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Chiodi V, Rappa F, Lo Re O, Chaldakov GN, Lelouvier B, Micale V, Domenici MR, Vinciguerra M. Deficiency of histone variant macroH2A1.1 is associated with sexually dimorphic obesity in mice. Sci Rep 2023; 13:19123. [PMID: 37926763 PMCID: PMC10625986 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-46304-8] [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: 05/08/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Obesity has a major socio-economic health impact. There are profound sex differences in adipose tissue deposition and obesity-related conditions. The underlying mechanisms driving sexual dimorphism in obesity and its associated metabolic disorders remain unclear. Histone variant macroH2A1.1 is a candidate epigenetic mechanism linking environmental and dietary factors to obesity. Here, we used a mouse model genetically depleted of macroH2A1.1 to investigate its potential epigenetic role in sex dimorphic obesity, metabolic disturbances and gut dysbiosis. Whole body macroH2A1 knockout (KO) mice, generated with the Cre/loxP technology, and their control littermates were fed a high fat diet containing 60% of energy derived from fat. The diet was administered for three months starting from 10 to 12 weeks of age. We evaluated the progression in body weight, the food intake, and the tolerance to glucose by means of a glucose tolerance test. Gut microbiota composition, visceral adipose and liver tissue morphology were assessed. In addition, adipogenic gene expression patterns were evaluated in the visceral adipose tissue. Female KO mice for macroH2A1.1 had a more pronounced weight gain induced by high fat diet compared to their littermates, while the increase in body weight in male mice was similar in the two genotypes. Food intake was generally increased upon KO and decreased by high fat diet in both sexes, with the exception of KO females fed a high fat diet that displayed the same food intake of their littermates. In glucose tolerance tests, glucose levels were significantly elevated upon high fat diet in female KO compared to a standard diet, while this effect was absent in male KO. There were no differences in hepatic histology. Upon a high fat diet, in female adipocyte cross-sectional area was larger in KO compared to littermates: activation of proadipogenic genes (ACACB, AGT, ANGPT2, FASN, RETN, SLC2A4) and downregulation of antiadipogenic genes (AXIN1, E2F1, EGR2, JUN, SIRT1, SIRT2, UCP1, CCND1, CDKN1A, CDKN1B, EGR2) was detected. Gut microbiota profiling showed increase in Firmicutes and a decrease in Bacteroidetes in females, but not males, macroH2A1.1 KO mice. MacroH2A1.1 KO mice display sexual dimorphism in high fat diet-induced obesity and in gut dysbiosis, and may represent a useful model to investigate epigenetic and metabolic differences associated to the development of obesity-associated pathological conditions in males and females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Chiodi
- National Centre for Drug Research and Evaluation, Istituto Superiore di Sanita', Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Rappa
- Department of Biomedicine, Neurosciences and Advanced Diagnostics (BiND), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Oriana Lo Re
- Department of Translational Stem Cell Biology, Research Institute of the Medical University, Varna, Bulgaria
- International Clinical Research Center (FNUSA-ICRC), St'Anne University Hospital, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - George N Chaldakov
- Department of Translational Stem Cell Biology, Research Institute of the Medical University, Varna, Bulgaria
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Research Institute of the Medical University, Varna, Bulgaria
| | | | - Vincenzo Micale
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, Section of Pharmacology, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Maria Rosaria Domenici
- National Centre for Drug Research and Evaluation, Istituto Superiore di Sanita', Rome, Italy
| | - Manlio Vinciguerra
- Department of Translational Stem Cell Biology, Research Institute of the Medical University, Varna, Bulgaria.
- International Clinical Research Center (FNUSA-ICRC), St'Anne University Hospital, Brno, Czech Republic.
- Liverpool Centre for Cardiovascular Science (LCCS), Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK.
