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Qi T, Song L, Guo Y, Chen C, Yang J. From genetic associations to genes: methods, applications, and challenges. Trends Genet 2024:S0168-9525(24)00095-7. [PMID: 38734482 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2024.04.008] [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: 11/08/2023] [Revised: 04/15/2024] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024]
Abstract
Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified numerous genetic loci associated with human traits and diseases. However, pinpointing the causal genes remains a challenge, which impedes the translation of GWAS findings into biological insights and medical applications. In this review, we provide an in-depth overview of the methods and technologies used for prioritizing genes from GWAS loci, including gene-based association tests, integrative analysis of GWAS and molecular quantitative trait loci (xQTL) data, linking GWAS variants to target genes through enhancer-gene connection maps, and network-based prioritization. We also outline strategies for generating context-dependent xQTL data and their applications in gene prioritization. We further highlight the potential of gene prioritization in drug repurposing. Lastly, we discuss future challenges and opportunities in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting Qi
- Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou 310024, China; School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou 310024, China.
| | - Liyang Song
- Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou 310024, China; School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou 310024, China
| | - Yazhou Guo
- Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou 310024, China; School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou 310024, China
| | - Chang Chen
- Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou 310024, China; School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou 310024, China
| | - Jian Yang
- Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou 310024, China; School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou 310024, China.
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2
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Habib M, Lalagkas PN, Melamed RD. Mapping drug biology to disease genetics to discover drug impacts on the human phenome. BIOINFORMATICS ADVANCES 2024; 4:vbae038. [PMID: 38736684 PMCID: PMC11087821 DOI: 10.1093/bioadv/vbae038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024]
Abstract
Motivation Medications can have unexpected effects on disease, including not only harmful drug side effects, but also beneficial drug repurposing. These effects on disease may result from hidden influences of drugs on disease gene networks. Then, discovering how biological effects of drugs relate to disease biology can both provide insight into the mechanism of latent drug effects, and can help predict new effects. Results Here, we develop Draphnet, a model that integrates molecular data on 429 drugs and gene associations of nearly 200 common phenotypes to learn a network that explains drug effects on disease in terms of these molecular signals. We present evidence that our method can both predict drug effects, and can provide insight into the biology of unexpected drug effects on disease. Using Draphnet to map a drug's known molecular effects to downstream effects on the disease genome, we put forward disease genes impacted by drugs, and we suggest a new grouping of drugs based on shared effects on the disease genome. Our approach has multiple applications, including predicting drug uses and learning drug biology, with implications for personalized medicine. Availability and implementation Code to reproduce the analysis is available at https://github.com/RDMelamed/drug-phenome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mamoon Habib
- Department of Computer Science, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA 01854, United States
| | | | - Rachel D Melamed
- Department of Biological Science, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA 01854, United States
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3
