1
|
Bergandi L, Palladino G, Meduri A, De Luca L, Silvagno F. Vitamin D and Sulforaphane Decrease Inflammatory Oxidative Stress and Restore the Markers of Epithelial Integrity in an In Vitro Model of Age-Related Macular Degeneration. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:6404. [PMID: 38928111 PMCID: PMC11203625 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25126404] [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: 04/29/2024] [Revised: 06/05/2024] [Accepted: 06/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is strictly linked to chronic oxidative stress, inflammation, loss of epithelial barrier integrity, and often with abnormal new blood vessel development. In this study, the retinal epithelial cell line ARPE-19 was treated with pro-inflammatory transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) to investigate the activity of vitamin D (VD) and sulforaphane (SF) in abating the consequences of oxidative stress and inflammation. The administration of VD and SF lowered reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, and abated the related expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-6 and interleukin-8 induced by TGF-β. We evaluated mitochondrial respiration as a source of ROS production, and we discovered that the increased transcription of respiratory elements triggered by TGF-β was prevented by VD and SF. In this model of inflamed epithelium, the treatment with VD and SF also reduced the secretion of VEGF, a key angiogenic factor, and restored the markers of epithelial integrity. Remarkably, all the observed biological effects were potentiated by the co-stimulation with the two compounds and were not mediated by VD receptor expression but rather by the ERK 1/2 pathway. Altogether, the results of this study reveal the powerful synergistic anti-inflammatory activity of SF and VD and lay the foundation for future clinical assessment of their efficacy in AMD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Loredana Bergandi
- Department of Oncology, University of Torino, Via Santena 5 bis, 10126 Torino, Italy; (L.B.); (G.P.)
| | - Giulia Palladino
- Department of Oncology, University of Torino, Via Santena 5 bis, 10126 Torino, Italy; (L.B.); (G.P.)
| | - Alessandro Meduri
- Ophthalmology Clinic, Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy; (A.M.); (L.D.L.)
| | - Laura De Luca
- Ophthalmology Clinic, Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy; (A.M.); (L.D.L.)
| | - Francesca Silvagno
- Department of Oncology, University of Torino, Via Santena 5 bis, 10126 Torino, Italy; (L.B.); (G.P.)
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Salama RM, Eissa N, Doghish AS, Abulsoud AI, Abdelmaksoud NM, Mohammed OA, Abdel Mageed SS, Darwish SF. Decoding the secrets of longevity: unraveling nutraceutical and miRNA-Mediated aging pathways and therapeutic strategies. FRONTIERS IN AGING 2024; 5:1373741. [PMID: 38605867 PMCID: PMC11007187 DOI: 10.3389/fragi.2024.1373741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2024] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short RNA molecules that are not involved in coding for proteins. They have a significant function in regulating gene expression after the process of transcription. Their participation in several biological processes has rendered them appealing subjects for investigating age-related disorders. Increasing data indicates that miRNAs can be influenced by dietary variables, such as macronutrients, micronutrients, trace minerals, and nutraceuticals. This review examines the influence of dietary factors and nutraceuticals on the regulation of miRNA in relation to the process of aging. We examine the present comprehension of miRNA disruption in age-related illnesses and emphasize the possibility of dietary manipulation as a means of prevention or treatment. Consolidating animal and human research is essential to validate the significance of dietary miRNA control in living organisms, despite the abundance of information already provided by several studies. This review elucidates the complex interaction among miRNAs, nutrition, and aging, offering valuable insights into promising areas for further research and potential therapies for age-related disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rania M. Salama
- Pharmacology and Toxicology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Misr International University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Nermin Eissa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Abu Dhabi University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Ahmed S. Doghish
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Badr University in Cairo (BUC), Cairo, Egypt
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Nasr City, Egypt
| | - Ahmed I. Abulsoud
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Nasr City, Egypt
- Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Heliopolis University, Cairo, Egypt
| | | | - Osama A. Mohammed
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, University of Bisha, Bisha, Saudi Arabia
| | - Sherif S. Abdel Mageed
- Pharmacology and Toxicology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Badr University in Cairo (BUC), Cairo, Egypt
| | - Samar F. Darwish
- Pharmacology and Toxicology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Badr University in Cairo (BUC), Cairo, Egypt
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
MAPK Pathways in Ocular Pathophysiology: Potential Therapeutic Drugs and Challenges. Cells 2023; 12:cells12040617. [PMID: 36831285 PMCID: PMC9954064 DOI: 10.3390/cells12040617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Revised: 02/05/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways represent ubiquitous cellular signal transduction pathways that regulate all aspects of life and are frequently altered in disease. Once activated through phosphorylation, these MAPKs in turn phosphorylate and activate transcription factors present either in the cytoplasm or in the nucleus, leading to the expression of target genes and, as a consequence, they elicit various biological responses. The aim of this work is to provide a comprehensive review focusing on the roles of MAPK signaling pathways in ocular pathophysiology and the potential to influence these for the treatment of eye diseases. We summarize the current knowledge of identified MAPK-targeting compounds in the context of ocular diseases such as macular degeneration, cataract, glaucoma and keratopathy, but also in rare ocular diseases where the cell differentiation, proliferation or migration are defective. Potential therapeutic interventions are also discussed. Additionally, we discuss challenges in overcoming the reported eye toxicity of some MAPK inhibitors.