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Carbone A, De Santis E, Cela O, Giambra V, Miele L, Marrone G, Grieco A, Buschbeck M, Capitanio N, Mazza T, Mazzoccoli G. The Histone Variant MacroH2A1 Impacts Circadian Gene Expression and Cell Phenotype in an In Vitro Model of Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Biomedicines 2021; 9:biomedicines9081057. [PMID: 34440260 PMCID: PMC8391426 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines9081057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2021] [Revised: 08/18/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. A foremost risk factor for HCC is obesity/metabolic syndrome-related non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which is prompted by remarkable changes in transcription patterns of genes enriching metabolic, immune/inflammatory, and circadian pathways. Epigenetic mechanisms play a role in NAFLD-associated HCC, and macroH2A1, a variant of histone H2A, is involved in the pathogenesis modulating the expression of oncogenes and/or tumor suppressor genes and interacting with SIRT1, which crucially impacts the circadian clock circuitry. Hence, we aimed to appraise if and how macroH2A1 regulated the expression patterns of circadian genes in the setting of NAFLD-associated HCC. We took advantage of an in vitro model of liver cancer represented by HepG2 (human hepatocarcinoma) cells stably knocked down for macroH2A1 and conducted whole transcriptome profiling and deep phenotyping analysis. We found up-regulation of PER1 along with several deregulated circadian genes, enriching several important pathways and functions related to cancer onset and progression, such as epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, cell cycle deregulation, and DNA damage. PER1 silencing partially mitigated the malignant phenotype induced by the loss of macroH2A1 in HCC cells. In conclusion, our findings suggest a modulatory role for the core circadian protein PER1 in liver carcinogenesis in the context of a lack of the macroH2A1 epigenetic and transcriptional landscape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annalucia Carbone
- Department of Medical Sciences, Division of Internal Medicine and Chronobiology Laboratory, Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, 71013 San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy;
| | - Elisabetta De Santis
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology, Regenerative Medicine and Innovative Therapies (ISBReMIT), Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, 71013 San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy; (E.D.S.); (V.G.)
| | - Olga Cela
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Foggia, 71100 Foggia, Italy; (O.C.); (N.C.)
| | - Vincenzo Giambra
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology, Regenerative Medicine and Innovative Therapies (ISBReMIT), Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, 71013 San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy; (E.D.S.); (V.G.)
| | - Luca Miele
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli-IRCCS, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, 00168 Rome, Italy; (L.M.); (G.M.); (A.G.)
| | - Giuseppe Marrone
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli-IRCCS, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, 00168 Rome, Italy; (L.M.); (G.M.); (A.G.)
| | - Antonio Grieco
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli-IRCCS, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, 00168 Rome, Italy; (L.M.); (G.M.); (A.G.)
| | - Marcus Buschbeck
- Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute, IJC Building, Can Ruti Campus Ctra de Can Ruti, Camí de les Escoles s/n, 08916 Badalona, Spain;
| | - Nazzareno Capitanio
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Foggia, 71100 Foggia, Italy; (O.C.); (N.C.)
| | - Tommaso Mazza
- Bioinformatics Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, 71013 San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy;
| | - Gianluigi Mazzoccoli
- Department of Medical Sciences, Division of Internal Medicine and Chronobiology Laboratory, Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, 71013 San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy;
- Correspondence: ; Tel./Fax: +39-(0882)-410-255
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3
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Buzova D, Maugeri A, Liguori A, Napodano C, Lo Re O, Oben J, Alisi A, Gasbarrini A, Grieco A, Cerveny J, Miele L, Vinciguerra M. Circulating histone signature of human lean metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD). Clin Epigenetics 2020; 12:126. [PMID: 32819448 PMCID: PMC7441674 DOI: 10.1186/s13148-020-00917-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2020] [Accepted: 08/13/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Although metabolic associate fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is associated with obesity, it can also occur in lean patients. MAFLD is more aggressive in lean patients compared to obese patients, with a higher risk of mortality. Specific biomarkers to diagnose differentially lean or overweight MAFLD are missing. Histones and nucleosomes are released in the bloodstream upon cell death. Here, we propose a new, fast, imaging and epigenetics based approach to investigate the severity of steatosis in lean MAFLD patients. Results A total of 53 non-obese patients with histologically confirmed diagnosis of MAFLD were recruited. Twenty patients displayed steatosis grade 1 (0–33%), 24 patients with steatosis grade 2 (34–66%) and 9 patients with steatosis grade 3 (67–100%). The levels of circulating nucleosomes were assayed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, while individual histones or histone dimers were assayed in serum samples by means of a new advanced flow cytometry ImageStream(X)-adapted method. Circulating nucleosome levels associated poorly with MAFLD in the absence of obesity. We implemented successfully a multi-channel flow methodology on ImageStream(X), to image single histone staining (H2A, H2B, H3, H4, macroH2A1.1 and macroH2A1.2). We report here a significant depletion of the levels of histone variants macroH2A1.1 and macroH2A1.2 in the serum of lean MAFLD patients, either individually or in complex with H2B. Conclusions In summary, we identified a new circulating histone signature able to discriminate the severity of steatosis in individuals with lean MAFLD, using a rapid and non-invasive ImageStream(X)-based imaging technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Buzova
- Department of Adaptive Biotechnologies, Global Change Research Institute CAS, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Andrea Maugeri
- International Clinical Research Center, St Anne's University Hospital, Brno, Czech Republic.,Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies "GF Ingrassia", University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Antonio Liguori
- Department of Gastroenterological, Endocrine-Metabolic and Nephro-Urological Sciences, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Cecilia Napodano
- Department of Gastroenterological, Endocrine-Metabolic and Nephro-Urological Sciences, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Oriana Lo Re
- International Clinical Research Center, St Anne's University Hospital, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jude Oben
- Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, Division of Medicine, University College London, London, UK
| | - Anna Alisi
- Research Unit of Molecular Genetics of Complex Phenotypes, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Gasbarrini
- Department of Gastroenterological, Endocrine-Metabolic and Nephro-Urological Sciences, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Grieco
- Department of Gastroenterological, Endocrine-Metabolic and Nephro-Urological Sciences, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Jan Cerveny
- Department of Adaptive Biotechnologies, Global Change Research Institute CAS, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Luca Miele
- Department of Gastroenterological, Endocrine-Metabolic and Nephro-Urological Sciences, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
| | - Manlio Vinciguerra
- International Clinical Research Center, St Anne's University Hospital, Brno, Czech Republic. .,Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, Division of Medicine, University College London, London, UK.
