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Du D, Zhong F, Liu L. Enhancing recognition and interpretation of functional phenotypic sequences through fine-tuning pre-trained genomic models. J Transl Med 2024; 22:756. [PMID: 39135093 PMCID: PMC11318145 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-024-05567-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2024] [Indexed: 08/16/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Decoding human genomic sequences requires comprehensive analysis of DNA sequence functionality. Through computational and experimental approaches, researchers have studied the genotype-phenotype relationship and generate important datasets that help unravel complicated genetic blueprints. Thus, the recently developed artificial intelligence methods can be used to interpret the functions of those DNA sequences. METHODS This study explores the use of deep learning, particularly pre-trained genomic models like DNA_bert_6 and human_gpt2-v1, in interpreting and representing human genome sequences. Initially, we meticulously constructed multiple datasets linking genotypes and phenotypes to fine-tune those models for precise DNA sequence classification. Additionally, we evaluate the influence of sequence length on classification results and analyze the impact of feature extraction in the hidden layers of our model using the HERV dataset. To enhance our understanding of phenotype-specific patterns recognized by the model, we perform enrichment, pathogenicity and conservation analyzes of specific motifs in the human endogenous retrovirus (HERV) sequence with high average local representation weight (ALRW) scores. RESULTS We have constructed multiple genotype-phenotype datasets displaying commendable classification performance in comparison with random genomic sequences, particularly in the HERV dataset, which achieved binary and multi-classification accuracies and F1 values exceeding 0.935 and 0.888, respectively. Notably, the fine-tuning of the HERV dataset not only improved our ability to identify and distinguish diverse information types within DNA sequences but also successfully identified specific motifs associated with neurological disorders and cancers in regions with high ALRW scores. Subsequent analysis of these motifs shed light on the adaptive responses of species to environmental pressures and their co-evolution with pathogens. CONCLUSIONS These findings highlight the potential of pre-trained genomic models in learning DNA sequence representations, particularly when utilizing the HERV dataset, and provide valuable insights for future research endeavors. This study represents an innovative strategy that combines pre-trained genomic model representations with classical methods for analyzing the functionality of genome sequences, thereby promoting cross-fertilization between genomics and artificial intelligence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Duo Du
- School of Basic Medical Sciences and Intelligent Medicine Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Fan Zhong
- School of Basic Medical Sciences and Intelligent Medicine Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
| | - Lei Liu
- School of Basic Medical Sciences and Intelligent Medicine Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
- Shanghai Institute of Stem Cell Research and Clinical Translation, Shanghai, 200120, China.
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2
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Chen W, Son YE, Cho HJ, Choi D, Park HS, Yu JH. Phylogenomics analysis of velvet regulators in the fungal kingdom. Microbiol Spectr 2024; 12:e0371723. [PMID: 38179919 PMCID: PMC10845976 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.03717-23] [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: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024] Open
Abstract
All life forms have evolved to respond appropriately to various environmental and internal cues. In the animal kingdom, the prototypical regulator class of such cellular responses is the Rel homology domain proteins including nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB). Fungi, the close relatives of animals, have also evolved with their own NF-κB-like regulators called velvet family proteins to govern cellular and chemical development. Here, we conducted a detailed investigation of the taxonomic broad presence of velvet proteins. We observed that velvet proteins are widely distributed in the fungal kingdom. Moreover, we have identified and characterized 21 major velvet clades in fungi. We have further revealed that the highly conserved velvet domain is composed of three distinct motifs and acts as an evolutionarily independent domain, which can be shuffled with various functional domains. Such rearrangements of the velvet domain have resulted in the functional and type diversity of the present velvet regulators. Importantly, our in-deep analyses of the primary and 3D structures of the various velvet domains showed that the fungal velvet domains can be divided into two major clans: the VelB and the VosA clans. The 3D structure comparisons revealed a close similarity of the velvet domain with many other eukaryotic DNA-binding