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Irawan A, Bionaz M. Liver Transcriptomic Profiles of Ruminant Species Fed Spent Hemp Biomass Containing Cannabinoids. Genes (Basel) 2024; 15:963. [PMID: 39062742 PMCID: PMC11275923 DOI: 10.3390/genes15070963] [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: 06/29/2024] [Revised: 07/16/2024] [Accepted: 07/16/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The inclusion of spent hemp biomass (SHB), an extracted byproduct from industrial cannabidiol (CBD) production, in the diets of dairy cows and lambs appears to be safe with minor effects on the metabolism, including a decrease in circulating cholesterol and increase bilirubinemia, both associated with liver metabolism. Those effects could be consequence of the presence of cannabinoids, particularly Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and CBD in the SHB. This study aimed to study the transcriptional profile of the liver of dairy cows and lambs fed SHB. Dairy cows received SHB or alfalfa pellet for four weeks of intervention (IP) and four weeks of withdrawal periods (WP). Finishing lambs were fed a control diet (CON), 10% (LH2), or 20% (HH2) SHB for 2 months or 1 month followed by 1-month SHB withdrawal (LH1 and HH1, respectively). RNA sequencing was performed, and the mRNA was annotated using the latest reference genomes. The RNAseq data were filtered, normalized for library size and composition, and statistically analyzed by DESeq2. The bioinformatic analysis was performed by using DAVID, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA), and the Dynamic Impact Approach. Using a 0.2 FDR cut-off, we identified only ≤24 differentially expressed genes (DEG) in the liver by feeding SHB in dairy cows and a larger number of DEGs in lambs (from 71 in HH1 vs. CON to 552 in LH1 vs. CON). The KEGG analysis demonstrated that feeding SHB in dairy cows and lambs had relatively minor to moderate metabolic alterations in dairy cows and lambs mainly associated with amino acids and lipid metabolism whereas cholesterol synthesis was overall activated in lambs. GSEA identified activation of the PPAR signaling pathway only in dairy cows. We found an opposite effect on activation of metabolism of drug and xenobiotics by cytochrome P450 enzymes in dairy cows and lambs receiving less SHB but an inhibition in HH2 lambs. Immune system-related pathways were inhibited by feeding SHB in lambs, but the impact was minor. Cumulatively, inclusion of SHB containing cannabinoids in dairy and lambs demonstrate very little effects on the alteration of transcriptomic profile of the liver.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agung Irawan
- Department of Animal and Rangeland Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA;
- Animal Science Study Program, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Surakarta 57126, Indonesia
| | - Massimo Bionaz
- Department of Animal and Rangeland Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA;
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2
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Kang Y, Zhang W, Yu Q, Gao L, Quan J, Gu F, Wu Y, Tian Y, Wu Z, Shao S, Zhou H, Duan S, Zhou Y, Zhang L, Gao X, Tian H, Yao W. Self-assembled nanoparticles based on DNA origami and a nitrated T helper cell epitope as a platform for the development of personalized cancer vaccines. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2023:10.1007/s00262-023-03446-y. [PMID: 37119260 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-023-03446-y] [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: 02/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/01/2023]
Abstract
Neoantigen vaccines constitute an emerging and promising cancer immunotherapy. However, not all neoantigens have anti-tumor activity, as poor CD4+ epitope recognition can lead to the lack of greatly limit the persistence of the CD8+ T cell response. Therefore, we designed a self-assembled nanoplatform hereinafter referred to as DNA-coupled nitrated T helper cell epitope nanoparticle (DCNP) based on DNA origami containing a nitrated CD4 + T cell epitope, which can facilitate the effective activation of neoantigen-specific CD8+ T cells. Moreover, we embedded the cytidine-phosphate-guanosine oligonucleotide (CpG ODN) motif sequence in the DNA skeleton to function as a built-in adjuvant to activate Toll-like receptor 9. DCNP can markedly improve adjuvant and neoantigen co-delivery to lymphoid organs and promote neoantigen presentation on dendritic cells. Moreover, DCNP induced robust, and long-lived neoantigen-specific CD8+ T cell responses that significantly delayed tumor growth. Further, these effects were largely dependent on the nitrated T cell epitope. Collectively, our findings indicate that DCNP is a promising platform that could improve the development of personalized therapeutic neoantigen vaccines for cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanliang Kang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Druggability of Biopharmaceuticals and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198, China
| | - Wanli Zhang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Druggability of Biopharmaceuticals and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198, China
| | - Qiumin Yu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Druggability of Biopharmaceuticals and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198, China
| | - Le Gao
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Druggability of Biopharmaceuticals and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198, China
| | - Jiale Quan
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Druggability of Biopharmaceuticals and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198, China
| | - Fangling Gu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Druggability of Biopharmaceuticals and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198, China
| | - Yuxin Wu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Druggability of Biopharmaceuticals and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198, China