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Cartas‐Cejudo P, Cortés A, Lachén‐Montes M, Anaya‐Cubero E, Puerta E, Solas M, Fernández‐Irigoyen J, Santamaría E. Neuropathological stage-dependent proteome mapping of the olfactory tract in Alzheimer's disease: From early olfactory-related omics signatures to computational repurposing of drug candidates. Brain Pathol 2024; 34:e13252. [PMID: 38454090 PMCID: PMC11189775 DOI: 10.1111/bpa.13252] [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: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, characterized by an early olfactory dysfunction, progressive memory loss, and behavioral deterioration. Albeit substantial progress has been made in characterizing AD-associated molecular and cellular events, there is an unmet clinical need for new therapies. In this study, olfactory tract proteotyping performed in controls and AD subjects (n = 17/group) showed a Braak stage-dependent proteostatic impairment accompanied by the progressive modulation of amyloid precursor protein and tau functional interactomes. To implement a computational repurposing of drug candidates with the capacity to reverse early AD-related olfactory omics signatures (OMSs), we generated a consensual OMSs database compiling differential omics datasets obtained by mass-spectrometry or RNA-sequencing derived from initial AD across the olfactory axis. Using the Connectivity Map-based drug repurposing approach, PKC, EGFR, Aurora kinase, Glycogen synthase kinase, and CDK inhibitors were the top pharmacologic classes capable to restore multiple OMSs, whereas compounds with targeted activity to inhibit PI3K, Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), microtubules, and Polo-like kinase (PLK) represented a family of drugs with detrimental potential to induce olfactory AD-associated gene expression changes. To validate the potential therapeutic effects of the proposed drugs, in vitro assays were performed. These validation experiments revealed that pretreatment of human neuron-like SH-SY5Y cells with the EGFR inhibitor AG-1478 showed a neuroprotective effect against hydrogen peroxide-induced damage while the pretreatment with the Aurora kinase inhibitor Reversine reduced amyloid-beta (Aβ)-induced neurotoxicity. Taken together, our data pointed out that OMSs may be useful as substrates for drug repurposing to propose novel neuroprotective treatments against AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paz Cartas‐Cejudo
- Clinical Neuroproteomics Unit, Proteomics Platform, Navarrabiomed, Hospitalario Universitario de Navarra (HUN), Universidad Pública de Navarra (UPNA), IdiSNA, Navarra Institute for Health ResearchPamplonaSpain
| | - Adriana Cortés
- Clinical Neuroproteomics Unit, Proteomics Platform, Navarrabiomed, Hospitalario Universitario de Navarra (HUN), Universidad Pública de Navarra (UPNA), IdiSNA, Navarra Institute for Health ResearchPamplonaSpain
| | - Mercedes Lachén‐Montes
- Clinical Neuroproteomics Unit, Proteomics Platform, Navarrabiomed, Hospitalario Universitario de Navarra (HUN), Universidad Pública de Navarra (UPNA), IdiSNA, Navarra Institute for Health ResearchPamplonaSpain
| | - Elena Anaya‐Cubero
- Clinical Neuroproteomics Unit, Proteomics Platform, Navarrabiomed, Hospitalario Universitario de Navarra (HUN), Universidad Pública de Navarra (UPNA), IdiSNA, Navarra Institute for Health ResearchPamplonaSpain
| | - Elena Puerta
- Department of Pharmacology and ToxicologyUniversity of Navarra, IdiSNAPamplonaSpain
| | - Maite Solas
- Department of Pharmacology and ToxicologyUniversity of Navarra, IdiSNAPamplonaSpain
| | - Joaquín Fernández‐Irigoyen
- Clinical Neuroproteomics Unit, Proteomics Platform, Navarrabiomed, Hospitalario Universitario de Navarra (HUN), Universidad Pública de Navarra (UPNA), IdiSNA, Navarra Institute for Health ResearchPamplonaSpain
| | - Enrique Santamaría
- Clinical Neuroproteomics Unit, Proteomics Platform, Navarrabiomed, Hospitalario Universitario de Navarra (HUN), Universidad Pública de Navarra (UPNA), IdiSNA, Navarra Institute for Health ResearchPamplonaSpain
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4
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Evans P, Nagai T, Konkashbaev A, Zhou D, Knapik EW, Gamazon ER. Transcriptome-Wide Association Studies (TWAS): Methodologies, Applications, and Challenges. Curr Protoc 2024; 4:e981. [PMID: 38314955 PMCID: PMC10846672 DOI: 10.1002/cpz1.981] [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] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
Transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS) methodologies aim to identify genetic effects on phenotypes through the mediation of gene transcription. In TWAS, in silico models of gene expression are trained as functions of genetic variants and then applied to genome-wide association study (GWAS) data. This post-GWAS analysis identifies gene-trait associations with high interpretability, enabling follow-up functional genomics studies and the development of genetics-anchored resources. We provide an overview of commonly used TWAS approaches, their advantages and limitations, and some widely used applications. © 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Evans
