1
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Kaplan SJ, Wong W, Yan J, Pulecio J, Cho HS, Li Q, Zhao J, Leslie-Iyer J, Kazakov J, Murphy D, Luo R, Dey KK, Apostolou E, Leslie CS, Huangfu D. CRISPR Screening Uncovers a Long-Range Enhancer for ONECUT1 in Pancreatic Differentiation and Links a Diabetes Risk Variant. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.26.591412. [PMID: 38746154 PMCID: PMC11092487 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.26.591412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
Functional enhancer annotation is a valuable first step for understanding tissue-specific transcriptional regulation and prioritizing disease-associated non-coding variants for investigation. However, unbiased enhancer discovery in physiologically relevant contexts remains a major challenge. To discover regulatory elements pertinent to diabetes, we conducted a CRISPR interference screen in the human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) pancreatic differentiation system. Among the enhancers uncovered, we focused on a long-range enhancer ∼664 kb from the ONECUT1 promoter, since coding mutations in ONECUT1 cause pancreatic hypoplasia and neonatal diabetes. Homozygous enhancer deletion in hPSCs was associated with a near-complete loss of ONECUT1 gene expression and compromised pancreatic differentiation. This enhancer contains a confidently fine-mapped type 2 diabetes associated variant (rs528350911) which disrupts a GATA motif. Introduction of the risk variant into hPSCs revealed substantially reduced binding of key pancreatic transcription factors (GATA4, GATA6 and FOXA2) on the edited allele, accompanied by a slight reduction of ONECUT1 transcription, supporting a causal role for this risk variant in metabolic disease. This work expands our knowledge about transcriptional regulation in pancreatic development through the characterization of a long-range enhancer and highlights the utility of enhancer discovery in disease-relevant settings for understanding monogenic and complex disease.
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2
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Mofunanya A, Cameron ER, Braun CJ, Celeste F, Zhao X, Hemann MT, Scott KL, Li J, Powers S. Simultaneous screening of overexpressed genes in breast cancer for oncogenic drivers and tumor dependencies. Sci Rep 2024; 14:13227. [PMID: 38851782 PMCID: PMC11162420 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-64297-w] [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: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/10/2024] Open
Abstract
There are hundreds of genes typically overexpressed in breast cancer cells and it's often assumed that their overexpression contributes to cancer progression. However, the precise proportion of these overexpressed genes contributing to tumorigenicity remains unclear. To address this gap, we undertook a comprehensive screening of a diverse set of seventy-two genes overexpressed in breast cancer. This systematic screening evaluated their potential for inducing malignant transformation and, concurrently, assessed their impact on breast cancer cell proliferation and viability. Select genes including ALDH3B1, CEACAM5, IL8, PYGO2, and WWTR1, exhibited pronounced activity in promoting tumor formation and establishing gene dependencies critical for tumorigenicity. Subsequent investigations revealed that CEACAM5 overexpression triggered the activation of signaling pathways involving β-catenin, Cdk4, and mTOR. Additionally, it conferred a growth advantage independent of exogenous insulin in defined medium and facilitated spheroid expansion by inducing multiple layers of epithelial cells while preserving a hollow lumen. Furthermore, the silencing of CEACAM5 expression synergized with tamoxifen-induced growth inhibition in breast cancer cells. These findings underscore the potential of screening overexpressed genes for both oncogenic drivers and tumor dependencies to expand the repertoire of therapeutic targets for breast cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adaobi Mofunanya
- Department of Pathology, Stony Brook Cancer Center, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Eleanor R Cameron
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research and Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Christian J Braun
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research and Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Frank Celeste
- Department of Pathology, Stony Brook Cancer Center, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
- Graduate Program in Genetics, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Xiaoyu Zhao
- Department of Pathology, Stony Brook Cancer Center, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
- Graduate Program in Molecular and Cellular Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Michael T Hemann
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research and Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Kenneth L Scott
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Jinyu Li
- Department of Pathology, Stony Brook Cancer Center, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Scott Powers
- Department of Pathology, Stony Brook Cancer Center, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA.
- Graduate Program in Genetics, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA.
- Graduate Program in Molecular and Cellular Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA.
