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Yeyeodu S, Hanafi D, Webb K, Laurie NA, Kimbro KS. Population-enriched innate immune variants may identify candidate gene targets at the intersection of cancer and cardio-metabolic disease. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2024; 14:1286979. [PMID: 38577257 PMCID: PMC10991756 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1286979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Both cancer and cardio-metabolic disease disparities exist among specific populations in the US. For example, African Americans experience the highest rates of breast and prostate cancer mortality and the highest incidence of obesity. Native and Hispanic Americans experience the highest rates of liver cancer mortality. At the same time, Pacific Islanders have the highest death rate attributed to type 2 diabetes (T2D), and Asian Americans experience the highest incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and cancers induced by infectious agents. Notably, the pathologic progression of both cancer and cardio-metabolic diseases involves innate immunity and mechanisms of inflammation. Innate immunity in individuals is established through genetic inheritance and external stimuli to respond to environmental threats and stresses such as pathogen exposure. Further, individual genomes contain characteristic genetic markers associated with one or more geographic ancestries (ethnic groups), including protective innate immune genetic programming optimized for survival in their corresponding ancestral environment(s). This perspective explores evidence related to our working hypothesis that genetic variations in innate immune genes, particularly those that are commonly found but unevenly distributed between populations, are associated with disparities between populations in both cancer and cardio-metabolic diseases. Identifying conventional and unconventional innate immune genes that fit this profile may provide critical insights into the underlying mechanisms that connect these two families of complex diseases and offer novel targets for precision-based treatment of cancer and/or cardio-metabolic disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan Yeyeodu
- Julius L Chambers Biomedical/Biotechnology Institute (JLC-BBRI), North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC, United States
- Charles River Discovery Services, Morrisville, NC, United States
| | - Donia Hanafi
- Julius L Chambers Biomedical/Biotechnology Institute (JLC-BBRI), North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Kenisha Webb
- Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry, and Immunology, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Nikia A. Laurie
- Julius L Chambers Biomedical/Biotechnology Institute (JLC-BBRI), North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC, United States
| | - K. Sean Kimbro
- Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry, and Immunology, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
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Gordon WE, Baek S, Nguyen HP, Kuo YM, Bradley R, Fong SL, Kim N, Galazyuk A, Lee I, Ingala MR, Simmons NB, Schountz T, Cooper LN, Georgakopoulos-Soares I, Hemberg M, Ahituv N. Integrative single-cell characterization of a frugivorous and an insectivorous bat kidney and pancreas. Nat Commun 2024; 15:12. [PMID: 38195585 PMCID: PMC10776631 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44186-y] [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: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Frugivory evolved multiple times in mammals, including bats. However, the cellular and molecular components driving it remain largely unknown. Here, we use integrative single-cell sequencing (scRNA-seq and scATAC-seq) on insectivorous (Eptesicus fuscus; big brown bat) and frugivorous (Artibeus jamaicensis; Jamaican fruit bat) bat kidneys and pancreases and identify key cell population, gene expression and regulatory differences associated with the Jamaican fruit bat that also relate to human disease, particularly diabetes. We find a decrease in loop of Henle and an increase in collecting duct cells, and differentially active genes and regulatory elements involved in fluid and electrolyte balance in the Jamaican fruit bat kidney. The Jamaican fruit bat pancreas shows an increase in endocrine and a decrease in exocrine cells, and differences in genes and regulatory elements involved in insulin regulation. We also find that these frugivorous bats share several molecular characteristics with human diabetes. Combined, our work provides insights from a frugivorous mammal that could be leveraged for therapeutic purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei E Gordon
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
- Institute for Human Genetics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
- Department of Biology, Menlo College, 1000 El Camino Real, Atherton, CA, 94027, USA
| | - Seungbyn Baek
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Hai P Nguyen
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
- Institute for Human Genetics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Yien-Ming Kuo
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - Rachael Bradley
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
- Institute for Human Genetics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Sarah L Fong
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
- Institute for Human Genetics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Nayeon Kim
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Alex Galazyuk
- Hearing Research Focus Area, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown, OH, USA
| | - Insuk Lee
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
- POSTECH Biotech Center, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 37673, Republic of Korea
| | - Melissa R Ingala
- Department of Biological Sciences, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Madison, NJ, 07940, USA
| | - Nancy B Simmons
- Division of Vertebrate Zoology, Department of Mammalogy, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, 10024, USA
| | - Tony Schountz
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA
| | - Lisa Noelle Cooper
- Musculoskeletal Research Focus Area, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown, OH, 44272, USA
| | - Ilias Georgakopoulos-Soares
- Institute for Personalized Medicine, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, 17033, USA
| | - Martin Hemberg
- Gene Lay Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
| | - Nadav Ahituv
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA.
- Institute for Human Genetics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA.
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Gordon WE, Baek S, Nguyen HP, Kuo YM, Bradley R, Galazyuk A, Lee I, Ingala MR, Simmons NB, Schountz T, Cooper LN, Georgakopoulos-Soares I, Hemberg M, Ahituv N. Integrative single-cell characterization of frugivory adaptations in the bat kidney and pancreas. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.12.528204. [PMID: 36824791 PMCID: PMC9949079 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.12.528204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/15/2023]
Abstract
Frugivory evolved multiple times in mammals, including bats. However, the cellular and molecular components driving it remain largely unknown. Here, we used integrative single-cell sequencing on insectivorous and frugivorous bat kidneys and pancreases and identified key cell population, gene expression and regulatory element differences associated with frugivorous adaptation that also relate to human disease, particularly diabetes. We found an increase in collecting duct cells and differentially active genes and regulatory elements involved in fluid and electrolyte balance in the frugivore kidney. In the frugivorous pancreas, we observed an increase in endocrine and a decrease in exocrine cells and differences in genes and regulatory elements involved in insulin regulation. Combined, our work provides novel insights into frugivorous adaptation that also could be leveraged for therapeutic purposes.
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