- Division of Genetic Medicine and Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Taylor Nagai
- Division of Genetic Medicine and Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Anuar Konkashbaev
- Division of Genetic Medicine and Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Dan Zhou
- Division of Genetic Medicine and Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Ela W Knapik
- Division of Genetic Medicine and Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Eric R Gamazon
- Division of Genetic Medicine and Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
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Vuic B, Milos T, Tudor L, Nikolac Perkovic M, Konjevod M, Nedic Erjavec G, Farkas V, Uzun S, Mimica N, Svob Strac D. Pharmacogenomics of Dementia: Personalizing the Treatment of Cognitive and Neuropsychiatric Symptoms. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:2048. [PMID: 38002991 PMCID: PMC10671071 DOI: 10.3390/genes14112048] [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: 10/10/2023] [Revised: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Dementia is a syndrome of global and progressive deterioration of cognitive skills, especially memory, learning, abstract thinking, and orientation, usually affecting the elderly. The most common forms are Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, and other (frontotemporal, Lewy body disease) dementias. The etiology of these multifactorial disorders involves complex interactions of various environmental and (epi)genetic factors and requires multiple forms of pharmacological intervention, including anti-dementia drugs for cognitive impairment, antidepressants, antipsychotics, anxiolytics and sedatives for behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, and other drugs for comorbid disorders. The pharmacotherapy of dementia patients has been characterized by a significant interindividual variability in drug response and the development of adverse drug effects. The therapeutic response to currently available drugs is partially effective in only some individuals, with side effects, drug interactions, intolerance, and non-compliance occurring in the majority of dementia patients. Therefore, understanding the genetic basis of a patient's response to pharmacotherapy might help clinicians select the most effective treatment for dementia while minimizing the likelihood of adverse reactions and drug interactions. Recent advances in pharmacogenomics may contribute to the individualization and optimization of dementia pharmacotherapy by increasing its efficacy and safety via a prediction of clinical outcomes. Thus, it can significantly improve the quality of life in dementia patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Vuic
- Laboratory for Molecular Neuropsychiatry, Division of Molecular Medicine, Rudjer Boskovic Institute, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (B.V.); (T.M.); (L.T.); (M.N.P.); (M.K.); (G.N.E.); (V.F.)
| | - Tina Milos
- Laboratory for Molecular Neuropsychiatry, Division of Molecular Medicine, Rudjer Boskovic Institute, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (B.V.); (T.M.); (L.T.); (M.N.P.); (M.K.); (G.N.E.); (V.F.)
| | - Lucija Tudor
- Laboratory for Molecular Neuropsychiatry, Division of Molecular Medicine, Rudjer Boskovic Institute, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (B.V.); (T.M.); (L.T.); (M.N.P.); (M.K.); (G.N.E.); (V.F.)
| | - Matea Nikolac Perkovic
- Laboratory for Molecular Neuropsychiatry, Division of Molecular Medicine, Rudjer Boskovic Institute, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (B.V.); (T.M.); (L.T.); (M.N.P.); (M.K.); (G.N.E.); (V.F.)
| | - Marcela Konjevod
- Laboratory for Molecular Neuropsychiatry, Division of Molecular Medicine, Rudjer Boskovic Institute, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (B.V.); (T.M.); (L.T.); (M.N.P.); (M.K.); (G.N.E.); (V.F.)
| | - Gordana Nedic Erjavec
- Laboratory for Molecular Neuropsychiatry, Division of Molecular Medicine, Rudjer Boskovic Institute, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (B.V.); (T.M.); (L.T.); (M.N.P.); (M.K.); (G.N.E.); (V.F.)
| | - Vladimir Farkas
- Laboratory for Molecular Neuropsychiatry, Division of Molecular Medicine, Rudjer Boskovic Institute, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (B.V.); (T.M.); (L.T.); (M.N.P.); (M.K.); (G.N.E.); (V.F.)
| | - Suzana Uzun
- Department for Biological Psychiatry and Psychogeriatry, University Hospital Vrapce, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (S.U.); (N.M.)
