1
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Nihad M, Shenoy P S, Bose B. Spontaneous Efficient Differentiation of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells (hPSC) Upon Co-culture of hPSCs with Human Neonatal Foreskin Fibroblasts in 3D. Methods Mol Biol 2024. [PMID: 39316337 DOI: 10.1007/7651_2024_569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/25/2024]
Abstract
Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) form well-formed embryoid bodies (EBs) in 3D culture. These EBs are formed in culture media lacking leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) or basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in mouse and human PSCs, respectively. EBs are excellent technical tools for understanding developmental biology and inducing controlled differentiation in succeeding experimental steps. Technically speaking, EBs are spontaneously differentiated PSCs in 3D and exhibit all three lineages in a time-point/sequential manner. For example, ectoderm will form first, followed by mesoderm and endoderm. We have attempted to co-culture human neonatal foreskin-derived fibroblast cells in our laboratory with the PSCs first in 2D conditions followed by the induction of EBs (PSC+fibroblasts co-cultured) in low attachment dishes. We also performed spontaneous differentiation of such EBs (co-cultured with fibroblasts). We checked the presence of markers of various lineages, namely, ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm in days 6, 10, and 12 day EBs. We have also compared the fibroblast co-cultured EBs, along with control EBs (derived from only PSCs). This co-culture system mimics the natural conditions of uterine implantation and the role of the endometrial fibroblasts in the induction of further embryonic development. The fibroblast co-cultured iPSC EBs had better roundness scores than the normal iPSC EBs and had a higher expression of lineage-specific markers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Nihad
- Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Centre, Yenepoya Research Centre, Yenepoya (Deemed to be University), Mangalore, Karnataka, India
| | - Sudheer Shenoy P
- Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Centre, Yenepoya Research Centre, Yenepoya (Deemed to be University), Mangalore, Karnataka, India
| | - Bipasha Bose
- Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Centre, Yenepoya Research Centre, Yenepoya (Deemed to be University), Mangalore, Karnataka, India.
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2
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Bitterman D, Wang JY, Collins A, Zafar K, Kabakova M, Patel P, Joerg L, Cohen M, Austin E, Jagdeo J. The role of IL-17 and Th17 cells in keloid pathogenesis. Arch Dermatol Res 2024; 316:626. [PMID: 39276195 DOI: 10.1007/s00403-024-03352-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2024] [Revised: 08/06/2024] [Accepted: 08/20/2024] [Indexed: 09/16/2024]
Abstract
Keloids are characterized histologically by excessive fibroblast proliferation and connective tissue deposition, and clinically by scar tissue extending beyond the original site of skin injury. These scars can cause pruritus, pain, physical disfigurement, anxiety, and depression. As a result, keloid patients often have a diminished quality of life with a disproportionate burden on ethnic minorities. Despite advances in understanding keloid pathology, there is no effective Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved pharmacotherapy. Recent studies have highlighted the possible pathologic role of T helper (Th)17 cells and interleukin (IL)-17 in keloid formation, as well as their implication in other inflammatory disorders. This systematic review characterizes the role of Th17 cells and IL-17 in keloid pathogenesis, highlighting this pathway as a potential therapeutic target. Adhering to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, we conducted a comprehensive search on PubMed, Embase, MEDLINE, and Web of Science databases on June 5, 2024. The search included terms related to Th17 cells, IL-17, and keloids. Thirteen studies met the inclusion criteria, comprising basic science and bioinformatic studies focusing on Th17 cells and IL-17. Key findings include increased Th17 cell infiltration and IL-17 expression in keloids, IL-17's role in amplifying the inflammatory and fibrotic response via the promotion of IL-6 expression, and IL-17's involvement in upregulating fibrotic markers via SDF-1 and HIF-1α pathways. IL-17 also activates the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β)/Smad pathway in keloid fibroblasts. Th17 cells and IL-17 significantly contribute to the inflammatory and fibrotic processes in keloid pathogenesis. Therefore, targeting the IL-17 pathway offers a potential new therapeutic target to improve keloid patients' outcomes. Future research could further elucidate the role of Th17 cells and IL-17 in keloid pathogenesis and assess the safety and efficacy of targeting this pathway in human studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Bitterman
- Dermatology Service, Veterans Affairs New York Harbor Healthcare System - Brooklyn Campus, Brooklyn, NY, USA
- New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, USA
| | - Jennifer Y Wang
- Dermatology Service, Veterans Affairs New York Harbor Healthcare System - Brooklyn Campus, Brooklyn, NY, USA
- Department of Dermatology, State University of New York, Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, NY, USA
| | - Alexia Collins
- Dermatology Service, Veterans Affairs New York Harbor Healthcare System - Brooklyn Campus, Brooklyn, NY, USA
- Department of Dermatology, State University of New York, Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, NY, USA
| | - Kayla Zafar
- Dermatology Service, Veterans Affairs New York Harbor Healthcare System - Brooklyn Campus, Brooklyn, NY, USA
- St. George's University School of Medicine, Grenada, West Indies, True Blue, Grenada
| | - Margaret Kabakova
- Dermatology Service, Veterans Affairs New York Harbor Healthcare System - Brooklyn Campus, Brooklyn, NY, USA
- Department of Dermatology, State University of New York, Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, NY, USA
| | - Paras Patel
- Dermatology Service, Veterans Affairs New York Harbor Healthcare System - Brooklyn Campus, Brooklyn, NY, USA
- Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, NJ, USA
| | - Lucie Joerg
- Dermatology Service, Veterans Affairs New York Harbor Healthcare System - Brooklyn Campus, Brooklyn, NY, USA
- Albany Medical College, Albany, NY, USA
| | - Marc Cohen
- Dermatology Service, Veterans Affairs New York Harbor Healthcare System - Brooklyn Campus, Brooklyn, NY, USA
- Department of Dermatology, State University of New York, Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, NY, USA
| | - Evan Austin
- Dermatology Service, Veterans Affairs New York Harbor Healthcare System - Brooklyn Campus, Brooklyn, NY, USA
- Department of Dermatology, State University of New York, Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, NY, USA
| | - Jared Jagdeo
- Dermatology Service, Veterans Affairs New York Harbor Healthcare System - Brooklyn Campus, Brooklyn, NY, USA.
- Department of Dermatology, State University of New York, Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, NY, USA.
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3
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Sundaram L, Kumar A, Zatzman M, Salcedo A, Ravindra N, Shams S, Louie BH, Bagdatli ST, Myers MA, Sarmashghi S, Choi HY, Choi WY, Yost KE, Zhao Y, Granja JM, Hinoue T, Hayes DN, Cherniack A, Felau I, Choudhry H, Zenklusen JC, Farh KKH, McPherson A, Curtis C, Laird PW, Demchok JA, Yang L, Tarnuzzer R, Caesar-Johnson SJ, Wang Z, Doane AS, Khurana E, Castro MAA, Lazar AJ, Broom BM, Weinstein JN, Akbani R, Kumar SV, Raphael BJ, Wong CK, Stuart JM, Safavi R, Benz CC, Johnson BK, Kyi C, Shen H, Corces MR, Chang HY, Greenleaf WJ. Single-cell chromatin accessibility reveals malignant regulatory programs in primary human cancers. Science 2024; 385:eadk9217. [PMID: 39236169 DOI: 10.1126/science.adk9217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2024] [Indexed: 09/07/2024]
Abstract
To identify cancer-associated gene regulatory changes, we generated single-cell chromatin accessibility landscapes across eight tumor types as part of The Cancer Genome Atlas. Tumor chromatin accessibility is strongly influenced by copy number alterations that can be used to identify subclones, yet underlying cis-regulatory landscapes retain cancer type-specific features. Using organ-matched healthy tissues, we identified the "nearest healthy" cell types in diverse cancers, demonstrating that the chromatin signature of basal-like-subtype breast cancer is most similar to secretory-type luminal epithelial cells. Neural network models trained to learn regulatory programs in cancer revealed enrichment of model-prioritized somatic noncoding mutations near cancer-associated genes, suggesting that dispersed, nonrecurrent, noncoding mutations in cancer are functional. Overall, these data and interpretable gene regulatory models for cancer and healthy tissue provide a framework for understanding cancer-specific gene regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laksshman Sundaram
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Computer Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Illumina AI laboratory, Illumina Inc, Foster City, CA, USA
- NVIDIA Bio Research, NVIDIA, Santa Clara, CA, USA
| | - Arvind Kumar
- Illumina AI laboratory, Illumina Inc, Foster City, CA, USA
| | - Matthew Zatzman
- Computational Oncology, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Neal Ravindra
- Illumina AI laboratory, Illumina Inc, Foster City, CA, USA
| | - Shadi Shams
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Dermatology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Center for Personal Dynamic Regulomes, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Bryan H Louie
- Department of Dermatology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Center for Personal Dynamic Regulomes, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - S Tansu Bagdatli
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Dermatology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Center for Personal Dynamic Regulomes, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Matthew A Myers
- Computational Oncology, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Hyo Young Choi
- Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA
- Department of Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Won-Young Choi
- UTHSC Center for Cancer Research, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Kathryn E Yost
- Department of Dermatology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Center for Personal Dynamic Regulomes, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Yanding Zhao
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Dermatology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Center for Personal Dynamic Regulomes, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Jeffrey M Granja
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Toshinori Hinoue
- Center for Epigenetics, Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, USA
| | - D Neil Hayes
- Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA
- Department of Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA
- UTHSC Center for Cancer Research, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA
| | | | - Ina Felau
- National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Hani Choudhry
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Cancer and Mutagenesis Unit, King Fahd Center for Medical Research, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Jean C Zenklusen
- National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | | | - Andrew McPherson
- Computational Oncology, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Christina Curtis
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Center for Personal Dynamic Regulomes, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Peter W Laird
- Center for Epigenetics, Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, USA
| | - John A Demchok
- Center for Cancer Genomics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Liming Yang
- Center for Cancer Genomics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Roy Tarnuzzer
- Center for Cancer Genomics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | | | - Zhining Wang
- Center for Biomedical Informatics and Information Technology, National Cancer Institute, NIH, 9609 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD 20850, USA
| | - Ashley S Doane
- Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Ekta Khurana
- Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Mauro A A Castro
- Bioinformatics and Systems Biology Laboratory, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba 81520-260, Brazil
| | - Alexander J Lazar
- Departments of Pathology & Genomic Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Bradley M Broom
- Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - John N Weinstein
- Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Systems Biology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030
| | - Rehan Akbani
- Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Shwetha V Kumar
- Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Benjamin J Raphael
- Department of Computer Science, Princeton University, 35 Olden Street, Princeton, NJ 08540
| | - Christopher K Wong
- Biomolecular Engineering Department, School of Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Joshua M Stuart
- Biomolecular Engineering Department, School of Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Rojin Safavi
- Biomolecular Engineering Department, School of Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | | | - Benjamin K Johnson
- Center for Epigenetics, Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, USA
| | - Cindy Kyi
- Center for Cancer Genomics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Hui Shen
- Center for Epigenetics, Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, USA
| | - M Ryan Corces
- Department of Dermatology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Gladstone Institute of Data Science and Biotechnology, Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Howard Y Chang
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Dermatology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Center for Personal Dynamic Regulomes, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - William J Greenleaf
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Center for Personal Dynamic Regulomes, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
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4
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York JR, Rao A, Huber PB, Schock EN, Montequin A, Rigney S, LaBonne C. Shared features of blastula and neural crest stem cells evolved at the base of vertebrates. Nat Ecol Evol 2024; 8:1680-1692. [PMID: 39060477 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02476-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 06/18/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024]
Abstract
The neural crest is a vertebrate-specific stem cell population that helped drive the origin and evolution of vertebrates. A distinguishing feature of these cells is their multi-germ layer potential, which has parallels to another stem cell population-pluripotent stem cells of the vertebrate blastula. Here, we investigate the evolutionary origins of neural crest potential by comparing neural crest and pluripotency gene regulatory networks of a jawed vertebrate, Xenopus, and a jawless vertebrate, lamprey. We reveal an ancient evolutionary origin of shared regulatory factors in these gene regulatory networks that dates to the last common ancestor of extant vertebrates. Focusing on the key pluripotency factor pou5, we show that a lamprey pou5 orthologue is expressed in animal pole cells but is absent from neural crest. Both lamprey and Xenopus pou5 promote neural crest formation, suggesting that pou5 activity was lost from the neural crest of jawless vertebrates or acquired along the jawed vertebrate stem. Finally, we provide evidence that pou5 acquired novel, neural crest-enhancing activity after evolving from an ancestral pou3-like clade. This work provides evidence that both the neural crest and blastula pluripotency networks arose at the base of the vertebrates and that this may be linked to functional evolution of pou5.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua R York
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Anjali Rao
- Research Department, Gilead Sciences, Foster City, CA, USA
| | - Paul B Huber
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Elizabeth N Schock
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Andrew Montequin
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Sara Rigney
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Carole LaBonne
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
- National Institute for Theory and Mathematics in Biology, Chicago, IL, USA.
