The scope and function of RNA modifications in model plant systems have been extensively studied, resulting in the identification of an increasing number of novel RNA modifications in recent years. Researchers have gradually revealed that RNA modifications, especially N6-methyladenosine (m6A), which is one of the most abundant and commonly studied RNA modifications in plants, have important roles in physiological and pathological processes. These modifications alter the structure of RNA, which affects its molecular complementarity and binding to specific proteins, thereby resulting in various of physiological effects. The increasing interest in plant RNA modifications has necessitated research into RNA modifications and associated datasets. However, there is a lack of a convenient and integrated database with comprehensive annotations and intuitive visualization of plant RNA modifications. Here, we developed the Plant RNA Modification Database (PRMD; http://bioinformatics.sc.cn/PRMD and http://rnainformatics.org.cn/PRMD) to facilitate RNA modification research. This database contains information regarding 20 plant species and provides an intuitive interface for displaying information. Moreover, PRMD offers multiple tools, including RMlevelDiff, RMplantVar, RNAmodNet and Blast (for functional analyses), and mRNAbrowse, RNAlollipop, JBrowse and Integrative Genomics Viewer (for displaying data). Furthermore, PRMD is freely available, making it useful for the rapid development and promotion of research on plant RNA modifications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoqiang Lang
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Key Laboratory of Tree Breeding and Cultivation of State Forestry Administration, Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China
- Microbiology and Metabolic Engineering Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, College of Life Science, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, China
| | - Chunyan Yu
- Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, Laboratory of Omics Technology and Bioinformatics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, China
| | - Mengyuan Shen
- Rice Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Genetics and Breeding of High Quality Rice in Southern China (Co-construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangdong Key Laboratory of New Technology in Rice Breeding, Guangdong Rice Engineering Laboratory, Guangzhou, 510640, China
| | - Lei Gu
- Epigenetics Laboratory, Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research & Cardiopulmonary Institute (CPI). Parkstr.1 61231 Bad Nauheim Germany
| | - Qian Qian
- Rice Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Genetics and Breeding of High Quality Rice in Southern China (Co-construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangdong Key Laboratory of New Technology in Rice Breeding, Guangdong Rice Engineering Laboratory, Guangzhou, 510640, China
| | - Degui Zhou
- Rice Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Genetics and Breeding of High Quality Rice in Southern China (Co-construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangdong Key Laboratory of New Technology in Rice Breeding, Guangdong Rice Engineering Laboratory, Guangzhou, 510640, China
| | - Jiantao Tan
- Rice Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Genetics and Breeding of High Quality Rice in Southern China (Co-construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangdong Key Laboratory of New Technology in Rice Breeding, Guangdong Rice Engineering Laboratory, Guangzhou, 510640, China
| | - Yiliang Li
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Silviculture, Protection and Utilization/Guangdong Academy of Forestry, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510520, China
| | - Xin Peng
- Rice Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Genetics and Breeding of High Quality Rice in Southern China (Co-construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangdong Key Laboratory of New Technology in Rice Breeding, Guangdong Rice Engineering Laboratory, Guangzhou, 510640, China
| | - Shu Diao
- Research Institute of Subtropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zhujun Deng
- Precision Medicine Center, Precision Medicine Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, China
| | - Zhaohui Ruan
- Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center of Cancer Medicine, 510060, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhi Xu
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Images and Graphics Intelligent Processing, Guilin University of Electronics Technology, Guilin, 541004, China
| | - Junlian Xing
- Rice Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Genetics and Breeding of High Quality Rice in Southern China (Co-construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangdong Key Laboratory of New Technology in Rice Breeding, Guangdong Rice Engineering Laboratory, Guangzhou, 510640, China
| | - Chen Li
- Rice Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Genetics and Breeding of High Quality Rice in Southern China (Co-construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangdong Key Laboratory of New Technology in Rice Breeding, Guangdong Rice Engineering Laboratory, Guangzhou, 510640, China
| | - Runfeng Wang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Crops Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Changjun Ding
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Key Laboratory of Tree Breeding and Cultivation of State Forestry Administration, Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China
| | - Yi Cao
- Microbiology and Metabolic Engineering Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, College of Life Science, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, China
| | - Qi Liu
- Rice Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Genetics and Breeding of High Quality Rice in Southern China (Co-construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangdong Key Laboratory of New Technology in Rice Breeding, Guangdong Rice Engineering Laboratory, Guangzhou, 510640, China
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Li L, Ma X, Cui Y, Rotival M, Chen W, Zou X, Ding R, Qin Y, Wang Q, Quintana-Murci L, Li W. Immune-response 3'UTR alternative polyadenylation quantitative trait loci contribute to variation in human complex traits and diseases. Nat Commun 2023; 14:8347. [PMID: 38102153 PMCID: PMC10724249 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44191-1] [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: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified thousands of non-coding variants that are associated with human complex traits and diseases. The analysis of such GWAS variants in different contexts and physiological states is essential for deciphering the regulatory mechanisms underlying human disease. Alternative polyadenylation (APA) is a key post-transcriptional modification for most human genes that substantially impacts upon cell behavior. Here, we mapped 9,493 3'-untranslated region APA quantitative trait loci in 18 human immune baseline cell types and 8 stimulation conditions (immune 3'aQTLs). Through the comparison between baseline and stimulation data, we observed the high responsiveness of 3'aQTLs to immune stimulation (response 3'aQTLs). Co-localization and mendelian randomization analyses of immune 3'aQTLs identified 678 genes where 3'aQTL are associated with variation in complex traits, 27.3% of which were derived from response 3'aQTLs. Overall, these analyses reveal the role of immune 3'aQTLs in the determination of complex traits, providing new insights into the regulatory mechanisms underlying disease etiologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Li
- Institute of Systems and Physical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
| | - Xuelian Ma
- Institute of Systems and Physical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Ya Cui
- Division of Computational Biomedicine, Department of Biological Chemistry, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Maxime Rotival
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, CNRS UMR2000, Human Evolutionary Genetics Unit, F-75015, Paris, France
| | - Wenyan Chen
- Institute of Systems and Physical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Xudong Zou
- Institute of Systems and Physical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Ruofan Ding
- Institute of Systems and Physical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Yangmei Qin
- Institute of Systems and Physical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Qixuan Wang
- Institute of Systems and Physical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Lluis Quintana-Murci
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, CNRS UMR2000, Human Evolutionary Genetics Unit, F-75015, Paris, France
- Human Genomics and Evolution, Collège de France, F-75005, Paris, France
| | - Wei Li
- Division of Computational Biomedicine, Department of Biological Chemistry, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA.