| | - Yahong Tian
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Druggability of Biopharmaceuticals and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198, China
| | - Zijie Wu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Druggability of Biopharmaceuticals and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198, China
| | - Shishuai Shao
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Druggability of Biopharmaceuticals and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198, China
| | - Hongyou Zhou
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Druggability of Biopharmaceuticals and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198, China
| | - Shukang Duan
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Druggability of Biopharmaceuticals and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198, China
| | - Yixiang Zhou
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Druggability of Biopharmaceuticals and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198, China
| | - Li Zhang
- Department of General Internal Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, 830054, China.
| | - Xiangdong Gao
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Druggability of Biopharmaceuticals and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198, China.
| | - Hong Tian
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Druggability of Biopharmaceuticals and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198, China.
| | - Wenbing Yao
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Druggability of Biopharmaceuticals and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198, China.
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3
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Mazzeo F, Meccariello R. Cannabis and Paternal Epigenetic Inheritance. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:ijerph20095663. [PMID: 37174181 PMCID: PMC10177768 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20095663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Revised: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/23/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug in Western counties and its abuse is particularly high in male adolescents and young adults. Its main psychotropic component, the cannabinoid delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), interferes in the endogenous endocannabinoid system. This signaling system is involved in the control of many biological activities, including the formation of high-quality male gametes. Direct adverse effects of Δ9-THC in male reproduction are well known in both animal models and humans. Nevertheless, the possibility of long-term effects due to epigenetic mechanisms has recently been reported. In this review, we summarize the main advances in the field suggesting the need to pay attention to the possible long-term epigenetic risks for the reproductive health of cannabis users and the health of their offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filomena Mazzeo
- Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche, Giuridiche, Informatiche e Motorie, Università di Napoli Parthenope, Nola, 80035 Naples, Italy
- Department of Economics, Law, Cybersecurity and Sports Sciences, University of Naples "Parthenope", Nola, 80133 Naples, Italy
| | - Rosaria Meccariello
- Dipartimento di Scienze Motorie e del Benessere, Università di Napoli Parthenope, 80133 Napoli, Italy
- Department of Movement Sciences and Wellbeing, University "Parthenope", 80133 Naples, Italy
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4
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Lowin T, Kok C, Smutny S, Pongratz G. Impact of Δ 9-Tetrahydrocannabinol on Rheumatoid Arthritis Synovial Fibroblasts Alone and in Co-Culture with Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells. Biomedicines 2022; 10:1118. [PMID: 35625855 PMCID: PMC9138512 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10051118] [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: 04/08/2022] [Revised: 05/06/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) has demonstrated anti-inflammatory effects in animal models of arthritis, but its mechanism of action and cellular targets are still unclear. The purpose of this study is to elucidate the effects of THC (0.1-25 µM) on synovial fibroblasts from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RASF) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from healthy donors in respect to proliferation, calcium mobilization, drug uptake, cytokine and immunoglobulin production. Intracellular calcium and drug uptake were determined by fluorescent dyes Cal-520 and PoPo3, respectively. Cytokine and immunoglobulin production were evaluated by ELISA. Cannabinoid receptors 1 and 2 (CB1 and CB2) were detected by flow cytometry. RASF express CB1 and CB2 and the latter was increased by tumor necrosis factor (TNF). In RASF, THC (≥5 µM) increased intracellular calcium levels/PoPo3 uptake in a TRPA1-dependent manner and reduced interleukin-8 (IL-8) and matrix metalloprotease 3 (MMP-3) production at high concentrations (25 µM). Proliferation was slightly enhanced at intermediate THC concentrations (1-10 µM) but was completely abrogated at 25 µM. In PBMC alone, THC decreased interleukin-10 (IL-10) production and increased immunoglobulin G (IgG). In PBMC/RASF co-culture, THC decreased TNF production when cells were stimulated with interferon-γ (IFN-γ) or CpG. THC provides pro- and anti-inflammatory effects in RASF and PBMC. This is dependent on the activating stimulus and concentration of THC. Therefore, THC might be used to treat inflammation in RA but it might need titrating to determine the effective concentration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Torsten Lowin
- Poliklinik, Funktionsbereich & Hiller Forschungszentrum für Rheumatologie, University Hospital Duesseldorf, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany; (C.K.); (S.S.); (G.P.)
