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Collí-Dulá RC, Papatheodorou I. Single-cell RNA sequencing offers opportunities to explore the depth of physiology, adaptation, and biochemistry in non-model organisms exposed to pollution. COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY. PART D, GENOMICS & PROTEOMICS 2024; 52:101339. [PMID: 39393164 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbd.2024.101339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2024] [Revised: 09/28/2024] [Accepted: 10/02/2024] [Indexed: 10/13/2024]
Abstract
Single-cell Sequencing technology (scSeq) has revolutionized our understanding of individual cells, uncovering unprecedented heterogeneity within tissues and cell populations, principality through single-cell RNA Sequencing (scRNA-Seq). This short review highlights the pivotal role of scRNA-Seq in elucidating genotype-phenotype relationships, particularly in biological systems. Based on published articles, our analysis involved manual curation and automated Scopus tools to illustrate recent advances in the application of scRNA-Seq. The results reveal that scRNA-Seq has been extensively utilized in various biological areas, including biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology, immunology, and microbiology, followed by health sciences covering studies related to the nervous system, immune system, human health, development, and diseases, with a particular focus on cancer research. However, the potential of scRNA-Seq extends beyond disease research, offering insights into non-model organisms' responses to environmental contaminants. By enabling the study of cellular reactions at a molecular level, scRNA-Seq provides a comprehensive understanding of intracellular heterogeneity that enhances our comprehension of physiological, biochemical, and pathological environmental impacts on non-model organisms exposed to pollution. This understanding has many practical benefits, as it can aid in regulation and conservation efforts that benefit the environment and the use of economically essential and ecologically relevant organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reyna C Collí-Dulá
- Departamento de Recursos del Mar, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, 97310 Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico; Consejo Nacional de Humanidades Ciencia y Tecnología, Ciudad de México, Mexico.
| | - Irene Papatheodorou
- European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SD, United Kingdom; Earlham Institute Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7UZ, UK; Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UA, UK.
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Morselli M, Bennett R, Shaidani NI, Horb M, Peshkin L, Pellegrini M. Age-associated DNA methylation changes in Xenopus frogs. Epigenetics 2023; 18:2201517. [PMID: 37092296 PMCID: PMC10128463 DOI: 10.1080/15592294.2023.2201517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2022] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 04/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Age-associated changes in DNA methylation have been characterized across various animals, but not yet in amphibians, which are of particular interest because they include widely studied model organisms. In this study, we present clear evidence that the aquatic vertebrate species Xenopus tropicalis displays patterns of age-associated changes in DNA methylation. We have generated whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) profiles from skin samples of nine frogs representing young, mature, and old adults and characterized the gene- and chromosome-scale DNA methylation changes with age. Many of the methylation features and changes we observe are consistent with what is known in mammalian species, suggesting that the mechanism of age-related changes is conserved. Moreover, we selected a few thousand age-associated CpG sites to build an assay based on targeted DNA methylation analysis (TBSseq) to expand our findings in future studies involving larger cohorts of individuals. Preliminary results of a pilot TBSeq experiment recapitulate the findings obtained with WGBS setting the basis for the development of an epigenetic clock assay. The results of this study will allow us to leverage the unique resources available for Xenopus to study how DNA methylation relates to other hallmarks of ageing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Morselli
- Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Ronan Bennett
- Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Nikko-Ideen Shaidani
- Eugene Bell Center for Regenerative Biology and Tissue Engineering and National Xenopus Resource, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, USA
| | - Marko Horb
- Eugene Bell Center for Regenerative Biology and Tissue Engineering and National Xenopus Resource, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, USA
| | - Leonid Peshkin
- Eugene Bell Center for Regenerative Biology and Tissue Engineering and National Xenopus Resource, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, USA
- Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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Baum L, Johns M, Poikela M, Möller R, Ananthasubramaniam B, Prasser F. Data integration and analysis for circadian medicine. Acta Physiol (Oxf) 2023; 237:e13951. [PMID: 36790321 DOI: 10.1111/apha.13951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Revised: 02/04/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Abstract