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Shen P, Ye K, Xiang H, Zhang Z, He Q, Zhang X, Cai MC, Chen J, Sun Y, Lin L, Qi C, Zhang M, Cheung LWT, Shi T, Yin X, Li Y, Di W, Zang R, Tan L, Zhuang G. Therapeutic targeting of CPSF3-dependent transcriptional termination in ovarian cancer. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadj0123. [PMID: 37992178 PMCID: PMC10664987 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adj0123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023]
Abstract
Transcriptional dysregulation is a recurring pathogenic hallmark and an emerging therapeutic vulnerability in ovarian cancer. Here, we demonstrated that ovarian cancer exhibited a unique dependency on the regulatory machinery of transcriptional termination, particularly, cleavage and polyadenylation specificity factor (CPSF) complex. Genetic abrogation of multiple CPSF subunits substantially hampered neoplastic cell viability, and we presented evidence that their indispensable roles converged on the endonuclease CPSF3. Mechanistically, CPSF perturbation resulted in lengthened 3'-untranslated regions, diminished intronic polyadenylation and widespread transcriptional readthrough, and consequently suppressed oncogenic pathways. Furthermore, we reported the development of specific CPSF3 inhibitors building upon the benzoxaborole scaffold, which exerted potent antitumor activity. Notably, CPSF3 blockade effectively exacerbated genomic instability by down-regulating DNA damage repair genes and thus acted in synergy with poly(adenosine 5'-diphosphate-ribose) polymerase inhibition. These findings establish CPSF3-dependent transcriptional termination as an exploitable driving mechanism of ovarian cancer and provide a promising class of boron-containing compounds for targeting transcription-addicted human malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peiye Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Systems Medicine for Cancer, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Gynecologic Oncology, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Kaiyan Ye
- State Key Laboratory of Systems Medicine for Cancer, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Gynecologic Oncology, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Huaijiang Xiang
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhenfeng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Systems Medicine for Cancer, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Gynecologic Oncology, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Qinyang He
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiao Zhang
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Mei-Chun Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Systems Medicine for Cancer, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Gynecologic Oncology, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Junfei Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Systems Medicine for Cancer, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Gynecologic Oncology, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yunheng Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Systems Medicine for Cancer, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Gynecologic Oncology, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Lifeng Lin
- Ovarian Cancer Program, Department of Gynecologic Oncology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Chunting Qi
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Meiying Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Systems Medicine for Cancer, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Gynecologic Oncology, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Lydia W. T. Cheung
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Tingyan Shi
- Ovarian Cancer Program, Department of Gynecologic Oncology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xia Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Systems Medicine for Cancer, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Gynecologic Oncology, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Ying Li
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Wen Di
- State Key Laboratory of Systems Medicine for Cancer, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Gynecologic Oncology, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Rongyu Zang
- Ovarian Cancer Program, Department of Gynecologic Oncology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Li Tan
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Guanglei Zhuang
- State Key Laboratory of Systems Medicine for Cancer, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Gynecologic Oncology, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
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35
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Ding R, Zou X, Qin Y, Gong L, Chen H, Ma X, Guang S, Yu C, Wang G, Li L. xQTLbiolinks: a comprehensive and scalable tool for integrative analysis of molecular QTLs. Brief Bioinform 2023; 25:bbad440. [PMID: 38058186 PMCID: PMC10701093 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbad440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Revised: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified thousands of disease-associated non-coding variants, posing urgent needs for functional interpretation. Molecular Quantitative Trait Loci (xQTLs) such as eQTLs serve as an essential intermediate link between these non-coding variants and disease phenotypes and have been widely used to discover disease-risk genes from many population-scale studies. However, mining and analyzing the xQTLs data presents several significant bioinformatics challenges, particularly when it comes to integration with GWAS data. Here, we developed xQTLbiolinks as the first comprehensive and scalable tool for bulk and single-cell xQTLs data retrieval, quality control and pre-processing from public repositories and our integrated resource. In addition, xQTLbiolinks provided a robust colocalization module through integration with GWAS summary statistics. The result generated by xQTLbiolinks can be flexibly visualized or stored in standard R objects that can easily be integrated with other R packages and custom pipelines. We applied xQTLbiolinks to cancer GWAS summary statistics as case studies and demonstrated its robust utility and reproducibility. xQTLbiolinks will profoundly accelerate the interpretation of disease-associated variants, thus promoting a better understanding of disease etiologies. xQTLbiolinks is available at https://github.com/lilab-bioinfo/xQTLbiolinks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruofan Ding
- Institute of Systems and Physical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Xudong Zou
- Institute of Systems and Physical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Yangmei Qin
- Institute of Systems and Physical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Lihai Gong
- Institute of Systems and Physical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Hui Chen
- Institute of Systems and Physical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Xuelian Ma
- Institute of Systems and Physical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Shouhong Guang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, The USTC RNA Institute, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Membraneless Organelles & Cellular Dynamics, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230027, China
| | - Chen Yu
- Institute of Cancer Research, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Gao Wang
- The Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center and the Department of Neurology, Columbia University, NY 10032, USA
| | - Lei Li
- Institute of Systems and Physical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen 518055, China
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Zhang W, Hu Y, Qian M, Mao L, Yuan Y, Xu H, Liu Y, Qiu A, Zhou Y, Dong Y, Wu Y, Chen Q, Tao X, Tian T, Zhang L, Cui J, Chu M. A novel APA-based prognostic signature may predict the prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma in an East Asian population. iScience 2023; 26:108068. [PMID: 37860689 PMCID: PMC10583048 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Revised: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The role of alternative polyadenylation (APA) in tumor development is becoming increasingly evident, but the impact of APA events on the prognosis of LUAD patients is unclear. Therefore, in the present study, we aimed to analyze specific APA events in LUAD to identify novel prognostic biomarkers for LUAD. We first identified prognostic candidate genes for LUAD associated with APA events and validated them in both the East Asian and the USA cohorts, finding that five genes (DCUN1D5, PSMC4, TFAM, THRA, and TMEM100) were of prognostic significance in both populations. Based on this, an APA-based prognostic signature was constructed for the East Asian population. The predictive accuracy of the prognostic signature was further evaluated by the time-dependent ROC, with 1-, 2-, and 3-year AUCs of 0.86, 0.81, and 0.71, respectively. This study may provide new markers for individualized diagnosis and prognostic assessment of LUAD and potential targets for precision treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wendi Zhang
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yang Hu