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5
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Kashima Y, Kaneko K, Reteng P, Yoshitake N, Runtuwene LR, Nagasawa S, Onishi M, Seki M, Suzuki A, Sugano S, Sakata-Yanagimoto M, Imai Y, Nakayama-Hosoya K, Kawana-Tachikawa A, Mizutani T, Suzuki Y. Intensive single-cell analysis reveals immune-cell diversity among healthy individuals. Life Sci Alliance 2022; 5:5/7/e202201398. [PMID: 35383111 PMCID: PMC8983398 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202201398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2022] [Revised: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Immune responses are different between individuals and personal health histories and unique environmental conditions should collectively determine the present state of immune cells. However, the molecular systems underlying such heterogeneity remain elusive. Here, we conducted a systematic time-lapse single-cell analysis, using 171 single-cell libraries and 30 mass cytometry datasets intensively for seven healthy individuals. We found substantial diversity in immune-cell profiles between different individuals. These patterns showed daily fluctuations even within the same individual. Similar diversities were also observed for the T-cell and B-cell receptor repertoires. Detailed immune-cell profiles at healthy statuses should give essential background information to understand their immune responses, when the individual is exposed to various environmental conditions. To demonstrate this idea, we conducted the similar analysis for the same individuals on the vaccination of influenza and SARS-CoV-2. In fact, we detected distinct responses to vaccines between individuals, although key responses are common. Single-cell immune-cell profile data should make fundamental data resource to understand variable immune responses, which are unique to each individual.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yukie Kashima
- Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Japan
| | - Keiya Kaneko
- Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Japan
| | - Patrick Reteng
- Division of Collaboration and Education, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Nina Yoshitake
- Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Japan
| | | | - Satoi Nagasawa
- Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Japan.,Division of Breast and Endocrine Surgery, Department of Surgery, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, Kawasaki, Japan
| | - Masaya Onishi
- Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Japan
| | - Masahide Seki
- Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Japan
| | - Ayako Suzuki
- Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Japan
| | - Sumio Sugano
- Institute of Kashiwa-no-ha Omics Gate, Kashiwa, Japan.,Future Medicine Education and Research Organization at Chiba University, Chiba-city, Japan
| | | | - Yumiko Imai
- Laboratory of Regulation for Intractable Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition (NIBIOHN), Osaka, Japan
| | | | - Ai Kawana-Tachikawa
- AIDS Research Center, National Institute of Infectious Disease, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Taketoshi Mizutani
- Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Japan
| | - Yutaka Suzuki
- Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Japan
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6
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Liu QR, Aseer KR, Yao Q, Zhong X, Ghosh P, O’Connell JF, Egan JM. Anti-Inflammatory and Pro-Autophagy Effects of the Cannabinoid Receptor CB2R: Possibility of Modulation in Type 1 Diabetes. Front Pharmacol 2022; 12:809965. [PMID: 35115945 PMCID: PMC8804091 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.809965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is an autoimmune disease resulting from loss of insulin-secreting β-cells in islets of Langerhans. The loss of β-cells is initiated when self-tolerance to β-cell-derived contents breaks down, which leads to T cell-mediated β-cell damage and, ultimately, β-cell apoptosis. Many investigations have demonstrated the positive effects of antagonizing cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1R) in metabolic diseases such as fatty liver disease, obesity, and diabetes mellitus, but the role of cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2R) in such diseases is relatively unknown. Activation of CB2R is known for its immunosuppressive roles in multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s, celiac, and lupus diseases, and since autoimmune diseases can share common environmental and genetic factors, we propose CB2R specific agonists may also serve as disease modifiers in diabetes mellitus. The CNR2 gene, which encodes CB2R protein, is the result of a gene duplication of