- School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Ninoslav Mimica
- Department for Biological Psychiatry and Psychogeriatry, University Hospital Vrapce, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (S.U.); (N.M.)
- School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Dubravka Svob Strac
- Laboratory for Molecular Neuropsychiatry, Division of Molecular Medicine, Rudjer Boskovic Institute, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (B.V.); (T.M.); (L.T.); (M.N.P.); (M.K.); (G.N.E.); (V.F.)
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Kajevu N, Lipponen A, Andrade P, Bañuelos I, Puhakka N, Hämäläinen E, Natunen T, Hiltunen M, Pitkänen A. Treatment of Status Epilepticus after Traumatic Brain Injury Using an Antiseizure Drug Combined with a Tissue Recovery Enhancer Revealed by Systems Biology. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:14049. [PMID: 37762352 PMCID: PMC10531083 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241814049] [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: 08/08/2023] [Revised: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
We tested a hypothesis that in silico-discovered compounds targeting traumatic brain injury (TBI)-induced transcriptomics dysregulations will mitigate TBI-induced molecular pathology and augment the effect of co-administered antiseizure treatment, thereby alleviating functional impairment. In silico bioinformatic analysis revealed five compounds substantially affecting TBI-induced transcriptomics regulation, including calpain inhibitor, chlorpromazine, geldanamycin, tranylcypromine, and trichostatin A (TSA). In vitro exposure of neuronal-BV2-microglial co-cultures to compounds revealed that TSA had the best overall neuroprotective, antioxidative, and anti-inflammatory effects. In vivo assessment in a rat TBI model revealed that TSA as a monotherapy (1 mg/kg/d) or in combination with the antiseizure drug levetiracetam (LEV 150 mg/kg/d) mildly mitigated the increase in plasma levels of the neurofilament subunit pNF-H and cortical lesion area. The percentage of rats with seizures during 0-72 h post-injury was reduced in the following order: TBI-vehicle 80%, TBI-TSA (1 mg/kg) 86%, TBI-LEV (54 mg/kg) 50%, TBI-LEV (150 mg/kg) 40% (p < 0.05 vs. TBI-vehicle), and TBI-LEV (150 mg/kg) combined with TSA (1 mg/kg) 30% (p < 0.05). Cumulative seizure duration was reduced in the following order: TBI-vehicle 727 ± 688 s, TBI-TSA 898 ± 937 s, TBI-LEV (54 mg/kg) 358 ± 715 s, TBI-LEV (150 mg/kg) 42 ± 64 (p < 0.05 vs. TBI-vehicle), and TBI-LEV (150 mg/kg) combined with TSA (1 mg/kg) 109 ± 282 s (p < 0.05). This first preclinical intervention study on post-TBI acute seizures shows that a combination therapy with the tissue recovery enhancer TSA and LEV was safe but exhibited no clear benefit over LEV monotherapy on antiseizure efficacy. A longer follow-up is needed to confirm the possible beneficial effects of LEV monotherapy and combination therapy with TSA on chronic post-TBI structural and functional outcomes, including epileptogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natallie Kajevu
- A. I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Anssi Lipponen
- A. I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
- Expert Microbiology Unit, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, P.O. Box 95, 70701 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Pedro Andrade
- A. I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Ivette Bañuelos
- A. I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Noora Puhakka
- A. I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Elina Hämäläinen
- A. I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Teemu Natunen
- Institute of Biomedicine, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Mikko Hiltunen
- Institute of Biomedicine, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Asla Pitkänen
- A. I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
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7