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Min Qian
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Liping Mao
- Department of Oncology, Affiliated Nantong Hospital of Shanghai University (The Sixth People’s Hospital of Nantong), Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yanqiong Yuan
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Huiwen Xu
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yiran Liu
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Anni Qiu
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yan Zhou
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yang Dong
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yutong Wu
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Qiong Chen
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Xiaobo Tao
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Tian Tian
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Lei Zhang
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jiahua Cui
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Minjie Chu
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
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37
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Liu T, Gu J, Li C, Guo M, Yuan L, Lv Q, Qin C, Du M, Chu H, Liu H, Zhang Z. Alternative polyadenylation-related genetic variants contribute to bladder cancer risk. J Biomed Res 2023; 37:405-417. [PMID: 37936490 PMCID: PMC10687529 DOI: 10.7555/jbr.37.20230063] [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: 03/20/2023] [Revised: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/28/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Aberrant alternative polyadenylation (APA) events play an important role in cancers, but little is known about whether APA-related genetic variants contribute to the susceptibility to bladder cancer. Previous genome-wide association study performed APA quantitative trait loci (apaQTL) analyses in bladder cancer, and identified 17 955 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). We found that gene symbols of APA affected by apaQTL-associated SNPs were closely correlated with cancer signaling pathways, high mutational burden, and immune infiltration. Association analysis showed that apaQTL-associated SNPs rs34402449 C>A, rs2683524 C>T, and rs11540872 C>G were significantly associated with susceptibility to bladder cancer (rs34402449: OR = 1.355, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.159-1.583, P = 1.33 × 10 -4; rs2683524: OR = 1.378, 95% CI: 1.164-1.632, P = 2.03 × 10 -4; rs11540872: OR = 1.472, 95% CI: 1.193-1.815, P = 3.06 × 10 -4). Cumulative effect analysis showed that the number of risk genotypes and smoking status were significantly associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer ( P trend = 2.87 × 10 -12). We found that PRR13, being demonstrated the most significant effect on cell proliferation in bladder cancer cell lines, was more highly expressed in bladder cancer tissues than in adjacent normal tissues. Moreover, the rs2683524 T allele was correlated with shorter 3' untranslated regions of PRR13 and increased PRR13 expression levels. Collectively, our findings have provided informative apaQTL resources and insights into the regulatory mechanisms linking apaQTL-associated variants to bladder cancer risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting Liu
- Department of Environmental Genomics, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Cancer Biomarkers, Prevention and Treatment, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Personalized Medicine, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166, China
- Department of Genetic Toxicology, the Key Laboratory of Modern Toxicology of Ministry of Education, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166, China
| | - Jingjing Gu
- Department of Environmental Genomics, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Cancer Biomarkers, Prevention and Treatment, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Personalized Medicine, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166, China
- Department of Genetic Toxicology, the Key Laboratory of Modern Toxicology of Ministry of Education, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166, China
| | - Chuning Li
- Department of Environmental Genomics, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Cancer Biomarkers, Prevention and Treatment, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Personalized Medicine, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166, China
- Department of Genetic Toxicology, the Key Laboratory of Modern Toxicology of Ministry of Education, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166, China
| | - Mengfan Guo
- Department of Environmental Genomics, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Cancer Biomarkers, Prevention and Treatment, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Personalized Medicine, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166, China
- Department of Genetic Toxicology, the Key Laboratory of Modern Toxicology of Ministry of Education, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166, China
| | - Lin Yuan
- Department of Urology, Jiangsu Province Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, China
| | - Qiang Lv
- Department of Urology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, China
| | - Chao Qin
- Department of Urology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, China
| | - Mulong Du
- Department of Environmental Genomics, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Cancer Biomarkers, Prevention and Treatment, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Personalized Medicine, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166, China
- Department of Genetic Toxicology, the Key Laboratory of Modern Toxicology of Ministry of Education, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166, China
| | - Haiyan Chu
- Department of Environmental Genomics, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Cancer Biomarkers, Prevention and Treatment, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Personalized Medicine, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166, China
- Department of Genetic Toxicology, the Key Laboratory of Modern Toxicology of Ministry of Education, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166, China
| | - Hanting Liu
- Department of Environmental Genomics, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Cancer Biomarkers, Prevention and Treatment, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Personalized Medicine, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166, China
- Department of Genetic Toxicology, the Key Laboratory of Modern Toxicology of Ministry of Education, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166, China
| | - Zhengdong Zhang
- Department of Environmental Genomics, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Cancer Biomarkers, Prevention and Treatment, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Personalized Medicine, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166, China
- Department of Genetic Toxicology, the Key Laboratory of Modern Toxicology of Ministry of Education, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166, China
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38
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Stroup EK, Ji Z. Deep learning of human polyadenylation sites at nucleotide resolution reveals molecular determinants of site usage and relevance in disease. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7378. [PMID: 37968271 PMCID: PMC10651852 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43266-3] [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: 01/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/05/2023] [Indexed: 11/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The genomic distribution of cleavage and polyadenylation (polyA) sites should be co-evolutionally optimized with the local gene structure. Otherwise, spurious polyadenylation can cause premature transcription termination and generate aberrant proteins. To obtain mechanistic insights into polyA site optimization across the human genome, we develop deep/machine learning models to identify genome-wide putative polyA sites at unprecedented nucleotide-level resolution and calculate their strength and usage in the genomic context. Our models quantitatively measure position-specific motif importance and their crosstalk in polyA site formation and cleavage heterogeneity. The intronic site expression is governed by the surrounding splicing landscape. The usage of alternative polyA sites in terminal exons is modulated by their relative locations and distance to downstream genes. Finally, we apply our models to reveal thousands of disease- and trait-associated genetic variants altering polyadenylation activity. Altogether, our models represent a valuable resource to dissect molecular mechanisms mediating genome-wide polyA site expression and characterize their functional roles in human diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Kunce Stroup
- Department of Pharmacology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA
| | - Zhe Ji
- Department of Pharmacology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA.
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, McCormick School of Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60628, USA.