CNR1, which encodes CB1R protein. This ortholog evolved rapidly after transitioning from invertebrates to vertebrate hundreds of million years ago. Human specific CNR2 isoforms are induced by inflammation in pancreatic islets, and a CNR2 nonsynonymous SNP (Q63R) is associated with autoimmune diseases. We collected evidence from the literature and from our own studies demonstrating that CB2R is involved in regulating the inflammasome and especially release of the cytokine interleukin 1B (IL-1β). Furthermore, CB2R activation controls intracellular autophagy and may regulate secretion of extracellular vesicles from adipocytes that participate in recycling of lipid droplets, dysregulation of which induces chronic inflammation and obesity. CB2R activation may play a similar role in islets of Langerhans. Here, we will discuss future strategies to unravel what roles, if any, CB2R modifiers potentially play in T1DM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing-Rong Liu
- Laboratory of Clinical Investigation, National Institute on Aging, NIH, Baltimore, MD, United States
- *Correspondence: Qing-Rong Liu, ; Josephine M. Egan,
| | - Kanikkai Raja Aseer
- Laboratory of Clinical Investigation, National Institute on Aging, NIH, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Qin Yao
- Laboratory of Clinical Investigation, National Institute on Aging, NIH, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Xiaoming Zhong
- Ben May Department for Cancer Research, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Paritosh Ghosh
- Laboratory of Clinical Investigation, National Institute on Aging, NIH, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Jennifer F. O’Connell
- Laboratory of Clinical Investigation, National Institute on Aging, NIH, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Josephine M. Egan
- Laboratory of Clinical Investigation, National Institute on Aging, NIH, Baltimore, MD, United States
- *Correspondence: Qing-Rong Liu, ; Josephine M. Egan,
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7
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Xu H, Hu Y, Zhang X, Aouizerat BE, Yan C, Xu K. A novel graph-based k-partitioning approach improves the detection of gene-gene correlations by single-cell RNA sequencing. BMC Genomics 2022; 23:35. [PMID: 34996359 PMCID: PMC8740455 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-021-08235-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Gene expression is regulated by transcription factors, cofactors, and epigenetic mechanisms. Coexpressed genes indicate similar functional categories and gene networks. Detecting gene-gene coexpression is important for understanding the underlying mechanisms of cellular function and human diseases. A common practice of identifying coexpressed genes is to test the correlation of expression in a set of genes. In single-cell RNA-seq data, an important challenge is the abundance of zero values, so-called "dropout", which results in biased estimation of gene-gene correlations for downstream analyses. In recent years, efforts have been made to recover coexpressed genes in scRNA-seq data. Here, our goal is to detect coexpressed gene pairs to reduce the "dropout" effect in scRNA-seq data using a novel graph-based k-partitioning method by merging transcriptomically similar cells. RESULTS We observed that the number of zero values was reduced among the merged transcriptomically similar cell clusters. Motivated by this observation, we leveraged a graph-based algorithm and develop an R package, scCorr, to recover the missing gene-gene correlation in scRNA-seq data that enables the reliable acquisition of cluster-based gene-gene correlations in three independent scRNA-seq datasets. The graphically partitioned cell clusters did not change the local cell community. For example, in scRNA-seq data from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), the gene-gene correlation estimated by scCorr outperformed the correlation estimated by the nonclustering method. Among 85 correlated gene pairs in a set of 100 clusters, scCorr detected 71 gene pairs, while the nonclustering method detected only 4 pairs of a dataset from PBMCs. The performance of scCorr was comparable to those of three previously published methods. As an example of downstream analysis using scCorr, we show that scCorr accurately identified a known cell type (i.e., CD4+ T cells) in PBMCs with a receiver operating characteristic area under the curve of 0.96. CONCLUSIONS Our results demonstrate that scCorr is a robust and reliable graph-based method for identifying correlated gene pairs, which is fundamental to network construction, gene-gene interaction, and cellular omic analyses. scCorr can be quickly and easily implemented to minimize zero values in scRNA-seq analysis and is freely available at https://github.com/CBIIT-CGBB/scCorr .