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5
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Oh W, Jung J, Joo JWJ. MR-GGI: accurate inference of gene-gene interactions using Mendelian randomization. BMC Bioinformatics 2024; 25:192. [PMID: 38750431 PMCID: PMC11094870 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-024-05808-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2024] [Indexed: 05/19/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Researchers have long studied the regulatory processes of genes to uncover their functions. Gene regulatory network analysis is one of the popular approaches for understanding these processes, requiring accurate identification of interactions among the genes to establish the gene regulatory network. Advances in genome-wide association studies and expression quantitative trait loci studies have led to a wealth of genomic data, facilitating more accurate inference of gene-gene interactions. However, unknown confounding factors may influence these interactions, making their interpretation complicated. Mendelian randomization (MR) has emerged as a valuable tool for causal inference in genetics, addressing confounding effects by estimating causal relationships using instrumental variables. In this paper, we propose a new statistical method, MR-GGI, for accurately inferring gene-gene interactions using Mendelian randomization. RESULTS MR-GGI applies one gene as the exposure and another as the outcome, using causal cis-single-nucleotide polymorphisms as instrumental variables in the inverse-variance weighted MR model. Through simulations, we have demonstrated MR-GGI's ability to control type 1 error and maintain statistical power despite confounding effects. MR-GGI performed the best when compared to other methods using the F1 score on the DREAM5 dataset. Additionally, when applied to yeast genomic data, MR-GGI successfully identified six clusters. Through gene ontology analysis, we have confirmed that each cluster in our study performs distinct functional roles by gathering genes with specific functions. CONCLUSION These findings demonstrate that MR-GGI accurately inferences gene-gene interactions despite the confounding effects in real biological environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wonseok Oh
- Department of Industrial Pharmacy, Dongguk University-Seoul, Seoul, 04620, South Korea
| | - Junghyun Jung
- Department of Computational Biomedicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Hollywood, CA, USA
| | - Jong Wha J Joo
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Dongguk University-Seoul, Seoul, 04620, South Korea.
- Division of AI Software Convergence, Dongguk University-Seoul, Seoul, 04620, South Korea.
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6
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Mahajan A, Hong J, Krukovets I, Shin J, Tkachenko S, Espinosa-Diez C, Owens GK, Cherepanova OA. Integrative analysis of the lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA interactions in smooth muscle cell phenotypic transitions. Front Genet 2024; 15:1356558. [PMID: 38660676 PMCID: PMC11039880 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2024.1356558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Objectives: We previously found that the pluripotency factor OCT4 is reactivated in smooth muscle cells (SMC) in human and mouse atherosclerotic plaques and plays an atheroprotective role. Loss of OCT4 in SMC in vitro was associated with decreases in SMC migration. However, molecular mechanisms responsible for atheroprotective SMC-OCT4-dependent effects remain unknown. Methods: Since studies in embryonic stem cells demonstrated that OCT4 regulates long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs), making them candidates for OCT4 effect mediators, we applied an in vitro approach to investigate the interactions between OCT4-regulated lncRNAs, mRNAs, and miRNAs in SMC. We used OCT4 deficient mouse aortic SMC (MASMC) treated with the pro-atherogenic oxidized phospholipid POVPC, which, as we previously demonstrated, suppresses SMC contractile markers and induces SMC migration. Differential expression of lncRNAs, mRNAs, and miRNAs was obtained by lncRNA/mRNA expression array and small-RNA microarray. Long non-coding RNA to mRNA associations were predicted based on their genomic proximity and association with vascular diseases. Given a recently discovered crosstalk between miRNA and lncRNA, we also investigated the association of miRNAs with upregulated/downregulated lncRNA-mRNA pairs. Results: POVPC treatment in SMC resulted in upregulating genes related to the axon guidance and focal adhesion pathways. Knockdown of Oct4 resulted in differential regulation of pathways associated with phagocytosis. Importantly, these results were consistent with our data showing that OCT4 deficiency attenuated POVPC-induced SMC migration and led to increased phagocytosis. Next, we identified several up- or downregulated lncRNA associated with upregulation of the specific mRNA unique for the OCT4 deficient SMC, including upregulation of ENSMUST00000140952-Hoxb5/6 and ENSMUST00000155531-Zfp652 along with downregulation of ENSMUST00000173605-Parp9 and, ENSMUST00000137236-Zmym1. Finally, we found that many of the downregulated miRNAs were associated with cell migration, including miR-196a-1 and miR-10a, targets of upregulated ENSMUST00000140952, and miR-155 and miR-122, targets of upregulated ENSMUST00000155531. Oppositely, the upregulated miRNAs were anti-migratory and pro-phagocytic, such as miR-10a/b and miR-15a/b, targets of downregulated ENSMUST00000173605, and miR-146a/b and miR-15b targets of ENSMUST00000137236. Conclusion: Our integrative analyses of the lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA interactions in SMC indicated novel potential OCT4-dependent mechanisms that may play a role in SMC phenotypic transitions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aatish Mahajan
- Department of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Junyoung Hong
- Department of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Irene Krukovets
- Department of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Junchul Shin
- Department of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Svyatoslav Tkachenko
- Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Cristina Espinosa-Diez
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, United States
| | - Gary K. Owens
- Robert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Center, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Olga A. Cherepanova
- Department of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, United States
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7
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Wasielewska JM, Szostak K, McInnes LE, Quek H, Chaves JCS, Liddell JR, Koistinaho J, Oikari LE, Donnelly PS, White AR. Patient-Derived Blood-Brain Barrier Model for Screening Copper Bis(thiosemicarbazone) Complexes as Potential Therapeutics in Alzheimer's Disease. ACS Chem Neurosci 2024; 15:1432-1455. [PMID: 38477556 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.3c00743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent cause of dementia characterized by a progressive cognitive decline. Addressing neuroinflammation represents a promising therapeutic avenue to treat AD; however, the development of effective antineuroinflammatory compounds is often hindered by their limited blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability. Consequently, there is an urgent need for accurate, preclinical AD patient-specific BBB models to facilitate the early identification of immunomodulatory drugs capable of efficiently crossing the human AD BBB. This study presents a unique approach to BBB drug permeability screening as it utilizes the familial AD patient-derived induced brain endothelial-like cell (iBEC)-based model, which exhibits increased disease relevance and serves as an improved BBB drug permeability assessment tool when compared to traditionally employed in vitro models. To demonstrate its utility as a small molecule drug candidate screening platform, we investigated the effects of diacetylbis(N(4)-methylthiosemicarbazonato)copper(II) (CuII(atsm)) and a library of metal bis(thiosemicarbazone) complexes─a class of compounds exhibiting antineuroinflammatory therapeutic potential in neurodegenerative disorders. By evaluating the toxicity, cellular accumulation, and permeability of those compounds in the AD patient-derived iBEC, we have identified 3,4-hexanedione bis(N(4)-methylthiosemicarbazonato)copper(II) (CuII(dtsm)) as a candidate with good transport across the AD BBB. Furthermore, we have developed a multiplex approach where AD patient-derived iBEC were combined with immune modulators TNFα and IFNγ to establish an in vitro model representing the characteristic neuroinflammatory phenotype at the patient's BBB. Here, we observed that treatment with CuII(dtsm) not only reduced the expression of proinflammatory cytokine genes but also reversed the detrimental effects of TNFα and IFNγ on the integrity and function of the AD iBEC monolayer. This suggests a novel pathway through which copper bis(thiosemicarbazone) complexes may exert neurotherapeutic effects on AD by mitigating BBB neuroinflammation and related BBB integrity impairment. Together, the presented model provides an effective and easily scalable in vitro BBB platform for screening AD drug candidates. Its improved translational potential makes it a valuable tool for advancing the development of metal-based compounds aimed at modulating neuroinflammation in AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna M Wasielewska
- Mental Health and Neuroscience Program, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, QLD 4006, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, Herston, QLD 4006, Australia
| | - Kathryn Szostak
- School of Chemistry, Bio21 Institute for Molecular Science and Biotechnology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Lachlan E McInnes
- School of Chemistry, Bio21 Institute for Molecular Science and Biotechnology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Hazel Quek
- Mental Health and Neuroscience Program, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, QLD 4006, Australia
- School of Biomedical Science, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4067, Australia
| | - Juliana C S Chaves
- Mental Health and Neuroscience Program, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, QLD 4006, Australia
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia
| | - Jeffrey R Liddell
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Jari Koistinaho
- Drug Research Program, Division of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki 00014,Finland
- Neuroscience Centre, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki 00014, Finland
| | - Lotta E Oikari
- Mental Health and Neuroscience Program, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, QLD 4006, Australia
| | - Paul S Donnelly
- School of Chemistry, Bio21 Institute for Molecular Science and Biotechnology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Anthony R White
- Mental Health and Neuroscience Program, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, QLD 4006, Australia
- School of Biomedical Science, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4067, Australia
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8
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Gancheva MR, Kremer K, Breen J, Arthur A, Hamilton-Bruce A, Thomas P, Gronthos S, Koblar S. Effect of Octamer-Binding Transcription Factor 4 Overexpression on the Neural Induction of Human Dental Pulp Stem Cells. Stem Cell Rev Rep 2024; 20:797-815. [PMID: 38316679 PMCID: PMC10984899 DOI: 10.1007/s12015-024-10678-7] [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] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
Stem cell-based therapy is a potential alternative strategy for brain repair, with neural stem cells (NSC) presenting as the most promising candidates. Obtaining sufficient quantities of NSC for clinical applications is challenging, therefore alternative cell types, such as neural crest-derived dental pulp stem cells (DPSC), may be considered. Human DPSC possess neurogenic potential, exerting positive effects in the damaged brain through paracrine effects. However, a method for conversion of DPSC into NSC has yet to be developed. Here, overexpression of octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (OCT4) in combination with neural inductive conditions was used to reprogram human DPSC along the neural lineage. The reprogrammed DPSC demonstrated a neuronal-like phenotype, with increased expression levels of neural markers, limited capacity for sphere formation, and enhanced neuronal but not glial differentiation. Transcriptomic analysis further highlighted the expression of genes associated with neural and neuronal functions. In vivo analysis using a developmental avian model showed that implanted DPSC survived in the developing central nervous system and respond to endogenous signals, displaying neuronal phenotypes. Therefore, OCT4 enhances the neural potential of DPSC, which exhibited characteristics aligning with neuronal progenitors. This method can be used to standardise DPSC neural induction and provide an alternative source of neural cell types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria R Gancheva
- Adelaide Medical School, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, 5005, Australia.
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, 5005, Australia.
| | - Karlea Kremer
- Adelaide Medical School, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, 5005, Australia
| | - James Breen
- Adelaide Medical School, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, 5005, Australia
- School of Biomedicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, 5005, Australia
| | - Agnes Arthur
- School of Biomedicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, 5005, Australia
| | - Anne Hamilton-Bruce
- Adelaide Medical School, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, 5005, Australia
- Stroke Research Programme, Basil Hetzel Institute, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Central Adelaide Local Health Network, Woodville South, 5011, Australia
| | - Paul Thomas
- School of Biomedicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, 5005, Australia
- South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, 5000, Australia
| | - Stan Gronthos
- School of Biomedicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, 5005, Australia
- South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, 5000, Australia
| | - Simon Koblar
- Adelaide Medical School, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, 5005, Australia
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9
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Ranek JS, Stallaert W, Milner JJ, Redick M, Wolff SC, Beltran AS, Stanley N, Purvis JE. DELVE: feature selection for preserving biological trajectories in single-cell data. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2765. [PMID: 38553455 PMCID: PMC10980758 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46773-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Single-cell technologies can measure the expression of thousands of molecular features in individual cells undergoing dynamic biological processes. While examining cells along a computationally-ordered pseudotime trajectory can reveal how changes in gene or protein expression impact cell fate, identifying such dynamic features is challenging due to the inherent noise in single-cell data. Here, we present DELVE, an unsupervised feature selection method for identifying a representative subset of molecular features which robustly recapitulate cellular trajectories. In contrast to previous work, DELVE uses a bottom-up approach to mitigate the effects of confounding sources of variation, and instead models cell states from dynamic gene or protein modules based on core regulatory complexes. Using simulations, single-cell RNA sequencing, and iterative immunofluorescence imaging data in the context of cell cycle and cellular differentiation, we demonstrate how DELVE selects features that better define cell-types and cell-type transitions. DELVE is available as an open-source python package: https://github.com/jranek/delve .
