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Wenqiang D, Novin A, Liu Y, Afzal J, Suhail Y, Liu S, Gavin NR, Jorgensen JR, Morosky CM, Figueroa R, Schmidt TA, Sanders M, Brewer MA, Kshitiz. Scar matrix drives Piezo1 mediated stromal inflammation leading to placenta accreta spectrum. Nat Commun 2024; 15:8379. [PMID: 39333481 PMCID: PMC11436960 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-52351-0] [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: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 09/03/2024] [Indexed: 09/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Scar tissue formation is a hallmark of wound repair in adults and can chronically affect tissue architecture and function. To understand the general phenomena, we sought to explore scar-driven imbalance in tissue homeostasis caused by a common, and standardized surgical procedure, the uterine scar due to cesarean surgery. Deep uterine scar is associated with a rapidly increasing condition in pregnant women, placenta accreta spectrum (PAS), characterized by aggressive trophoblast invasion into the uterus, frequently necessitating hysterectomy at parturition. We created a model of uterine scar, recapitulating PAS-like invasive phenotype, showing that scar matrix activates mechanosensitive ion channel, Piezo1, through glycolysis-fueled cellular contraction. Piezo1 activation increases intracellular calcium activity and Protein kinase C activation, leading to NF-κB nuclear translocation, and MafG stabilization. This inflammatory transformation of decidua leads to production of IL-8 and G-CSF, chemotactically recruiting invading trophoblasts towards scar, initiating PAS. Our study demonstrates aberrant mechanics of scar disturbs stroma-epithelia homeostasis in placentation, with implications in cancer dissemination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Du Wenqiang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Ashkan Novin
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Yamin Liu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Junaid Afzal
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Yasir Suhail
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Shaofei Liu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Nicole R Gavin
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT, USA
| | - Jennifer R Jorgensen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT, USA
| | - Christopher M Morosky
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT, USA
| | - Reinaldo Figueroa
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center, Hartford, CT, USA
| | - Tannin A Schmidt
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT, USA
| | - Melinda Sanders
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT, USA
- Department of Pathology, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT, USA
| | - Molly A Brewer
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT, USA
| | - Kshitiz
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT, USA.
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.
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2
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Gonzalez TL, Willson BE, Wang ET, Taylor KD, Novoa A, Swarna A, Ortiz JC, Zeno GJ, Jefferies CA, Lawrenson K, Rotter JI, Chen YDI, Williams J, Cui J, Goodarzi MO, Pisarska MD. Sexually dimorphic DNA methylation and gene expression patterns in human first trimester placenta. Biol Sex Differ 2024; 15:63. [PMID: 39152463 PMCID: PMC11328442 DOI: 10.1186/s13293-024-00629-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 06/19/2024] [Indexed: 08/19/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Fetal sex and placental development impact pregnancy outcomes and fetal-maternal health, but the critical timepoint of placenta establishment in first trimester is understudied in human pregnancies. METHODS Pregnant subjects were recruited in late first trimester (weeks 10-14) at time of chorionic villus sampling, a prenatal diagnostic test. Leftover placenta tissue was collected and stored until birth outcomes were known, then DNA and RNA were isolated from singleton, normal karyotype pregnancies resulting in live births. DNA methylation was measured with the Illumina Infinium MethylationEPIC BeadChip array (n = 56). Differential methylation analysis compared 25 females versus 31 males using a generalized linear model on 743,461 autosomal probes. Gene expression sex differences were analyzed with RNA-sequencing (n = 74). An integrated analysis was performed using linear regression to correlate gene expression and DNA methylation in 51 overlapping placentas. RESULTS Methylation analysis identified 151 differentially methylated probes (DMPs) significant at false discovery rate < 0.05, including 89 (59%) hypermethylated in females. Probe cg17612569 (GABPA, ATP5J) was the most significant CpG site, hypermethylated in males. There were 11 differentially methylated regions affected by fetal sex, with transcription factors ZNF300 and ZNF311 most significantly hypermethylated in males and females, respectively. RNA-sequencing identified 152 genes significantly sexually dimorphic at false discovery rate < 0.05. The 151 DMPs were associated with 18 genes with gene downregulation (P < 0.05) in the direction of hypermethylation, including 2 genes significant at false discovery rate < 0.05 (ZNF300 and CUB and Sushi multiple domains 1, CSMD1). Both genes, as well as Family With Sequence Similarity 228 Member A (FAM228A), showed significant correlation between DNA methylation and sexually dimorphic gene expression, though FAM228A DNA methylation was less sexually dimorphic. Comparison with other sex differences studies found that cg17612569 is male-hypermethylated across gestation in placenta and in human blood up to adulthood. CONCLUSIONS Overall, sex dimorphic differential methylation with associated differential gene expression in the first trimester placenta is small, but there remain significant genes that may be regulated through methylation leading to differences in the first trimester placenta.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tania L Gonzalez
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 8635 West 3rd Street, Suite 160, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA
| | - Bryn E Willson
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 8635 West 3rd Street, Suite 160, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA
| | - Erica T Wang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 8635 West 3rd Street, Suite 160, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA
- David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Kent D Taylor
- The Institute for Translational Genomics and Population Sciences, Department of Pediatrics, The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA, USA