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Affiliation(s)
- Heng Xu
- grid.25879.310000 0004 1936 8972Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA USA
| | - Ying Hu
- grid.48336.3a0000 0004 1936 8075Center for Biomedical Information and Information Technology, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD USA
| | - Xinyu Zhang
- grid.47100.320000000419368710Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT USA ,Connecticut Veteran Healthcare System, West Haven, CT USA
| | - Bradley E. Aouizerat
- grid.137628.90000 0004 1936 8753Bluestone Center for Clinical Research, College of Dentistry, New York University, New York, NY USA
| | - Chunhua Yan
- grid.48336.3a0000 0004 1936 8075Center for Biomedical Information and Information Technology, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD USA
| | - Ke Xu
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA. .,Connecticut Veteran Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA.
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Ramer R, Wittig F, Hinz B. The Endocannabinoid System as a Pharmacological Target for New Cancer Therapies. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13225701. [PMID: 34830856 PMCID: PMC8616499 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13225701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2021] [Revised: 10/27/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Cannabinoids have been shown to suppress tumour cell proliferation, tumour invasion, metastasis, angiogenesis, chemoresistance and epithelial-mesenchymal transition and to induce tumour cell apoptosis, autophagy and immune response. This review focuses on the current status of investigations on the impact of inhibitors of endocannabinoid-degrading enzymes on tumour growth and spread in preclinical oncology research. Abstract Despite the long history of cannabinoid use for medicinal and ritual purposes, an endogenous system of cannabinoid-controlled receptors, as well as their ligands and the enzymes that synthesise and degrade them, was only discovered in the 1990s. Since then, the endocannabinoid system has attracted widespread scientific interest regarding new pharmacological targets in cancer treatment among other reasons. Meanwhile, extensive preclinical studies have shown that cannabinoids have an inhibitory effect on tumour cell proliferation, tumour invasion, metastasis, angiogenesis, chemoresistance and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and induce tumour cell apoptosis and autophagy as well as immune response. Appropriate cannabinoid compounds could moreover be useful for cancer patients as potential combination partners with other chemotherapeutic agents to increase their efficacy while reducing unwanted side effects. In addition to the direct activation of cannabinoid receptors through the exogenous application of corresponding agonists, another strategy is to activate these receptors by increasing the endocannabinoid levels at the corresponding pathological hotspots. Indeed, a number of studies accordingly showed an inhibitory effect of blockers of the endocannabinoid-degrading enzymes fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) and monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) on tumour development and spread. This review summarises the relevant preclinical studies with FAAH and MAGL inhibitors compared to studies with cannabinoids and provides an overview of the regulation of the endocannabinoid system in cancer.