Collapse
|
4
|
Pun FW, Liu BHM, Long X, Leung HW, Leung GHD, Mewborne QT, Gao J, Shneyderman A, Ozerov IV, Wang J, Ren F, Aliper A, Bischof E, Izumchenko E, Guan X, Zhang K, Lu B, Rothstein JD, Cudkowicz ME, Zhavoronkov A. Identification of Therapeutic Targets for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Using PandaOmics – An AI-Enabled Biological Target Discovery Platform. Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 14:914017. [PMID: 35837482 PMCID: PMC9273868 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.914017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a severe neurodegenerative disease with ill-defined pathogenesis, calling for urgent developments of new therapeutic regimens. Herein, we applied PandaOmics, an AI-driven target discovery platform, to analyze the expression profiles of central nervous system (CNS) samples (237 cases; 91 controls) from public datasets, and direct iPSC-derived motor neurons (diMNs) (135 cases; 31 controls) from Answer ALS. Seventeen high-confidence and eleven novel therapeutic targets were identified and will be released onto ALS.AI (http://als.ai/). Among the proposed targets screened in the c9ALS Drosophila model, we verified 8 unreported genes (KCNB2, KCNS3, ADRA2B, NR3C1, P2RY14, PPP3CB, PTPRC, and RARA) whose suppression strongly rescues eye neurodegeneration. Dysregulated pathways identified from CNS and diMN data characterize different stages of disease development. Altogether, our study provides new insights into ALS pathophysiology and demonstrates how AI speeds up the target discovery process, and opens up new opportunities for therapeutic interventions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Frank W. Pun
- Insilico Medicine Hong Kong Ltd., Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Bonnie Hei Man Liu
- Insilico Medicine Hong Kong Ltd., Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Xi Long
- Insilico Medicine Hong Kong Ltd., Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Hoi Wing Leung
- Insilico Medicine Hong Kong Ltd., Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Geoffrey Ho Duen Leung
- Insilico Medicine Hong Kong Ltd., Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Quinlan T. Mewborne
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic Florida, Jacksonville, FL, United States
| | - Junli Gao
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic Florida, Jacksonville, FL, United States
| | - Anastasia Shneyderman
- Insilico Medicine Hong Kong Ltd., Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Ivan V. Ozerov
- Insilico Medicine Hong Kong Ltd., Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Ju Wang
- Insilico Medicine Hong Kong Ltd., Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Feng Ren
- Insilico Medicine Hong Kong Ltd., Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Alexander Aliper
- Insilico Medicine Hong Kong Ltd., Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Evelyne Bischof
- College of Clinical Medicine, Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Shanghai, China
- International Center for Multimorbidity and Complexity in Medicine (ICMC), Universität Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Evgeny Izumchenko
- Department of Medicine, Section of Hematology and Oncology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Xiaoming Guan
- 4B Technologies Limited, Suzhou BioBay, Suzhou, China
| | - Ke Zhang
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic Florida, Jacksonville, FL, United States
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Jacksonville, FL, United States
| | - Bai Lu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Jeffrey D. Rothstein
- Brain Science Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Merit E. Cudkowicz
- Healey & AMG Center for ALS, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- *Correspondence: Merit E. Cudkowicz,
| | - Alex Zhavoronkov
- Insilico Medicine Hong Kong Ltd., Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, CA, United States
- Alex Zhavoronkov,