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39
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Guo X, Ping J, Yang Y, Su X, Shu XO, Wen W, Chen Z, Zhang Y, Tao R, Jia G, He J, Cai Q, Zhang Q, Giles GG, Pearlman R, Rennert G, Vodicka P, Phipps A, Gruber SB, Casey G, Peters U, Long J, Lin W, Zheng W. Large-scale alternative polyadenylation (APA)-wide association studies to identify putative susceptibility genes in human common cancers. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.11.05.23298125. [PMID: 37986797 PMCID: PMC10659493 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.05.23298125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
Alternative polyadenylation (APA) modulates mRNA processing in the 3' untranslated regions (3'UTR), which affect mRNA stability and translation efficiency. Here, we build genetic models to predict APA levels in multiple tissues using sequencing data of 1,337 samples from the Genotype-Tissue Expression, and apply these models to assess associations between genetically predicted APA levels and cancer risk with data from large genome-wide association studies of six common cancers, including breast, ovary, prostate, colorectum, lung, and pancreas among European-ancestry populations. At a Bonferroni-corrected P □<□0.05, we identify 58 risk genes, including seven in newly identified loci. Using luciferase reporter assays, we demonstrate that risk alleles of 3'UTR variants, rs324015 ( STAT6 ), rs2280503 ( DIP2B ), rs1128450 ( FBXO38 ) and rs145220637 ( LDAH ), could significantly increase post-transcriptional activities of their target genes compared to reference alleles. Further gene knockdown experiments confirm their oncogenic roles. Our study provides additional insight into the genetic susceptibility of these common cancers.
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40
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Xiao S, Kai Z, Murphy D, Li D, Patel D, Bielowka AM, Bernabeu-Herrero ME, Abdulmogith A, Mumford AD, Westbury SK, Aldred MA, Vargesson N, Caulfield MJ, Shovlin CL. Functional filter for whole-genome sequencing data identifies HHT and stress-associated non-coding SMAD4 polyadenylation site variants >5 kb from coding DNA. Am J Hum Genet 2023; 110:1903-1918. [PMID: 37816352 PMCID: PMC10645545 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2023.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2023] [Revised: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite whole-genome sequencing (WGS), many cases of single-gene disorders remain unsolved, impeding diagnosis and preventative care for people whose disease-causing variants escape detection. Since early WGS data analytic steps prioritize protein-coding sequences, to simultaneously prioritize variants in non-coding regions rich in transcribed and critical regulatory sequences, we developed GROFFFY, an analytic tool that integrates coordinates for regions with experimental evidence of functionality. Applied to WGS data from solved and unsolved hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) recruits to the 100,000 Genomes Project, GROFFFY-based filtration reduced the mean number of variants/DNA from 4,867,167 to 21,486, without deleting disease-causal variants. In three unsolved cases (two related), GROFFFY identified ultra-rare deletions within the 3' untranslated region (UTR) of the tumor suppressor SMAD4, where germline loss-of-function alleles cause combined HHT and colonic polyposis (MIM: 175050). Sited >5.4 kb distal to coding DNA, the deletions did not modify or generate microRNA binding sites, but instead disrupted the sequence context of the final cleavage and polyadenylation site necessary for protein production: By iFoldRNA, an AAUAAA-adjacent 16-nucleotide deletion brought the cleavage site into inaccessible neighboring secondary structures, while a 4-nucleotide deletion unfolded the downstream RNA polymerase II roadblock. SMAD4 RNA expression differed to control-derived RNA from resting and cycloheximide-stressed peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Patterns predicted the mutational site for an unrelated HHT/polyposis-affected individual, where a complex insertion was subsequently identified. In conclusion, we describe a functional rare variant type that impacts regulatory systems based on RNA polyadenylation. Extension of coding sequence-focused gene panels is required to capture these variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sihao Xiao
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, W12 ONN London, UK; National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, W2 1NY London, UK.
| | - Zhentian Kai
- Topgen Biopharm Technology Co. Ltd., Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Daniel Murphy
- National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, W2 1NY London, UK; Women's, Children's & Clinical Support (Pharmacy), Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, W2 1NY London, UK
| | - Dongyang Li
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, W12 ONN London, UK; National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, W2 1NY London, UK
| | - Dilip Patel
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, W12 ONN London, UK; National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, W2 1NY London, UK
| | - Adrianna M Bielowka
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, W12 ONN London, UK; National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, W2 1NY London, UK
| | - Maria E Bernabeu-Herrero
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, W12 ONN London, UK; National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, W2 1NY London, UK
| | - Awatif Abdulmogith
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, W12 ONN London, UK; National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, W2 1NY London, UK
| | - Andrew D Mumford
- School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Bristol, BS8 1QU Bristol, UK
| | - Sarah K Westbury
- School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Bristol, BS8 1QU Bristol, UK
| | - Micheala A Aldred
- Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep & Occupational Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - Neil Vargesson
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD Aberdeen, UK
| | - Mark J Caulfield
- William Harvey Research Institute, Queen Mary University of London, E1 4NS London, UK
| | - Claire L Shovlin
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, W12 ONN London, UK; National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, W2 1NY London, UK; Specialist Medicine, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, W12 OHS London, UK.