| | - Allynson Novoa
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 8635 West 3rd Street, Suite 160, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA
| | - Akhila Swarna
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 8635 West 3rd Street, Suite 160, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA
| | - Juanita C Ortiz
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 8635 West 3rd Street, Suite 160, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA
| | - Gianna J Zeno
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 8635 West 3rd Street, Suite 160, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA
| | - Caroline A Jefferies
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Kao Autoimmune Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Kate Lawrenson
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 8635 West 3rd Street, Suite 160, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA
- Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jerome I Rotter
- The Institute for Translational Genomics and Population Sciences, Department of Pediatrics, The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA, USA
| | - Yii-Der Ida Chen
- The Institute for Translational Genomics and Population Sciences, Department of Pediatrics, The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA, USA
| | - John Williams
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 8635 West 3rd Street, Suite 160, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA
- David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jinrui Cui
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Mark O Goodarzi
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Margareta D Pisarska
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 8635 West 3rd Street, Suite 160, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA.
- David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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Tomizawa Y, Wali KH, Surti M, Suhail Y, Kshitiz, Hoshino K. Lightsheet microscopy integrates single-cell optical visco-elastography and fluorescence cytometry of 3D live tissues. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.20.590392. [PMID: 38766194 PMCID: PMC11100606 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.20.590392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
Most common cytometry methods, including flow cytometry, observe suspended or fixed cells and cannot evaluate their structural roles in 3D tissues. However, cellular physical interactions are critical in physiological, developmental, and pathological processes. Here, we present a novel optical visco-elastography that characterizes single-cellular physical interactions by applying in-situ micro-mechanical perturbation to live microtissues under 3D lightsheet microscopy. The 4D digital image correlation (DIC) analysis of ~20,000 nodes tracked the compressive deformation of 3D tissues containing ~500 cells. The computational 3D image segmentation allowed cell-by-cell qualitative observation and statistical analysis, directly correlating multi-channel fluorescence and viscoelasticity. To represent epithelia-stroma interactions, we used a 3D organoid model of maternal-fetal interface and visualized solid-like, well-aligned displacement and liquid-like random motion between individual cells. The statistical analysis through our unique cytometry confirmed that endometrial stromal fibroblasts stiffen in response to decidualization. Moreover, we demonstrated in the 3D model that interaction with placental extravillous trophoblasts partially reverses the attained stiffness, which was supported by the gene expression analysis. Placentation shares critical cellular and molecular significance with various fundamental biological events such as cancer metastasis, wound healing, and gastrulation. Our analysis confirmed existing beliefs and discovered new insights, proving the broad applicability of our method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuji Tomizawa
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut, CT
| | - Khadija H Wali
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut Health, Farmington, CT
| | - Manav Surti
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut, CT
| | - Yasir Suhail
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut Health, Farmington, CT
| | - Kshitiz
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut Health, Farmington, CT
- Systems Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, CT
| | - Kazunori Hoshino
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut, CT
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4
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Novin A, Wali K, Pant A, Liu S, Du W, Liu Y, Wang L, Xu M, Wang B, Suhail Y, Kshitiz. Oscillatory Hypoxia Can Induce Senescence of Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Potentiating Invasive Transformation of Breast Epithelial Cells. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:969. [PMID: 38473331 PMCID: PMC10930887 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16050969] [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: 01/01/2024] [Revised: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Obesity is strongly associated with occurrence, metastasis, and resistance to therapy in breast cancers, which also exhibit high adipose content in the tumor microenvironment. Adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (ASCs) are recruited to breast cancer by many mechanisms, including hypoxia, and contribute to metastatic transition of the cancer. Breast cancers are characterized by regions of hypoxia, which can be temporally unstable owing to a mismatch between oxygen supply and consumption. Using a high-sensitivity nanopatterned stromal invasion assay, we found that ASCs could promote stromal invasion of not only breast cancer cell lines but also MCF10A1, a cell line derived from untransformed breast epithelium. RNA sequencing of MCF10A1 cells conditioned with medium from ASCs revealed upregulation of genes associated with increased cell migration, chemotaxis, and metastasis. Furthermore, we found that fluctuating or oscillating hypoxia could induce senescence in ASCs, which could result in an increased invasive potential in the treated MCF10A1 cells. These findings highlight the complex interplay within the breast cancer microenvironment, hypoxia, and the role of ASCs in transforming even non-cancerous breast epithelium toward an invasive phenotype, providing insights into early metastatic events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashkan Novin
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA; (A.N.); (K.W.); (A.P.); (S.L.); (Y.S.)