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Brandli A, Khong FL, Kong RCK, Kelly DJ, Fletcher EL. Transcriptomic analysis of choroidal neovascularization reveals dysregulation of immune and fibrosis pathways that are attenuated by a novel anti-fibrotic treatment. Sci Rep 2022; 12:859. [PMID: 35039609 PMCID: PMC8764037 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-04845-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/15/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Neovascular AMD (nAMD) leads to vision loss and is a leading cause of visual impairment in the industrialised world. Current treatments that target blood vessel growth have not been able to treat subretinal fibrosis and nAMD patients continue to lose vision. The molecular mechanisms involved in the development of fibrotic lesions in nAMD are not well understood. The aim of this study was to further understand subretinal fibrosis in the laser photocoagulation model of choroidal neovascularization (CNV) by studying the whole transcriptome of the RPE/choroid following CNV and the application of an anti-fibrotic following CNV. Seven days after laser induced CNV, RPE and choroid tissue was separated and underwent RNAseq. Differential expression analysis and pathway analysis revealed an over representation of immune signalling and fibrotic associated pathways in CNV compared to control RPE/choroid tissue. Comparisons between the mouse CNV model to human CNV revealed an overlap in upregulated expression for immune genes (Ccl2, Ccl8 and Cxcl9) and extracellular matrix remodeling genes (Comp, Lrcc15, Fndc1 and Thbs2). Comparisons between the CNV model and other fibrosis models showed an overlap of over 60% of genes upregulated in either lung or kidney mouse models of fibrosis. Treatment of CNV using a novel cinnamoyl anthranilate anti-fibrotic (OCX063) in the laser induced CNV model was selected as this class of drugs have previously been shown to target fibrosis. CNV lesion leakage and fibrosis was found to be reduced using OCX063 and gene expression of genes within the TGF-beta signalling pathway. Our findings show the presence of fibrosis gene expression pathways present in the laser induced CNV mouse model and that anti-fibrotic treatments offer the potential to reduce subretinal fibrosis in AMD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alice Brandli
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, The University of Melbourne, Grattan St, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Fay L Khong
- Department of Medicine, The University of Melbourne, St Vincent's Hospital, Fitzroy, VIC, 3065, Australia
- Occurx Pty Ltd, 31 Queen St, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
| | - Roy C K Kong
- Department of Medicine, The University of Melbourne, St Vincent's Hospital, Fitzroy, VIC, 3065, Australia
- Occurx Pty Ltd, 31 Queen St, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
| | - Darren J Kelly
- Department of Medicine, The University of Melbourne, St Vincent's Hospital, Fitzroy, VIC, 3065, Australia
| | - Erica L Fletcher
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, The University of Melbourne, Grattan St, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
The effect of systemic levels of TNF-alpha and complement pathway activity on outcomes of VEGF inhibition in neovascular AMD. Eye (Lond) 2021; 36:2192-2199. [PMID: 34750590 PMCID: PMC9581945 DOI: 10.1038/s41433-021-01824-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2021] [Revised: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background/Objectives Systemic levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and activated complement components affect the risk and/or progression of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD). This study investigated the effect of serum pro-inflammatory cytokine levels and complement pathway activity on the clinical response to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibition in neovascular AMD. Methods Sixty-five patients with a new diagnosis of neovascular AMD were observed over a six-month period in a single-centre, longitudinal cohort study. At each visit, the visual acuity score (VAS), central macular thickness (CMT), serum levels of CRP, pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6 and IL-8), and complement pathway activity were measured. Participant DNA samples were sequenced for six complement pathway single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with AMD. Results A statistically significant difference in VAS was observed for serum levels of TNF-α only: there was a gain in VAS (from baseline) of 1.37 for participants below the 1st quartile of mean concentration compared to a reduction of 2.71 for those above the 3rd quartile. Statistical significance was maintained after Bonferroni correction (P value set at <0.006). No significant differences in CMT were observed. In addition, statistically significant differences, maintained after Bonferroni correction, were observed in serum complement activity for participants with the following SNPs: CFH region (rs1061170), SERPING1 (rs2511989) and CFB (rs641153). Serum complement pathway components did not significantly affect VAS. Conclusions Lower serum TNF-α levels were associated with an increase in visual acuity after anti-VEGF therapy. This suggests that targeting pro-inflammatory cytokines may augment treatment for neovascular AMD.