Data integration, data sharing, and standardized analyses are important enablers for data-driven medical research. Circadian medicine is an emerging field with a particularly high need for coordinated and systematic collaboration between researchers from different disciplines. Datasets in circadian medicine are multimodal, ranging from molecular circadian profiles and clinical parameters to physiological measurements and data obtained from (wearable) sensors or reported by patients. Uniquely, data spanning both the time dimension and the spatial dimension (across tissues) are needed to obtain a holistic view of the circadian system. The study of human rhythms in the context of circadian medicine has to confront the heterogeneity of clock properties within and across subjects and our inability to repeatedly obtain relevant biosamples from one subject. This requires informatics solutions for integrating and visualizing relevant data types at various temporal resolutions ranging from milliseconds and seconds to minutes and several hours. Associated challenges range from a lack of standards that can be used to represent all required data in a common interoperable form, to challenges related to data storage, to the need to perform transformations for integrated visualizations, and to privacy issues. The downstream analysis of circadian rhythms requires specialized approaches for the identification, characterization, and discrimination of rhythms. We conclude that circadian medicine research provides an ideal environment for developing innovative methods to address challenges related to the collection, integration, visualization, and analysis of multimodal multidimensional biomedical data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lena Baum
- Berlin Institute of Health at Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Marco Johns
- Berlin Institute of Health at Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Maija Poikela
- Berlin Institute of Health at Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ralf Möller
- Institute of Information Systems, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | | | - Fabian Prasser
- Berlin Institute of Health at Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Integrating Network Pharmacology and Transcriptomic Strategies to Explore the Pharmacological Mechanism of Hydroxysafflor Yellow A in Delaying Liver Aging. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232214281. [PMID: 36430769 PMCID: PMC9697017 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232214281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Revised: 11/03/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Aging affects the structure and function of the liver. Hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA) effectively improves liver aging (LA) in mice, but the potential mechanisms require further exploration. In this study, an integrated approach combining network pharmacology and transcriptomics was used to elucidate the potential mechanisms of HSYA delay of LA. The targets of HSYA were predicted using the PharmMapper, SwissTargetPrediction, and CTD databases, and the targets of LA were collected from the GeneCards database. An ontology (GO) analysis and a Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway annotation of genes related to HSYA delay of LA were performed using the DAVID database, and Cytoscape software was used to construct an HSYA target pathway network. The BMKCloud platform was used to sequence mRNA from mouse liver tissue, screen differentially expressed genes (DEGs) that were altered by HSYA, and enrich their biological functions and signaling pathways through the OmicShare database. The results of the network pharmacology and transcriptomic analyses were combined. Then, quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blot experiments were used to further verify the prediction results. Finally, the interactions between HSYA and key targets were assessed by molecular docking. The results showed that 199 potentially targeted genes according to network pharmacology and 480 DEGs according to transcriptomics were involved in the effects of HSYA against LA. An integrated analysis revealed that four key targets, including HSP90AA1, ATP2A1, NOS1 and CRAT, as well as their three related pathways (the calcium signaling pathway, estrogen signaling pathway and cGMP-PKG signaling pathway), were closely related to the therapeutic effects of HSYA. A gene and protein expression analysis revealed that HSYA significantly inhibited the expressions of HSP90AA1, ATP2A1 and NOS1 in the liver tissue of aging mice. The molecular docking results showed that HSYA had high affinities with the HSP90AA1, ATP2A1 and NOS1 targets. Our data demonstrate that HSYA may delay LA in mice by inhibiting the expressions of HSP90AA1, ATP2A1 and NOS1 and regulating the calcium signaling pathway, the estrogen signaling pathway, and the cGMP-PKG signaling pathway.
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Ibañez-Solé O, Ascensión AM, Araúzo-Bravo MJ, Izeta A. Lack of evidence for increased transcriptional noise in aged tissues. eLife 2022; 11:80380. [PMID: 36576247 PMCID: PMC9934862 DOI: 10.7554/elife.80380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Aging is often associated with a loss of cell type identity that results in an increase in transcriptional noise in aged tissues. If this phenomenon reflects a fundamental property of aging remains an open question. Transcriptional changes at the cellular level are best detected by single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq). However, the diverse computational methods used for the quantification of age-related loss of cellular identity have prevented reaching meaningful conclusions by direct comparison of existing scRNAseq datasets. To address these issues we created Decibel, a Python toolkit that implements side-to-side four commonly used methods for the quantification of age-related transcriptional noise in scRNAseq data. Additionally, we developed Scallop, a novel computational method for the quantification of membership of single cells to their assigned cell type cluster. Cells with a greater Scallop membership score are transcriptionally more stable. Application of these computational tools to seven aging datasets showed large variability between tissues and datasets, suggesting that increased transcriptional noise is not a universal hallmark of aging. To understand the source of apparent loss of cell type identity associated with aging, we analyzed cell type-specific changes in transcriptional noise and the changes in cell type composition of the mammalian lung. No robust pattern of cell type-specific transcriptional noise alteration was found across aging lung datasets. In contrast, age-associated changes in cell type composition of the lung were consistently found, particularly of immune cells. These results suggest that claims of increased transcriptional noise of aged tissues should be reformulated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Ibañez-Solé