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Grabowska ME, Huang A, Wen Z, Li B, Wei WQ. Drug repurposing for Alzheimer's disease from 2012-2022-a 10-year literature review. Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:1257700. [PMID: 37745051 PMCID: PMC10512468 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1257700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a debilitating neurodegenerative condition with few treatment options available. Drug repurposing studies have sought to identify existing drugs that could be repositioned to treat AD; however, the effectiveness of drug repurposing for AD remains unclear. This review systematically analyzes the progress made in drug repurposing for AD throughout the last decade, summarizing the suggested drug candidates and analyzing changes in the repurposing strategies used over time. We also examine the different types of data that have been leveraged to validate suggested drug repurposing candidates for AD, which to our knowledge has not been previous investigated, although this information may be especially useful in appraising the potential of suggested drug repurposing candidates. We ultimately hope to gain insight into the suggested drugs representing the most promising repurposing candidates for AD. Methods: We queried the PubMed database for AD drug repurposing studies published between 2012 and 2022. 124 articles were reviewed. We used RxNorm to standardize drug names across the reviewed studies, map drugs to their constituent ingredients, and identify prescribable drugs. We used the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) Classification System to group drugs. Results: 573 unique drugs were proposed for repurposing in AD over the last 10 years. These suggested repurposing candidates included drugs acting on the nervous system (17%), antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents (16%), and drugs acting on the cardiovascular system (12%). Clozapine, a second-generation antipsychotic medication, was the most frequently suggested repurposing candidate (N = 6). 61% (76/124) of the reviewed studies performed a validation, yet only 4% (5/124) used real-world data for validation. Conclusion: A large number of potential drug repurposing candidates for AD has accumulated over the last decade. However, among these drugs, no single drug has emerged as the top candidate, making it difficult to establish research priorities. Validation of drug repurposing hypotheses is inconsistently performed, and real-world data has been critically underutilized for validation. Given the urgent need for new AD therapies, the utility of real-world data in accelerating identification of high-priority candidates for AD repurposing warrants further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monika E. Grabowska
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Annabelle Huang
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Zhexing Wen
- Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Cell Biology, and Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Bingshan Li
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Wei-Qi Wei
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
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8
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Elzayat EM, Shahien SA, El-Sherif AA, Hosney M. Therapeutic potential of stem cells and acitretin on inflammatory signaling pathway-associated genes regulated by miRNAs 146a and 155 in AD-like rats. Sci Rep 2023; 13:9613. [PMID: 37311848 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-36772-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the most common causes of dementia. Several drugs are used to improve the symptoms, but do not stop AD progression. There are more promising treatments that may have a significant role in AD diagnosis and treatment such as miRNAs and stem cells. The present study aims to develop a new approach for AD treatment by mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and/or acitretin with special reference to inflammatory signaling pathway as NF-kB and its regulator miRNAs in AD-like rat model. Fourty-five male albino rats were allotted for the present study. The experimental periods were divided into induction, withdrawal, and therapeutic phases. Expression levels of miR-146a, miR-155, necrotic, growth and inflammatory genes were assessed using RT-qPCR. Histopathological examination of brain tissues was performed in different rat groups. The normal physiological, molecular, and histopathological levels were restored after treatment with MSCs and/or acitretin. The present study demonstrates that the miR-146a and miR-155 might be used as promising biomarkers for AD. MSCs and/or acitretin proved their therapeutic potential in restoring the expression levels of targeted miRNAs and their related genes concerning NF-kB signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emad M Elzayat
- Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza, 12613, Egypt
| | - Sherif A Shahien
- Biotechnology/Bimolecular Chemistry Program, Faculty of Science, Helwan University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Ahmed A El-Sherif
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza, 12613, Egypt
| | - Mohamed Hosney
- Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza, 12613, Egypt.