Collapse
|
7
|
ElShelmani H, Wride MA, Saad T, Rani S, Kelly DJ, Keegan D. The Role of Deregulated MicroRNAs in Age-Related Macular Degeneration Pathology. Transl Vis Sci Technol 2021; 10:12. [PMID: 34003896 PMCID: PMC7881277 DOI: 10.1167/tvst.10.2.12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose We previously identified three microRNAs (miRNAs) with significantly increased expression in the serum of patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) compared with healthy controls. Our objective was to identify potential functional roles of these upregulated miRNAs (miR-19a, miR-126, and miR-410) in AMD, using computational tools for miRNAs prediction and identification, and to demonstrate the miRNAs target genes and signaling pathways. We also aim to demonstrate the pathologic role of isolated sera-derived exosomes from patients with AMD and controls using in vitro models. Methods miR-19a, miR-126, and miR-410 were investigated using bioinformatic approaches, including DIANA-mirPath and miR TarBase. Data on the resulting target genes and signaling pathways were incorporated with the differentially expressed miRNAs in AMD. Apoptosis markers, human apoptosis miRNAs polymerase chain reaction arrays and angiogenesis/vasculogenesis assays were performed by adding serum-isolated AMD patient or control patient derived exosomes into an in vitro human angiogenesis model and ARPE-19 cell lines. Results A number of pathways known to be involved in AMD development and progression were predicted, including the vascular endothelial growth factor signaling, apoptosis, and neurodegenerative pathways. The study also provides supporting evidence for the involvement of serum-isolated AMD-derived exosomes in the pathology of AMD, via apoptosis and/or angiogenesis. Conclusions miR-19a, miR-126, miR-410 and their target genes had a significant correlation with AMD pathogenesis. As such, they could be potential new targets as predictive biomarkers or therapies for patients with AMD. Translational Relevance The functional analysis and the pathologic role of altered miRNA expression in AMD may be applicable in developing new therapies for AMD through the disruption of individual or multiple pathophysiologic pathways.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hanan ElShelmani
- Ocular Development and Neurobiology Research Group, Zoology Department, School of Natural Sciences, University of Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland.,Mater Retina Research Group, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Eccles St., Dublin 7, Ireland
| | - Michael A Wride
- Ocular Development and Neurobiology Research Group, Zoology Department, School of Natural Sciences, University of Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Tahira Saad
- Mater Retina Research Group, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Eccles St., Dublin 7, Ireland
| | - Sweta Rani
- Department of Science, Waterford Institute of Technology, Waterford, Ireland
| | - David J Kelly
- Zoology Department, School of Natural Sciences, University of Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
| | - David Keegan
- Mater Retina Research Group, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Eccles St., Dublin 7, Ireland
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Van Hove I, Van Bergen T, Etienne I, Holgado A, Afonina IS, Beyaert R, Feyen JH, Hu TT. IL-33trap-mediated IL-33 neutralization does not exacerbate choroidal neovascularization, but fails to protect against retinal degeneration in a dry age-related macular degeneration model. Exp Eye Res 2021; 207:108608. [PMID: 33930400 DOI: 10.1016/j.exer.2021.108608] [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: 01/22/2021] [Revised: 04/21/2021] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 09/30/2022]
Abstract
The progressive and sight-threatening disease, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), is a growing public health concern due to ageing demographics, with the highest unmet medical need for the advanced stage of dry AMD, geographic atrophy. The pathogenesis underlying AMD is driven by a complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors. There is ample evidence that inflammation is strongly involved in AMD development. Interleukin-33 (IL-33) has been proposed to be critically involved in retinal degeneration, but a protective role in eye pathophysiology was also demonstrated. The current study investigated the therapeutic potential of IL-33trap, a novel IL-33-neutralizing biologic, in dry AMD/geographic atrophy and, based on controversial data regarding the protective versus detrimental functions of IL-33 in neovascularization, evaluated the risk of progression to wet AMD by IL-33 neutralization. Repeated intravitreal (IVT) injections of IL-33trap in the mouse laser-induced choroidal neovascularization model did not exacerbate neovascularization or leakage, while it significantly inhibited inflammatory cell infiltration in the retinal pigment epithelium and choroid. On the contrary, IVT treatment with IL-33trap significantly induced retinal inflammation and could not prevent retinopathy induction in the mouse sodium iodate (NaIO3) model. Overall, these data suggest a complex and dichotomous role of IL-33 in eye pathology and indicate that IL-33 neutralization is not able to prevent onset and progression of dry AMD pathogenesis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Inge Van Hove
- Oxurion NV, Gaston Geenslaan 1, 3001, Heverlee, Belgium.