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Mazzoccoli G, Miele L, Marrone G, Mazza T, Vinciguerra M, Grieco A. A Role for the Biological Clock in Liver Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2019; 11:cancers11111778. [PMID: 31718031 PMCID: PMC6895918 DOI: 10.3390/cancers11111778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2019] [Revised: 11/06/2019] [Accepted: 11/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The biological clock controls at the molecular level several aspects of mammalian physiology, by regulating daily oscillations of crucial biological processes such as nutrient metabolism in the liver. Disruption of the circadian clock circuitry has recently been identified as an independent risk factor for cancer and classified as a potential group 2A carcinogen to humans. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the prevailing histological type of primary liver cancer, one of the most important causes of cancer-related death worldwide. HCC onset and progression is related to B and C viral hepatitis, alcoholic and especially non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)-related milieu of fibrosis, cirrhosis, and chronic inflammation. In this review, we recapitulate the state-of-the-art knowledge on the interplay between the biological clock and the oncogenic pathways and mechanisms involved in hepatocarcinogenesis. Finally, we propose how a deeper understanding of circadian clock circuitry–cancer pathways’ crosstalk is promising for developing new strategies for HCC prevention and management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianluigi Mazzoccoli
- Department of Medical Sciences and Chronobiology Laboratory, Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, 71013 San Giovanni Rotondo (FG), Italy
- Correspondence: (G.M.); (M.V.); Tel.: +0039-(0)-882-410255 (G.M.); +0042-(0)-5-11-158-277 (M.V.); Fax: +0039-(0)-882-410255 (G.M.)
| | - Luca Miele
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A Gemelli–IRCCS– Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, 00168 Rome, Italy; (L.M.); (G.M.); (A.G.)
| | - Giuseppe Marrone
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A Gemelli–IRCCS– Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, 00168 Rome, Italy; (L.M.); (G.M.); (A.G.)
| | - Tommaso Mazza
- Bioinformatics Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, 71013 San Giovanni Rotondo (FG), Italy;
| | - Manlio Vinciguerra
- International Clinical Research Center (FNUSA-ICRC), St. Anne’s University Hospital, 65691 Brno, Czech Republic
- Correspondence: (G.M.); (M.V.); Tel.: +0039-(0)-882-410255 (G.M.); +0042-(0)-5-11-158-277 (M.V.); Fax: +0039-(0)-882-410255 (G.M.)
| | - Antonio Grieco
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A Gemelli–IRCCS– Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, 00168 Rome, Italy; (L.M.); (G.M.); (A.G.)
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Giallongo S, Lo Re O, Vinciguerra M. Macro Histone Variants: Emerging Rheostats of Gastrointestinal Cancers. Cancers (Basel) 2019; 11:cancers11050676. [PMID: 31096699 PMCID: PMC6562817 DOI: 10.3390/cancers11050676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2019] [Accepted: 05/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Gastrointestinal cancers (GC) are malignancies involving the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and accessory organs of the digestive system, including the pancreas, liver, and gall bladder. GC is one of the most common cancers and contributes to more cancer-related deaths than cancers of any other system in the human body. Causative factors of GC have been consistently attributed to infections, smoking, an unhealthy diet, obesity, diabetes, and genetic factors. More recently, aberrant epigenetic regulation of gene expression has emerged as a new, fundamental pathway in GC pathogenesis. In this review, we summarize the role of the macroH2A histone family in GI cell function and malignant transformation, and highlight how this histone family may open up novel biomarkers for cancer detection, prediction, and response to treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastiano Giallongo
- International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital, 656 91 Brno, Czech Republic.
