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Evans LM, Arehart CH, Grotzinger AD, Mize TJ, Brasher MS, Stitzel JA, Ehringer MA, Hoeffer CA. Transcriptome-wide gene-gene interaction associations elucidate pathways and functional enrichment of complex traits. PLoS Genet 2023; 19:e1010693. [PMID: 37216417 PMCID: PMC10237671 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Revised: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023] Open
Abstract
It remains unknown to what extent gene-gene interactions contribute to complex traits. Here, we introduce a new approach using predicted gene expression to perform exhaustive transcriptome-wide interaction studies (TWISs) for multiple traits across all pairs of genes expressed in several tissue types. Using imputed transcriptomes, we simultaneously reduce the computational challenge and improve interpretability and statistical power. We discover (in the UK Biobank) and replicate (in independent cohorts) several interaction associations, and find several hub genes with numerous interactions. We also demonstrate that TWIS can identify novel associated genes because genes with many or strong interactions have smaller single-locus model effect sizes. Finally, we develop a method to test gene set enrichment of TWIS associations (E-TWIS), finding numerous pathways and networks enriched in interaction associations. Epistasis is may be widespread, and our procedure represents a tractable framework for beginning to explore gene interactions and identify novel genomic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke M. Evans
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, United States of America
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Christopher H. Arehart
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, United States of America
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Andrew D. Grotzinger
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, United States of America
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Travis J. Mize
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, United States of America
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Maizy S. Brasher
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, United States of America
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Jerry A. Stitzel
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, United States of America
- Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Marissa A. Ehringer
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, United States of America
- Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Charles A. Hoeffer
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, United States of America
- Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, United States of America
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DNA barcoding reveals ongoing immunoediting of clonal cancer populations during metastatic progression and immunotherapy response. Nat Commun 2022; 13:6539. [PMID: 36344500 PMCID: PMC9640547 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34041-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancers evade the immune system through the process of cancer immunoediting. While immune checkpoint inhibitors are effective for reactivating tumour immunity in some cancer types, many other solid cancers, including breast cancer, remain largely non-responsive. Understanding how non-responsive cancers evade immunity and whether this occurs at the clonal level will improve immunotherapeutic design. Here we use DNA barcoding to track murine mammary cancer cell clones during immunoediting and determine clonal transcriptional profiles that allow immune evasion following anti-PD1 plus anti-CTLA4 immunotherapy. Clonal diversity is significantly restricted by immunotherapy treatment in both primary tumours and metastases, demonstrating selection for pre-existing breast cancer cell populations and ongoing immunoediting during metastasis and treatment. Immunotherapy resistant clones express a common gene signature associated with poor survival of basal-like breast cancer patient cohorts. At least one of these genes has an existing small molecule that can potentially be used to improve immunotherapy response.
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Kather A, Holtbernd F, Brunkhorst R, Hasan D, Markewitz R, Wandinger KP, Wiesmann M, Schulz JB, Tauber SC. Anti-SEZ6L2 antibodies in paraneoplastic cerebellar syndrome: case report and review of the literature. Neurol Res Pract 2022; 4:54. [PMID: 36310162 PMCID: PMC9620611 DOI: 10.1186/s42466-022-00218-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Seizure Related 6 Homolog Like 2 (SEZ6L2) protein has been shown to have implications in neuronal and especially motor function development. In oncology, overexpression of SEZ6L2 serves as a negative prognostic marker in several tumor entities. Recently, few cases of anti-SEZ6L2 antibody mediated cerebellar syndromes were reported. In this article, we present a case of a 70-year-old woman with subacute onset of gait disturbance, dysarthria and limb ataxia. Serum anti-SEZ6L2 antibodies were markedly increased, and further diagnostic workup revealed left sided breast cancer. Neurological symptoms and SEZ6L2 titer significantly improved after curative tumor therapy. This is a very rare and educationally important report of anti-SEZ6L2 autoimmune cerebellar syndrome with a paraneoplastic etiology. Additionally, we performed a review of the current literature for SEZ6L2, focusing on comparing the published cases on autoimmune cerebellar syndrome.
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SEZ6L2, regulated by USF1, accelerates the growth and metastasis of breast cancer. Exp Cell Res 2022; 417:113194. [PMID: 35523305 DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2022.113194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Revised: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Breast cancer (BC) is the second cause of cancer-related mortality in women. Seizure related 6 homolog like 2 (SEZ6L2), a protein presented on cell surface, is involved in tumor development. It was found to be highly expressed in BC, however, its role in BC remains unclear. Herein, we aimed to explore the role of SEZ6L2 in BC. Firstly, the correlationship between SEZ6L2 expression and the clinic pathological characteristics of patients diagnosed with BC was analyzed. Subsequently, the role of SEZ6L2 was further explored using MTT, transwell invasion, flow cytometry, colony formation and wound healing assays. The result showed that the level of SEZ6L2 was remarkably correlated with the TNM stage, HER-2 status and lymph node metastasis of BC. Knockdown of SEZ6L2 significantly suppressed the proliferation of BC cells and induced cell cycle arrest at G1 phase. In addition, SEZ6L2 knockdown repressed their migration and invasion. On the contrary, SEZ6L2 overexpression performed the opposite effects. Furthermore, SEZ6L2 also accelerated the in vivo tumorigenesis of BC cells. Additionally, according to bioinformatics resources, we identified upstream transcription factor 1 (USF1) as a transcriptional factor which bound to the promoter of SEZ6L2 and positively regulated its transcription. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that SEZ6L2 was transcriptionally regulated by USF1 and was involved in the growth and metastasis of BC cells. Revealing the role of SEZ6L2 in BC provides additional knowledge for the pathogenesis of BC, which may benefit to BC therapy.