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Affiliation(s)
- Jolene S Ranek
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Computational Medicine Program, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Wayne Stallaert
- Department of Computational and Systems Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - J Justin Milner
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Margaret Redick
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Computational Medicine Program, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Samuel C Wolff
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Computational Medicine Program, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Adriana S Beltran
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Human Pluripotent Cell Core, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Natalie Stanley
- Computational Medicine Program, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- Department of Computer Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
| | - Jeremy E Purvis
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- Computational Medicine Program, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
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10
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Chea S, Kreger J, Lopez-Burks ME, MacLean AL, Lander AD, Calof AL. Gastrulation-stage gene expression in Nipbl+/- mouse embryos foreshadows the development of syndromic birth defects. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadl4239. [PMID: 38507484 PMCID: PMC10954218 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adl4239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
In animal models, Nipbl deficiency phenocopies gene expression changes and birth defects seen in Cornelia de Lange syndrome, the most common cause of which is Nipbl haploinsufficiency. Previous studies in Nipbl+/- mice suggested that heart development is abnormal as soon as cardiogenic tissue is formed. To investigate this, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing on wild-type and Nipbl+/- mouse embryos at gastrulation and early cardiac crescent stages. Nipbl+/- embryos had fewer mesoderm cells than wild-type and altered proportions of mesodermal cell subpopulations. These findings were associated with underexpression of genes implicated in driving specific mesodermal lineages. In addition, Nanog was found to be overexpressed in all germ layers, and many gene expression changes observed in Nipbl+/- embryos could be attributed to Nanog overexpression. These findings establish a link between Nipbl deficiency, Nanog overexpression, and gene expression dysregulation/lineage misallocation, which ultimately manifest as birth defects in Nipbl+/- animals and Cornelia de Lange syndrome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephenson Chea
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
- Center for Complex Biological Systems, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Jesse Kreger
- Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Martha E. Lopez-Burks
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
- Center for Complex Biological Systems, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Adam L. MacLean
- Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Arthur D. Lander
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
- Center for Complex Biological Systems, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Anne L. Calof
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
- Center for Complex Biological Systems, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
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11
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Kang M, Armenteros JJA, Gulati GS, Gleyzer R, Avagyan S, Brown EL, Zhang W, Usmani A, Earland N, Wu Z, Zou J, Fields RC, Chen DY, Chaudhuri AA, Newman AM. Mapping single-cell developmental potential in health and disease with interpretable deep learning. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.19.585637. [PMID: 38562882 PMCID: PMC10983880 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.19.585637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) has transformed our understanding of cell fate in developmental systems. However, identifying the molecular hallmarks of potency - the capacity of a cell to differentiate into other cell types - has remained challenging. Here, we introduce CytoTRACE 2, an interpretable deep learning framework for characterizing potency and differentiation states on an absolute scale from scRNA-seq data. Across 31 human and mouse scRNA-seq datasets encompassing 28 tissue types, CytoTRACE 2 outperformed existing methods for recovering experimentally determined potency levels and differentiation states covering the entire range of cellular ontogeny. Moreover, it reconstructed the temporal hierarchy of mouse embryogenesis across 62 timepoints; identified pan-tissue expression programs that discriminate major potency levels; and facilitated discovery of cellular phenotypes in cancer linked to survival and immunotherapy resistance. Our results illuminate a fundamental feature of cell biology and provide a broadly applicable platform for delineating single-cell differentiation landscapes in health and disease.
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12
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Yücel AD, Gladyshev VN. The long and winding road of reprogramming-induced rejuvenation. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1941. [PMID: 38431638 PMCID: PMC10908844 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46020-5] [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: 07/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Organismal aging is inherently connected to the aging of its constituent cells and systems. Reducing the biological age of the organism may be assisted by reducing the age of its cells - an approach exemplified by partial cell reprogramming through the expression of Yamanaka factors or exposure to chemical cocktails. It is crucial to protect cell type identity during partial reprogramming, as cells need to retain or rapidly regain their functions following the treatment. Another critical issue is the ability to quantify biological age as reprogrammed older cells acquire younger states. We discuss recent advances in reprogramming-induced rejuvenation and offer a critical review of this procedure and its relationship to the fundamental nature of aging. We further comparatively analyze partial reprogramming, full reprogramming and transdifferentiation approaches, assess safety concerns and emphasize the importance of distinguishing rejuvenation from dedifferentiation. Finally, we highlight translational opportunities that the reprogramming-induced rejuvenation approach offers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Doğa Yücel
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Koc University, Istanbul, 34450, Turkey
- Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Vadim N Gladyshev
- Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
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13
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Virdi JK, Pethe P. Human embryonic stem cells maintain their stemness in three-dimensional microenvironment. In Vitro Cell Dev Biol Anim 2024; 60:215-221. [PMID: 38438603 DOI: 10.1007/s11626-024-00868-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Jasmeet Kaur Virdi
- NMIMS Sunandan Divatia School of Science, SVKM's NMIMS (deemed to-be) University, Mumbai, India
| | - Prasad Pethe
- Symbiosis Centre for Stem Cell Research (SCSCR), Symbiosis International (Deemed University), Pune, India.
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14
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Chea S, Kreger J, Lopez-Burks ME, MacLean AL, Lander AD, Calof AL. Gastrulation-stage gene expression in Nipbl +/- mouse embryos foreshadows the development of syndromic birth defects. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.10.16.558465. [PMID: 37905011 PMCID: PMC10614802 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.16.558465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
In animal models, Nipbl-deficiency phenocopies gene expression changes and birth defects seen in Cornelia de Lange Syndrome (CdLS), the most common cause of which is Nipbl-haploinsufficiency. Previous studies in Nipbl+/- mice suggested that heart development is abnormal as soon as cardiogenic tissue is formed. To investigate this, we performed single-cell RNA-sequencing on wildtype (WT) and Nipbl+/- mouse embryos at gastrulation and early cardiac crescent stages. Nipbl+/- embryos had fewer mesoderm cells than WT and altered proportions of mesodermal cell subpopulations. These findings were associated with underexpression of genes implicated in driving specific mesodermal lineages. In addition, Nanog was found to be overexpressed in all germ layers, and many gene expression changes observed in Nipbl+/- embryos could be attributed to Nanog overexpression. These findings establish a link between Nipbl-deficiency, Nanog overexpression, and gene expression dysregulation/lineage misallocation, which ultimately manifest as birth defects in Nipbl+/- animals and CdLS. Teaser Gene expression changes during gastrulation of Nipbl-deficient mice shed light on early origins of structural birth defects.
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15
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Cheng P, Rashad A, Gangrade A, Barros NRD, Khademhosseini A, Tam J, Varadarajan P, Agrawal DK, Thankam FG. Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocyte-Like Cells in Myocardial Regeneration. TISSUE ENGINEERING. PART B, REVIEWS 2024; 30:1-14. [PMID: 37294202 DOI: 10.1089/ten.teb.2023.0049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Myocardial infarction results in the significant loss of cardiomyocytes (CMs) due to the ischemic injury following coronary occlusion leading to impaired contractility, fibrosis, and ultimately heart failure. Stem cell therapy emerged as a promising regenerative strategy to replenish the otherwise terminally differentiated CM to restore cardiac function. Multiple strategies have been applied to successfully differentiate diverse stem cell populations into CM-like phenotypes characterized by the expression status of signature biomarkers and observable spontaneous contractions. This article discusses the current understanding and applications of various stem cell phenotypes to drive the differentiation machinery toward CM-like lineage. Impact Statement Ischemic heart disease (IHD) extensively affects a large proportion of the population worldwide. Unfortunately, current treatments for IHD are insufficient to restore cardiac effectiveness and functionality. A growing field in regenerative cardiology explores the potential for stem cell therapy following cardiovascular ischemic episodes. The thorough understanding regarding the potential and shortcomings of translational approaches to drive versatile stem cells to cardiomyocyte lineage paves the way for multiple opportunities for next-generation cardiac management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pauline Cheng
- Department of Translational Research, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, California, USA
| | - Ahmad Rashad
- Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation (TIBI), Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Ankit Gangrade
- Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation (TIBI), Los Angeles, California, USA
| | | | - Ali Khademhosseini
- Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation (TIBI), Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Jonathan Tam
- Department of Translational Research, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, California, USA
| | - Padmini Varadarajan
- University of California Riverside School of Medicine, Riverside, California, USA
| | - Devendra K Agrawal
- Department of Translational Research, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, California, USA
| | - Finosh G Thankam
- Department of Translational Research, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, California, USA
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16
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Gu J, Rollo B, Berecki G, Petrou S, Kwan P, Sumer H, Cromer B. Generation of a stably transfected mouse embryonic stem cell line for inducible differentiation to excitatory neurons. Exp Cell Res 2024; 435:113902. [PMID: 38145818 DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2023.113902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/27/2023]
Abstract
In vitro differentiation of stem cells into various cell lineages is valuable in developmental studies and an important source of cells for modelling physiology and pathology, particularly for complex tissues such as the brain. Conventional protocols for in vitro neuronal differentiation often suffer from complicated procedures, high variability and low reproducibility. Over the last decade, the identification of cell fate-determining transcription factors has provided new tools for cellular studies in neuroscience and enabled rapid differentiation driven by ectopic transcription factor expression. As a proneural transcription factor, Neurogenin 2 (Ngn2) expression alone is sufficient to trigger rapid and robust neurogenesis from pluripotent cells. Here, we established a stable cell line, by piggyBac (PB) transposition, that conditionally expresses Ngn2 for generation of excitatory neurons from mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) using an all-in-one PB construct. Our results indicate that Ngn2-induced excitatory neurons have mature and functional characteristics consistent with previous studies using conventional differentiation methods. This approach provides an all-in-one PB construct for rapid and high copy number gene delivery of dox-inducible transcription factors to induce differentiation. This approach is a valuable in vitro cell model for disease modeling, drug screening and cell therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinchao Gu
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, School of Science, Computing and Engineering Technologies, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Alfred Centre, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Ben Rollo
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Alfred Centre, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Geza Berecki
- Ion Channels and Human Diseases Laboratory, The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Steven Petrou
- Ion Channels and Human Diseases Laboratory, The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Patrick Kwan
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Alfred Centre, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Huseyin Sumer
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, School of Science, Computing and Engineering Technologies, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia.
| | - Brett Cromer
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, School of Science, Computing and Engineering Technologies, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia.
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17
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Vigoya AAA, Martinez ERM, Digmayer M, de Oliveira MA, Butzge AJ, Rosa IF, Doretto LB, Nóbrega RH. Characterization and enrichment of spermatogonial stem cells of common carp (Cyprinus carpio). Theriogenology 2024; 214:233-244. [PMID: 37939542 DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2023.10.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/15/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023]
Abstract
Spermatogenesis is a systematically organized process that ensures uninterrupted sperm production in which the spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) play a crucial role. However, the existing absence of teleost-specific molecular markers for SSCs presents a notable challenge. Herein we characterized phenotypically the spermatogonial stem cells using specific molecular markers and transmission electron microscopy. Moreover, we also describe a simple method to suppress common carp spermatogenesis using the combination of Busulfan and thermo-chemical treatment, and finally, we isolate and enrich the undifferentiated spermatogonial fraction. Our results showed that C-kit, GFRα1, and POU2 proteins were expressed by germ cells, meanwhile, undifferentiated spermatogonial populations preferentially expressed GFRα1 and POU2. Moreover, the combination of high temperature (35 °C) and Busulfan (40 mg/kg/BW) effectively suppressed the spermatogenesis of common carp males. Additionally, the amh expression analysis showed differences between the control (26 °C) when compared to 35 °C with a single or two Busulfan doses, confirming that the testes were depleted by the association of Busulfan at high temperatures. In an attempt to isolate the undifferentiated spermatogonial fraction, we used the Percoll discontinuous density gradient. Thus, we successfully dissociated the carp whole testes in different cellular fractions; subsequently, we isolated and enriched the undifferentiated spermatogonial population. Therefore, our results suggest that probably both GFRα-1 and POU2 are highly conserved factors expressed in common carp germinative epithelium and that these molecules were well conserved along the evolutionary process. Furthermore, the enriched undifferentiated spermatogonial population developed here can be used in further germ cell transplantation experiments to preserve and propagate valued and endangered fish species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angel A A Vigoya
- Aquaculture Center of São Paulo State University, CAUNESP, Jaboticabal, 14884-900, São Paulo, Brazil; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, San Martín University Foundation (FUSM), Bogotá, 760030, Colombia
| | - Emanuel R M Martinez
- Department of Structural and Functional Biology, Institute of Biosciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu, 01049-010, Brazil
| | - Melanie Digmayer
- Department of Structural and Functional Biology, Institute of Biosciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu, 01049-010, Brazil
| | - Marcos A de Oliveira
- Aquaculture Center of São Paulo State University, CAUNESP, Jaboticabal, 14884-900, São Paulo, Brazil; Department of Structural and Functional Biology, Institute of Biosciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu, 01049-010, Brazil
| | - Arno J Butzge
- Department of Structural and Functional Biology, Institute of Biosciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu, 01049-010, Brazil
| | - Ivana F Rosa
- Department of Structural and Functional Biology, Institute of Biosciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu, 01049-010, Brazil
| | - Lucas B Doretto
- Department of Structural and Functional Biology, Institute of Biosciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu, 01049-010, Brazil; Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China; National Key Laboratory of Mariculture Biobreeding and Sustainable Goods, Qingdao, 266071, China.
| | - Rafael H Nóbrega
- Department of Structural and Functional Biology, Institute of Biosciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu, 01049-010, Brazil.