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9
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SAR studies of quinoline and derivatives as potential treatments for Alzheimer’s disease. ARAB J CHEM 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.arabjc.2022.104502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
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10
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Kumar P, Sheokand D, Grewal A, Saini V, Kumar A. Drug repositioning for idiopathic epilepsy using gene expression signature data. Bioinformation 2022; 18:845-852. [PMID: 37654844 PMCID: PMC10465761 DOI: 10.6026/97320630018845] [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: 09/02/2022] [Revised: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/06/2022] [Indexed: 09/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders, affecting millions of patients with a substantial economic and human burden. About 30-40% of epileptic patients remain un-treated after the therapeutic option. Genetic or idiopathic epilepsy count about 40% of total epilepsy patients, showing a maximum percentage for drug-resistant epilepsy. Since the last century basic approach to understanding disease progression and drug discovery has been through the prism, exploring all possible causes and treatment options. Here we report about the gene expression-based drug repositioning study for epilepsy. Epilepsy gene expression data was retrieved from the Gene Expression Omnibus database, while drugs-associated gene expression data was retrieved from the Connectivity map (CMAP). The study predicted309 drug compounds which can alter genetic epilepsy-mediated gene signature using an in-house developed R-script. These compounds were docked against identified epilepsy targets- Voltage-gated sodium channel subunit α2 (Nav1.2); GABA receptor α1-β1; and Voltage-gated calcium channel α1G (Cav3.1)using Carbamazepine, Clonazepam, and Pregabalin as standard drugs, respectively. Twenty-one predicted drug compounds showed better binding affinity than respective standards against the selected epileptic receptors. Among these drug compounds, Ergocalciferol, Oxaprozin, Flunarizine, Triprolidine and Cyproheptadine have been previously reported for anti-epileptic activities and can be potential hits to target idiopathic epilepsy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pawan Kumar
- Toxicology and Computational Biology Group, Centre for Bioinformatics, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, Haryana, 124001
| | - Deepak Sheokand
- Toxicology and Computational Biology Group, Centre for Bioinformatics, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, Haryana, 124001
| | - Annu Grewal
- Toxicology and Computational Biology Group, Centre for Bioinformatics, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, Haryana, 124001
| | - Vandana Saini
- Toxicology and Computational Biology Group, Centre for Bioinformatics, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, Haryana, 124001
| | - Ajit Kumar
- Toxicology and Computational Biology Group, Centre for Bioinformatics, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, Haryana, 124001
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Godbout K, Tremblay JP. Delivery of RNAs to Specific Organs by Lipid Nanoparticles for Gene Therapy. Pharmaceutics 2022; 14:pharmaceutics14102129. [PMID: 36297564 PMCID: PMC9611171 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14102129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Revised: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Gene therapy holds great promise in the treatment of genetic diseases. It is now possible to make DNA modifications using the CRISPR system. However, a major problem remains: the delivery of these CRISPR-derived technologies to specific organs. Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) have emerged as a very promising delivery method. However, when delivering LNPs intravenously, most of the cargo is trapped by the liver. Alternatively, injecting them directly into organs, such as the brain, requires more invasive procedures. Therefore, developing more specific LNPs is crucial for their future clinical use. Modifying the composition of the lipids in the LNPs allows more specific deliveries of the LNPs to some organs. In this review, we have identified the most effective compositions and proportions of lipids for LNPs to target specific organs, such as the brain, lungs, muscles, heart, liver, spleen, and bones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly Godbout
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec, Laval University, Quebec, QC G1V 4G2, Canada
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Laval University, Quebec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Jacques P. Tremblay
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec, Laval University, Quebec, QC G1V 4G2, Canada
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Laval University, Quebec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
- Correspondence:
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12
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Derks EM, Thorp JG, Gerring ZF. Ten challenges for clinical translation in psychiatric genetics. Nat Genet 2022; 54:1457-1465. [PMID: 36138228 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-022-01174-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Genome-wide association studies have identified hundreds of robust genetic associations underlying psychiatric disorders and provided important biological insights into disease onset and progression. There is optimism that genetic findings will pave the way to precision psychiatry by facilitating the development of more effective treatments and the identification of groups of patients that these treatments should be targeted toward. However, there are several challenges that must be addressed before genetic findings can be translated into the clinic. In this Perspective, we highlight ten challenges for the field of psychiatric genetics, focused on the robust and generalizable detection of genetic risk factors, improved definition and assessment of psychopathology and achieving better clinical indicators. We discuss recent advancements in the field that will improve the explanatory and predictive power of genetic data and ultimately contribute to improving the management and treatment of patients with a psychiatric disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eske M Derks