proteins, including those of the Rel, Runt, and signal transducer and activator of transcription families, sharing a common β-sandwich fold. Altogether, this study improves our understanding of velvet regulators in the fungal kingdom.IMPORTANCEFungi are the relatives of animals in Opisthokonta and closely associated with human life by interactive ways such as pathogenicity, food, and secondary metabolites including beneficial ones like penicillin and harmful ones like the carcinogenic aflatoxins. Similar to animals, fungi have also evolved with NF-κB-like velvet family regulators. The velvet proteins constitute a large protein family of fungal transcription factors sharing a common velvet domain and play a key role in coordinating fungal secondary metabolism, developmental and differentiation processes. Our current understanding on velvet regulators is mostly from Ascomycota fungi; however, they remain largely unknown outside Ascomycota. Therefore, this study performed a taxonomic broad investigation of velvet proteins across the fungal kingdom and conducted a detailed analysis on velvet distribution, structure, diversity, and evolution. The results provide a holistic view of velvet regulatory system in the fungal kingdom.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanping Chen
- School of Food Science and Biotechnology, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, South Korea
| | - Ye-Eun Son
- School of Food Science and Biotechnology, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, South Korea
| | - He-Jin Cho
- School of Food Science and Biotechnology, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, South Korea
| | - Dasol Choi
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Hee-Soo Park
- School of Food Science and Biotechnology, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, South Korea
- Department of Integrative Biology, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, South Korea
| | - Jae-Hyuk Yu
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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3
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Silva RCMC, Gomes FM. Evolution of the Major Components of Innate Immunity in Animals. J Mol Evol 2024; 92:3-20. [PMID: 38281163 DOI: 10.1007/s00239-024-10155-2] [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: 10/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 01/30/2024]
Abstract
Innate immunity is present in all animals. In this review, we explore the main conserved mechanisms of recognition and innate immune responses among animals. In this sense, we discuss the receptors, critical for binding to pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) or danger-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs); the downstream signaling proteins; and transcription factors that govern immune responses. We also highlight conserved inflammatory mediators that are induced after the recognition of DAMPs and PAMPs. At last, we discuss the mechanisms that are involved in the regulation and/or generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), influencing immune responses, like heme-oxygenases (HOs).
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael Cardoso Maciel Costa Silva
- Laboratory of Immunoreceptors and Signaling, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
| | - Fábio Mendonça Gomes
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Pattnaik S, Murmu S, Prasad Rath B, Singh MK, Kumar S, Mohanty C. In silico screening of phytoconstituents as potential anti-inflammatory agents targeting NF-κB p65: an approach to promote burn wound healing. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2024:1-29. [PMID: 38287503 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2024.2306199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 01/31/2024]
Abstract
Chronic burn wounds are frequently characterised by a prolonged and dysregulated inflammatory phase that is mediated by over-activation of NF-κB p65. Synthetic wound healing drugs used for treatment of inflammation are primarily associated with several shortcomings which reduce their therapeutic index. In this scenario, phytoconstituents that exhibit multifaceted biological activities including anti-inflammatory effects have emerged as a promising therapeutic alternative. However, identification and isolation of phytoconstituents from medicinal herbs is a cumbersome method that is linked to profound uncertainty. Hence, present study aimed to identify prospective phytoconstituents as inhibitors of RHD of NF-κB p65 by utilizing in silico approach. Virtual screening of 2821 phytoconstituents was performed against protein model. Out of 2821 phytoconstituents, 162 phytoconstituents displayed a higher binding affinity (≤ -8.0 kcal/mol). These 162 phytoconstituents were subjected to ADMET predictions, and 15 of them were found to satisfy Lipinski's rule of five and showed favorable pharmacokinetic properties. Among these 15 phytoconstituents, 5 phytoconstituents with high docking scores i.e. silibinin, bismurrayaquinone A, withafastuosin B, yuccagenin, (+)-catechin 3-gallate were selected for molecular dynamics (MD) simulation analysis. Results of MD simulation indicated that withafastuosin B, (+)-catechin 3-gallate and yuccagenin produced a compact and stable complex with protein without significant variations in conformation. Relative binding energy analysis of best hit molecules indicate that withafastuosin B, and (+)-catechin 3-gallate exhibit high binding affinity with target protein among other lead molecules. Findings of study suggest that these phytoconstituents could serve as promising anti-inflammatory agents for treatment of burn wounds by inhibiting the RHD of NF-κB p65.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saswati Pattnaik