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18
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Bruno S, Schlaeger TM, Del Vecchio D. Epigenetic OCT4 regulatory network: stochastic analysis of cellular reprogramming. NPJ Syst Biol Appl 2024; 10:3. [PMID: 38184707 PMCID: PMC10771499 DOI: 10.1038/s41540-023-00326-0] [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: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Experimental studies have shown that chromatin modifiers have a critical effect on cellular reprogramming, i.e., the conversion of differentiated cells to pluripotent stem cells. Here, we develop a model of the OCT4 gene regulatory network that includes genes expressing chromatin modifiers TET1 and JMJD2, and the chromatin modification circuit on which these modifiers act. We employ this model to compare three reprogramming approaches that have been considered in the literature with respect to reprogramming efficiency and latency variability. These approaches are overexpression of OCT4 alone, overexpression of OCT4 with TET1, and overexpression of OCT4 with JMJD2. Our results show more efficient and less variable reprogramming when also JMJD2 and TET1 are overexpressed, consistent with previous experimental data. Nevertheless, TET1 overexpression can lead to more efficient reprogramming compared to JMJD2 overexpression. This is the case when the recruitment of DNA methylation by H3K9me3 is weak and the methyl-CpG-binding domain (MBD) proteins are sufficiently scarce such that they do not hamper TET1 binding to methylated DNA. The model that we developed provides a mechanistic understanding of existing experimental results and is also a tool for designing optimized reprogramming approaches that combine overexpression of cell-fate specific transcription factors (TFs) with targeted recruitment of epigenetic modifiers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Bruno
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Thorsten M Schlaeger
- Boston Children's Hospital Stem Cell Program, Boston Children's Hospital, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Domitilla Del Vecchio
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
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19
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Singh S, Kiran M, Somvanshi PR. Computational Inference of Gene Regulatory Network Using Genome-wide ChIP-X Data. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2719:295-306. [PMID: 37803124 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3461-5_16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/08/2023]
Abstract
Gene regulatory network is the architecture of transcription factors (TFs) and their gene targets, which help in controlling their expression as required by a phenotype during various environmental perturbations. Inferring the regulatory network from the high-throughput data needs an algorithmic approach involving statistical analysis. There are several interaction databases such as JASPAR and SwissRegulon that provide information for TFs-targets pair interaction, which are estimated based on experimental and prediction procedures. These repositories are majorly used for predicting the complex structure of GRNs either with or without gene expression data. Here we described and discussed the step-wise procedures to extract the interaction data for a desired set of target-TFs from the JASPAR database, and used that information to infer the network by using the igraph library. Further, we also mentioned the important parameters for analyzing the different properties of the network. The described procedure will be helpful in discerning the GRN based on the set of TF-gene pairs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samayaditya Singh
- Department of Systems and Computational Biology, School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
| | - Manjari Kiran
- Department of Systems and Computational Biology, School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
| | - Pramod R Somvanshi
- Department of Systems and Computational Biology, School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
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20
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Soleimani A, Saeedi N, Al-Asady AM, Nazari E, Hanaie R, Khazaei M, Ghorbani E, Akbarzade H, Ryzhikov M, Avan A, Mehr SMH. Colorectal Cancer Stem Cell Biomarkers: Biological Traits and Prognostic Insights. Curr Pharm Des 2024; 30:1386-1397. [PMID: 38623972 DOI: 10.2174/0113816128291321240329050945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2023] [Revised: 03/08/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
Due to self-renewal, differentiation, and limitless proliferation properties, Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) increase the probability of tumor development. These cells are identified by using CSC markers, which are highly expressed proteins on the cell surface of CSCs. Recently, the therapeutic application of CSCs as novel biomarkers improved both the prognosis and diagnosis outcome of colorectal Cancer. In the present review, we focused on a specific panel of colorectal CSC markers, including LGR5, ALDH, CD166, CD133, and CD44, which offers a targeted and comprehensive analysis of their functions. The selection criteria for these markers cancer were based on their established significance in Colorectal Cancer (CRC) pathogenesis and clinical outcomes, providing novel insights into the CSC biology of CRC. Through this approach, we aim to elevate understanding and stimulate further research for developing effective diagnostic and therapeutic strategies in CRC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atena Soleimani
- Department of Biochemistry, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Razavi Khorasan, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Nikoo Saeedi
- Medical School, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran
| | | | - Elnaz Nazari
- Department of Physiology, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Razavi Khorasan, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Reyhane Hanaie
- Department of Metabolic Syndrome Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Razavi Khorasan, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Majid Khazaei
- Department of Physiology, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Razavi Khorasan, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Elnaz Ghorbani
- Department of Microbiology, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Razavi Khorasan, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Hamed Akbarzade
- Department of Biochemistry, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Razavi Khorasan, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Mikhail Ryzhikov
- Department of Biochemistry, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO 63103, USA
| | - Amir Avan
- Department of Genetics, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Razavi Khorasan, Mashhad, Iran
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Lye J, Delaney DS, Leith FK, Sardesai VS, McLenachan S, Chen FK, Atlas MD, Wong EYM. Recent Therapeutic Progress and Future Perspectives for the Treatment of Hearing Loss. Biomedicines 2023; 11:3347. [PMID: 38137568 PMCID: PMC10741758 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11123347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2023] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Up to 1.5 billion people worldwide suffer from various forms of hearing loss, with an additional 1.1 billion people at risk from various insults such as increased consumption of recreational noise-emitting devices and ageing. The most common type of hearing impairment is sensorineural hearing loss caused by the degeneration or malfunction of cochlear hair cells or spiral ganglion nerves in the inner ear. There is currently no cure for hearing loss. However, emerging frontier technologies such as gene, drug or cell-based therapies offer hope for an effective cure. In this review, we discuss the current therapeutic progress for the treatment of hearing loss. We describe and evaluate the major therapeutic approaches being applied to hearing loss and summarize the key trials and studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joey Lye
- Hearing Therapeutics, Ear Science Institute Australia, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia; (J.L.); (D.S.D.); (F.K.L.); (V.S.S.); (M.D.A.)
- Centre for Ear Sciences, Medical School, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Derek S. Delaney
- Hearing Therapeutics, Ear Science Institute Australia, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia; (J.L.); (D.S.D.); (F.K.L.); (V.S.S.); (M.D.A.)
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute, Curtin University, Bentley, WA 6102, Australia
| | - Fiona K. Leith
- Hearing Therapeutics, Ear Science Institute Australia, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia; (J.L.); (D.S.D.); (F.K.L.); (V.S.S.); (M.D.A.)
- Centre for Ear Sciences, Medical School, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Varda S. Sardesai
- Hearing Therapeutics, Ear Science Institute Australia, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia; (J.L.); (D.S.D.); (F.K.L.); (V.S.S.); (M.D.A.)
| | - Samuel McLenachan
- Ocular Tissue Engineering Laboratory, Lions Eye Institute, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia; (S.M.); (F.K.C.)
- Centre for Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Fred K. Chen
- Ocular Tissue Engineering Laboratory, Lions Eye Institute, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia; (S.M.); (F.K.C.)
- Centre for Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
- Vitroretinal Surgery, Royal Perth Hospital, Perth, WA 6000, Australia
- Ophthalmology, Department of Surgery, University of Melbourne, East Melbourne, VIC 3002, Australia
- Centre for Eye Research Australia, Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, East Melbourne, VIC 3002, Australia
| | - Marcus D. Atlas
- Hearing Therapeutics, Ear Science Institute Australia, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia; (J.L.); (D.S.D.); (F.K.L.); (V.S.S.); (M.D.A.)
- Centre for Ear Sciences, Medical School, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Elaine Y. M. Wong
- Hearing Therapeutics, Ear Science Institute Australia, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia; (J.L.); (D.S.D.); (F.K.L.); (V.S.S.); (M.D.A.)
- Centre for Ear Sciences, Medical School, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
- Curtin Medical School, Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University, Bentley, WA 6102, Australia
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22
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Ilia K, Shakiba N, Bingham T, Jones RD, Kaminski MM, Aravera E, Bruno S, Palacios S, Weiss R, Collins JJ, Del Vecchio D, Schlaeger TM. Synthetic genetic circuits to uncover the OCT4 trajectories of successful reprogramming of human fibroblasts. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadg8495. [PMID: 38019912 PMCID: PMC10686568 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adg8495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
Reprogramming human fibroblasts to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) is inefficient, with heterogeneity among transcription factor (TF) trajectories driving divergent cell states. Nevertheless, the impact of TF dynamics on reprogramming efficiency remains uncharted. We develop a system that accurately reports OCT4 protein levels in live cells and use it to reveal the trajectories of OCT4 in successful reprogramming. Our system comprises a synthetic genetic circuit that leverages noise to generate a wide range of OCT4 trajectories and a microRNA targeting endogenous OCT4 to set total cellular OCT4 protein levels. By fusing OCT4 to a fluorescent protein, we are able to track OCT4 trajectories with clonal resolution via live-cell imaging. We discover that a supraphysiological, stable OCT4 level is required, but not sufficient, for efficient iPSC colony formation. Our synthetic genetic circuit design and high-throughput live-imaging pipeline are generalizable for investigating TF dynamics for other cell fate programming applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine Ilia
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Synthetic Biology Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Nika Shakiba
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Synthetic Biology Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- School of Biomedical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z3 Canada
| | - Trevor Bingham
- Stem Cell Program, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Ross D. Jones
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Synthetic Biology Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- School of Biomedical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z3 Canada
| | - Michael M. Kaminski
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Synthetic Biology Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology (BIMSB), Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz-Association, Berlin 10115, Germany
- Department of Nephrology and Medical Intensive Care, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Medizinische Klinik m.S. Nephrologie und Intensivmedizin, Berlin 10117, Germany
- Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin 13125, Germany
| | - Eliezer Aravera
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Synthetic Biology Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Simone Bruno
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Sebastian Palacios
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Synthetic Biology Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Ron Weiss
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Synthetic Biology Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - James J. Collins
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Synthetic Biology Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Domitilla Del Vecchio
- Synthetic Biology Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
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23
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Ryu C, Lee M, Lee JY. Mild heat treatment in vitro potentiates human adipose stem cells: delayed aging and improved quality for long term culture. Biomater Res 2023; 27:122. [PMID: 38008757 PMCID: PMC10680349 DOI: 10.1186/s40824-023-00448-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/15/2023] [Indexed: 11/28/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have gained significant attention for diverse biomedical applications, including cell-based therapy. Hence, in vitro expansion of MSCs is critical; however, in vitro MSC culture, especially long-term culture, inevitably leads to significant loss of stemness, growth, and differentiation potential. METHOD Effects of mild heat treatment (HT) conditions (temperature, duration, and repetition) on the characteristics of adipose tissue-derived MSCs in vitro were systematically investigated. Characteristics of the MSCs subjected to the predetermined HT conditions (41 or 44ºC, 1 h, and 2X HT) were first analyzed in a single passage using various assays. In addition, the feasibility of HT for long-term MSC culture was studied. The RNA sequencing analyses were performed to elucidate the mechanism of HT effects on MSCs. RESULTS A comprehensive exploration of various HT conditions revealed that specific mild HT at 41ºC or 44ºC for 1 h upregulated the expression of heat shock proteins and stemness markers and enhanced differentiation potentials. Furthermore, periodic mild HT extended the maintenance of growth rate and stemness of MSCs up to an additional 10 passages, which substantially retarded their spontaneous aging during subsequent in vitro culture. RNA sequencing analyses unveiled that HT downregulated genes associated with aging and apoptosis. CONCLUSION Our study successfully demonstrated that mild HT of MSCs has positive effects on their application in various biomedical fields, enhancing their capabilities and slowing down the aging process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiseon Ryu
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju, 61005, Republic of Korea
| | - Minseo Lee
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju, 61005, Republic of Korea
| | - Jae Young Lee
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju, 61005, Republic of Korea.