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3
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Klengel T, Dan S, Hall J, Holsen L. Divergent transcriptomic profiles in depressed individuals with hyper- and hypophagia implicating inflammatory status. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-3385061. [PMID: 38014188 PMCID: PMC10680913 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3385061/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a heterogenous and etiologically complex disease encompassing a broad spectrum of psychopathology, presumably arising from distinct pathophysiological mechanisms. Divergent appetitive phenotypes including Hyperphagic MDD (characterized by an increased appetite) and Hypophagic MDD (characterized by a decrease in appetite) are important clinical characteristics that are closely related to comorbidities, including cardiometabolic disorders. Prior evidence supports the notion that hyperphagia is associated with atypical depression, decreased stress-hormone signaling, a pro-inflammatory status, hypersomnia, and poorer clinical outcomes. Yet, our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of Hyperphagic and Hypophagic MDD is limited, and knowledge of associated biological correlates of these endophenotypes remain fragmented. We performed an exploratory study on peripheral blood RNA profiling using bulk RNAseq in unmedicated individuals with Hyperphagic and Hypophagic MDD (n=8 and n=13, respectively) and discovered individual genes and gene pathways associated with appetitive phenotypes. In addition, we used the Maastricht Acute Stress Task to uncover stress-related transcriptomic profiles in Hyper- and Hypophagic MDD.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Shu Dan
- Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School
| | - Julia Hall
- Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School
| | - Laura Holsen
- Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School
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4
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Dan S, Hall J, Holsen LM, Klengel T. Divergent transcriptomic profiles in depressed individuals with hyper- and hypophagia implicating inflammatory status. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.09.25.23296077. [PMID: 37808707 PMCID: PMC10557809 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.25.23296077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a heterogenous and etiologically complex disease encompassing a broad spectrum of psychopathology, presumably arising from distinct pathophysiological mechanisms. Divergent appetitive phenotypes including Hyperphagic MDD (characterized by an increased appetite) and Hypophagic MDD (characterized by a decrease in appetite) are important clinical characteristics that are closely related to comorbidities, including cardiometabolic disorders. Prior evidence supports the notion that hyperphagia is associated with atypical depression, decreased stress-hormone signaling, a pro-inflammatory status, hypersomnia, and poorer clinical outcomes. Yet, our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of Hyperphagic and Hypophagic MDD is limited, and knowledge of associated biological correlates of these endophenotypes remain fragmented. We performed an exploratory study on peripheral blood RNA profiling using bulk RNAseq in unmedicated individuals with Hyperphagic and Hypophagic MDD (n=8 and n=13, respectively) and discovered individual genes and gene pathways associated with appetitive phenotypes. In addition, we used the Maastricht Acute Stress Task to uncover stress-related transcriptomic profiles in Hyper- and Hypophagic MDD.
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5
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Alekseyenko AA, Zee BM, Dhoondia Z, Kang H, Makofske JL, Kuroda MI. Cell state-dependent chromatin targeting in NUT carcinoma. Genetics 2023; 224:iyad083. [PMID: 37119804 PMCID: PMC10691748 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyad083] [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: 03/07/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Aberrant transcriptional programming and chromatin dysregulation are common to most cancers. Whether by deranged cell signaling or environmental insult, the resulting oncogenic phenotype is typically manifested in transcriptional changes characteristic of undifferentiated cell growth. Here we analyze targeting of an oncogenic fusion protein, BRD4-NUT, composed of 2 normally independent chromatin regulators. The fusion causes the formation of large hyperacetylated genomic regions or megadomains, mis-regulation of c-MYC, and an aggressive carcinoma of squamous cell origin. Our previous work revealed largely distinct megadomain locations in different NUT carcinoma patient cell lines. To assess whether this was due to variations in individual genome sequences or epigenetic cell state, we expressed BRD4-NUT in a human stem cell model and found that megadomains formed in dissimilar patterns when comparing cells in the pluripotent state with the same cell line following induction along a mesodermal lineage. Thus, our work implicates initial cell state as the critical factor in the locations of BRD4-NUT megadomains. These results, together with our analysis of c-MYC protein-protein interactions in a patient cell line, are consistent with a cascade of chromatin misregulation underlying NUT carcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Artyom A Alekseyenko
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Disease Biology Department, Triana Biomedicine, Lexington, MA 02421, USA
| | - Barry M Zee
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Proteomics Department, Cell Signaling Technology, Danvers, MA 01923, USA
| | - Zuzer Dhoondia
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Hyuckjoon Kang
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jessica L Makofske
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Oncology Department, Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Mitzi I Kuroda
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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6
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Rosen BP, Li QV, Cho H, Liu D, Yang D, Graff S, Yan J, Luo R, Verma N, Damodaran JR, Beer MA, Sidoli S, Huangfu D. Parallel genome-scale CRISPR screens distinguish pluripotency and self-renewal. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.05.03.539283. [PMID: 37205540 PMCID: PMC10187244 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.03.539283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Pluripotent stem cells are defined by both the ability to unlimitedly self-renew and differentiate to any somatic cell lineage, but understanding the mechanisms that control stem cell fitness versus the pluripotent cell identity is challenging. We performed four parallel genome-scale CRISPR-Cas9 screens to investigate the interplay between these two aspects of pluripotency. Our comparative analyses led to the discovery of genes with distinct roles in pluripotency regulation, including many mitochondrial and metabolism regulators crucial for stem cell fitness, and chromatin regulators that control stem cell identity. We further discovered a core set of factors that control both stem cell fitness and pluripotency identity, including an interconnected network of chromatin factors that safeguard pluripotency. Our unbiased and systematic screening and comparative analyses disentangle two interconnected aspects of pluripotency, provide rich datasets for exploring pluripotent cell identity versus self-renewal, and offer a valuable model for categorizing gene function in broad biological contexts.