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic.
| | - Oriana Lo Re
- International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital, 656 91 Brno, Czech Republic.
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic.
| | - Manlio Vinciguerra
- International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital, 656 91 Brno, Czech Republic.
- Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, Division of Medicine, University College London (UCL), London NW32PF, UK.
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Cecchinato A, Macciotta NPP, Mele M, Tagliapietra F, Schiavon S, Bittante G, Pegolo S. Genetic and genomic analyses of latent variables related to the milk fatty acid profile, milk composition, and udder health in dairy cattle. J Dairy Sci 2019; 102:5254-5265. [PMID: 30904297 DOI: 10.3168/jds.2018-15867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2018] [Accepted: 03/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to perform genetic, genome-wide association (GWAS), and gene-set enrichment analyses with latent variables related to milk fatty acid profile (i.e., fatty acids factor scores; FAF), milk composition, and udder health in a cohort of 1,158 Italian Brown Swiss cows. The phenotypes under study were 12 FAF previously identified through factor analysis and classified as follows: de novo FA (F1), branched-chain FA-milk yield (F2), biohydrogenation (F3), long-chain fatty acids (F4), desaturation (F5), short-chain fatty acids (F6), milk protein and fat contents (F7), odd fatty acids (F8), conjugated linoleic acids (F9), linoleic acid (F10), udder health (F11) and vaccelenic acid (F12). (Co)variance components were estimated for factor scores using a Bayesian linear animal model via Gibbs sampling. The animals were genotyped with the Illumina BovineSNP50 BeadChip v.2 (Illumina Inc., San Diego, CA). A single marker regression model was fitted for GWAS analysis. The gene-set enrichment analysis was run on the GWAS results using the Gene Ontology and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway databases to identify the ontologies and pathways associated with the FAF. Marginal posterior means of the heritabilities of the aforementioned FAF ranged from 0.048 for F12 to 0.310 for F5. Factors F1 and F6 had the highest number of relevant genetic correlations with the other traits. The genomic analysis detected a total of 39 significant SNP located on 17 Bos taurus autosomes. All latent variables produced signals except for F2 and F10. The traits with the highest number of significant associations were F11 (17) and F12 (7). Gene-set enrichment analyses identified significant pathways (false discovery rate 5%) for F3 and F7. In particular, systemic lupus erythematosus was enriched for F3, whereas the MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) signaling pathway was overrepresented for F7. The results support the existence of important and exploitable genetic and genomic variation in these latent explanatory phenotypes. Information acquired might be exploited in selection programs and when designing further studies on the role of the putative candidate genes identified in the regulation of milk composition and udder health.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Cecchinato
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural resources, Animals and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padova, Viale dell'Università 16, 35020 Legnaro, Padova, Italy.
| | - N P P Macciotta
- Dipartimento di Agraria, Sezione Scienze Zootecniche, Università di Sassari, Via de Nicola 9, 07100 Sassari, Italy
| | - M Mele
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari, Agro-ambientali, Università di Pisa, Via del Borghetto, 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - F Tagliapietra
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural resources, Animals and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padova, Viale dell'Università 16, 35020 Legnaro, Padova, Italy
| | - S Schiavon
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural resources, Animals and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padova, Viale dell'Università 16, 35020 Legnaro, Padova, Italy
| | - G Bittante
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural resources, Animals and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padova, Viale dell'Università 16, 35020 Legnaro, Padova, Italy
| | - S Pegolo
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural resources, Animals and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padova, Viale dell'Università 16, 35020 Legnaro, Padova, Italy
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Lo Re O, Vinciguerra M. Histone MacroH2A1: A Chromatin Point of Intersection between Fasting, Senescence and Cellular Regeneration. Genes (Basel) 2017; 8:genes8120367. [PMID: 29206173 PMCID: PMC5748685 DOI: 10.3390/genes8120367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2017] [Revised: 11/27/2017] [Accepted: 11/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Histone variants confer chromatin unique properties. They have specific genomic distribution, regulated by specific deposition and removal machineries. Histone variants, mostly of canonical histones H2A, H2B and H3, have important roles in early embryonic development, in lineage commitment of stem cells, in the converse process of somatic cell reprogramming to pluripotency and, in some cases, in the modulation of animal aging and life span. MacroH2A1 is a variant of histone H2A, present in two alternatively exon-spliced isoforms macroH2A1.1 and macroH2A1.2, regulating cell plasticity and proliferation, during pluripotency and tumorigenesis. Furthermore, macroH2A1 participates in the formation of senescence-associated heterochromatic foci (SAHF) in senescent cells, and multiple lines of evidence in genetically modified mice suggest that macroH2A1 integrates nutritional cues from the extracellular environment to transcriptional programs. Here, we review current molecular evidence based on next generation sequencing data, cell assays and in vivo models supporting different mechanisms that could mediate the function of macroH2A1 in health span and life span. We will further discuss context-dependent and isoform-specific functions. The aim of this review is to provide guidance to assess histone variant macroH2A1 potential as a therapeutic intervention point.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oriana Lo Re
- Center for Translational Medicine, International Clinical Research Center, St'Anne University Hospital, Brno 656 91, Czech Republic.
- Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno 656 91, Czech Republic.
| | - Manlio Vinciguerra
- Center for Translational Medicine, International Clinical Research Center, St'Anne University Hospital, Brno 656 91, Czech Republic.
- Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno 656 91, Czech Republic.
- Division of Medicine, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London (UCL), London WC1E 6BT, UK.
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8
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Pazienza V, Panebianco C, Rappa F, Memoli D, Borghesan M, Cannito S, Oji A, Mazza G, Tamburrino D, Fusai G, Barone R, Bolasco G, Villarroya F, Villarroya J, Hatsuzawa K, Cappello F, Tarallo R, Nakanishi T, Vinciguerra M. Histone macroH2A1.2 promotes metabolic health and leanness by inhibiting adipogenesis. Epigenetics Chromatin 2016; 9:45. [PMID: 27800025 PMCID: PMC5078890 DOI: 10.1186/s13072-016-0098-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2016] [Accepted: 10/17/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Obesity has tremendous impact on the health systems. Its epigenetic bases are unclear. MacroH2A1 is a variant of histone H2A, present in two alternatively exon-spliced isoforms macroH2A1.1 and macroH2A1.2, regulating cell plasticity and proliferation, during pluripotency and tumorigenesis. Their role in adipose tissue plasticity is unknown. Results Here, we show evidence that macroH2A1.1 protein levels in the visceral adipose tissue of obese humans positively correlate with BMI, while macroH2A1.2 is nearly absent. We thus introduced a constitutive GFP-tagged transgene for macroH2A1.2 in mice, and we characterized their metabolic health upon being fed a standard chow diet or a high fat diet. Despite unchanged food intake, these mice exhibit lower adipose mass and improved glucose metabolism both under a chow and an obesogenic diet. In the latter regimen, transgenic mice display smaller pancreatic islets and significantly less inflammation. MacroH2A1.2 overexpression in the mouse adipose tissue induced dramatic changes in the transcript levels of key adipogenic genes; genomic analyses comparing pre-adipocytes to mature adipocytes uncovered only minor changes in macroH2A1.2 genomic distribution upon adipogenic differentiation and suggested differential cooperation with transcription factors. MacroH2A1.2 overexpression markedly inhibited adipogenesis, while overexpression of macroH2A1.1 had opposite effects. Conclusions MacroH2A1.2 is an unprecedented chromatin component powerfully promoting metabolic health by modulating anti-adipogenic transcriptional networks in the differentiating adipose tissue. Strategies aiming at enhancing macroH2A1.2 expression might counteract excessive adiposity in humans. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13072-016-0098-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valerio Pazienza
- Gastroenterology Unit, IRCCS "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza" Hospital, 71013 San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | - Concetta Panebianco
- Gastroenterology Unit, IRCCS "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza" Hospital, 71013 San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | - Francesca Rappa
- Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Section of Human Anatomy, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy ; Department of Legal, Society and Sport Sciences, University of Palermo, 90133 Palermo, Italy ; Euro-Mediterranean Institute of Science and Technology (IEMEST), 90146 Palermo, Italy
| | - Domenico Memoli
- Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Genomics, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry 'Schola Medica Salernitana', University of Salerno, 84081 Baronissi, SA Italy
| | - Michela Borghesan
- Gastroenterology Unit, IRCCS "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza" Hospital, 71013 San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy ; Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London (UCL), Royal Free Hospital, London, NW3 2PF UK
| | - Sara Cannito
- Gastroenterology Unit, IRCCS "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza" Hospital, 71013 San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | - Asami Oji
- Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, 5650871 Japan
| | - Giuseppe Mazza
- Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London (UCL), Royal Free Hospital, London, NW3 2PF UK
| | - Domenico Tamburrino
- Centre for HPB Surgery and Liver Transplantation, Royal Free Hospital, London, NW3 2QG UK
| | - Giuseppe Fusai
- Centre for HPB Surgery and Liver Transplantation, Royal Free Hospital, London, NW3 2QG UK
| | - Rosario Barone
- Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Section of Human Anatomy, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy ; Euro-Mediterranean Institute of Science and Technology (IEMEST), 90146 Palermo, Italy
| | - Giulia Bolasco
- Mouse Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), 00015 Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Francesc Villarroya
- Departament de Bioquimica i Biologia Molecular, Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), and CIBER Fisiopatologia de la Obesidad y Nutricion, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, 08007 Spain ; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN) ISCIII, Madrid, Spain
| | - Joan Villarroya