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24
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Kalogirou EM, Lekakis G, Petroulias A, Chavdoulas K, Zogopoulos VL, Michalopoulos I, Tosios KI. The Stem Cell Expression Profile of Odontogenic Tumors and Cysts: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:1735. [PMID: 37761874 PMCID: PMC10531260 DOI: 10.3390/genes14091735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Revised: 08/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Stem cells have been associated with self-renewing and plasticity and have been investigated in various odontogenic lesions in association with their pathogenesis and biological behavior. We aim to provide a systematic review of stem cell markers' expression in odontogenic tumors and cysts. METHODS The literature was searched through the MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE via OVID, Web of Science, and CINHAL via EBSCO databases for original studies evaluating stem cell markers' expression in different odontogenic tumors/cysts, or an odontogenic disease group and a control group. The studies' risk of bias (RoB) was assessed via a Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Tool. Meta-analysis was conducted for markers evaluated in the same pair of odontogenic tumors/cysts in at least two studies. RESULTS 29 studies reported the expression of stem cell markers, e.g., SOX2, OCT4, NANOG, CD44, ALDH1, BMI1, and CD105, in various odontogenic lesions, through immunohistochemistry/immunofluorescence, polymerase chain reaction, flow cytometry, microarrays, and RNA-sequencing. Low, moderate, and high RoBs were observed in seven, nine, and thirteen studies, respectively. Meta-analysis revealed a remarkable discriminative ability of SOX2 for ameloblastic carcinomas or odontogenic keratocysts over ameloblastomas. CONCLUSION Stem cells might be linked to the pathogenesis and clinical behavior of odontogenic pathologies and represent a potential target for future individualized therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleni-Marina Kalogirou
- Faculty of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Metropolitan College, 10672 Athens, Greece
| | - Georgios Lekakis
- School of Dentistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece; (G.L.); (A.P.); (K.C.); (K.I.T.)
| | - Aristodimos Petroulias
- School of Dentistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece; (G.L.); (A.P.); (K.C.); (K.I.T.)
| | - Konstantinos Chavdoulas
- School of Dentistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece; (G.L.); (A.P.); (K.C.); (K.I.T.)
| | - Vasileios L. Zogopoulos
- Centre of Systems Biology, Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece; (V.L.Z.); (I.M.)
| | - Ioannis Michalopoulos
- Centre of Systems Biology, Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece; (V.L.Z.); (I.M.)
| | - Konstantinos I. Tosios
- School of Dentistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece; (G.L.); (A.P.); (K.C.); (K.I.T.)
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25
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Obernikhin SS, Yaglova NV, Timokhina EP, Nazimova SV, Yaglov VV. Regulation of Morphogenetic Processes during Postnatal Development and Physiological Regeneration of the Adrenal Medulla. Bull Exp Biol Med 2023; 175:549-556. [PMID: 37776400 DOI: 10.1007/s10517-023-05903-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/02/2023]
Abstract
Regulation of morphogenetic processes during postnatal development of the rat adrenal medulla was studied. Termination of the adrenal medulla growth was found to be associated with decreased chromaffin cell proliferation, activation of canonical Wnt-signaling pathway, and enhanced expression of Sonic Hedgehog ligand. Analysis of transcription factors associated with pluripotency revealed increased percentage of Oct4-expressing cells by the end of medulla growth and no signs of Sox2 expression. All the cells demonstrating activation of Wnt-signaling and expression of Oct4 and Sonic Hedgehog were found to be highly differentiated chromaffin cells actively producing tyrosine hydroxylase. These findings allow considering the formation of the cell pools for dedifferentiation as a putative mechanism for physiological regeneration of the adrenal medulla.
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Affiliation(s)
- S S Obernikhin
- Laboratory of Endocrine System Development, A. P. Avtsyn Research Institute of Human Morphology, A. P. Petrovsky Russian Research Center of Surgery, Moscow, Russia
| | - N V Yaglova
- Laboratory of Endocrine System Development, A. P. Avtsyn Research Institute of Human Morphology, A. P. Petrovsky Russian Research Center of Surgery, Moscow, Russia
| | - E P Timokhina
- Laboratory of Endocrine System Development, A. P. Avtsyn Research Institute of Human Morphology, A. P. Petrovsky Russian Research Center of Surgery, Moscow, Russia
| | - S V Nazimova
- Laboratory of Endocrine System Development, A. P. Avtsyn Research Institute of Human Morphology, A. P. Petrovsky Russian Research Center of Surgery, Moscow, Russia
| | - V V Yaglov
- Laboratory of Endocrine System Development, A. P. Avtsyn Research Institute of Human Morphology, A. P. Petrovsky Russian Research Center of Surgery, Moscow, Russia.
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26
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Turyova E, Mikolajcik P, Grendar M, Kudelova E, Holubekova V, Kalman M, Marcinek J, Hrnciar M, Kovac M, Miklusica J, Laca L, Lasabova Z. Expression of OCT4 isoforms is reduced in primary colorectal cancer. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1166835. [PMID: 37409260 PMCID: PMC10319064 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1166835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common types of cancer worldwide. The carcinogenesis of CRC is indeed complex, and there are many different mechanisms and pathways that contribute to the development of malignancy and the progression from primary to metastatic tumors. The OCT4A, encoded by the POU5F1 gene, is a transcription factor responsible for the phenotype of stem cells, maintaining pluripotency and regulation of differentiation. The POU5F1 gene is made up of five exons that can create numerous isoforms through alternative promoter or alternative splicing. In addition to OCT4A, other isoforms called OCT4B are also translated into protein; however, their role in cells has been unclear. The aim of our work was to investigate the expression patterns of OCT4 isoforms in primary and metastatic CRC, providing us with useful information about their role in the development and progression of CRC. Methods Surgical specimens from a total of 78 patients were collected and isolated from primary tumors (n = 47) and metastases (n = 31). The relative gene expression of OCT4 isoforms was investigated using the RT-qPCR method together with the TaqMan probes for particular OCT4 isoforms. Results Our results suggest significantly downregulated expression of the OCT4A and OCT4Bs isoforms in both primary (p = 0.0002 and p < 0.0001, respectively) and metastatic tumors (p = 0.0006 and p = 0.00051, respectively) when compared with the control samples. We also observed a correlation between reduced expression of all OCT4 isoforms and both primary and left-sided tumors (p = 0.001 and p = 0.030, respectively). On the other hand, the expression of all OCT4 isoforms was significantly upregulated in metastases compared with primary tumors (p < 0.0001). Discussion Unlike previous reports, we found out that the expression of OCT4A, OCT4Bs, and all OCT4 isoforms was significantly reduced in primary tumors and metastases compared with control samples. On the other hand, we supposed that the expression rate of all OCT4 isoforms may be related to the cancer type and side, as well as to liver metastases. However, further studies are required to investigate the detailed expression patterns and significance of individual OCT4 isoforms in carcinogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Turyova
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genomics, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin, Comenius University Bratislava, Martin, Slovakia
| | - Peter Mikolajcik
- Clinic of Surgery and Transplant Center, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin and University Hospital Martin, Comenius University Bratislava, Martin, Slovakia
| | - Marian Grendar
- Biomedical Centre Martin, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin, Comenius University Bratislava, Martin, Slovakia
| | - Eva Kudelova
- Clinic of Surgery and Transplant Center, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin and University Hospital Martin, Comenius University Bratislava, Martin, Slovakia
| | - Veronika Holubekova
- Biomedical Centre Martin, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin, Comenius University Bratislava, Martin, Slovakia
| | - Michal Kalman
- Department of Pathological Anatomy, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin and University Hospital Martin, Comenius University Bratislava, Martin, Slovakia
| | - Juraj Marcinek
- Department of Pathological Anatomy, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin and University Hospital Martin, Comenius University Bratislava, Martin, Slovakia
| | - Matej Hrnciar
- Department of Informatics, Information Systems and Software Engineering, Faculty of Informatics and Information Technologies, Slovak University of Technology, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Michal Kovac
- Department of Informatics, Information Systems and Software Engineering, Faculty of Informatics and Information Technologies, Slovak University of Technology, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Juraj Miklusica
- Clinic of Surgery and Transplant Center, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin and University Hospital Martin, Comenius University Bratislava, Martin, Slovakia
| | - Ludovit Laca
- Clinic of Surgery and Transplant Center, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin and University Hospital Martin, Comenius University Bratislava, Martin, Slovakia
| | - Zora Lasabova
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genomics, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin, Comenius University Bratislava, Martin, Slovakia
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Lee SS, Vũ TT, Weiss AS, Yeo GC. Stress-induced senescence in mesenchymal stem cells: Triggers, hallmarks, and current rejuvenation approaches. Eur J Cell Biol 2023; 102:151331. [PMID: 37311287 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejcb.2023.151331] [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: 01/30/2023] [Revised: 06/04/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have emerged as promising cell-based therapies in the treatment of degenerative and inflammatory conditions. However, despite accumulating evidence of the breadth of MSC functional potency, their broad clinical translation is hampered by inconsistencies in therapeutic efficacy, which is at least partly due to the phenotypic and functional heterogeneity of MSC populations as they progress towards senescence in vitro. MSC senescence, a natural response to aging and stress, gives rise to altered cellular responses and functional decline. This review describes the key regenerative properties of MSCs; summarises the main triggers, mechanisms, and consequences of MSC senescence; and discusses current cellular and extracellular strategies to delay the onset or progression of senescence, or to rejuvenate biological functions lost to senescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunny Shinchen Lee
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia; School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Thu Thuy Vũ
- Vinmec Research Institute of Stem Cell and Gene Technology, Vinmec Healthcare System, Hanoi, Viet Nam
| | - Anthony S Weiss
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia; School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia; Sydney Nano Institute, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Giselle C Yeo
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia; School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
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Hu Y, Wan C, Yang X, Tian Y, Deng S, An D, Wang Y, Wang J, Liao Z, Meng J, Qin Y, Sun Y, Yang K. Radiated tumor cell-derived microparticles effectively kill stem-like tumor cells by increasing reactive oxygen species. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2023; 11:1156951. [PMID: 37342505 PMCID: PMC10277801 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1156951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Stem-like tumor cells (SLTCs) are thought to be the cellular entity responsible for clinical recurrence and subsequent metastasis. Inhibiting or killing SLTCs can effectively reduce recurrence and metastasis, yet little has been done to clear SLTCs because they are usually resistant to chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and even immunotherapy. In this study, we established SLTCs by low-serum culture and confirmed that the low-serum-cultured tumor cells were in a quiescent state and resistant to chemotherapy, showing features of SLTCs, consistent with the reported data. We demonstrated that SLTCs had high levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Based on the finding that radiated tumor cell-derived microparticles (RT-MPs) contained ROS, we used RT-MPs to kill SLTCs. We found that RT-MPs could further increase ROS levels and kill SLTCs in vivo and in vitro partially by ROS carried by the RT-MPs themselves, providing a new method for eliminating SLTCs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Yajie Sun
- *Correspondence: Yajie Sun, ; Kunyu Yang,
| | - Kunyu Yang
- *Correspondence: Yajie Sun, ; Kunyu Yang,
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29
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Varzideh F, Gambardella J, Kansakar U, Jankauskas SS, Santulli G. Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Pluripotency and Self-Renewal of Embryonic Stem Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:8386. [PMID: 37176093 PMCID: PMC10179698 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24098386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2023] [Revised: 04/29/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are derived from the inner cell mass (ICM) of the blastocyst. ESCs have two distinctive properties: ability to proliferate indefinitely, a feature referred as "self-renewal", and to differentiate into different cell types, a peculiar characteristic known as "pluripotency". Self-renewal and pluripotency of ESCs are finely orchestrated by precise external and internal networks including epigenetic modifications, transcription factors, signaling pathways, and histone modifications. In this systematic review, we examine the main molecular mechanisms that sustain self-renewal and pluripotency in both murine and human ESCs. Moreover, we discuss the latest literature on human naïve pluripotency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fahimeh Varzideh
- Department of Medicine (Division of Cardiology), Wilf Family Cardiovascular Research Institute, Einstein Institute for Aging Research, Institute for Neuroimmunology and Inflammation (INI), Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY 10461, USA
| | - Jessica Gambardella
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Einstein-Mount Sinai Diabetes Research Center (ES-DRC), Fleischer Institute for Diabetes and Metabolism (FIDAM), Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY 10461, USA
| | - Urna Kansakar
- Department of Medicine (Division of Cardiology), Wilf Family Cardiovascular Research Institute, Einstein Institute for Aging Research, Institute for Neuroimmunology and Inflammation (INI), Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY 10461, USA
| | - Stanislovas S. Jankauskas
- Department of Medicine (Division of Cardiology), Wilf Family Cardiovascular Research Institute, Einstein Institute for Aging Research, Institute for Neuroimmunology and Inflammation (INI), Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY 10461, USA
| | - Gaetano Santulli
- Department of Medicine (Division of Cardiology), Wilf Family Cardiovascular Research Institute, Einstein Institute for Aging Research, Institute for Neuroimmunology and Inflammation (INI), Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY 10461, USA