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7
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Alekseyenko AA, Zee BM, Dhoondia Z, Kang H, Makofske JL, Kuroda MI. Cell state-dependent chromatin targeting in NUT carcinoma. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.04.18.537367. [PMID: 37131839 PMCID: PMC10153199 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.18.537367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Aberrant transcriptional programming and chromatin dysregulation are common to most cancers. Whether by deranged cell signaling or environmental insult, the resulting oncogenic phenotype is typically manifested in transcriptional changes characteristic of undifferentiated cell growth. Here we analyze targeting of an oncogenic fusion protein, BRD4-NUT, composed of two normally independent chromatin regulators. The fusion causes the formation of large hyperacetylated genomic regions or megadomains, mis-regulation of c-MYC , and an aggressive carcinoma of squamous cell origin. Our previous work revealed largely distinct megadomain locations in different NUT carcinoma patient cell lines. To assess whether this was due to variations in individual genome sequences or epigenetic cell state, we expressed BRD4-NUT in a human stem cell model and found that megadomains formed in dissimilar patterns when comparing cells in the pluripotent state with the same cell line following induction along a mesodermal lineage. Thus, our work implicates initial cell state as the critical factor in the locations of BRD4-NUT megadomains. These results, together with our analysis of c-MYC protein-protein interactions in a patient cell line, are consistent with a cascade of chromatin misregulation underlying NUT carcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Artyom A Alekseyenko
- Div. of Genetics, Dept. of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA
- Dept. of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- Triana Biomedicine, Lexington, MA
| | - Barry M Zee
- Div. of Genetics, Dept. of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA
- Dept. of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- Cell Signaling Technology, Danvers, MA
| | - Zuzer Dhoondia
- Div. of Genetics, Dept. of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA
- Dept. of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Hyuckjoon Kang
- Div. of Genetics, Dept. of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA
- Dept. of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Jessica L Makofske
- Div. of Genetics, Dept. of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA
- Dept. of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Cambridge, MA
| | - Mitzi I Kuroda
- Div. of Genetics, Dept. of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA
- Dept. of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
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8
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Sackett SD, Kaplan SJ, Mitchell SA, Brown ME, Burrack AL, Grey S, Huangfu D, Odorico J. Genetic Engineering of Immune Evasive Stem Cell-Derived Islets. Transpl Int 2022; 35:10817. [PMID: 36545154 PMCID: PMC9762357 DOI: 10.3389/ti.2022.10817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Genome editing has the potential to revolutionize many investigative and therapeutic strategies in biology and medicine. In the field of regenerative medicine, one of the leading applications of genome engineering technology is the generation of immune evasive pluripotent stem cell-derived somatic cells for transplantation. In particular, as more functional and therapeutically relevant human pluripotent stem cell-derived islets (SCDI) are produced in many labs and studied in clinical trials, there is keen interest in studying the immunogenicity of these cells and modulating allogeneic and autoimmune immune responses for therapeutic benefit. Significant experimental work has already suggested that elimination of Human Leukocytes Antigen (HLA) expression and overexpression of immunomodulatory genes can impact survival of a variety of pluripotent stem cell-derived somatic cell types. Limited work published to date focuses on stem cell-derived islets and work in a number of labs is ongoing. Rapid progress is occurring in the genome editing of human pluripotent stem cells and their progeny focused on evading destruction by the immune system in transplantation models, and while much research is still needed, there is no doubt the combined technologies of genome editing and stem cell therapy will profoundly impact transplantation medicine in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara D. Sackett
- Division of Transplantation, Department of Surgery, UW Transplant Center, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States,*Correspondence: Sara D. Sackett,
| | - Samuel J. Kaplan
- Developmental Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, United States,Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Samantha A. Mitchell
- Division of Transplantation, Department of Surgery, UW Transplant Center, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Matthew E. Brown
- Division of Transplantation, Department of Surgery, UW Transplant Center, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Adam L. Burrack
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical School, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN,Center for Immunology, Medical School, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | - Shane Grey