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41
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Li B, Cai Y, Chen C, Li G, Zhang M, Lu Z, Zhang F, Huang J, Fan L, Ning C, Li Y, Wang W, Geng H, Liu Y, Chen S, Li H, Yang S, Zhang H, Tian W, Zhu Z, Xu B, Li H, Li H, Jin M, Wang X, Zhang S, Liu J, Huang C, Yang X, Wei Y, Zhu Y, Tian J, Miao X. Genetic Variants That Impact Alternative Polyadenylation in Cancer Represent Candidate Causal Risk Loci. Cancer Res 2023; 83:3650-3666. [PMID: 37669142 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-23-0251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2023] [Revised: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023]
Abstract
Alternative polyadenylation (APA) is emerging as a major mechanism of posttranscriptional regulation. APA can impact the development and progression of cancer, suggesting that the genetic determinants of APA might play an important role in regulating cancer risk. Here, we depicted a pan-cancer atlas of human APA quantitative trait loci (apaQTL), containing approximately 0.7 million apaQTLs across 32 cancer types. Systematic multiomics analyses indicated that cancer apaQTLs could contribute to APA regulation by altering poly(A) motifs, RNA-binding proteins (RBP), and chromatin regulatory elements and were preferentially enriched in genome-wide association studies (GWAS)-identified cancer susceptibility loci. Moreover, apaQTL-related genes (aGene) were broadly related to cancer signaling pathways, high mutational burden, immune infiltration, and drug response, implicating their potential as therapeutic targets. Furthermore, apaQTLs were mapped in Chinese colorectal cancer tumor tissues and then screened for functional apaQTLs associated with colorectal cancer risk in 17,789 cases and 19,951 controls using GWAS-ChIP data, with independent validation in a large-scale population consisting of 6,024 cases and 10,022 controls. A multi-ancestry-associated apaQTL variant rs1020670 with a C>G change in DNM1L was identified, and the G allele contributed to an increased risk of colorectal cancer. Mechanistically, the risk variant promoted aberrant APA and facilitated higher usage of DNM1L proximal poly(A) sites mediated by the RBP CSTF2T, which led to higher expression of DNM1L with a short 3'UTR. This stabilized DNM1L to upregulate its expression, provoking colorectal cancer cell proliferation. Collectively, these findings generate a resource for understanding APA regulation and the genetic basis of human cancers, providing insights into cancer etiology. SIGNIFICANCE Cancer risk is mediated by alternative polyadenylation quantitative trait loci, including the rs1020670-G variant that promotes alternative polyadenylation of DNM1L and increases colorectal cancer risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Li
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, TaiKang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yimin Cai
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, TaiKang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Can Chen
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, TaiKang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Gaoyuan Li
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Ming Zhang
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Zequn Lu
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Fuwei Zhang
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Jinyu Huang
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Linyun Fan
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Caibo Ning
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yanmin Li
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Wenzhuo Wang
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Hui Geng
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yizhuo Liu
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Shuoni Chen
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Hanting Li
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Shuhui Yang
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Heng Zhang
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Wen Tian
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Zhongchao Zhu
- Department of Pancreatic Surgery Department, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Bin Xu
- Cancer Center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Heng Li
- Department of Urology, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Haijie Li
- Department of Gastrointestinal Cancer Research Institute, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Meng Jin
- Department of Oncology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Xiaoyang Wang
- Department of Cancer Epidemiology, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University & Henan Cancer Hospital, Henan Engineering Research Center of Cancer Prevention and Control, Henan International Joint Laboratory of Cancer Prevention, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Shaokai Zhang
- Department of Cancer Epidemiology, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University & Henan Cancer Hospital, Henan Engineering Research Center of Cancer Prevention and Control, Henan International Joint Laboratory of Cancer Prevention, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Jiuyang Liu
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Chaoqun Huang
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Xiaojun Yang
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yongchang Wei
- Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Hubei Cancer Clinical Study Center, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Ying Zhu
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, TaiKang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Jianbo Tian
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, TaiKang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Xiaoping Miao
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, TaiKang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- Department of Pancreatic Surgery Department, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Sciences and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Personalized Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
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42
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Zhu Z, Chen X, Zhang S, Yu R, Qi C, Cheng L, Zhang X. Leveraging molecular quantitative trait loci to comprehend complex diseases/traits from the omics perspective. Hum Genet 2023; 142:1543-1560. [PMID: 37755483 DOI: 10.1007/s00439-023-02602-9] [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: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023]
Abstract
Comprehending the molecular basis of quantitative genetic variation is a principal goal for complex diseases or traits. Molecular quantitative trait loci (molQTLs) have made it possible to investigate the effects of genetic variants hiding behind large-scale omics data. A deeper understanding of molQTL is urgently required in light of the multi-dimensionalization of omics data to more fully elucidate the pertinent biological mechanisms. Herein, we reviewed molQTLs with the corresponding resource from the omics perspective and further discussed the integrative strategy of GWAS-molQTL to infer their causal effects. Subsequently, we described the opportunities and challenges encountered by molQTL. The case studies showed that molQTL is essential for complex diseases and traits, whether single- or multi-omics QTLs. Overall, we highlighted the functional significance of genetic variants to employ the discovery of molQTL in complex diseases and traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zijun Zhu
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Xinyu Chen
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Sainan Zhang
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Rui Yu
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Changlu Qi
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Liang Cheng
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, Heilongjiang, China.
- NHC Key Laboratory of Molecular Probe and Targeted Diagnosis and Therapy, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150028, Heilongjiang, China.
| | - Xue Zhang
- NHC Key Laboratory of Molecular Probe and Targeted Diagnosis and Therapy, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150028, Heilongjiang, China
- McKusick-Zhang Center for Genetic Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100005, China
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43
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Mostafavi H, Spence JP, Naqvi S, Pritchard JK. Systematic differences in discovery of genetic effects on gene expression and complex traits. Nat Genet 2023; 55:1866-1875. [PMID: 37857933 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-023-01529-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 43.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
