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Sui JY, Eichenfield DZ, Sun BK. The role of enhancers in psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. Br J Dermatol 2023; 190:10-19. [PMID: 37658835 DOI: 10.1093/bjd/ljad321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Revised: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 08/27/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
Regulatory elements, particularly enhancers, play a crucial role in disease susceptibility and progression. Enhancers are DNA sequences that activate gene expression and can be affected by epigenetic modifications, interactions with transcription factors (TFs) or changes to the enhancer DNA sequence itself. Altered enhancer activity impacts gene expression and contributes to disease. In this review, we define enhancers and the experimental techniques used to identify and characterize them. We also discuss recent studies that examine how enhancers contribute to atopic dermatitis (AD) and psoriasis. Articles in the PubMed database were identified (from 1 January 2010 to 28 February 2023) that were relevant to enhancer variants, enhancer-associated TFs and enhancer histone modifications in psoriasis or AD. Most enhancers associated with these conditions regulate genes affecting epidermal homeostasis or immune function. These discoveries present potential therapeutic targets to complement existing treatment options for AD and psoriasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Y Sui
- Department of Dermatology, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, CA, USA
- Division of Pediatric and Adolescent Dermatology, Rady Children's Hospital of San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Dawn Z Eichenfield
- Department of Dermatology, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, CA, USA
- Division of Pediatric and Adolescent Dermatology, Rady Children's Hospital of San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Bryan K Sun
- Department of Dermatology, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, CA, USA
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2
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Dong S, Zhao N, Spragins E, Kagda MS, Li M, Assis P, Jolanki O, Luo Y, Cherry JM, Boyle AP, Hitz BC. Annotating and prioritizing human non-coding variants with RegulomeDB v.2. Nat Genet 2023; 55:724-726. [PMID: 37173523 PMCID: PMC10989417 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-023-01365-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Shengcheng Dong
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Nanxiang Zhao
- Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Emma Spragins
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | | | - Mingjie Li
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Pedro Assis
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Otto Jolanki
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Yunhai Luo
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | | | - Alan P Boyle
- Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
| | - Benjamin C Hitz
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
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3
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Wei X, Robles CR, Pazokitoroudi A, Ganna A, Gusev A, Durvasula A, Gazal S, Loh PR, Reich D, Sankararaman S. The lingering effects of Neanderthal introgression on human complex traits. eLife 2023; 12:e80757. [PMID: 36939312 PMCID: PMC10076017 DOI: 10.7554/elife.80757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 03/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The genetic variants introduced into the ancestors of modern humans from interbreeding with Neanderthals have been suggested to contribute an unexpected extent to complex human traits. However, testing this hypothesis has been challenging due to the idiosyncratic population genetic properties of introgressed variants. We developed rigorous methods to assess the contribution of introgressed Neanderthal variants to heritable trait variation and applied these methods to analyze 235,592 introgressed Neanderthal variants and 96 distinct phenotypes measured in about 300,000 unrelated white British individuals in the UK Biobank. Introgressed Neanderthal variants make a significant contribution to trait variation (explaining 0.12% of trait variation on average). However, the contribution of introgressed variants tends to be significantly depleted relative to modern human variants matched for allele frequency and linkage disequilibrium (about 59% depletion on average), consistent with purifying selection on introgressed variants. Different from previous studies (McArthur et al., 2021), we find no evidence for elevated heritability across the phenotypes examined. We identified 348 independent significant associations of introgressed Neanderthal variants with 64 phenotypes. Previous work (Skov et al., 2020) has suggested that a majority of such associations are likely driven by statistical association with nearby modern human variants that are the true causal variants. Applying a customized fine-mapping led us to identify 112 regions across 47 phenotypes containing 4303 unique genetic variants where introgressed variants are highly likely to have a phenotypic effect. Examination of these variants reveals their substantial impact on genes that are important for the immune system, development, and metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinzhu Wei
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | - Christopher R Robles
- Department of Human Genetics, University of California, Los AngelesLos AngelesUnited States
| | - Ali Pazokitoroudi
- Department of Computer Science, University of California, Los AngelesLos AngelesUnited States
| | - Andrea Ganna
- Analytical and Translational Genetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General HospitalBostonUnited States