| | | | | | - Aurora Holgado
- Unit of Molecular Signal Transduction in Inflammation, VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research, Ghent, Belgium; Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Inna S Afonina
- Unit of Molecular Signal Transduction in Inflammation, VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research, Ghent, Belgium; Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Rudi Beyaert
- Unit of Molecular Signal Transduction in Inflammation, VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research, Ghent, Belgium; Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jean Hm Feyen
- Oxurion NV, Gaston Geenslaan 1, 3001, Heverlee, Belgium
| | | |
Collapse
|
9
|
Using proteomic and transcriptomic data to assess activation of intracellular molecular pathways. ADVANCES IN PROTEIN CHEMISTRY AND STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY 2021; 127:1-53. [PMID: 34340765 DOI: 10.1016/bs.apcsb.2021.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Analysis of molecular pathway activation is the recent instrument that helps to quantize activities of various intracellular signaling, structural, DNA synthesis and repair, and biochemical processes. This may have a deep impact in fundamental research, bioindustry, and medicine. Unlike gene ontology analyses and numerous qualitative methods that can establish whether a pathway is affected in principle, the quantitative approach has the advantage of exactly measuring the extent of a pathway up/downregulation. This results in emergence of a new generation of molecular biomarkers-pathway activation levels, which reflect concentration changes of all measurable pathway components. The input data can be the high-throughput proteomic or transcriptomic profiles, and the output numbers take both positive and negative values and positively reflect overall pathway activation. Due to their nature, the pathway activation levels are more robust biomarkers compared to the individual gene products/protein levels. Here, we review the current knowledge of the quantitative gene expression interrogation methods and their applications for the molecular pathway quantization. We consider enclosed bioinformatic algorithms and their applications for solving real-world problems. Besides a plethora of applications in basic life sciences, the quantitative pathway analysis can improve molecular design and clinical investigations in pharmaceutical industry, can help finding new active biotechnological components and can significantly contribute to the progressive evolution of personalized medicine. In addition to the theoretical principles and concepts, we also propose publicly available software for the use of large-scale protein/RNA expression data to assess the human pathway activation levels.