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9
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Pastino G, Shuster D. Chronic Cannabis Users: A New Special Population to Consider for Drug Development. Curr Rev Clin Exp Pharmacol 2021; 17:4-7. [PMID: 34455949 DOI: 10.2174/2772432816666210515145638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2020] [Revised: 02/20/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The use and acceptance of cannabis, either medically or recreationally, has substantially outpaced the collection of data necessary to evaluate its use in any population. However, the mere widespread availability does not imply the absence of risk or confirmation of efficacy and should not be treated as such. There is enough data to suggest that not only does the potential for pharmacokinetic and metabolic interactions exist, but also that baseline characteristics for a given population could be different in chronic cannabis users. Either or both of these may impact the safety and efficacy profile for any new drug in development. As such, we encourage drug developers to consider that the cannabis user may very well be a special population that warrants its own clinical pharmacology evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gina Pastino
- PRA Health Sciences, Blue Bell, Pennsylvania. United States
| | - Diana Shuster
- PRA Health Sciences, Blue Bell, Pennsylvania. United States
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10
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Zhang S, Ke Z, Yang C, Zhou P, Jiang H, Chen L, Li Y, Li Q. High Glucose Causes Distinct Expression Patterns of Primary Human Skin Cells by RNA Sequencing. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2021; 12:603645. [PMID: 33763026 PMCID: PMC7982678 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2021.603645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2020] [Accepted: 02/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Diabetes-related skin problems represent the most common long-term complications in diabetes mellitus patients. These complications, which include diabetic dermopathy, diabetic blisters, necrobiosis lipoidica diabeticorum, and eruptive xanthomatosis, may dramatically impair patients' quality of life and cause long-lasting disability. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms linking diabetes-related hyperglycemia and skin complications are still incompletely understood. To assess the role of the various skin-cell types in hyperglycemia-induced skin disorders, we performed RNA sequencing-based transcriptome analysis, measuring gene expression patterns in biological replicates in normal- and high glucose-stimulated skin cells. Three primary human skin-cell types were examined, i.e., epidermal keratinocytes, dermal fibroblasts, and dermal microvascular endothelial cells. For each separate cell type, we identified gene expression. Comparing gene abundances and expression levels revealed that transcription profiles exhibit distinct patterns in the three skin-cell types exposed to normal (i.e., physiological) glucose treatment and high (i.e., supraphysiological) glucose treatment. The obtained data indicate that high glucose induced differential gene expression and distinct activity patterns in signaling pathways in each skin-cell type. We are adding these data to the public database in the hope that they will facilitate future studies to develop novel targeted interventions for diabetic skin complications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shan Zhang
- Department of Vascular Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Zunxiang Ke
- Department of Vascular Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Chao Yang
- Department of Vascular Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Peng Zhou
- Department of Vascular Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Huanzong Jiang
- Department of Vascular Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Lei Chen
- Institute of Hematology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Yiqing Li
- Department of Vascular Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- *Correspondence: Yiqing Li, ; Qin Li,
| | - Qin Li
- Department of Vascular Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- *Correspondence: Yiqing Li, ; Qin Li,
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Lotfollahi M, Naghipourfar M, Theis FJ, Wolf FA. Conditional out-of-distribution generation for unpaired data using transfer VAE. Bioinformatics 2020; 36:i610-i617. [DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btaa800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Motivation
While generative models have shown great success in sampling high-dimensional samples conditional on low-dimensional descriptors (stroke thickness in MNIST, hair color in CelebA, speaker identity in WaveNet), their generation out-of-distribution poses fundamental problems due to the difficulty of learning compact joint distribution across conditions. The canonical example of the conditional variational autoencoder (CVAE), for instance, does not explicitly relate conditions during training and, hence, has no explicit incentive of learning such a compact representation.
Results
We overcome the limitation of the CVAE by matching distributions across conditions using maximum mean discrepancy in the decoder layer that follows the bottleneck. This introduces a strong regularization both for reconstructing samples within the same condition and for transforming samples across conditions, resulting in much improved generalization. As this amount to solving a style-transfer problem, we refer to the model as transfer VAE (trVAE). Benchmarking trVAE on high-dimensional image and single-cell RNA-seq, we demonstrate higher robustness and higher accuracy than existing approaches. We also show qualitatively improved predictions by tackling previously problematic minority classes and multiple conditions in the context of cellular perturbation response to treatment and disease based on high-dimensional single-cell gene expression data. For generic tasks, we improve Pearson correlations of high-dimensional estimated means and variances with their ground truths from 0.89 to 0.97 and 0.75 to 0.87, respectively. We further demonstrate that trVAE learns cell-type-specific responses after perturbation and improves the prediction of most cell-type-specific genes by 65%.