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Einstein-Mount Sinai Diabetes Research Center (ES-DRC), Fleischer Institute for Diabetes and Metabolism (FIDAM), Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY 10461, USA
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30
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Kim J, Hwang Y, Kim S, Chang Y, Kim Y, Kwon Y, Kim J. Transcriptional activation of endogenous Oct4 via the CRISPR/dCas9 activator ameliorates Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome in mice. Aging Cell 2023:e13825. [PMID: 36964992 DOI: 10.1111/acel.13825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Revised: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2023] [Indexed: 03/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Partial cellular reprogramming via transient expression of Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc induces rejuvenation and reduces aged-cell phenotypes. In this study, we found that transcriptional activation of the endogenous Oct4 gene by using the CRISPR/dCas9 activator system can efficiently ameliorate hallmarks of aging in a mouse model of Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS). We observed that the dCas9-Oct4 activator induced epigenetic remodeling, as evidenced by increased H3K9me3 and decreased H4K20me3 levels, without tumorization. Moreover, the progerin accumulation in HGPS aorta was significantly suppressed by the dCas9 activator-mediated Oct4 induction. Importantly, CRISPR/dCas9-activated Oct4 expression rescued the HGPS-associated vascular pathological features and lifespan shortening in the mouse model. These results suggest that partial rejuvenation via CRISPR/dCas9-mediated Oct4 activation can be used as a novel strategy in treating geriatric diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junyeop Kim
- Laboratory of Stem Cells & Cell reprogramming, Department of Chemistry, Dongguk University, 100-715, Seoul, Korea
| | - Yerim Hwang
- Laboratory of Stem Cells & Cell reprogramming, Department of Chemistry, Dongguk University, 100-715, Seoul, Korea
| | - Sumin Kim
- Laboratory of Stem Cells & Cell reprogramming, Department of Chemistry, Dongguk University, 100-715, Seoul, Korea
| | - Yujung Chang
- Laboratory of Stem Cells & Cell reprogramming, Department of Chemistry, Dongguk University, 100-715, Seoul, Korea
| | - Yunkyung Kim
- Laboratory of Stem Cells & Cell reprogramming, Department of Chemistry, Dongguk University, 100-715, Seoul, Korea
| | - Youngeun Kwon
- Laboratory of Protein Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Dongguk University, 04620, Seoul, Korea
| | - Jongpil Kim
- Laboratory of Stem Cells & Cell reprogramming, Department of Chemistry, Dongguk University, 100-715, Seoul, Korea
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Yue F, Era T, Yamaguchi T, Kosho T. Pathophysiological Investigation of Skeletal Deformities of Musculocontractural Ehlers–Danlos Syndrome Using Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:genes14030730. [PMID: 36981001 PMCID: PMC10048181 DOI: 10.3390/genes14030730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Revised: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2023] [Indexed: 03/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Musculocontractural Ehlers–Danlos syndrome caused by mutations in the carbohydrate sulfotransferase 14 gene (mcEDS-CHST14) is a heritable connective tissue disorder characterized by multiple congenital malformations and progressive connective tissue fragility-related manifestations in the cutaneous, skeletal, cardiovascular, visceral, and ocular systems. Progressive skeletal deformities are among the most frequent and serious complications affecting the quality of life and activities of daily living in patients. After establishing induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from cultured skin fibroblasts of three patients with mcEDS-CHST14, we generated a patient iPSC-based human osteogenesis model and performed an in vitro assessment of the phenotype and pathophysiology of skeletal deformities. Patient-derived iPSCs presented with remarkable downregulation of osteogenic-specific gene expression, less alizarin red staining, and reduced calcium deposition compared with wild-type iPSCs at each stage of osteogenic differentiation, including osteoprogenitor cells, osteoblasts, and osteocytes. These findings indicated that osteogenesis was impaired in mcEDS-CHST14 iPSCs. Moreover, the decrease in decorin (DCN) expression and increase in collagen (COL12A1) expression in patient-derived iPSCs elucidated the contribution of CHST14 dysfunction to skeletal deformities in mcEDS-CHST14. In conclusion, this disease-in-a-dish model provides new insight into the pathophysiology of EDS and may have the potential for personalized gene or drug therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fengming Yue
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto 390-8621, Japan
- Shinshu University Interdisciplinary Cluster for Cutting Edge Research, Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Matsumoto 390-8621, Japan
- Correspondence: (F.Y.); (T.K.); Tel.: +81-263-37-2590 (F.Y.); +81-263-37-2618 (T.K.)
| | - Takumi Era
- Department of Cell Modulation, Institute of Molecular Embryology and Genetics, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 860-0811, Japan
| | - Tomomi Yamaguchi
- Department of Medical Genetics, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto 390-8621, Japan
- Center for Medical Genetics, Shinshu University Hospital, Matsumoto 390-8621, Japan
- Division of Clinical Sequencing, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto 390-8621, Japan
| | - Tomoki Kosho
- Department of Medical Genetics, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto 390-8621, Japan
- Center for Medical Genetics, Shinshu University Hospital, Matsumoto 390-8621, Japan
- Division of Clinical Sequencing, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto 390-8621, Japan
- Research Center for Supports to Advanced Science, Shinshu University, Matsumoto 390-8621, Japan
- Correspondence: (F.Y.); (T.K.); Tel.: +81-263-37-2590 (F.Y.); +81-263-37-2618 (T.K.)
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Rani R, Nayak M, Nayak B. Exploring the reprogramming potential of B cells and comprehending its clinical and therapeutic perspective. Transpl Immunol 2023; 78:101804. [PMID: 36921730 DOI: 10.1016/j.trim.2023.101804] [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: 11/17/2022] [Revised: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/14/2023]
Abstract
Initiating from multipotent progenitors, the lineages extrapolated from hematopoietic stem cells are determined by transcription factors specific to each of them. The commitment factors assist in the differentiation of progenitor cells into terminally differentiated cells. B lymphocytes constitute a population of cells that expresses clonally diverse cell surface immunoglobulin (Ig) receptors specific to antigenic epitopes. B cells are a significant facet of the adaptive immune system. The secreted antibodies corresponding to the B cell recognize the antigens via the B cell receptor (BCR). Following antigen recognition, the B cell is activated and thereafter undergoes clonal expansion and proliferation to become memory B cells. The essence of 'cellular reprogramming' has aided in reliably altering the cells to desired tissue type. The potential of reprogramming has been harnessed to decipher and find solutions for various genetically inherited diseases and degenerative disorders. B lymphocytes can be reprogrammed to their initial naive state from where they get differentiated into any lineage or cell type similar to a pluripotent stem cell which can be accomplished by the deletion of master regulators of the B cell lineage. B cells can be reprogrammed into pluripotent stem cells and also can undergo transdifferentiation at the midway of cell differentiation to other cell types. Mandated expression of C/EBP in specialized B cells corresponds to their fast and effective reprogramming into macrophages, reversing the cell fate of these lymphocytes and allowing them to differentiate freshly into other types of cells. The co-expression of C/EBPα and OKSM (Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, c-Myc) amplified the reprogramming efficiency of B lymphocytes. Various human somatic cells including the immune cells are compliant to reprogramming which paves a path for opportunities like autologous tissue grafts, blood transfusion, and cancer immunotherapy. The ability to reprogram B cells offers an unprecedented opportunity for developing a therapeutic approach for several human diseases. Here, we will focus on all the proteins and transcription factors responsible for the developmental commitment of B lymphocytes and how it is harnessed in various applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reetika Rani
- Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Department of Life Science, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, Odisha. 769008, India
| | - Madhusmita Nayak
- Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Department of Life Science, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, Odisha. 769008, India
| | - Bismita Nayak
- Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Department of Life Science, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, Odisha. 769008, India.
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Bruno S, Vecchio DD. The epigenetic Oct4 gene regulatory network: stochastic analysis of different cellular reprogramming approaches. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.01.530689. [PMID: 36909486 PMCID: PMC10002722 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.01.530689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
In the last decade, several experimental studies have shown how chromatin modifications (histone modifications and DNA methylation) and their effect on DNA compaction have a critical effect on cellular reprogramming, i.e., the conversion of differentiated cells to a pluripotent state. In this paper, we compare three reprogramming approaches that have been considered in the literature: (a) prefixed overexpression of transcription factors (TFs) alone (Oct4), (b) prefixed overexpression of Oct4 and DNA methylation "eraser" TET, and (c) prefixed overexpression of Oct4 and H3K9me3 eraser JMJD2. To this end, we develop a model of the pluritpotency gene regulatory network, that includes, for each gene, a circuit recently published encapsulating the main interactions among chromatin modifications and their effect on gene expression. We then conduct a computational study to evaluate, for each reprogramming approach, latency and variability. Our results show a faster and less stochastic reprogramming process when also eraser enzymes are overexpressed, consistent with previous experimental data. However, TET overexpression leads to a faster and more efficient reprogramming compared to JMJD2 overexpression when the recruitment of DNA methylation by H3K9me3 is weak and the MBD protein level is sufficiently low such that it does not hamper TET binding to methylated DNA. The model developed here provides a mechanistic understanding of the outcomes of former experimental studies and is also a tool for the development of optimized reprogramming approaches that combine TF overexpression with modifiers of chromatin state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Bruno
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Domitilla Del Vecchio
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139
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Chien CY, Lin JC, Huang CY, Hsu CY, Yang KC, Chattopadhyay S, Nikoloutsos N, Hsieh PCH, Hu CMJ. In Situ Hydrogelation of Cellular Monolayers Enables Conformal Biomembrane Functionalization for Xeno-Free Feeder Substrate Engineering. Adv Healthc Mater 2023; 12:e2201708. [PMID: 36455286 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202201708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Revised: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
The intricate functionalities of cellular membranes have inspired strategies for deriving and anchoring cell-surface components onto solid substrates for biological studies, biosensor applications, and tissue engineering. However, introducing conformal and right-side-out cell membrane coverage onto planar substrates requires cumbersome protocols susceptible to significant device-to-device variability. Here, a facile approach for biomembrane functionalization of planar substrates is demonstrated by subjecting confluent cellular monolayer to intracellular hydrogel polymerization. The resulting cell-gel hybrid, herein termed GELL (gelated cell), exhibits extraordinary stability and retains the structural integrity, membrane fluidity, membrane protein mobility, and topology of living cells. In assessing the utility of GELL layers as a tissue engineering feeder substrate for stem cell maintenance, GELL feeder prepared from primary mouse embryonic fibroblasts not only preserves the stemness of murine stem cells but also exhibits advantages over live feeder cells owing to the GELL's inanimate, non-metabolizing nature. The preparation of a xeno-free feeder substrate devoid of non-human components is further shown with HeLa cells, and the resulting HeLa GELL feeder effectively sustains the growth and stemness of both murine and human induced pluripotent stem cells. The study highlights a novel bio-functionalization strategy that introduces new opportunities for tissue engineering and other biomedical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen-Ying Chien
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
| | - Jung-Chen Lin
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
- Institute of Oral Biology, College of Dentistry, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, 112, Taiwan
| | - Ching-Ying Huang
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
| | - Chung-Yao Hsu
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
- Taiwan International Graduate Program in Molecular Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University and Academic Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
| | - Kai-Chieh Yang
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
- Taiwan International Graduate Program in Molecular Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University and Academic Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
| | - Saborni Chattopadhyay
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
- Taiwan International Graduate Program in Molecular Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University and Academic Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
| | | | | | - Che-Ming Jack Hu
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
- Taiwan International Graduate Program in Molecular Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University and Academic Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
- Center of Applied Nanomedicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, 701, Taiwan
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Human zygotic genome activation is initiated from paternal genome. Cell Discov 2023; 9:13. [PMID: 36717546 PMCID: PMC9887001 DOI: 10.1038/s41421-022-00494-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Although parental genomes undergo extensive epigenetic reprogramming to be equalized after fertilization, whether they play different roles in human zygotic genome activation (ZGA) remains unknown. Here, we mapped parental transcriptomes by using human parthenogenetic (PG) and androgenetic (AG) embryos during ZGA. Our data show that human ZGA is launched at the 8-cell stage in AG and bi-parental embryos, but at the morula stage in PG embryos. In contrast, mouse ZGA occurs at the same stage in PG and AG embryos. Mechanistically, primate-specific ZNF675 with AG-specific expression plays a role in human ZGA initiated from paternal genome at the 8-cell stage. AG-specifically expressed LSM1 is also critical for human maternal RNA degradation (MRD) and ZGA. The allelic expressions of ZNF675 and LSM1 are associated with their allelically epigenetic states. Notably, the paternally specific expressions of ZNF675 and LSM1 are also observed in diploid embryos. Collectively, human ZGA is initiated from paternal genome.