- Translational Neurogenomics Laboratory, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
| | - Jackson G Thorp
- Translational Neurogenomics Laboratory, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Zachary F Gerring
- Translational Neurogenomics Laboratory, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
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Gao C, Shen X, Tan Y, Chen S. Pathogenesis, therapeutic strategies and biomarker development based on "omics" analysis related to microglia in Alzheimer's disease. J Neuroinflammation 2022; 19:215. [PMID: 36058959 PMCID: PMC9441025 DOI: 10.1186/s12974-022-02580-1] [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: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 08/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease and the most common cause of dementia. Among various pathophysiological aspects, microglia are considered to play important roles in the pathogenesis of AD. Genome wide association studies (GWAS) showed that the majority of AD risk genes are highly or exclusively expressed in microglia, underscoring the critical roles of microglia in AD pathogenesis. Recently, omics technologies have greatly advanced our knowledge of microglia biology in AD. Omics approaches, including genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics/lipidomics, present remarkable opportunities to delineate the underlying mechanisms, discover novel diagnostic biomarkers, monitor disease progression, and shape therapeutic strategies for diseases. In this review, we summarized research based on microglial "omics" analysis in AD, especially the recent research advances in the identification of AD-associated microglial subsets. This review reinforces the important role of microglia in AD and advances our understanding of the mechanism of microglia in AD pathogenesis. Moreover, we proposed the value of microglia-based omics in the development of therapeutic strategies and biomarkers for AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Gao
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China
| | - Xin Shen
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China
| | - Yuyan Tan
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China.
| | - Shengdi Chen
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China. .,Lab for Translational Research of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies (SIAIS), Shanghai Tech University, Shanghai, 201210, China.
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Gupta C, Xu J, Jin T, Khullar S, Liu X, Alatkar S, Cheng F, Wang D. Single-cell network biology characterizes cell type gene regulation for drug repurposing and phenotype prediction in Alzheimer’s disease. PLoS Comput Biol 2022; 18:e1010287. [PMID: 35849618 PMCID: PMC9333448 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Revised: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Dysregulation of gene expression in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) remains elusive, especially at the cell type level. Gene regulatory network, a key molecular mechanism linking transcription factors (TFs) and regulatory elements to govern gene expression, can change across cell types in the human brain and thus serve as a model for studying gene dysregulation in AD. However, AD-induced regulatory changes across brain cell types remains uncharted. To address this, we integrated single-cell multi-omics datasets to predict the gene regulatory networks of four major cell types, excitatory and inhibitory neurons, microglia and oligodendrocytes, in control and AD brains. Importantly, we analyzed and compared the structural and topological features of networks across cell types and examined changes in AD. Our analysis shows that hub TFs are largely common across cell types and AD-related changes are relatively more prominent in some cell types (e.g., microglia). The regulatory logics of enriched network motifs (e.g., feed-forward loops) further uncover cell type-specific TF-TF cooperativities in gene regulation. The cell type networks are also highly modular and several network modules with cell-type-specific expression changes in AD pathology are enriched with AD-risk genes. The further disease-module-drug association analysis suggests cell-type candidate drugs and their potential target genes. Finally, our network-based machine learning analysis systematically prioritized cell type risk genes likely involved in AD. Our strategy is validated using an independent dataset which showed that top ranked genes can predict clinical phenotypes (e.g., cognitive impairment) of AD with reasonable accuracy. Overall, this single-cell network biology analysis provides a comprehensive map linking genes, regulatory networks, cell types and drug targets and reveals cell-type gene dysregulation in AD. Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia. It affects parts of the brain that control language, behavior, and memory. The human brain is comprised of tens of billions of cells, such as neuronal cells that transmit information via electrical and chemical signals, and glial cells that maintain the brain’s immune system. Researchers have found that AD causes changes in the expression of genes within the brain cells. Gene expression is a tightly regulated process involving interconnected networks of multiple genes. Understanding how these gene networks change in AD is critical to identifying genetic biomarkers and potential drug targets. Using genomic data of post-mortem brains diagnosed with AD and healthy individuals, we identified gene networks that play a crucial role in regulating biological processes within neuronal and glial cells. We utilized these gene networks to make predictions on existing FDA approved drugs that could potentially be repurposed for AD. Furthermore, we used a machine learning strategy to identify novel genes that are more likely to be involved in AD pathology. The systems-level approach lends itself to analysis of single-cell genomics data of other human diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chirag Gupta