Most signals in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of complex traits implicate noncoding genetic variants with putative gene regulatory effects. However, currently identified regulatory variants, notably expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs), explain only a small fraction of GWAS signals. Here, we show that GWAS and cis-eQTL hits are systematically different: eQTLs cluster strongly near transcription start sites, whereas GWAS hits do not. Genes near GWAS hits are enriched in key functional annotations, are under strong selective constraint and have complex regulatory landscapes across different tissue/cell types, whereas genes near eQTLs are depleted of most functional annotations, show relaxed constraint, and have simpler regulatory landscapes. We describe a model to understand these observations, including how natural selection on complex traits hinders discovery of functionally relevant eQTLs. Our results imply that GWAS and eQTL studies are systematically biased toward different types of variant, and support the use of complementary functional approaches alongside the next generation of eQTL studies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Sahin Naqvi
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Jonathan K Pritchard
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
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44
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Dorrity TJ, Shin H, Wiegand KA, Aruda J, Closser M, Jung E, Gertie JA, Leone A, Polfer R, Culbertson B, Yu L, Wu C, Ito T, Huang Y, Steckelberg AL, Wichterle H, Chung H. Long 3'UTRs predispose neurons to inflammation by promoting immunostimulatory double-stranded RNA formation. Sci Immunol 2023; 8:eadg2979. [PMID: 37862432 PMCID: PMC11056275 DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.adg2979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/22/2023]
Abstract
Loss of RNA homeostasis underlies numerous neurodegenerative and neuroinflammatory diseases. However, the molecular mechanisms that trigger neuroinflammation are poorly understood. Viral double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) triggers innate immune responses when sensed by host pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) present in all cell types. Here, we report that human neurons intrinsically carry exceptionally high levels of immunostimulatory dsRNAs and identify long 3'UTRs as giving rise to neuronal dsRNA structures. We found that the neuron-enriched ELAVL family of genes (ELAVL2, ELAVL3, and ELAVL4) can increase (i) 3'UTR length, (ii) dsRNA load, and (iii) activation of dsRNA-sensing PRRs such as MDA5, PKR, and TLR3. In wild-type neurons, neuronal dsRNAs signaled through PRRs to induce tonic production of the antiviral type I interferon. Depleting ELAVL2 in WT neurons led to global shortening of 3'UTR length, reduced immunostimulatory dsRNA levels, and rendered WT neurons susceptible to herpes simplex virus and Zika virus infection. Neurons deficient in ADAR1, a dsRNA-editing enzyme mutated in the neuroinflammatory disorder Aicardi-Goutières syndrome, exhibited intolerably high levels of dsRNA that triggered PRR-mediated toxic inflammation and neuronal death. Depleting ELAVL2 in ADAR1 knockout neurons led to prolonged neuron survival by reducing immunostimulatory dsRNA levels. In summary, neurons are specialized cells where PRRs constantly sense "self" dsRNAs to preemptively induce protective antiviral immunity, but maintaining RNA homeostasis is paramount to prevent pathological neuroinflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyler J. Dorrity
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Heegwon Shin
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Kenenni A. Wiegand
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Justin Aruda
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Michael Closser
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Neuroscience and Neurology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Center for Motor Neuron Biology and Disease, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Emily Jung
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jake A. Gertie
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Integrated Program in Cellular, Molecular, and Biomedical Studies, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA
| | - Amanda Leone
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Rachel Polfer
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Bruce Culbertson
- Integrated Program in Cellular, Molecular, and Biomedical Studies, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA
| | - Lisa Yu
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Christine Wu
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Takamasa Ito
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Yuefeng Huang
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Anna-Lena Steckelberg
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Hynek Wichterle
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Neuroscience and Neurology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Center for Motor Neuron Biology and Disease, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Hachung Chung
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
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45
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Peng Z, Yu S, Meng J, Jia KH, Zhang J, Li X, Gao W, Wan S. Alternative polyadenylation regulates acetyl-CoA carboxylase function in peanut. BMC Genomics 2023; 24:637. [PMID: 37875812 PMCID: PMC10594767 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-023-09696-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Polyadenylation is a crucial process that terminates mRNA molecules at their 3'-ends. It has been observed that alternative polyadenylation (APA) can generate multiple transcripts from a single gene locus, each with different polyadenylation sites (PASs). This leads to the formation of several 3' untranslated regions (UTRs) that vary in length and composition. APA has a significant impact on approximately 60-70% of eukaryotic genes and has far-reaching implications for cell proliferation, differentiation, and tumorigenesis. RESULTS In this study, we conducted long-read, single-molecule sequencing of mRNA from peanut seeds. Our findings revealed that over half of all peanut genes possess over two PASs, with older developing seeds containing more PASs. This suggesting that the PAS exhibits high tissue specificity and plays a crucial role in peanut seed maturation. For the peanut acetyl-CoA carboxylase A1 (AhACCA1) gene, we discovered four 3' UTRs referred to UTR1-4. RT-PCR analysis showed that UTR1-containing transcripts are predominantly expressed in roots, leaves, and early developing seeds. Transcripts containing UTR2/3 accumulated mainly in roots, flowers, and seeds, while those carrying UTR4 were constitutively expressed. In Nicotiana benthamiana leaves, we transiently expressed all four UTRs, revealing that each UTR impacted protein abundance but not subcellular location. For functional validation, we introduced each UTR into yeast cells and found UTR2 enhanced AhACCA1 expression compared to a yeast transcription terminator, whereas UTR3 did not. Furthermore, we determined ACC gene structures in seven plant species and identified 51 PASs for 15 ACC genes across four plant species, confirming that APA of the ACC gene family is universal phenomenon in plants. CONCLUSION Our data demonstrate that APA is widespread in peanut seeds and plays vital roles in peanut seed maturation. We have identified four 3' UTRs for AhACCA1 gene, each showing distinct tissue-specific expression patterns. Through subcellular location experiment and yeast transformation test, we have determined that UTR2 has a stronger impact on gene expression regulation compared to the other three UTRs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenying Peng
- Institute of Crop Germplasm Resources, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Science, Jinan, 250100, China.
| | - Shuang Yu
- College of Agricultural, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi, 830052, China
| | - Jingjing Meng
- Institute of Crop Germplasm Resources, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Science, Jinan, 250100, China
| | - Kai-Hua Jia
- Institute of Crop Germplasm Resources, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Science, Jinan, 250100, China
| | - Jialei Zhang
- Institute of Crop Germplasm Resources, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Science, Jinan, 250100, China
| | - Xinguo Li
- Institute of Crop Germplasm Resources, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Science, Jinan, 250100, China
| | - Wenwei Gao
- College of Agricultural, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi, 830052, China.
| | - Shubo Wan
- Shandong Academy of Agricultural Science, Jinan, 250100, China.