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Clauss B, Lu M. A quantitative evaluation of topological motifs and their coupling in gene circuit state distributions. iScience 2023; 26:106029. [PMID: 36824273 PMCID: PMC9941213 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106029] [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: 08/11/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
One of the major challenges in biology is to understand how gene interactions collaborate to determine overall functions of biological systems. Here, we present a new computational framework that enables systematic, high-throughput, and quantitative evaluation of how small transcriptional regulatory circuit motifs, and their coupling, contribute to functions of a dynamical biological system. We illustrate how this approach can be applied to identify four-node gene circuits, circuit motifs, and motif coupling responsible for various gene expression state distributions, including those derived from single-cell RNA sequencing data. We also identify seven major classes of four-node circuits from clustering analysis of state distributions. The method is applied to establish phenomenological models of gene circuits driving human neuron differentiation, revealing important biologically relevant regulatory interactions. Our study will shed light on a better understanding of gene regulatory mechanisms in creating and maintaining cellular states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Clauss
- Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA,Genetics Program, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111, USA,The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
| | - Mingyang Lu
- Department of Bioengineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA,Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA,Genetics Program, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111, USA,The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA,Corresponding author
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Haist M, Kaufmann J, Kur IM, Zimmer S, Grabbe S, Schmidberger H, Weigert A, Mayer A. Response to primary chemoradiotherapy of locally advanced oropharyngeal carcinoma is determined by the degree of cytotoxic T cell infiltration within tumor cell aggregates. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1070203. [PMID: 37187729 PMCID: PMC10175951 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1070203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Effective anti-tumor immune responses are mediated by T cells and require organized, spatially coordinated interactions within the tumor microenvironment (TME). Understanding coordinated T-cell-behavior and deciphering mechanisms of radiotherapy resistance mediated by tumor stem cells will advance risk stratification of oropharyngeal cancer (OPSCC) patients treated with primary chemoradiotherapy (RCTx). Methods To determine the role of CD8 T cells (CTL) and tumor stem cells for response to RCTx, we employed multiplex immunofluorescence stains on pre-treatment biopsy specimens from 86 advanced OPSCC patients and correlated these quantitative data with clinical parameters. Multiplex stains were analyzed at the single-cell level using QuPath and spatial coordination of immune cells within the TME was explored using the R-package Spatstat. Results Our observations demonstrate that a strong CTL-infiltration into the epithelial tumor compartment (HR for overall survival, OS: 0.35; p<0.001) and the expression of PD-L1 on CTL (HR: 0.36; p<0.001) were both associated with a significantly better response and survival upon RCTx. As expected, p16 expression was a strong predictor of improved OS (HR: 0.38; p=0.002) and correlated with overall CTL infiltration (r: 0.358, p<0.001). By contrast, tumor cell proliferative activity, expression of the tumor stem cell marker CD271 and overall CTL infiltration, regardless of the affected compartment, were not associated with response or survival. Conclusion In this study, we could demonstrate the clinical relevance of the spatial organization and the phenotype of CD8 T cells within the TME. In particular, we found that the infiltration of CD8 T cells specifically into the tumor cell compartment was an independent predictive marker for response to chemoradiotherapy, which was strongly associated with p16 expression. Meanwhile, tumor cell proliferation and the expression of stem cell markers showed no independent prognostic effect for patients with primary RCTx and thus requires further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maximilian Haist
- Department of Dermatology, University Medical Center of the Johannes-Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
- *Correspondence: Maximilian Haist,
| | - Justus Kaufmann
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Radiotherapy, University Medical Center, Mainz, Germany
| | - Ivan-Maximiliano Kur
- Institute of Biochemistry I, Faculty of Medicine, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Stefanie Zimmer
- Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Stephan Grabbe
- Department of Dermatology, University Medical Center of the Johannes-Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Heinz Schmidberger
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Radiotherapy, University Medical Center, Mainz, Germany
| | - Andreas Weigert
- Institute of Biochemistry I, Faculty of Medicine, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Arnulf Mayer
- Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
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Legrand JMD, Hobbs RM. Defining Gene Function in Spermatogonial Stem Cells Through Conditional Knockout Approaches. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2656:261-307. [PMID: 37249877 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3139-3_15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Mammalian male fertility is maintained throughout life by a population of self-renewing mitotic germ cells known as spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs). Much of our current understanding regarding the molecular mechanisms underlying SSC activity is derived from studies using conditional knockout mouse models. Here, we provide a guide for the selection and use of mouse strains to develop conditional knockout models for the study of SSCs, as well as their precursors and differentiation-committed progeny. We describe Cre recombinase-expressing strains, breeding strategies to generate experimental groups, and treatment regimens for inducible knockout models and provide advice for verifying and improving conditional knockout efficiency. This resource can be beneficial to those aiming to develop conditional knockout models for the study of SSC development and postnatal function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julien M D Legrand
- Centre for Reproductive Health, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Clayton, VIC, Australia
- Department of Molecular and Translational Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Robin M Hobbs
- Centre for Reproductive Health, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Clayton, VIC, Australia.
- Department of Molecular and Translational Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia.
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Lee Y, Lee SW, Jeong D, Lee HJ, Choi NY, Bang JS, Ham S, Ko K. Inhibition of Class I Histone Deacetylase Enhances Self-Reprogramming of Spermatogonial Stem Cells into Pluripotent Stem Cells. Int J Stem Cells 2022; 16:27-35. [PMID: 36581367 PMCID: PMC9978831 DOI: 10.15283/ijsc22110] [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: 07/05/2022] [Revised: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Background and Objectives Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) are the most primitive cells in spermatogenesis and are the only adult stem cells capable of passing on the genome of a given species to the next generation. SSCs are the only adult stem cells known to exhibit high Oct4 expression and can be induced to self-reprogram into pluripotent cells depending on culture conditions. Epigenetic modulation is well known to be involved in the induction of pluripotency of somatic cells. However, epigenetic modulation in self-reprogramming of SSCs into pluripotent cells has not been studied. Methods and Results In this study, we examined the involvement of epigenetic modulation by assessing whether self-reprogramming of SSCs is enhanced by treatment with epigenetic modulators. We found that second-generation selective class I HDAC inhibitors increased SSC reprogramming efficiency, whereas non-selective HDAC inhibitors had no effect. Conclusions We showed that pluripotent stem cells derived from adult SSCs by treatment with small molecules with epigenetic modulator functions exhibit pluripotency in vitro and in vivo. Our results suggest that the mechanism of SSC reprogramming by epigenetic modulator can be used for important applications in epigenetic reprogramming research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yukyeong Lee
- Department of Stem Cell Biology, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea,Center for Stem Cell Research, Institute of Advanced Biomedical Science, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Seung-Won Lee
- Department of Stem Cell Biology, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea,Center for Stem Cell Research, Institute of Advanced Biomedical Science, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Dahee Jeong
- Department of Stem Cell Biology, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea,Center for Stem Cell Research, Institute of Advanced Biomedical Science, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Hye Jeong Lee
- Department of Stem Cell Biology, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea,Center for Stem Cell Research, Institute of Advanced Biomedical Science, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Na Young Choi
- Department of Stem Cell Biology, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea,Center for Stem Cell Research, Institute of Advanced Biomedical Science, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Jin Seok Bang
- Department of Stem Cell Biology, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea,Center for Stem Cell Research, Institute of Advanced Biomedical Science, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Seokbeom Ham
- Department of Stem Cell Biology, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea,Center for Stem Cell Research, Institute of Advanced Biomedical Science, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Kinarm Ko
- Department of Stem Cell Biology, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea,Center for Stem Cell Research, Institute of Advanced Biomedical Science, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea,Research Institute of Medical Science, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea,Correspondence to Kinarm Ko, Departement of Stem Cell Biology, Konkuk University School of Medicine, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwanjin-gu, Seoul 05029, Korea, Tel: +82-2-2030-7888, Fax: +82-2-446-9001, E-mail:
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Cooper A, Sidaway A, Chandrashekar A, Latta E, Chakraborty K, Yu J, McMahan K, Giffin V, Manickam C, Kroll K, Mosher M, Reeves RK, Gam R, Arthofer E, Choudhry M, Henley T, Barouch DH. A genetically engineered, stem-cell-derived cellular vaccine. Cell Rep Med 2022; 3:100843. [PMID: 36480934 PMCID: PMC9727836 DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2022.100843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Revised: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 11/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Despite rapid clinical translation of COVID-19 vaccines in response to the global pandemic, an opportunity remains for vaccine technology innovation to address current limitations and meet challenges of inevitable future pandemics. We describe a universal vaccine cell (UVC) genetically engineered to mimic natural physiological immunity induced upon viral infection of host cells. Cells engineered to express the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike as a representative viral antigen induce robust neutralizing antibodies in immunized non-human primates. Similar titers generated in this established non-human primate (NHP) model have translated into protective human neutralizing antibody levels in SARS-CoV-2-vaccinated individuals. Animals vaccinated with ancestral spike antigens and subsequently challenged with SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant in a heterologous challenge have an approximately 3 log decrease in viral subgenomic RNA in the lungs. This cellular vaccine is designed as a scalable cell line with a modular poly-antigenic payload, allowing for rapid, large-scale clinical manufacturing and use in an evolving viral variant environment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Abishek Chandrashekar
- Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | | | - Jingyou Yu
- Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Katherine McMahan
- Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Victoria Giffin
- Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Cordelia Manickam
- Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kyle Kroll
- Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Matthew Mosher
- Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - R Keith Reeves
- Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Rihab Gam
- Intima Bioscience, Inc., New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Modassir Choudhry
- Praesidium Bioscience, Inc., New York, NY, USA; Intima Bioscience, Inc., New York, NY, USA
| | - Tom Henley
- Praesidium Bioscience, Inc., New York, NY, USA; Intima Bioscience, Inc., New York, NY, USA.
| | - Dan H Barouch
- Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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Li Y, Azmi AS, Mohammad RM. Deregulated transcription factors and poor clinical outcomes in cancer patients. Semin Cancer Biol 2022; 86:122-134. [PMID: 35940398 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2022.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Revised: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Transcription factors are a group of proteins, which possess DNA-binding domains, bind to DNA strands of promoters or enhancers, and initiate transcription of genes with cooperation of RNA polymerase and other co-factors. They play crucial roles in regulating transcription during embryogenesis and development. Their physiological status in different cell types is also important to maintain cellular homeostasis. Therefore, any deregulation of transcription factors will lead to the development of cancer cells and tumor progression. Based on their functions in cancer cells, transcription factors could be either oncogenic or tumor suppressive. Furthermore, transcription factors have been shown to modulate cancer stem cells, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and drug response; therefore, measuring deregulated transcription factors is hypothesized to predict treatment outcomes of patients with cancers and targeting deregulated transcription factors could be an encouraging strategy for cancer therapy. Here, we summarize the current knowledge of major deregulated transcription factors and their effects on causing poor clinical outcome of patients with cancer. The information presented here will help to predict the prognosis and drug response and to design novel drugs and therapeutic strategies for the treatment of cancers by targeting deregulated transcription factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiwei Li
- Karmanos Cancer Institute and Department of Oncology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Asfar S Azmi
- Karmanos Cancer Institute and Department of Oncology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Ramzi M Mohammad
- Karmanos Cancer Institute and Department of Oncology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA.
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WARDAK MOHAMMADKAZIM, KULATHUNGA KAUSHALYA, PRIYADARSHANA CHATHURA. Localization and characterization of SSCs from pre-pubertal bovine testes. THE INDIAN JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCES 2022. [DOI: 10.56093/ijans.v92i10.124617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Self renewal and proliferation ability of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) support spermatogenesis during adult life. Theoretically, these stem cells can be utilized for transmission of genetic information to descendants via testicular transplantation. However, lack of knowledge in methodologies for identification of SSCs limits the application of SSCs transplantation in domestic animals. Accumulated studies have shown that SSCs specific markers (DBA, UCHL1) and stem cell marker (Sox2, Oct4) are useful to screen SSCs that able to be used for transplantation. However, in cattle, less information is available on the expression status of these markers till date. Therefore, a study was carried out in 2019 at Tsukuba University, Japan where testes from 3, 5 and 7 months old calves were utilized to examine testicular localization and in vitro propogation of stem cell markers. SSCs were isolated by enzymatic digestion combined with centrifugal separation on discontinuous Percoll density gradient. Cell propagation and SSCs marker expression were determined at 5, 10 and 15 days post-culture. Immunostaining in conjunction with Western Blot analysis of cultured cells showed that stem cell markers (UCHL1, Oct4 and Sox2) were expressed in SSCs suggesting that differentiation of gonocyte started by 3 months and SSCs differentiation begins after 5 months of age. Taken together, these results demonstrated marker expression and localization of bull SSCs and showed that in vitro culturing of bull SSCs is implementable.