- School of Applied Sciences, Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) Deemed to be University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
| | - Sneha Murmu
- ICAR-Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute, PUSA, New Delhi, India
| | - Bibhu Prasad Rath
- School of Applied Sciences, Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) Deemed to be University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
| | - Mahender Kumar Singh
- Data Science Laboratory, National Brain Research Centre, Gurgaon, Haryana, India
| | - Sunil Kumar
- ICAR-Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute, PUSA, New Delhi, India
| | - Chandana Mohanty
- School of Applied Sciences, Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) Deemed to be University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
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Iwama RE, Moran Y. Origins and diversification of animal innate immune responses against viral infections. Nat Ecol Evol 2023; 7:182-193. [PMID: 36635343 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-022-01951-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Immune systems are of pivotal importance to any living organism on Earth, as they protect the organism against deleterious effects of viral infections. Though the current knowledge about these systems is still biased towards the immune response in vertebrates, some studies have focused on the identification and characterization of components of invertebrate antiviral immune systems. Two classic model organisms, the insect Drosophila melanogaster and the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, were instrumental in the discovery of several important components of the innate immune system, such as the Toll-like receptors and the RNA interference pathway. However, these two model organisms provide only a limited view of the evolutionary history of the immune system, as they both are ecdysozoan protostomes. Recent functional studies in non-classic models such as unicellular holozoans (for example, choanoflagellates), lophotrochozoans (for example, oysters) and cnidarians (for example, sea anemones) have added crucial information for understanding the evolution of antiviral systems, as they revealed unexpected ancestral complexity. This Review aims to summarize this information and present the ancestral nature of the antiviral immune response in animals. We also discuss lineage-specific adaptations and future perspectives for the comparative study of the innate immune system that are essential for understanding its evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael E Iwama
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
| | - Yehu Moran
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
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Bressy C, Zemani A, Goyal S, Jishkariani D, Lee CN, Chen YH. Inhibition of c-Rel expression in myeloid and lymphoid cells with distearoyl -phosphatidylserine (DSPS) liposomal nanoparticles encapsulating therapeutic siRNA. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0276905. [PMID: 36520934 PMCID: PMC9754606 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0276905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
c-Rel, a member of the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) family, is preferentially expressed by immune cells and is known to regulate inflammation, autoimmune diseases and cancer. However, there is a lack of therapeutic intervention to specifically inhibit c-Rel in immune cells. Recent success with Pfizer and Moderna mRNA lipid-encapsulated vaccines as well as FDA approved medicines based on siRNA prompted us to test a lipid nanoparticle-based strategy to silence c-Rel in immune cells. Specifically, we encapsulated c-Rel-targeting siRNA into distearoyl-phosphatidylserine (DSPS)-containing nanoparticles. DSPS is a saturated phospholipid that serves as the "eat-me" signal for professional phagocytes such as macrophages and neutrophils of the immune system. We demonstrated here that incorporation of DSPS in liposome nanoparticles (LNP) improved their uptake by immune cells. LNP containing high concentrations of DSPS were highly effective to transfect not only macrophages and neutrophils, but also lymphocytes, with limited toxicity to cells. However, LNP containing low concentrations of DSPS were more effective to transfect myeloid cells than lymphoid cells. Importantly, DSPS-LNP loaded with a c-Rel siRNA were highly effective to inhibit c-Rel expression in several professional phagocytes tested, which lasted for several days. Taken together, our results suggest that DSPS-LNP armed with c-Rel siRNA could be exploited to target immune cells to limit the development of inflammatory diseases or cancer caused by c-Rel upregulation. In addition, this newly developed DSPS-LNP system may be further tested to encapsulate and deliver other small molecule drugs to immune cells, especially macrophages, neutrophils, and lymphocytes for the treatment of diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Bressy