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Patowary A, Zhang P, Jops C, Vuong CK, Ge X, Hou K, Kim M, Gong N, Margolis M, Vo D, Wang X, Liu C, Pasaniuc B, Li JJ, Gandal MJ, de la Torre-Ubieta L. Developmental isoform diversity in the human neocortex informs neuropsychiatric risk mechanisms. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.25.534016. [PMID: 36993726 PMCID: PMC10055310 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.25.534016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
RNA splicing is highly prevalent in the brain and has strong links to neuropsychiatric disorders, yet the role of cell-type-specific splicing or transcript-isoform diversity during human brain development has not been systematically investigated. Here, we leveraged single-molecule long-read sequencing to deeply profile the full-length transcriptome of the germinal zone (GZ) and cortical plate (CP) regions of the developing human neocortex at tissue and single-cell resolution. We identified 214,516 unique isoforms, of which 72.6% are novel (unannotated in Gencode-v33), and uncovered a substantial contribution of transcript-isoform diversity, regulated by RNA binding proteins, in defining cellular identity in the developing neocortex. We leveraged this comprehensive isoform-centric gene annotation to re-prioritize thousands of rare de novo risk variants and elucidate genetic risk mechanisms for neuropsychiatric disorders. One-Sentence Summary A cell-specific atlas of gene isoform expression helps shape our understanding of brain development and disease. Structured Abstract INTRODUCTION: The development of the human brain is regulated by precise molecular and genetic mechanisms driving spatio-temporal and cell-type-specific transcript expression programs. Alternative splicing, a major mechanism increasing transcript diversity, is highly prevalent in the human brain, influences many aspects of brain development, and has strong links to neuropsychiatric disorders. Despite this, the cell-type-specific transcript-isoform diversity of the developing human brain has not been systematically investigated.RATIONALE: Understanding splicing patterns and isoform diversity across the developing neocortex has translational relevance and can elucidate genetic risk mechanisms in neurodevelopmental disorders. However, short-read sequencing, the prevalent technology for transcriptome profiling, is not well suited to capturing alternative splicing and isoform diversity. To address this, we employed third-generation long-read sequencing, which enables capture and sequencing of complete individual RNA molecules, to deeply profile the full-length transcriptome of the germinal zone (GZ) and cortical plate (CP) regions of the developing human neocortex at tissue and single-cell resolution.RESULTS: We profiled microdissected GZ and CP regions of post-conception week (PCW) 15-17 human neocortex in bulk and at single-cell resolution across six subjects using high-fidelity long-read sequencing (PacBio IsoSeq). We identified 214,516 unique isoforms, of which 72.6% were novel (unannotated in Gencode), and >7,000 novel exons, expanding the proteome by 92,422 putative proteoforms. We uncovered thousands of isoform switches during cortical neurogenesis predicted to impact RNA regulatory domains or protein structure and implicating previously uncharacterized RNA-binding proteins in cellular identity and neuropsychiatric disease. At the single-cell level, early-stage excitatory neurons exhibited the greatest isoform diversity, and isoform-centric single-cell clustering led to the identification of previously uncharacterized cell states. We systematically assessed the contribution of transcriptomic features, and localized cell and spatio-temporal transcript expression signatures across neuropsychiatric disorders, revealing predominant enrichments in dynamic isoform expression and utilization patterns and that the number and complexity of isoforms per gene is strongly predictive of disease. Leveraging this resource, we re-prioritized thousands of rare de novo risk variants associated with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), intellectual disability (ID), and neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), more broadly, to potentially more severe consequences and revealed a larger proportion of cryptic splice variants with the expanded transcriptome annotation provided in this study.CONCLUSION: Our study offers a comprehensive landscape of isoform diversity in the human neocortex during development. This extensive cataloging of novel isoforms and splicing events sheds light on the underlying mechanisms of neurodevelopmental disorders and presents an opportunity to explore rare genetic variants linked to these conditions. The implications of our findings extend beyond fundamental neuroscience, as they provide crucial insights into the molecular basis of developmental brain disorders and pave the way for targeted therapeutic interventions. To facilitate exploration of this dataset we developed an online portal ( https://sciso.gandallab.org/ ).
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Kang B, Yang Y, Hu K, Ruan X, Liu YL, Lee P, Lee J, Wang J, Zhang X. Infernape uncovers cell type-specific and spatially resolved alternative polyadenylation in the brain. Genome Res 2023; 33:1774-1787. [PMID: 37907328 PMCID: PMC10691540 DOI: 10.1101/gr.277864.123] [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: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
Differential polyadenylation sites (PAs) critically regulate gene expression, but their cell type-specific usage and spatial distribution in the brain have not been systematically characterized. Here, we present Infernape, which infers and quantifies PA usage from single-cell and spatial transcriptomic data and show its application in the mouse brain. Infernape uncovers alternative intronic PAs and 3'-UTR lengthening during cortical neurogenesis. Progenitor-neuron comparisons in the excitatory and inhibitory neuron lineages show overlapping PA changes in embryonic brains, suggesting that the neural proliferation-differentiation axis plays a prominent role. In the adult mouse brain, we uncover cell type-specific PAs and visualize such events using spatial transcriptomic data. Over two dozen neurodevelopmental disorder-associated genes such as Csnk2a1 and Mecp2 show differential PAs during brain development. This study presents Infernape to identify PAs from scRNA-seq and spatial data, and highlights the role of alternative PAs in neuronal gene regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bowei Kang
- Department of Human Genetics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
| | - Yalan Yang
- Department of Human Genetics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
| | - Kaining Hu
- Department of Human Genetics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
| | - Xiangbin Ruan
- Department of Human Genetics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
| | - Yi-Lin Liu
- Department of Statistics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
| | - Pinky Lee
- Department of Human Genetics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
| | - Jasper Lee
- Department of Human Genetics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
| | - Jingshu Wang
- Department of Statistics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA;
| | - Xiaochang Zhang
- Department of Human Genetics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA;
- The Neuroscience Institute, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
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Yang X, Cheng S, Li C, Pan C, Liu L, Meng P, Chen Y, Zhang J, Zhang Z, Zhang H, Zhao Y, Cai Q, He D, Chu X, Shi S, Hui J, Cheng B, Wen Y, Jia Y, Zhang F. Evaluating the interaction between 3'aQTL and alcohol consumption/smoking on anxiety and depression: 3'aQTL-by-environment interaction study in UK Biobank cohort. J Affect Disord 2023; 338:518-525. [PMID: 37390921 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.06.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2022] [Revised: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Smoking and alcohol consumption were associated with the development of depression and anxiety. 3'UTR APA quantitative trait loci (3'aQTLs) have been associated with multiple health states and conditions. Our aim is to evaluate the interactive effects of 3'aQTLs-alcohol consumption/tobacco smoking on the risk of anxiety and depression. METHODS The 3'aQTL data of 13 brain regions were extracted from the large-scale 3'aQTL atlas. The phenotype data (frequency of cigarette smoking and alcohol drinking, anxiety score, self-reported anxiety, depression score and self-reported depression) of 90,399-103,011 adults aged 40-69 years living in the UK and contributing to the UK Biobank during 2006-2010, were obtained from the UK Biobank cohort. The frequency of cigarette smoking and alcohol drinking of each subject were defined by the amount of smoking and alcohol drinking of self-reported, respectively. The continuous alcohol consumption/smoking terms were further categorized in tertiles. 3'aQTL-by-environmental interaction analysis was then performed to evaluate the associations of gene-smoking/alcohol consumption interactions with anxiety and depression using generalized linear model (GLM) of PLINK 2.0 with an additive mode of inheritance. Furthermore, GLM was also used to explore the relationship between alcohol consumption/smoking with hazard of anxiety/depression stratified by allele for the significant genotyped SNPs that modified the alcohol consumption/smoking-anxiety/depression association. RESULTS The interaction analysis identified several candidate 3'aQTLs-alcohol consumption interactions, such as rs7602638 located in PPP3R1 (β = 0.08, P = 6.50 × 10-6) for anxiety score; rs10925518 located in RYR2 (OR = 0.95, P = 3.06 × 10-5) for self-reported depression. Interestingly, we also observed that the interactions between TMOD1 (β = 0.18, P = 3.30 × 10-8 for anxiety score; β = 0.17, P = 1.42 × 10-6 for depression score), ZNF407 (β = 0.17, P = 2.11 × 10-6 for anxiety score; β = 0.15, P = 4.26 × 10-5 for depression score) and alcohol consumption was not only associated with anxiety, but related to depression. Besides, we found that relationship between alcohol consumption and hazard of anxiety/depression was significantly different for different SNPs genotypes, such as rs34505550 in TMOD1 (AA: OR = 1.03, P = 1.79 × 10-6; AG: OR = 1.00, P = 0.94; GG: OR = 1.00, P = 0.21) for self-reported anxiety. LIMITATIONS The identified 3'aQTLs-alcohol consumption/smoking interactions were associated with depression and anxiety, and its potential biological mechanisms need to be further revealed. CONCLUSIONS Our study identified important interactions between candidate 3'aQTL and alcohol consumption/smoking on depression and anxiety, and found that the 3'aQTL may modify the associations between consumption/smoking with depression and anxiety. These findings may help to further explore the pathogenesis of depression and anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuena Yang