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut Health, Farmington, CT 06032, USA; (W.D.); (Y.L.)
| | - Khadija Wali
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA; (A.N.); (K.W.); (A.P.); (S.L.); (Y.S.)
| | - Aditya Pant
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA; (A.N.); (K.W.); (A.P.); (S.L.); (Y.S.)
| | - Shaofei Liu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA; (A.N.); (K.W.); (A.P.); (S.L.); (Y.S.)
| | - Wenqiang Du
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut Health, Farmington, CT 06032, USA; (W.D.); (Y.L.)
| | - Yamin Liu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut Health, Farmington, CT 06032, USA; (W.D.); (Y.L.)
| | - Lichao Wang
- Department of Immunology, University of Connecticut Health, Farmington, CT 06032, USA; (L.W.); (M.X.)
| | - Ming Xu
- Department of Immunology, University of Connecticut Health, Farmington, CT 06032, USA; (L.W.); (M.X.)
- Center for Aging Research, University of Connecticut Health, Farmington, CT 06032, USA;
| | - Binsheng Wang
- Center for Aging Research, University of Connecticut Health, Farmington, CT 06032, USA;
| | - Yasir Suhail
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA; (A.N.); (K.W.); (A.P.); (S.L.); (Y.S.)
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut Health, Farmington, CT 06032, USA; (W.D.); (Y.L.)
| | - Kshitiz
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA; (A.N.); (K.W.); (A.P.); (S.L.); (Y.S.)
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut Health, Farmington, CT 06032, USA; (W.D.); (Y.L.)
- NEAG Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut Health, Farmington, CT 06032, USA
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5
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Dighe A, Maziarz J, Ibrahim-Hashim A, Gatenby RA, Kshitiz, Levchenko A, Wagner GP. Experimental and phylogenetic evidence for correlated gene expression evolution in endometrial and skin fibroblasts. iScience 2024; 27:108593. [PMID: 38174318 PMCID: PMC10762354 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2023] [Revised: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Gene expression change is a dominant mode of evolution. Mutations, however, can affect gene expression in multiple cell types. Therefore, gene expression evolution in one cell type can lead to similar gene expression changes in another cell type. Here, we test this hypothesis by investigating dermal skin fibroblasts (SFs) and uterine endometrial stromal fibroblasts (ESFs). The comparative dataset consists of transcriptomes from cultured SF and ESF of nine mammalian species. We find that evolutionary changes in gene expression in SF and ESF are highly correlated. The experimental dataset derives from a SCID mouse strain selected for slow cancer growth leading to substantial gene expression changes in SFs. We compared the gene expression profiles of SF with that of ESF and found a significant correlation between them. We discuss the implications of these findings for the evolutionary correlation between placental invasiveness and vulnerability to metastatic cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anasuya Dighe
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Systems Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, CT, USA
| | - Jamie Maziarz
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Systems Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, CT, USA
| | | | | | - Kshitiz
- Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT, USA
| | - Andre Levchenko
- Systems Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Günter P. Wagner
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Systems Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna, Djerassi Platz 1, Vienna A-1030, Austria
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6
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Rodriguez-Caro F, Moore EC, Good JM. Evolution of parent-of-origin effects on placental gene expression in house mice. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.24.554674. [PMID: 37662315 PMCID: PMC10473692 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.24.554674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
The mammalian placenta is a hotspot for the evolution of genomic imprinting, a form of gene regulation that involves the parent-specific epigenetic silencing of one allele. Imprinted genes are central to placental development and are thought to contribute to the evolution of reproductive barriers between species. However, it is unclear how rapidly imprinting evolves or how functional specialization among placental tissues influences the evolution of imprinted expression. We compared parent-of-origin expression bias across functionally distinct placental layers sampled from reciprocal crosses within three closely related lineages of mice ( Mus ). Using genome-wide gene expression and DNA methylation data from fetal and maternal tissues, we developed an analytical strategy to minimize pervasive bias introduced by maternal contamination of placenta samples. We corroborated imprinted expression at 42 known imprinted genes and identified five candidate imprinted genes showing parent-of-origin specific expression and DNA methylation. Paternally-biased expression was enriched in the labyrinth zone, a layer specialized in nutrient transfer, and maternally-biased genes were enriched in the junctional zone, which specializes in modulation of maternal physiology. Differentially methylated regions were predominantly determined through epigenetic modification of the maternal genome and were associated with both maternally- and paternally-biased gene expression. Lastly, comparisons between lineages revealed a small set of co-regulated genes showing rapid divergence in expression levels and imprinted status in the M. m. domesticus lineage. Together, our results reveal important links between core functional elements of placental biology and the evolution of imprinted gene expression among closely related rodent species.