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and HarvardCambridgeUnited States
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and HarvardCambridgeUnited States
| | - Alexander Gusev
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | - Arun Durvasula
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard UniversityCambridgeUnited States
| | - Steven Gazal
- Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Public and Population Health Sciences, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
- Division of Genetics,Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | - Po-Ru Loh
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and HarvardCambridgeUnited States
| | - David Reich
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and HarvardCambridgeUnited States
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard UniversityCambridgeUnited States
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | - Sriram Sankararaman
- Department of Human Genetics, University of California, Los AngelesLos AngelesUnited States
- Department of Computer Science, University of California, Los AngelesLos AngelesUnited States
- Department of Computational Medicine, University of California, Los AngelesLos AngelesUnited States
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Gene 33/Mig6/ERRFI1, an Adapter Protein with Complex Functions in Cell Biology and Human Diseases. Cells 2021; 10:cells10071574. [PMID: 34206547 PMCID: PMC8306081 DOI: 10.3390/cells10071574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Revised: 06/12/2021] [Accepted: 06/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Gene 33 (also named Mig6, RALT, and ERRFI1) is an adapter/scaffold protein with a calculated molecular weight of about 50 kD. It contains multiple domains known to mediate protein–protein interaction, suggesting that it has the potential to interact with many cellular partners and have multiple cellular functions. The research over the last two decades has confirmed that it indeed regulates multiple cell signaling pathways and is involved in many pathophysiological processes. Gene 33 has long been viewed as an exclusively cytosolic protein. However, recent evidence suggests that it also has nuclear and chromatin-associated functions. These new findings highlight a significantly broader functional spectrum of this protein. In this review, we will discuss the function and regulation of Gene 33, as well as its association with human pathophysiological conditions in light of the recent research progress on this protein.
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Tseng CC, Wong MC, Liao WT, Chen CJ, Lee SC, Yen JH, Chang SJ. Genetic Variants in Transcription Factor Binding Sites in Humans: Triggered by Natural Selection and Triggers of Diseases. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22084187. [PMID: 33919522 PMCID: PMC8073710 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22084187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2021] [Revised: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 04/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Variants of transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs) constitute an important part of the human genome. Current evidence demonstrates close links between nucleotides within TFBSs and gene expression. There are multiple pathways through which genomic sequences located in TFBSs regulate gene expression, and recent genome-wide association studies have shown the biological significance of TFBS variation in human phenotypes. However, numerous challenges remain in the study of TFBS polymorphisms. This article aims to cover the current state of understanding as regards the genomic features of TFBSs and TFBS variants; the mechanisms through which TFBS variants regulate gene expression; the approaches to studying the effects of nucleotide changes that create or disrupt TFBSs; the challenges faced in studies of TFBS sequence variations; the effects of natural selection on collections of TFBSs; in addition to the insights gained from the study of TFBS alleles related to gout, its associated comorbidities (increased body mass index, chronic kidney disease, diabetes, dyslipidemia, coronary artery disease, ischemic heart disease, hypertension, hyperuricemia, osteoporosis, and prostate cancer), and the treatment responses of patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chia-Chun Tseng
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan; (C.-C.T.); (J.-H.Y.)
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 80756, Taiwan
| | - Man-Chun Wong
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Science, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan;
| | - Wei-Ting Liao
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Science, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan;
- Department of Medical Research, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 80756, Taiwan
- Correspondence: (W.-T.L.); (S.-J.C.); Tel.: +886-7-3121101 (W.-T.L.); +886-7-5916679 (S.-J.C.); Fax:+886-7-3125339 (W.-T.L.); +886-7-5919264 (S.-J.C.)
| | - Chung-Jen Chen
- Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Municipal Ta-Tung Hospital, Kaohsiung 80145, Taiwan;
| | - Su-Chen Lee
- Laboratory Diagnosis of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan;
| | - Jeng-Hsien Yen
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan; (C.-C.T.); (J.-H.Y.)
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 80756, Taiwan
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung 80424, Taiwan
- Department of Biological Science and Technology, National Chiao-Tung University, Hsinchu 30010, Taiwan
| | - Shun-Jen Chang
- Department of Kinesiology, Health and Leisure Studies, National University of Kaohsiung, Kaohsiung 81148, Taiwan
- Correspondence: (W.-T.L.); (S.-J.C.); Tel.: +886-7-3121101 (W.-T.L.); +886-7-5916679 (S.-J.C.); Fax:+886-7-3125339 (W.-T.L.); +886-7-5919264 (S.-J.C.)
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