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases of National Health and Family Planning Commission, School of Public Health, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Shiqiang Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases of National Health and Family Planning Commission, School of Public Health, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Chun'e Li
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases of National Health and Family Planning Commission, School of Public Health, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Chuyu Pan
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases of National Health and Family Planning Commission, School of Public Health, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Li Liu
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases of National Health and Family Planning Commission, School of Public Health, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Peilin Meng
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases of National Health and Family Planning Commission, School of Public Health, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Yujing Chen
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases of National Health and Family Planning Commission, School of Public Health, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Jingxi Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases of National Health and Family Planning Commission, School of Public Health, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Zhen Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases of National Health and Family Planning Commission, School of Public Health, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Huijie Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases of National Health and Family Planning Commission, School of Public Health, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Yijing Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases of National Health and Family Planning Commission, School of Public Health, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Qingqing Cai
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases of National Health and Family Planning Commission, School of Public Health, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Dan He
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases of National Health and Family Planning Commission, School of Public Health, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Xiaoge Chu
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases of National Health and Family Planning Commission, School of Public Health, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Sirong Shi
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases of National Health and Family Planning Commission, School of Public Health, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Jingni Hui
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases of National Health and Family Planning Commission, School of Public Health, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Bolun Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases of National Health and Family Planning Commission, School of Public Health, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Yan Wen
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases of National Health and Family Planning Commission, School of Public Health, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Yumeng Jia
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases of National Health and Family Planning Commission, School of Public Health, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Feng Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases of National Health and Family Planning Commission, School of Public Health, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China; Department of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
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Aygün N, Krupa O, Mory J, Le B, Valone J, Liang D, Love MI, Stein JL. Genetics of cell-type-specific post-transcriptional gene regulation during human neurogenesis. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.30.555019. [PMID: 37693528 PMCID: PMC10491258 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.30.555019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
The function of some genetic variants associated with brain-relevant traits has been explained through colocalization with expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) conducted in bulk post-mortem adult brain tissue. However, many brain-trait associated loci have unknown cellular or molecular function. These genetic variants may exert context-specific function on different molecular phenotypes including post-transcriptional changes. Here, we identified genetic regulation of RNA-editing and alternative polyadenylation (APA), within a cell-type-specific population of human neural progenitors and neurons. More RNA-editing and isoforms utilizing longer polyadenylation sequences were observed in neurons, likely due to higher expression of genes encoding the proteins mediating these post-transcriptional events. We also detected hundreds of cell-type-specific editing quantitative trait loci (edQTLs) and alternative polyadenylation QTLs (apaQTLs). We found colocalizations of a neuron edQTL in CCDC88A with educational attainment and a progenitor apaQTL in EP300 with schizophrenia, suggesting genetically mediated post-transcriptional regulation during brain development lead to differences in brain function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nil Aygün
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- UNC Neuroscience Center University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Oleh Krupa
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- UNC Neuroscience Center University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Jessica Mory
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- UNC Neuroscience Center University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Brandon Le
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- UNC Neuroscience Center University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Jordan Valone
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- UNC Neuroscience Center University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Dan Liang
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- UNC Neuroscience Center University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Michael I. Love
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Jason L. Stein
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- UNC Neuroscience Center University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Lead contact
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50
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Zhou HJ, Ge X, Li JJ. ClipperQTL: ultrafast and powerful eGene identification method. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.28.555191. [PMID: 37693523 PMCID: PMC10491229 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.28.555191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
A central task in expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) analysis is to identify cis-eGenes (henceforth "eGenes"), i.e., genes whose expression levels are regulated by at least one local genetic variant. Among the existing eGene identification methods, FastQTL is considered the gold standard but is computationally expensive as it requires thousands of permutations for each gene. Alternative methods such as eigenMT and TreeQTL have lower power than FastQTL. In this work, we propose ClipperQTL, which reduces the number of permutations needed from thousands to 20 for data sets with large sample sizes (> 450) by using the contrastive strategy developed in Clipper; for data sets with smaller sample sizes, it uses the same permutation-based approach as FastQTL. We show that ClipperQTL performs as well as FastQTL and runs about 500 times faster if the contrastive strategy is used and 50 times faster if the conventional permutation-based approach is used. The R package ClipperQTL is available at https://github.com/heatherjzhou/ClipperQTL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather J. Zhou
- Department of Statistics and Data Science, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Xinzhou Ge
- Department of Statistics and Data Science, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Current address: Department of Statistics, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97330, USA
| | - Jingyi Jessica Li
- Department of Statistics and Data Science, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Department of Human Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Department of Computational Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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