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- * E-mail: (CB); (YHC)
| | - Ali Zemani
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Shreya Goyal
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Davit Jishkariani
- Chemical and Nanoparticle Synthesis Core (CNSC), The University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
| | - Chin Nien Lee
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Youhai H. Chen
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, CAS Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Shenzhen, China
- * E-mail: (CB); (YHC)
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Ling J, Chan CL, Ho CY, Gao X, Tsang SM, Leung PC, Hu JM, Wong CK. The Extracts of Dendrobium Alleviate Dry Eye Disease in Rat Model by Regulating Aquaporin Expression and MAPKs/NF-κB Signalling. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms231911195. [PMID: 36232498 PMCID: PMC9570073 DOI: 10.3390/ijms231911195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2022] [Revised: 09/17/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Dry eye is one of the most common ocular surface diseases caused by tear film instability and ocular surface damage due to an abnormal quality or quantity of tears. Inflammatory factors can initiate relevant transduction signalling pathways and trigger the inflammatory cascade response, resulting in ocular surface inflammation. It has been shown that the active ingredients in Dendrobium, such as polysaccharides, alkaloids and phenols, have anti-inflammatory, anti-tumour and immunity-boosting effects, and Dendrobium officinale extract can improve glandular secretion function, increase salivary secretion and increase the expression level of water channel protein in salivary glands in patients with dry eye syndromes. We investigated the in vitro cytoprotective effect of Dendrobium extracts in sodium chloride induced hyperosmotic conditions in human cornea keratocytes (HKs). Results showed that Dendrobium officinale Kimura et Migo water extract (DOW) and Dendrobium loddigesii Rolfe water extract (DLW) could upregulate the expression of aquaporins (AQP)5 protein, thus exerting a repairing effect by promoting cell migration. Furthermore, oral administration of DOW and DLW enhanced tear production in rats and exerted a protective effect on ocular surface damage. DOW and DLW could upregulate the expression of AQP5 and mucin (muc)5ac proteins in the lacrimal gland and reduce the inflammatory response. DOW and DLW inhibited the activation of the corresponding mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) and NF-KB pathway, thereby playing a role in improving dry eye symptoms. This study provides a new perspective on dry eye treatment, and DOW and DLW may be potential therapeutic agents for dry eye.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiawei Ling
- State Key Laboratory of Research on Bioactivities, Institute of Chinese Medicine, Clinical Applications of Medicinal Plants, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Chung-Lap Chan
- State Key Laboratory of Research on Bioactivities, Institute of Chinese Medicine, Clinical Applications of Medicinal Plants, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Chi-Yan Ho
- State Key Laboratory of Research on Bioactivities, Institute of Chinese Medicine, Clinical Applications of Medicinal Plants, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Xun Gao
- Center of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Zhongda Hospital, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, China
- Department of Chemical Pathology, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Sin-Man Tsang
- State Key Laboratory of Research on Bioactivities, Institute of Chinese Medicine, Clinical Applications of Medicinal Plants, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- Department of Chemical Pathology, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Ping-Chung Leung
- State Key Laboratory of Research on Bioactivities, Institute of Chinese Medicine, Clinical Applications of Medicinal Plants, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Jiang-Miao Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Phytochemistry and Plant Resources in West China, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650204, China
| | - Chun-Kwok Wong
- State Key Laboratory of Research on Bioactivities, Institute of Chinese Medicine, Clinical Applications of Medicinal Plants, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- Department of Chemical Pathology, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- Li Dak Sum Yip Yio Chin R & D Centre for Chinese Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- Correspondence:
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