- Immunology Division, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Danwei Huangfu
- Developmental Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, United States
| | - Jon Odorico
- Division of Transplantation, Department of Surgery, UW Transplant Center, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States
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9
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Malpeli G, Barbi S, Innamorati G, Alloggio M, Filippini F, Decimo I, Castelli C, Perris R, Bencivenga M. Landscape of Druggable Molecular Pathways Downstream of Genomic CDH1/Cadherin-1 Alterations in Gastric Cancer. J Pers Med 2022; 12:jpm12122006. [PMID: 36556227 PMCID: PMC9784514 DOI: 10.3390/jpm12122006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Revised: 11/03/2022] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Loss of CDH1/Cadherin-1 is a common step towards the acquisition of an abnormal epithelial phenotype. In gastric cancer (GC), mutation and/or downregulation of CDH1/Cadherin-1 is recurrent in sporadic and hereditary diffuse GC type. To approach the molecular events downstream of CDH1/Cadherin-1 alterations and their relevance in gastric carcinogenesis, we queried public databases for genetic and DNA methylation data in search of molecular signatures with a still-uncertain role in the pathological mechanism of GC. In all GC subtypes, modulated genes correlating with CDH1/Cadherin-1 aberrations are associated with stem cell and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition pathways. A higher level of genes upregulated in CDH1-mutated GC cases is associated with reduced overall survival. In the diffuse GC (DGC) subtype, genes downregulated in CDH1-mutated compared to cases with wild type CDH1/Cadherin-1 resulted in being strongly intertwined with the DREAM complex. The inverse correlation between hypermethylated CpGs and CDH1/Cadherin-1 transcription in diverse subtypes implies a common epigenetic program. We identified nonredundant protein-encoding isoforms of 22 genes among those differentially expressed in GC compared to normal stomach. These unique proteins represent potential agents involved in cell transformation and candidate therapeutic targets. Meanwhile, drug-induced and CDH1/Cadherin-1 mutation-related gene expression comparison predicts FIT, GR-127935 hydrochloride, amiodarone hydrochloride in GC and BRD-K55722623, BRD-K13169950, and AY 9944 in DGC as the most effective treatments, providing cues for the design of combined pharmacological treatments. By integrating genetic and epigenetic aspects with their expected functional outcome, we unveiled promising targets for combinatorial pharmacological treatments of GC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgio Malpeli
- Department of Surgical, Odontostomatologic, Maternal and Child Sciences, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy
- Correspondence:
| | - Stefano Barbi
- Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, University and Hospital Trust of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy
| | - Giulio Innamorati
- Department of Surgical, Odontostomatologic, Maternal and Child Sciences, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy
| | - Mariella Alloggio
- General and Upper GI Surgery Division, Department and of Surgical, Odontostomatologic, Maternal and Child Sciences, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy
| | - Federica Filippini
- General and Upper GI Surgery Division, Department and of Surgical, Odontostomatologic, Maternal and Child Sciences, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy
| | - Ilaria Decimo
- Section of Pharmacology, Department of Diagnostic and Public Health, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy
| | - Claudia Castelli
- Pathology Unit, Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, University and Hospital Trust of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy
| | - Roberto Perris
- Department of Biosciences, COMT-Centre for Molecular and Translational Oncology, University of Parma, 43124 Parma, Italy
| | - Maria Bencivenga
- General and Upper GI Surgery Division, Department and of Surgical, Odontostomatologic, Maternal and Child Sciences, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy
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10
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Yang D, Cho H, Tayyebi Z, Shukla A, Luo R, Dixon G, Ursu V, Stransky S, Tremmel DM, Sackett SD, Koche R, Kaplan SJ, Li QV, Park J, Zhu Z, Rosen BP, Pulecio J, Shi ZD, Bram Y, Schwartz RE, Odorico JS, Sidoli S, Wright CV, Leslie CS, Huangfu D. CRISPR screening uncovers a central requirement for HHEX in pancreatic lineage commitment and plasticity restriction. Nat Cell Biol 2022; 24:1064-1076. [PMID: 35787684 PMCID: PMC9283336 DOI: 10.1038/s41556-022-00946-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The pancreas and liver arise from a common pool of progenitors. However, the underlying mechanisms that drive their lineage diversification from the foregut endoderm are not fully understood. To tackle this question, we undertook a multifactorial approach that integrated human pluripotent-stem-cell-guided differentiation, genome-scale CRISPR-Cas9 screening, single-cell analysis, genomics and proteomics. We discovered that HHEX, a transcription factor (TF) widely recognized as a key regulator of liver development, acts as a gatekeeper of pancreatic lineage specification. HHEX deletion impaired pancreatic commitment and unleashed an unexpected degree of cellular plasticity towards the liver and duodenum fates. Mechanistically, HHEX cooperates with the pioneer TFs FOXA1, FOXA2 and GATA4, shared by both pancreas and liver differentiation programmes, to promote pancreas commitment, and this cooperation restrains the shared TFs from activating alternative lineages. These findings provide a generalizable model for how gatekeeper TFs like HHEX orchestrate lineage commitment and plasticity restriction in broad developmental contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dapeng Yang