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Oct4 cooperates with c-Myc to improve mesenchymal-to-endothelial transition and myocardial repair of cardiac-resident mesenchymal stem cells. Stem Cell Res Ther 2022; 13:445. [PMID: 36056383 PMCID: PMC9438134 DOI: 10.1186/s13287-022-03120-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cardiac-resident mesenchymal stem cells (cMSCs) can exhibit fibrotic, proinflammatory, and proangiogenic phenotype in response to myocardial ischemia (Isch). How their phenotypic fate decisions are determined remains poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that the cooperation of Oct4 and c-Myc in cMSCs creates a preferable mesenchymal-to-endothelial transition (MEndoT) to promote angiogenesis and consequent myocardial repair. METHODS We collected MSCs from cardiac and peripheral blood of rat with left ventricular Isch (LV Isch) 30 days after myocardial infarction (MI) or sham operation. After a comparison of characterization between cMSCs and peripheral blood MSCs (pbMSCs), we conducted transcriptome analysis and RNA sequencing of cMSCs. Using loss/gain-of-function approaches to understand the cooperation of c-Myc and Oct4 on MEndoT of cMSCs under hypoxic condition, we explored the mechanisms through transcriptome and functional experiment, and chromatin immunoprecipitation. Next, we transplanted male cMSCs with overexpression or inhibition of c-Myc/Oct4 into the infarcted myocardium of female rats and evaluated infarct size, cell retention, inflammation, remodeling, and function after 30 days. RESULTS LV Isch switched cMSCs toward both inflammatory and proangiogenic phenotypes, with increased secretion of inflammatory cytokines as well as decreased expression of proangiogenic factors. The effect of LV Isch on pbMSCs was less remarkable. Gene expression heatmap showed imbalance in expression of Oct4 and c-Myc regulating genes associated with remodeling of cMSCs. We provided evidence that cMSCs-specific c-Myc- versus Oct4-overexpression showed divergent genomic signatures, and their corresponding target genes play an important role in regulating cMSCs phenotypic changes. In particular, Oct4 accelerated angiogenesis induced by c-Myc overexpression in cMSCs and inhibited their phenotypic transition into inflammatory cells and fibroblast. Mechanistically, exogenous Oct4 caused c-Myc to translocate from the nucleus to the cytoplasm and activated some of its target signalings including VEGF signaling. Although transplantation of cMSCs alone did not improve LV remodeling and function, cMSCs co-transfected with c-Myc and Oct4 promoted a more positive effect in their survival and reparative properties, increased animal survival, reduced infarct size, decreased scar thickness, inhibited LV remodeling, and improved heart function 30 days after MI. Significantly, Oct4 promoted MEndoT ("Rescue me" signal) of cMSCs after both c-Myc stimulation in vitro and transplantation into the infarcted heart. CONCLUSIONS Myocardial Isch drives resident cMSCs toward multiple phenotypes. Oct4 interacts with c-Myc to promote MEndoT capacity of cMSCs and improve their survival and reparative effects through upregulation of angiogenesis-related signaling pathways. These findings may identify novel targets for stem cell therapy.
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Wang F, Li S, Wang TY, Lopez GA, Antoshechkin I, Chou TF. P97/VCP ATPase inhibitors can rescue p97 mutation-linked motor neuron degeneration. Brain Commun 2022; 4:fcac176. [PMID: 35865348 PMCID: PMC9294923 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcac176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Revised: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutations in p97/VCP cause two motor neuron diseases: inclusion body myopathy associated with Paget disease of bone and frontotemporal dementia and familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. How p97 mutations lead to motor neuron degeneration is, however, unknown. Here we used patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells to generate p97 mutant motor neurons. We reduced the genetic background variation by comparing mutant motor neurons to its isogenic wild type lines. Proteomic analysis reveals that p97R155H/+ motor neurons upregulate several cell cycle proteins at Day 14, but this effect diminishes by Day 20. Molecular changes linked to delayed cell cycle exit are observed in p97 mutant motor neurons. We also find that two p97 inhibitors, CB-5083 and NMS-873, restore some dysregulated protein levels. In addition, two p97 inhibitors and a food and drug administration-approved cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitor, Abemaciclib, can rescue motor neuron death. Overall, we successfully used iPSC-derived motor neurons, identified dysregulated proteome and transcriptome and showed that p97 inhibitors rescue phenotypes in this disease model.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Wang
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - S Li
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - T Y Wang
- Proteome Exploration Laboratory, Beckman Institute, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - G A Lopez
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - I Antoshechkin
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - T F Chou
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
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Species-Specific Enhancer Activity of OCT4 in Porcine Pluripotency: The Porcine OCT4 Reporter System Could Monitor Pluripotency in Porcine Embryo Development and Embryonic Stem Cells. Stem Cells Int 2022; 2022:6337532. [PMID: 35846983 PMCID: PMC9277468 DOI: 10.1155/2022/6337532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The present study examined the activity and function of the pig OCT4 enhancer in the porcine early embryonic development stage and porcine authentic embryonic stem cells. OCT4 is known as a pluripotent regulator, and its upstream regulatory region-based dual-fluorescence protein reporter system controlled by distal and proximal enhancers is broadly used in studies examining the states and mechanism of pluripotency. We analyzed how this reporter system functions during early embryo development and in stem cells using a previously established porcine-specific reporter system. We demonstrated that the porcine OCT4 distal enhancer and proximal enhancer were activated with different expression patterns simultaneously as the expression of pluripotent marker genes changed during the development of in vitro pathenotes and the establishment of porcine embryonic stem cells (ESCs). This work demonstrates the applicability of the porcine OCT4 upstream region-derived dual-fluorescence reporter system, which may be applied to investigations of species-specific pluripotency in porcine-origin cells. These reporter systems may be useful tools for studies of porcine-specific pluripotency, early embryo development, and embryonic stem cells.
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Hwang JH, Lee J, Choi WY, Kim MJ, Lee J, Chu KHB, Kim LK, Kim YJ. ZNF204P is a stemness-associated oncogenic long non-coding RNA in hepatocellular carcinoma. BMB Rep 2022. [PMID: 35168700 PMCID: PMC9252894 DOI: 10.5483/bmbrep.2022.55.6.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Ji-Hyun Hwang
- Interdisciplinary Program of Integrated OMICS for Biomedical Science, The Graduate School, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Korea
| | - Jungwoo Lee
- Interdisciplinary Program of Integrated OMICS for Biomedical Science, The Graduate School, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Korea
| | - Won-Young Choi
- Interdisciplinary Program of Integrated OMICS for Biomedical Science, The Graduate School, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Korea
| | - Min-Jung Kim
- Interdisciplinary Program of Integrated OMICS for Biomedical Science, The Graduate School, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Korea
| | - Jiyeon Lee
- Severance Biomedical Science Institute, Graduate School of Medical Science, Brain Korea 21 Project, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 06230, Korea
| | - Khanh Hoang Bao Chu
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Korea
| | - Lark Kyun Kim
- Severance Biomedical Science Institute, Graduate School of Medical Science, Brain Korea 21 Project, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 06230, Korea
| | - Young-Joon Kim
- Interdisciplinary Program of Integrated OMICS for Biomedical Science, The Graduate School, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Korea
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Korea
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Ding B, Gao D, Wang X, Liu L, Sun J, Liang M, Wu F, Liu Y, Zhang Y, Li X, Li W. Maternal DDB1 regulates apoptosis and lineage differentiation in porcine preimplantation embryos. Reprod Fertil Dev 2022; 34:844-854. [PMID: 35724990 DOI: 10.1071/rd22028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2022] [Accepted: 05/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
CONTEXT Maternal-effect genes (MEGs) play a critical role in modulating both cellular and molecular biology events in preimplantation embryonic development. Damage-specific DNA binding protein 1 (DDB1) is a gene that participates in meiotic resumption, ovulation, and embryonic stem cell maintenance. Its function in preimplantation development is not well-studied. AIMS We aimed to explore the expression pattern, genomic heritage, and potential molecular mechanisms of DDB1 in preimplantation embryos in porcine. METHODS In this study, RNA interference, microinjection, RT-qPCR, immunofluorescence staining and single-cell RNA sequencing were used to explore the molecular function of DDB1 in porcine preimplantation embryos. KEY RESULTS DDB1 was found to be expressed in germinal vesicle (GV) and Meiosis II (MII) oocytes and in preimplantation embryos. We confirmed it is a MEG. DDB1-deficient blastocysts had a significantly reduced number of trophectoderm cells, an increased apoptotic cell number and increased apoptosis index. According to a next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis, 236 genes (131 upregulated and 105 downregulated) significantly changed in the DDB1-deficient morula. The myeloid leukaemia factor 1 (MLF1) and yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1) expressions were significantly upregulated and downregulated respectively, in the DDB1-deficient morula. In combination with the decreased expression of TEAD4, CDX2, GATA3, OCT4, and NANOG and the increased expression of SOX2 in the blastocyst, DDB1 may play a role in determining lineage differentiation and pluripotency maintenance. CONCLUSIONS DDB1 is a MEG and it plays a crucial role in porcine preimplantation embryonic development. IMPLICATIONS This study provides a theoretical basis for further understanding the molecular mechanisms of preimplantation embryo development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Biao Ding
- Reproductive Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu 233004, China
| | - Di Gao
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
| | - Xuegu Wang
- Reproductive Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu 233004, China
| | - Lei Liu
- Reproductive Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu 233004, China
| | - Junpei Sun
- Reproductive Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu 233004, China
| | - Meng Liang
- School of Life Science, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu 233030, China
| | - Fengrui Wu
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Embryo Development and Reproductive Regulation, Fuyang Normal University, Fuyang 236041, China
| | - Yong Liu
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Embryo Development and Reproductive Regulation, Fuyang Normal University, Fuyang 236041, China
| | - Yunhai Zhang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
| | - Xiang Li
- Reproductive Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu 233004, China
| | - Wenyong Li
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Embryo Development and Reproductive Regulation, Fuyang Normal University, Fuyang 236041, China
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Culture media and supplements affect proliferation, colony-formation, and potency of porcine male germ cells. Theriogenology 2022; 187:227-237. [DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2022.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2021] [Revised: 05/06/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Park S, Kwon W, Kim HY, Ji YR, Kim D, Kim W, Han JE, Cho GJ, Yun S, Kim MO, Ryoo ZY, Han SH, Park JK, Choi SK. Knockdown of Maged1 inhibits cell cycle progression and causes cell death in mouse embryonic stem cells. Differentiation 2022; 125:18-26. [DOI: 10.1016/j.diff.2022.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2021] [Revised: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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The Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Test as an Alternative Method for Embryotoxicity Testing. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23063295. [PMID: 35328717 PMCID: PMC8950674 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23063295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Revised: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The evaluation of substances for their potency to induce embryotoxicity is controlled by safety regulations. Test guidelines for reproductive and developmental toxicity rely mainly on animal studies, which make up the majority of animal usage in regulatory toxicology. Therefore, there is an urgent need for alternative in vitro methods to follow the 3R principles. To improve human safety, cell models based on human cells are of great interest to overcome species differences. Here, human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) are an ideal cell source as they largely recapitulate embryonic stem cells without bearing ethical concerns and they are able to differentiate into most cell types of the human body. Here, we set up and characterized a fetal bovine serum (FBS)-free hiPSC-based in vitro test method, called the human induced pluripotent stem cell test (hiPS Test), to evaluate the embryotoxic potential of substances. After 10 days in culture, hiPSCs develop into beating cardiomyocytes. As terminal endpoint evaluations, cell viability, qPCR analyses as well as beating frequency and area of beating cardiomyocytes by video analyses are measured. The embryotoxic positive and non-embryotoxic negative controls, 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) and Penicillin G (PenG), respectively, were correctly assessed in the hiPS Test. More compounds need to be screened in the future for defining the assay’s applicability domain, which will inform us of the suitability of the hiPS Test for detecting adverse effects of substances on embryonic development.
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