- Biodonostia Health Research Institute, Computational Biology and Systems Biomedicine GroupDonostia-San SebastiánSpain,Biodonostia Health Research Institute, Tissue Engineering groupDonostia-San SebastiánSpain
| | - Alex M Ascensión
- Biodonostia Health Research Institute, Computational Biology and Systems Biomedicine GroupDonostia-San SebastiánSpain,Biodonostia Health Research Institute, Tissue Engineering groupDonostia-San SebastiánSpain
| | - Marcos J Araúzo-Bravo
- Biodonostia Health Research Institute, Computational Biology and Systems Biomedicine GroupDonostia-San SebastiánSpain,Biodonostia Health Research Institute, Computational Biomedicine Data Analysis PlatformDonostia-San SebastiánSpain,CIBER of Frailty and Healthy Aging (CIBERfes)MadridSpain,IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for ScienceBilbaoSpain
| | - Ander Izeta
- Biodonostia Health Research Institute, Tissue Engineering groupDonostia-San SebastiánSpain,Tecnun-University of NavarraDonostia-San SebastiánSpain
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Association of Circadian Clock Gene Expression with Glioma Tumor Microenvironment and Patient Survival. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13112756. [PMID: 34199348 PMCID: PMC8199552 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13112756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Gliomas are the most common type of malignant primary brain tumors and are classified according to the cell of origin and genetic features, which can help predict the prognosis and treatment sensitivity. Improving the prognosis remains a challenge; however, chronobiology is a promising field for future works, as circadian clock genes are linked to the tumor biology and outcomes in multiple cancers, including glioma. Here, we examined the relationship of circadian clock genes, IDH mutational status, and prognosis in glioma patients by using unsupervised clustering of the expression of 13 clock genes. We further explored the expression of the clock genes across the tumor regions and cell subpopulations, highlighting the importance of the tumor microenvironment in researching circadian rhythms in cancer. Our research is important for understanding how best to target circadian rhythms to improve patient outcomes in neuro-oncology. Abstract Circadian clock genes have been linked to clinical outcomes in cancer, including gliomas. However, these studies have not accounted for established markers that predict the prognosis, including mutations in Isocitrate Dehydrogenase (IDH), which characterize the majority of lower-grade gliomas and secondary high-grade gliomas. To demonstrate the connection between circadian clock genes and glioma outcomes while accounting for the IDH mutational status, we analyzed multiple publicly available gene expression datasets. The unsupervised clustering of 13 clock gene transcriptomic signatures from The Cancer Genome Atlas showed distinct molecular subtypes representing different disease states and showed the differential prognosis of these groups by a Kaplan–Meier analysis. Further analyses of these groups showed that a low period (PER) gene expression was associated with the negative prognosis and enrichment of the immune signaling pathways. These findings prompted the exploration of the relationship between the microenvironment and clock genes in additional datasets. Circadian clock gene expression was found to be differentially expressed across the anatomical tumor location and cell type. Thus, the circadian clock expression is a potential predictive biomarker in glioma, and further mechanistic studies to elucidate the connections between the circadian clock and microenvironment are warranted.
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Fitzgerald E, Parent C, Kee MZL, Meaney MJ. Maternal Distress and Offspring Neurodevelopment: Challenges and Opportunities for Pre-clinical Research Models. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:635304. [PMID: 33643013 PMCID: PMC7907173 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.635304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 01/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Pre-natal exposure to acute maternal trauma or chronic maternal distress can confer increased risk for psychiatric disorders in later life. Acute maternal trauma is the result of unforeseen environmental or personal catastrophes, while chronic maternal distress is associated with anxiety or depression. Animal studies investigating the effects of pre-natal stress have largely used brief stress exposures during pregnancy to identify critical periods of fetal vulnerability, a paradigm which holds face validity to acute maternal trauma in humans. While understanding these effects is undoubtably important, the literature suggests maternal stress in humans is typically chronic and persistent from pre-conception through gestation. In this review, we provide evidence to this effect and suggest a realignment of current animal models to recapitulate this chronicity. We also consider candidate mediators, moderators and mechanisms of maternal distress, and suggest a wider breadth of research is needed, along with the incorporation of advanced -omics technologies, in order to understand the neurodevelopmental etiology of psychiatric risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eamon Fitzgerald
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health, Douglas Research Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Carine Parent
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health, Douglas Research Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Michelle Z. L. Kee
- Translational Neuroscience Programme, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Michael J. Meaney
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health, Douglas Research Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Translational Neuroscience Programme, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR), Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Paediatrics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
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