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Qiu WQ, Luo S, Ma SA, Saminathan P, Li H, Gunnersen JM, Gelbard HA, Hammond JW. The Sez6 Family Inhibits Complement by Facilitating Factor I Cleavage of C3b and Accelerating the Decay of C3 Convertases. Front Immunol 2021; 12:607641. [PMID: 33936031 PMCID: PMC8081827 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.607641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The Sez6 family consists of Sez6, Sez6L, and Sez6L2. Its members are expressed throughout the brain and have been shown to influence synapse numbers and dendritic morphology. They are also linked to various neurological and psychiatric disorders. All Sez6 family members contain 2-3 CUB domains and 5 complement control protein (CCP) domains, suggesting that they may be involved in complement regulation. We show that Sez6 family members inhibit C3b/iC3b opsonization by the classical and alternative pathways with varying degrees of efficacy. For the classical pathway, Sez6 is a strong inhibitor, Sez6L2 is a moderate inhibitor, and Sez6L is a weak inhibitor. For the alternative pathway, the complement inhibitory activity of Sez6, Sez6L, and Sez6L2 all equaled or exceeded the activity of the known complement regulator MCP. Using Sez6L2 as the representative family member, we show that it specifically accelerates the dissociation of C3 convertases. Sez6L2 also functions as a cofactor for Factor I to facilitate the cleavage of C3b; however, Sez6L2 has no cofactor activity toward C4b. In summary, the Sez6 family are novel complement regulators that inhibit C3 convertases and promote C3b degradation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen Q Qiu
- Center for Neurotherapeutics Discovery, Department of Neurology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, United States
| | - Shaopeiwen Luo
- Center for Neurotherapeutics Discovery, Department of Neurology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, United States
| | - Stefanie A Ma
- Center for Neurotherapeutics Discovery, Department of Neurology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, United States
| | - Priyanka Saminathan
- Center for Neurotherapeutics Discovery, Department of Neurology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, United States
| | - Herman Li
- Center for Neurotherapeutics Discovery, Department of Neurology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, United States
| | - Jenny M Gunnersen
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience and The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Harris A Gelbard
- Center for Neurotherapeutics Discovery, Department of Neurology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, United States
| | - Jennetta W Hammond
- Center for Neurotherapeutics Discovery, Department of Neurology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, United States
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Lee JS, Kim HY, Won B, Kang SW, Kim YN, Jang H. SEZ6L2 Is an Important Regulator of Drug-Resistant Cells and Tumor Spheroid Cells in Lung Adenocarcinoma. Biomedicines 2020; 8:E500. [PMID: 33202873 PMCID: PMC7697537 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines8110500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2020] [Revised: 10/21/2020] [Accepted: 11/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Many lung cancer deaths result from relapses in distant organs, such as the brain or bones, after standard chemotherapy. For cancer cells to spread to other organs, they must survive as circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in blood vessels. Thus, reducing distant recurrence after chemotherapy requires simultaneously inhibiting drug resistance and CTC survival. Here, we investigated the molecular pathways and genes that are commonly altered in drug-resistant lung cancer cells and lung tumor spheroid (TS) cells. First, RNA sequencing was performed in drug-resistant cells and TS cells originating from H460 and A549 lung cancer cells. Bioinformatic pathway analysis showed that cell cycle-related pathways were downregulated in drug-resistant cells, and cholesterol biosynthesis-related pathways were upregulated in TS cells. Seizure-related 6 homolog-like 2 (SEZ6L2) was selected as a gene that was commonly upregulated in both drug-resistant cells and TS cells, and that showed elevated expression in samples from lung adenocarcinoma patients. Second, the protein expression of SEZ6L2 was analyzed by flow cytometry. The proportions of SEZ6L2 positive cells among both drug-resistant cells and TS cells was increased. Finally, as SEZ6L2 is a transmembrane protein with an extracellular region, the function of SEZ6L2 was disrupted by treatment with an anti-SEZ6L2 antibody. Treatment with the anti-SEZ6L2 antibody reduced drug resistance and TS formation. Overall, our data showed that SEZ6L2 plays an important role in drug resistance and TS formation and may be a therapeutic target for reducing distant recurrence of lung adenocarcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jang-Seok Lee
- Research Institute, National Cancer Center, Goyang 10408, Korea; (J.-S.L.); (H.Y.K.); (B.W.); (Y.-N.K.)
| | - Hee Yeon Kim
- Research Institute, National Cancer Center, Goyang 10408, Korea; (J.-S.L.); (H.Y.K.); (B.W.); (Y.-N.K.)
- Department of Life Science, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Korea;
| | - Bomyi Won
- Research Institute, National Cancer Center, Goyang 10408, Korea; (J.-S.L.); (H.Y.K.); (B.W.); (Y.-N.K.)
- Department of Cancer Biomedical Science, National Cancer Center Graduate School of Cancer Science and Policy, Goyang 10408, Korea
| | - Sang Won Kang
- Department of Life Science, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Korea;
| | - Yong-Nyun Kim
- Research Institute, National Cancer Center, Goyang 10408, Korea; (J.-S.L.); (H.Y.K.); (B.W.); (Y.-N.K.)
| | - Hyonchol Jang
- Research Institute, National Cancer Center, Goyang 10408, Korea; (J.-S.L.); (H.Y.K.); (B.W.); (Y.-N.K.)
- Department of Cancer Biomedical Science, National Cancer Center Graduate School of Cancer Science and Policy, Goyang 10408, Korea
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