Availability and implementation
The trVAE implementation is available via github.com/theislab/trvae. The results of this article can be reproduced via github.com/theislab/trvae_reproducibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Lotfollahi
- Institute of Computational Biology, Helmholtz Center Munich, Neuherberg, Germany
- School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Mohsen Naghipourfar
- Institute of Computational Biology, Helmholtz Center Munich, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Fabian J Theis
- Institute of Computational Biology, Helmholtz Center Munich, Neuherberg, Germany
- School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- Department of Mathematics, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - F Alexander Wolf
- Institute of Computational Biology, Helmholtz Center Munich, Neuherberg, Germany
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12
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Liu QR, Canseco-Alba A, Liang Y, Ishiguro H, Onaivi ES. Low Basal CB2R in Dopamine Neurons and Microglia Influences Cannabinoid Tetrad Effects. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E9763. [PMID: 33371336 PMCID: PMC7767340 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21249763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2020] [Revised: 12/04/2020] [Accepted: 12/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
There are two well-characterized cannabinoid receptors (CB1R and CB2R and other candidates): the central nervous system (CNS) enriched CB1R and peripheral tissue enriched CB2R with a wide dynamic range of expression levels in different cell types of human tissues. Hepatocytes and neurons express low baseline CB1R and CB2R, respectively, and their cell-type-specific functions are not well defined. Here we report inducible expression of CB1R in the liver by high-fat and high sugar diet and CB2R in cortical neurons by methamphetamine. While there is less controversy about hepatocyte CB1R, the presence of functional neuronal CB2R is still debated to date. We found that neuron CB2R basal expression was higher than that of hepatocyte CB1R by measuring mRNA levels of specific isoform CB2A in neurons isolated by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) and CB1A in hepatocytes isolated by collagenase perfusion of liver. For in vivo studies, we generated hepatocyte, dopaminergic neuron, and microglia-specific conditional knockout mice (Abl-Cnr1Δ, Dat-Cnr2Δ, and Cx3cr1-Cnr2Δ) of CB1R and CB2R by crossing Cnr1f/f and Cnr2f/f strains to Abl-Cre, Dat-Cre, and Cx3cr1-Cre deleter mouse strains, respectively. Our data reveals that neuron and microglia CB2Rs are involved in the "tetrad" effects of the mixed agonist WIN 55212-2, CB1R selective agonist arachidonyl-2'-chloroethylamide (ACEA), and CB2R selective agonist JWH133. Dat-Cnr2Δ and Cx3cr1-Cnr2Δ mice showed genotypic differences in hypomobility, hypothermia, analgesia, and catalepsy induced by the synthetic cannabinoids. Alcohol conditioned place preference was abolished in DAT-Cnr2Δ mice and remained intact in Cx3cr1-Cnr2Δ mice in comparison to WT mice. These Cre-loxP recombinant mouse lines provide unique approaches in cannabinoid research for dissecting the complex endocannabinoid system that is implicated in many chronic disorders.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Behavior, Animal/drug effects
- Cannabinoids/pharmacology
- Dopaminergic Neurons/drug effects
- Dopaminergic Neurons/metabolism
- Male
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Mice, Knockout
- Microglia/drug effects
- Microglia/metabolism
- Rats
- Rats, Sprague-Dawley
- Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB1/genetics
- Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB1/metabolism
- Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB1/physiology
- Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB2/genetics
- Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB2/metabolism
- Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB2/physiology
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing-Rong Liu
- Laboratory of Clinical Investigation, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Ana Canseco-Alba
- Department of Biology, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ 07470, USA;
| | - Ying Liang
- College of Food Science and Engineering, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, Hunan, China;
| | - Hiroki Ishiguro
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medical Science, University of Yamanashi, Chuo, Yamanashi 409-3898, Japan;
| | - Emmanuel S. Onaivi
- Department of Biology, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ 07470, USA;
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13
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Single cell profiling of capillary blood enables out of clinic human immunity studies. Sci Rep 2020; 10:20540. [PMID: 33239690 PMCID: PMC7688970 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-77073-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2020] [Accepted: 10/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
An individual’s immune system is driven by both genetic and environmental factors that vary over time. To better understand the temporal and inter-individual variability of gene expression within distinct immune cell types, we developed a platform that leverages multiplexed single-cell sequencing and out-of-clinic capillary blood extraction to enable simplified, cost-effective profiling of the human immune system across people and time at single-cell resolution. Using the platform, we detect widespread differences in cell type-specific gene expression between subjects that are stable over multiple days.
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