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7
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Abstract
Embryo implantation in humans is interstitial, meaning the entire conceptus embeds in the endometrium before the placental trophoblast invades beyond the uterine mucosa into the underlying inner myometrium. Once implanted, embryo survival pivots on the transformation of the endometrium into an anti-inflammatory placental bed, termed decidua, under homeostatic control of uterine natural killer cells. Here, we examine the evolutionary context of embryo implantation and elaborate on uterine remodelling before and after conception in humans. We also discuss the interactions between the embryo and the decidualising endometrium that regulate interstitial implantation and determine embryo fitness. Together, this Review highlights the precarious but adaptable nature of the implantation process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanne Muter
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV2 2DX, UK
- Tommy's National Centre for Miscarriage Research, University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire NHS Trust, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV2 2DX, UK
| | - Vincent J. Lynch
- Department of Biological Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14260-4610, USA
| | - Rajiv C. McCoy
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Jan J. Brosens
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV2 2DX, UK
- Tommy's National Centre for Miscarriage Research, University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire NHS Trust, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV2 2DX, UK
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8
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Pavličev M, Wagner GP. The value of broad taxonomic comparisons in evolutionary medicine: Disease is not a trait but a state of a trait! MedComm (Beijing) 2022; 3:e174. [PMID: 36186235 PMCID: PMC9495303 DOI: 10.1002/mco2.174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2022] [Revised: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
In this short paper, we argue that there is a fundamental connection between the medical sciences and evolutionary biology as both are sciences of biological variation. Medicine studies pathological variation among humans (and domestic animals in veterinary medicine) and evolutionary biology studies variation within and among species in general. A key principle of evolutionary biology is that genetic differences among species have arisen first from mutations originating within populations. This implies a mechanistic continuity between variation among individuals within a species and variation between species. This fact motivates research that seeks to leverage comparisons among species to unravel the genetic basis of human disease vulnerabilities. This view also implies that genetically caused diseases can be understood as extreme states of an underlying trait, that is, an axis of variation, rather than distinct traits, as often assumed in GWAS studies. We illustrate these points with a number of examples as diverse as anatomical birth defects, cranio-facial variation, preeclampsia and vulnerability to metastatic cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mihaela Pavličev
- Department of Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Günter P. Wagner
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyYale UniversityNew HavenConnecticutUSA
- Yale Systems Biology InstituteYale UniversityWest HavenConnecticutUSA
- Department of ObstetricsGynecology and Reproductive SciencesYale School of MedicineNew HavenConnecticutUSA
- Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyWayne State UniversityDetroitMichiganUSA
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9
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Natterson-Horowitz B, Boddy AM, Zimmerman D. Female Health Across the Tree of Life: Insights at the Intersection of Women's Health, One Health and Planetary Health. PNAS NEXUS 2022; 1:pgac044. [PMID: 35668878 PMCID: PMC9154074 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Across the tree of life, female animals share biological characteristics that place them at risk for similar diseases and disorders. Greater awareness of these shared vulnerabilities can accelerate insight and innovation in women's health. We present a broadly comparative approach to female health that can inform issues ranging from mammary, ovarian, and endometrial cancer to preeclampsia, osteoporosis, and infertility. Our focus on female health highlights the interdependence of human, animal, and environmental health. As the boundaries between human and animal environments become blurred, female animals across species are exposed to increasingly similar environmental hazards. As such, the health of female animals has unprecedented relevance to the field of woman's health. Expanding surveillance of animal populations beyond zoonoses to include noncommunicable diseases can strengthen women's health prevention efforts as environmental factors are increasingly implicated in human mortality. The physiology of nonhuman females can also spark innovation in women's health. There is growing interest in those species of which the females appear to have a level of resistance to pathologies that claim millions of human lives every year. These physiologic adaptations highlight the importance of biodiversity to human health. Insights at the intersection of women's health and planetary health can be a rich source of innovations benefitting the health of all animals across the tree of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Natterson-Horowitz