- Departament de Bioquimica i Biologia Molecular, Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), and CIBER Fisiopatologia de la Obesidad y Nutricion, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, 08007 Spain ; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN) ISCIII, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Francesco Cappello
- Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Section of Human Anatomy, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy ; Euro-Mediterranean Institute of Science and Technology (IEMEST), 90146 Palermo, Italy
| | - Roberta Tarallo
- Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Genomics, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry 'Schola Medica Salernitana', University of Salerno, 84081 Baronissi, SA Italy
| | - Tomoko Nakanishi
- Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, Yonago, 683-8503 Japan ; The Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 108-8639 Japan
| | - Manlio Vinciguerra
- Gastroenterology Unit, IRCCS "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza" Hospital, 71013 San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy ; Euro-Mediterranean Institute of Science and Technology (IEMEST), 90146 Palermo, Italy ; Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London (UCL), Royal Free Hospital, London, NW3 2PF UK ; Center for Translational Medicine (CTM), International Clinical Research Center (ICRC), St. Anne's University Hospital, Brno, 656 91 Czech Republic
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9
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Jueliger S, Lyons J, Cannito S, Pata I, Pata P, Shkolnaya M, Lo Re O, Peyrou M, Villarroya F, Pazienza V, Rappa F, Cappello F, Azab M, Taverna P, Vinciguerra M. Efficacy and epigenetic interactions of novel DNA hypomethylating agent guadecitabine (SGI-110) in preclinical models of hepatocellular carcinoma. Epigenetics 2016; 11:709-720. [PMID: 27646854 PMCID: PMC5094635 DOI: 10.1080/15592294.2016.1214781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a deadly malignancy characterized at the epigenetic level by global DNA hypomethylation and focal hypermethylation on the promoter of tumor suppressor genes. In most cases it develops on a background of liver steatohepatitis, fibrosis, and cirrhosis. Guadecitabine (SGI-110) is a second-generation hypomethylating agent, which inhibits DNA methyltransferases. Guadecitabine is formulated as a dinucleotide of decitabine and deoxyguanosine that is resistant to cytidine deaminase (CDA) degradation and results in prolonged in vivo exposure to decitabine following small volume subcutaneous administration of guadecitabine. Here we found that guadecitabine is an effective demethylating agent and is able to prevent HCC progression in pre-clinical models. In a xenograft HCC HepG2 model, guadecitabine impeded tumor growth and inhibited angiogenesis, while it could not prevent liver fibrosis and inflammation in a mouse model of steatohepatitis. Demethylating efficacy of guadecitabine on LINE-1 elements was found to be the highest 8 d post-infusion in blood samples of mice. Analysis of a panel of human HCC vs. normal tissue revealed a signature of hypermethylated tumor suppressor genes (CDKN1A, CDKN2A, DLEC1, E2F1, GSTP1, OPCML, E2F1, RASSF1, RUNX3, and SOCS1) as detected by methylation-specific PCR. A pronounced demethylating effect of guadecitabine was obtained also in the promoters of a subset of tumor suppressors genes (CDKN2A, DLEC1, and RUNX3) in HepG2 and Huh-7 HCC cells. Finally, we analyzed the role of macroH2A1, a variant of histone H2A, an oncogene upregulated in human cirrhosis/HCC that synergizes with DNA methylation in suppressing tumor suppressor genes, and it prevents the inhibition of cell growth triggered by decitabine in HCC cells. Guadecitabine, in contrast to decitabine, blocked growth in HCC cells overexpressing macroH2A1 histones and with high CDA levels, despite being unable to fully demethylate CDKN2A, RUNX3, and DLEC1 promoters altered by macroH2A1. Collectively, our findings in human and mice models reveal novel epigenetic anti-HCC effects of guadecitabine, which might be effective specifically in advanced states of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - John Lyons
- a Astex Pharmaceuticals , Cambridge , UK
| | - Sara Cannito
- b Gastroenterology Unit, IRCCS "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza" Hospital , San Giovanni Rotondo , Italy.,c Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London (UCL), Royal Free Hospital , London , UK
| | - Illar Pata
- d Department of Gene Technology , Tallinn University of Technology (TTU), IVEX Lab , Tallinn , Estonia
| | - Pille Pata
- d Department of Gene Technology , Tallinn University of Technology (TTU), IVEX Lab , Tallinn , Estonia
| | - Marianna Shkolnaya
- d Department of Gene Technology , Tallinn University of Technology (TTU), IVEX Lab , Tallinn , Estonia
| | - Oriana Lo Re
- e Center for Translational Medicine (CTM), International Clinical Research Center (ICRC), St. Anne's University Hospital , Brno , Czech Republic
| | - Marion Peyrou
- f Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular , Institute of Biomedicine (IBUB), University of Barcelona , Barcelona , Spain
| | - Francesc Villarroya
- f Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular , Institute of Biomedicine (IBUB), University of Barcelona , Barcelona , Spain
| | - Valerio Pazienza
- b Gastroenterology Unit, IRCCS "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza" Hospital , San Giovanni Rotondo , Italy
| | - Francesca Rappa
- g Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences , Section of Human Anatomy, University of Palermo , Palermo , Italy.,h Euro-Mediterranean Institute of Science and Technology (IEMEST) , Palermo , Italy