Collapse
|
10
|
Sorokin M, Borisov N, Kuzmin D, Gudkov A, Zolotovskaia M, Garazha A, Buzdin A. Algorithmic Annotation of Functional Roles for Components of 3,044 Human Molecular Pathways. Front Genet 2021; 12:617059. [PMID: 33633781 PMCID: PMC7900570 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.617059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Accepted: 01/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Current methods of high-throughput molecular and genomic analyses enabled to reconstruct thousands of human molecular pathways. Knowledge of molecular pathways structure and architecture taken along with the gene expression data can help interrogating the pathway activation levels (PALs) using different bioinformatic algorithms. In turn, the pathway activation profiles can characterize molecular processes, which are differentially regulated and give numeric characteristics of the extent of their activation or inhibition. However, different pathway nodes may have different functions toward overall pathway regulation, and calculation of PAL requires knowledge of molecular function of every node in the pathway in terms of its activator or inhibitory role. Thus, high-throughput annotation of functional roles of pathway nodes is required for the comprehensive analysis of the pathway activation profiles. We proposed an algorithm that identifies functional roles of the pathway components and applied it to annotate 3,044 human molecular pathways extracted from the Biocarta, Reactome, KEGG, Qiagen Pathway Central, NCI, and HumanCYC databases and including 9,022 gene products. The resulting knowledgebase can be applied for the direct calculation of the PALs and establishing large scale profiles of the signaling, metabolic, and DNA repair pathway regulation using high throughput gene expression data. We also provide a bioinformatic tool for PAL data calculations using the current pathway knowledgebase.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maxim Sorokin
- Omicsway Corp., Walnut, CA, United States.,Laboratory of Clinical Genomic Bioinformatics, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia.,Laboratory for Translational Bioinformatics, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Nicolas Borisov
- Omicsway Corp., Walnut, CA, United States.,Laboratory for Translational Bioinformatics, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Denis Kuzmin
- Laboratory for Translational Bioinformatics, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Alexander Gudkov
- Laboratory of Clinical Genomic Bioinformatics, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Marianna Zolotovskaia
- Laboratory for Translational Bioinformatics, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Moscow, Russia
| | | | - Anton Buzdin
- Omicsway Corp., Walnut, CA, United States.,Laboratory for Translational Bioinformatics, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Moscow, Russia.,Laboratory of Systems Biology, Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Moscow, Russia.,World-Class Research Center "Digital Biodesign and Personalized Healthcare", Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Aliper AM, Bozdaganyan ME, Sarkisova VA, Veviorsky AP, Ozerov IV, Orekhov PS, Korzinkin MB, Moskalev A, Zhavoronkov A, Osipov AN. Radioprotectors.org: an open database of known and predicted radioprotectors. Aging (Albany NY) 2020; 12:15741-15755. [PMID: 32805729 PMCID: PMC7467366 DOI: 10.18632/aging.103815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The search for radioprotectors is an ambitious goal with many practical applications. Particularly, the improvement of human radioresistance for space is an important task, which comes into view with the recent successes in the space industry. Currently, all radioprotective drugs can be divided into two large groups differing in their effectiveness depending on the type of exposure. The first of these is radioprotectors, highly effective for pulsed, and some types of relatively short exposure to irradiation. The second group consists of long-acting radioprotectors. These drugs are effective for prolonged and fractionated irradiation. They also protect against impulse exposure to ionizing radiation, but to a lesser extent than short-acting radioprotectors. Creating a database on radioprotectors is a necessity dictated by the modern development of science and technology. We have created an open database, Radioprotectors.org, containing an up-to-date list of substances with proven radioprotective properties. All radioprotectors are annotated with relevant chemical and biological information, including transcriptomic data, and can be filtered according to their properties. Additionally, the performed transcriptomics analysis has revealed specific transcriptomic profiles of radioprotectors, which should facilitate the search for potent radioprotectors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Marine E Bozdaganyan
- Insilico Medicine, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong.,Lomonosov Moscow State University, School of Biology, Moscow, Russia.,N.N. Semenov Federal Research Center for Chemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Viktoria A Sarkisova
- Insilico Medicine, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong.,Lomonosov Moscow State University, School of Biology, Moscow, Russia
| | | | - Ivan V Ozerov
- Insilico Medicine, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong
| | - Philipp S Orekhov
- Insilico Medicine, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong.,Lomonosov Moscow State University, School of Biology, Moscow, Russia.,The Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Moscow Region, Dolgoprudny, Russia