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- Division of Cardiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Amy M Boddy
- Arizona Cancer Evolution Center, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Dawn Zimmerman
- Director of Wildlife Health, Veterinary Medical Officer, Global Health Program, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20008, USA
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Disease, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
- Veterinary Initiative for Endangered Wildlife, Bozeman, MT 59715, USA
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10
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Liu S, Suhail Y, Novin A, Perpetua L, Kshitiz. Metastatic Transition of Pancreatic Ductal Cell Adenocarcinoma Is Accompanied by the Emergence of Pro-Invasive Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:2197. [PMID: 35565326 PMCID: PMC9104173 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14092197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Revised: 04/24/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are now appreciated as key regulators of cancer metastasis, particularly in cancers with high stromal content, e.g., pancreatic ductal cell carcinoma (PDAC). However, it is not yet well understood if fibroblasts are always primed to be cooperative in PDAC transition to metastasis, if they undergo transformation which ensures their cooperativity, and if such transformations are cancer-driven or intrinsic to fibroblasts. We performed a fibroblast-centric analysis of PDAC cancer, as it transitioned from the primary site to trespass stromal compartment reaching the lymph node using published single-cell RNA sequencing data by Peng et al. We have characterized the change in fibroblast response to cancer from a normal wound healing response in the initial stages to the emergence of subclasses with myofibroblast and inflammatory fibroblasts such as signatures. We have previously posited "Evolved Levels of Invasibility (ELI)", a framework describing the evolution of stromal invasability as a selected phenotype, which explains the large and correlated reduction in stromal invasion by placental trophoblasts and cancer cells in certain mammals. Within PDAC samples, we found large changes in fibroblast subclasses at succeeding stages of PDAC progression, with the emergence of specific subclasses when cancer trespasses stroma to metastasize to proximal lymph nodes (stage IIA to IIB). Surprisingly, we found that the initial metastatic transition is accompanied by downregulation of ELI-predicted pro-resistive genes, and the emergence of a subclass of fibroblasts with ELI-predicted increased invasibility. Interestingly, this trend was also observed in stellate cells. Using a larger cohort of bulk RNAseq data from The Cancer Genome Atlas for PDAC cancers, we confirmed that genes describing this emergent fibroblast subclass are also correlated with lymph node metastasis of cancer cells. Experimental testing of selected genes characterizing pro-resistive and pro-invasive fibroblast clusters confirmed their contribution in regulating stromal invasability as a phenotype. Our data confirm that the complexity of stromal response to cancer is really a function of stage-wise emergence of distinct fibroblast clusters, characterized by distinct gene sets which confer initially a predominantly pro-resistive and then a pro-invasive property to the stroma. Stromal response therefore transitions from being tumor-limiting to a pro-metastatic state, facilitating stromal trespass and the onset of metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaofei Liu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut Health, Farmington, CT 06030, USA; (S.L.); (Y.S.); (A.N.)
- Center for Cell Analysis and Modeling, University of Connecticut Health, Farmington, CT 06030, USA
| | - Yasir Suhail
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut Health, Farmington, CT 06030, USA; (S.L.); (Y.S.); (A.N.)
- Center for Cell Analysis and Modeling, University of Connecticut Health, Farmington, CT 06030, USA
| | - Ashkan Novin
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut Health, Farmington, CT 06030, USA; (S.L.); (Y.S.); (A.N.)
| | - Lorrie Perpetua
- Research Tissue Repository, University of Connecticut Health, Farmington, CT 06030, USA;
| | - Kshitiz
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut Health, Farmington, CT 06030, USA; (S.L.); (Y.S.); (A.N.)
- Center for Cell Analysis and Modeling, University of Connecticut Health, Farmington, CT 06030, USA
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