| | - Francesco Cappello
- g Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences , Section of Human Anatomy, University of Palermo , Palermo , Italy.,h Euro-Mediterranean Institute of Science and Technology (IEMEST) , Palermo , Italy
| | | | | | - Manlio Vinciguerra
- b Gastroenterology Unit, IRCCS "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza" Hospital , San Giovanni Rotondo , Italy.,c Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London (UCL), Royal Free Hospital , London , UK.,e Center for Translational Medicine (CTM), International Clinical Research Center (ICRC), St. Anne's University Hospital , Brno , Czech Republic.,h Euro-Mediterranean Institute of Science and Technology (IEMEST) , Palermo , Italy
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10
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Yu Y, Chen J, Gao Y, Gao J, Liao R, Wang Y, Oyang C, Li E, Zeng C, Zhou S, Yang P, Jin H, Yi W. Quantitative Profiling of Combinational K27/K36 Modifications on Histone H3 Variants in Mouse Organs. J Proteome Res 2016; 15:1070-9. [PMID: 26799478 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.5b01164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The coexisting post-translational modifications (PTMs) on histone H3 N-terminal tails were known to crosstalk between each other, indicating their interdependency in the epigenetic regulation pathways. H3K36 methylation, an important activating mark, was recently reported to antagonize with PRC2-mediated H3K27 methylation with possible crosstalk mechanism during transcription regulation process. On the basis of our previous studies, we further integrated RP/HILIC liquid chromatography with MRM mass spectrometry to quantify histone PTMs from various mouse organs, especially the combinatorial K27/K36 marks for all three major histone H3 variants. Despite their subtle difference in physicochemical properties, we successfully obtained decent separation and high detection sensitivity for both histone H3.3 specific peptides and histone H3.1/3.2 specific peptides. In addition, the overall abundance of H3.3 can be quantified simultaneously. We applied this method to investigate the pattern of the combinatorial K27/K36 marks for all three major histone H3 variants across five mouse organs. Intriguing distribution differences were observed not only between different H3 variants but also between different organs. Our data shed the new insights into histone codes functions in epigenetic regulation during cell differentiation and developmental process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanyan Yu
- China Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research Co. Ltd. , Building 8, Lane 898 Halei Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Jiajia Chen
- Department of Chemistry & Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University , 220 Handan Road, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Yuan Gao
- China Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research Co. Ltd. , Building 8, Lane 898 Halei Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Jun Gao
- China Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research Co. Ltd. , Building 8, Lane 898 Halei Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Rijing Liao
- China Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research Co. Ltd. , Building 8, Lane 898 Halei Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Yi Wang
- Department of Chemistry & Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University , 220 Handan Road, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Counde Oyang
- China Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research Co. Ltd. , Building 8, Lane 898 Halei Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - En Li
- China Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research Co. Ltd. , Building 8, Lane 898 Halei Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Chenhui Zeng
- China Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research Co. Ltd. , Building 8, Lane 898 Halei Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Shaolian Zhou
- China Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research Co. Ltd. , Building 8, Lane 898 Halei Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Pengyuan Yang
- Department of Chemistry & Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University , 220 Handan Road, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Hong Jin
- Department of Chemistry & Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University , 220 Handan Road, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Wei Yi
- China Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research Co. Ltd. , Building 8, Lane 898 Halei Road, Shanghai 201203, China
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11