| | | | - Alexey Moskalev
- Department of Radioecology, Laboratory of Geroprotective and Radioprotective Technologies, Institute of Biology of the FRC of Komi Science Center, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Syktyvkar, Komi Republic, Russia
| | - Alex Zhavoronkov
- Insilico Medicine, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong
| | - Andreyan N Osipov
- Insilico Medicine, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong.,N.N. Semenov Federal Research Center for Chemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.,The Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Moscow Region, Dolgoprudny, Russia.,State Research Center-Burnasyan Federal Medical Biophysical Center of Federal Medical Biological Agency (SRC-FMBC), Moscow, Russia
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Yang X, Zhao L, Campos MM, Abu-Asab M, Ortolan D, Hotaling N, Bharti K, Wong WT. CSF1R blockade induces macrophage ablation and results in mouse choroidal vascular atrophy and RPE disorganization. eLife 2020; 9:55564. [PMID: 32234210 PMCID: PMC7156269 DOI: 10.7554/elife.55564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2020] [Accepted: 04/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The choroid, which provides vascular supply to the outer retina, demonstrates progressive degeneration in aging and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). However mechanisms that maintain or compromise choroidal homeostasis are obscure. We discovered that the ablation of choroidal macrophages via CSF1R blockade was associated with choroidal vascular atrophy and retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) changes including structural disruption, downregulation of visual cycle genes, and altered angiogenic factor expression. Suspending CSF1R blockade following ablation enabled spontaneous macrophage regeneration, which fully restored original macrophage distributions and morphologies. Macrophage regeneration was accompanied by arrested vascular degeneration and ameliorated pathological RPE alterations. These findings suggest that choroidal macrophages play a previously unappreciated trophic role in maintaining choroidal vasculature and RPE cells, implicating insufficiency in choroidal macrophage function as a factor in aging- and AMD-associated pathology. Modulating macrophage function may constitute a strategy for the therapeutic preservation of the choroid and RPE in age-related retinal disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Yang
- Section on Neuron-Glia Interactions in Retinal Disease, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, United States
| | - Lian Zhao
- Section on Neuron-Glia Interactions in Retinal Disease, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, United States
| | - Maria M Campos
- Section on Histopathology, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, United States
| | - Mones Abu-Asab
- Section on Histopathology, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, United States
| | - Davide Ortolan
- Section on Ocular and Stem Cell Translational Research, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, United States
| | - Nathan Hotaling
- Section on Ocular and Stem Cell Translational Research, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, United States
| | - Kapil Bharti
- Section on Ocular and Stem Cell Translational Research, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, United States
| | - Wai T Wong
- Section on Neuron-Glia Interactions in Retinal Disease, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, United States
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Combination of Lutein and Zeaxanthin, and DHA Regulated Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Oxidation in H 2O 2-Stressed Retinal Cells. Neurochem Res 2020; 45:1007-1019. [PMID: 32088804 DOI: 10.1007/s11064-020-02994-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2019] [Revised: 01/21/2020] [Accepted: 02/17/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Photochemical and oxidative damages in retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells are key events in the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and carotenoids are rich in retinal cells, and under oxidative stress leads to oxidation and release lipid mediators. We evaluated the impact of carotenoids (lutein, zeaxanthin) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplementation on RPE cells under oxidative stress. ARPE-19 cells were exposed to H2O2 after pre-treatment with lutein, zeaxanthin, DHA, lutein + zeaxanthin or lutein + zeaxanthin with DHA. The data showed H2O2 reduced cell viability and DHA content, while promoted catalase activity and certain oxidized PUFA products. Treatment with DHA enhanced omega-3 PUFA enzymatic oxidation namely, anti-inflammatory mediators such as hydroxy-DHA, resolvins and neuroprotection compared to control; the effects were not influenced by the carotenoids. Omega-6 PUFA oxidation, namely pro-inflammatory HETE (5-, 9-, 12 and 20-HETE), and isoprostanes (5- and 15-F2t-IsoP and 4-F3t-IsoP) were reduced by lutein + zeaxanthin while the addition of DHA did not further reduce these effects. We observed transcriptional regulation of 5-lipoxygenase by DHA and GPx1 and NEFEL2 by the carotenoids that potentially resulted in decreased HETEs and glutathione respectively. 4-HNE was not affected by the treatments but 4-HHE was reduced by lutein + zeaxanthin with and without DHA. To conclude, carotenoids and DHA appeared to regulate inflammatory lipid mediators while the carotenoids also showed benefits in reducing non-enzymatic oxidation of omega-6 PUFA.