- Developmental Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Hyunwoo Cho
- Developmental Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Zakieh Tayyebi
- Computational and Systems Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10065, USA,Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Weill Cornell Medical College, 1300 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Abhijit Shukla
- Developmental Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Renhe Luo
- Developmental Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10065, USA,Louis V. Gerstner Jr. Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York 10065, USA
| | - Gary Dixon
- Developmental Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10065, USA,Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Weill Cornell Medical College, 1300 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA,Present address: Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Valeria Ursu
- Vanderbilt University Program in Developmental Biology and Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37203, USA
| | - Stephanie Stransky
- Department of Biochemistry, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | | | | | - Richard Koche
- Center for Epigenetics Research, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Samuel J. Kaplan
- Developmental Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10065, USA,Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Weill Cornell Medical College, 1300 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Qing V. Li
- Developmental Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10065, USA,Louis V. Gerstner Jr. Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York 10065, USA
| | - Jiwoon Park
- Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Weill Cornell Medical College, 1300 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA,Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Zengrong Zhu
- Developmental Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Bess P. Rosen
- Developmental Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10065, USA,Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Weill Cornell Medical College, 1300 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Julian Pulecio
- Developmental Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Zhong-Dong Shi
- Developmental Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Yaron Bram
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Robert E. Schwartz
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | | | - Simone Sidoli
- Department of Biochemistry, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Christopher V. Wright
- Vanderbilt University Program in Developmental Biology and Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37203, USA
| | - Christina S. Leslie
- Computational and Systems Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10065, USA,Correspondence to: (DH), (CSL)
| | - Danwei Huangfu
- Developmental Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10065, USA,Correspondence to: (DH), (CSL)
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11
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Functional Genomic Screening in Human Pluripotent Stem Cells Reveals New Roadblocks in Early Pancreatic Endoderm Formation. Cells 2022; 11:cells11030582. [PMID: 35159392 PMCID: PMC8834018 DOI: 10.3390/cells11030582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Revised: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/04/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Human pluripotent stem cells, with their ability to proliferate indefinitely and to differentiate into virtually all cell types of the human body, provide a novel resource to study human development and to implement relevant disease models. Here, we employed a human pancreatic differentiation platform complemented with an shRNA screen in human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) to identify potential drivers of early endoderm and pancreatic development. Deep sequencing followed by abundancy ranking pinpointed six top hit genes potentially associated with either improved or impaired endodermal differentiation, which were selected for functional validation in CRISPR-Cas9 mediated knockout (KO) lines. Upon endoderm differentiation (DE), particularly the loss of SLC22A1 and DSC2 led to impaired differentiation efficiency into CXCR4/KIT-positive DE cells. qPCR analysis also revealed changes in differentiation markers CXCR4, FOXA2, SOX17, and GATA6. Further differentiation of PSCs to the pancreatic progenitor (PP) stage resulted in a decreased proportion of PDX1/NKX6-1-positive cells in SLC22A1 KO lines, and in DSC2 KO lines when differentiated under specific culture conditions. Taken together, our study reveals novel genes with potential roles in early endodermal development.
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