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Borghesan M, Fusilli C, Rappa F, Panebianco C, Rizzo G, Oben JA, Mazzoccoli G, Faulkes C, Pata I, Agodi A, Rezaee F, Minogue S, Warren A, Peterson A, Sedivy JM, Douet J, Buschbeck M, Cappello F, Mazza T, Pazienza V, Vinciguerra M. DNA Hypomethylation and Histone Variant macroH2A1 Synergistically Attenuate Chemotherapy-Induced Senescence to Promote Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progression. Cancer Res 2016; 76:594-606. [PMID: 26772755 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-15-1336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2015] [Accepted: 11/02/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Aging is a major risk factor for progression of liver diseases to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Cellular senescence contributes to age-related tissue dysfunction, but the epigenetic basis underlying drug-induced senescence remains unclear. macroH2A1, a variant of histone H2A, is a marker of senescence-associated heterochromatic foci that synergizes with DNA methylation to silence tumor-suppressor genes in human fibroblasts. In this study, we investigated the relationship between macroH2A1 splice variants, macroH2A1.1 and macroH2A1.2, and liver carcinogenesis. We found that protein levels of both macroH2A1 isoforms were increased in the livers of very elderly rodents and humans, and were robust immunohistochemical markers of human cirrhosis and HCC. In response to the chemotherapeutic and DNA-demethylating agent 5-aza-deoxycytidine (5-aza-dC), transgenic expression of macroH2A1 isoforms in HCC cell lines prevented the emergence of a senescent-like phenotype and induced synergistic global DNA hypomethylation. Conversely, macroH2A1 depletion amplified the antiproliferative effects of 5-aza-dC in HCC cells, but failed to enhance senescence. Senescence-associated secretory phenotype and whole-transcriptome analyses implicated the p38 MAPK/IL8 pathway in mediating macroH2A1-dependent escape of HCC cells from chemotherapy-induced senescence. Furthermore, chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing revealed that this hepatic antisenescence state also required active transcription that could not be attributed to genomic occupancy of these histones. Collectively, our findings reveal a new mechanism by which drug-induced senescence is epigenetically regulated by macroH2A1 and DNA methylation and suggest macroH2A1 as a novel biomarker of hepatic senescence that could potentially predict prognosis and disease progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michela Borghesan
- Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, Royal Free Hospital, University College London, London, United Kingdom. Division of Internal Medicine, Department of Medical Sciences, IRCCS "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza" Hospital, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | - Caterina Fusilli
- Bioinformatics Unit, IRCCS "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza"-Mendel Laboratory, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Rappa
- Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Section of Human Anatomy, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Concetta Panebianco
- Gastroenterology Unit, IRCCS "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza" Hospital, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | - Giovanni Rizzo
- Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, Royal Free Hospital, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jude A Oben
- Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, Royal Free Hospital, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Gianluigi Mazzoccoli
- Division of Internal Medicine, Department of Medical Sciences, IRCCS "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza" Hospital, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | - Chris Faulkes
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Illar Pata
- Department of Gene Technology, Tallinn University of Technology (TTU), IVEX Lab, Tallinn, Estonia
| | - Antonella Agodi
- Department GF Ingrassia, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Farhad Rezaee
- Department of Cell Biology, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Shane Minogue
- Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, Royal Free Hospital, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Alessandra Warren
- Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, Royal Free Hospital, University College London, London, United Kingdom. Centre for Education and Research on Aging (CERA) and the ANZAC Research Institute, Concord RG Hospital, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Abigail Peterson
- Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
| | - John M Sedivy
- Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
| | - Julien Douet
- Institute for Predictive and Personalized Medicine of Cancer, Campus Can Ruti, Badalona, Spain. Josep Carreras Institute for Leukaemia Research, Campus ICO-HGTP, Campus Can Ruti, Badalona, Spain
| | - Marcus Buschbeck
- Institute for Predictive and Personalized Medicine of Cancer, Campus Can Ruti, Badalona, Spain. Josep Carreras Institute for Leukaemia Research, Campus ICO-HGTP, Campus Can Ruti, Badalona, Spain
| | - Francesco Cappello
- Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Section of Human Anatomy, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy. Euro-Mediterranean Institute of Science and Technology (IEMEST), Palermo, Italy
| | - Tommaso Mazza
- Bioinformatics Unit, IRCCS "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza"-Mendel Laboratory, Rome, Italy
| | - Valerio Pazienza
- Gastroenterology Unit, IRCCS "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza" Hospital, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | - Manlio Vinciguerra
- Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, Royal Free Hospital, University College London, London, United Kingdom. Gastroenterology Unit, IRCCS "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza" Hospital, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy. Euro-Mediterranean Institute of Science and Technology (IEMEST), Palermo, Italy. School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, United Kingdom.
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