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
- Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Jielin Xu
- Genomic Medicine Institute, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Ting Jin
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
- Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Saniya Khullar
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
- Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Xiaoyu Liu
- Department of Statistics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Sayali Alatkar
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
- Department of Computer Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Feixiong Cheng
- Genomic Medicine Institute, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
- Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Daifeng Wang
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
- Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
- Department of Computer Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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15
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Fohner AE, Sitlani CM, Buzkova P, Doyle MF, Liu X, Bis JC, Fitzpatrick A, Heckbert SR, Huber SA, Kuller L, Longstreth WT, Feinstein MJ, Freiberg M, Olson NC, Seshadri S, Lopez O, Odden MC, Tracy RP, Psaty BM, Delaney JA, Floyd JS. Association of Peripheral Lymphocyte Subsets with Cognitive Decline and Dementia: The Cardiovascular Health Study. J Alzheimers Dis 2022; 88:7-15. [PMID: 35527553 PMCID: PMC9277688 DOI: 10.3233/jad-220091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alison E. Fohner
- Cardiovascular Health Research Unit, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Colleen M. Sitlani
- Cardiovascular Health Research Unit, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Petra Buzkova
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Margaret F. Doyle
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Larner College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - Xiaojuan Liu
- Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Joshua C. Bis
- Cardiovascular Health Research Unit, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Annette Fitzpatrick
- Cardiovascular Health Research Unit, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Family Medicine and Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Susan R. Heckbert
- Cardiovascular Health Research Unit, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Sally A. Huber
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Larner College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - Lewis Kuller
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - William T. Longstreth
- Cardiovascular Health Research Unit, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Matthew J. Feinstein
- Departments of Medicine, Preventive Medicine and Pathology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Matthew Freiberg
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Nels C. Olson
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Larner College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - Sudha Seshadri
- Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s & Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, TX, USA
- Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
- Framingham Heart Study, Framingham, MA, USA
| | - Oscar Lopez
- Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Michelle C. Odden
- Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Russell P. Tracy
- Department of Biochemistry, Larner College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Larner College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - Bruce M. Psaty
- Cardiovascular Health Research Unit, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Health Systems and Population Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Joseph A. Delaney
- Cardiovascular Health Research Unit, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- College of Pharmacy, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - James S. Floyd
- Cardiovascular Health Research Unit, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
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Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complex and multifactorial neurodegenerative disease. Due to its long clinical course and lack of an effective treatment, AD has become a major public health problem in the USA and worldwide. Due to variation in age-at-onset, AD is classified into early-onset (< 60 years) and late-onset (≥ 60 years) forms with early-onset accounting for only 5-10% of all cases. With the exception of a small number of early-onset cases that are afflicted because of high penetrant single gene mutations in APP, PSEN1, and PSEN2 genes, AD is genetically heterogeneous, especially the late-onset form having a polygenic or oligogenic risk inheritance. Since the identification of APOE as the most significant risk factor for late-onset AD in 1993, the path to the discovery of additional AD risk genes had been arduous until 2009 when the use of large genome-wide association studies opened up the discovery gateways that led the identification of ~ 95 additional risk loci from 2009 to early 2022. This article reviews the history of AD genetics followed by the potential molecular pathways and recent application of functional genomics methods to identify the causal AD gene(s) among the many genes that reside within a single locus. The ultimate goal of integrating genomics and functional genomics is to discover novel pathways underlying the AD pathobiology in order to identify drug targets for the therapeutic treatment of this heterogeneous disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Ilyas Kamboh
- Department of Human Genetics, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
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