Collapse
|
14
|
Valdés-Sánchez L, Calado SM, de la Cerda B, Aramburu A, García-Delgado AB, Massalini S, Montero-Sánchez A, Bhatia V, Rodríguez-Bocanegra E, Diez-Lloret A, Rodríguez-Martínez D, Chakarova C, Bhattacharya SS, Díaz-Corrales FJ. Retinal pigment epithelium degeneration caused by aggregation of PRPF31 and the role of HSP70 family of proteins. Mol Med 2019; 26:1. [PMID: 31892304 PMCID: PMC6938640 DOI: 10.1186/s10020-019-0124-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2019] [Accepted: 12/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mutations in pre-mRNA splicing factor PRPF31 can lead to retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Although the exact disease mechanism remains unknown, it has been hypothesized that haploinsufficiency might be involved in the pathophysiology of the disease. METHODS In this study, we have analyzed a mouse model containing the p.A216P mutation in Prpf31 gene. RESULTS We found that mutant Prpf31 protein produces cytoplasmic aggregates in the retinal pigment epithelium and decreasing the protein levels of this splicing factor in the nucleus. Additionally, normal protein was recruited in insoluble aggregates when the mutant protein was overexpressed in vitro. In response to protein aggregation, Hspa4l is overexpressed. This member of the HSP70 family of chaperones might contribute to the correct folding and solubilization of the mutant protein, allowing its translocation to the nucleus. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggests that a mechanism haploinsufficiency and dominant-negative is involved in retinal degeneration due to mutations in PRPF31. HSP70 over-expression might be a new therapeutic target for the treatment of retinal degeneration due to PRPF31 mutations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lourdes Valdés-Sánchez
- Regeneration and Cell Therapy Department, Andalusian Molecular Biology and Regenerative Medicine Centre-CABIMER (Junta de Andalucía), CSIC, Universidad de Sevilla, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Avda. Americo Vespucio 24, 41092, Seville, Spain
| | - Sofia M Calado
- Regeneration and Cell Therapy Department, Andalusian Molecular Biology and Regenerative Medicine Centre-CABIMER (Junta de Andalucía), CSIC, Universidad de Sevilla, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Avda. Americo Vespucio 24, 41092, Seville, Spain
- Present Address: Center for Biomedical Research (CBMR), University of Algarve, 8800-139, Faro, Portugal
| | - Berta de la Cerda
- Regeneration and Cell Therapy Department, Andalusian Molecular Biology and Regenerative Medicine Centre-CABIMER (Junta de Andalucía), CSIC, Universidad de Sevilla, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Avda. Americo Vespucio 24, 41092, Seville, Spain
| | - Ana Aramburu
- Regeneration and Cell Therapy Department, Andalusian Molecular Biology and Regenerative Medicine Centre-CABIMER (Junta de Andalucía), CSIC, Universidad de Sevilla, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Avda. Americo Vespucio 24, 41092, Seville, Spain
- Present Address: Clinique de l'Oeil, Avenue Bois de la Chapelle 15, 1213, Onex, Switzerland
| | - Ana Belén García-Delgado
- Regeneration and Cell Therapy Department, Andalusian Molecular Biology and Regenerative Medicine Centre-CABIMER (Junta de Andalucía), CSIC, Universidad de Sevilla, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Avda. Americo Vespucio 24, 41092, Seville, Spain
| | - Simone Massalini
- Regeneration and Cell Therapy Department, Andalusian Molecular Biology and Regenerative Medicine Centre-CABIMER (Junta de Andalucía), CSIC, Universidad de Sevilla, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Avda. Americo Vespucio 24, 41092, Seville, Spain
- Present Address: Center for Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering (CMCB) DFG-Research Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden (CRTD) Cluster of Excellence, Technische Universität Dresden, Fetscherstraße, 105 01307, Dresden, Germany
| | - Adoración Montero-Sánchez
- Regeneration and Cell Therapy Department, Andalusian Molecular Biology and Regenerative Medicine Centre-CABIMER (Junta de Andalucía), CSIC, Universidad de Sevilla, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Avda. Americo Vespucio 24, 41092, Seville, Spain
| | - Vaibhav Bhatia
- Regeneration and Cell Therapy Department, Andalusian Molecular Biology and Regenerative Medicine Centre-CABIMER (Junta de Andalucía), CSIC, Universidad de Sevilla, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Avda. Americo Vespucio 24, 41092, Seville, Spain
| | - Eduardo Rodríguez-Bocanegra
- Regeneration and Cell Therapy Department, Andalusian Molecular Biology and Regenerative Medicine Centre-CABIMER (Junta de Andalucía), CSIC, Universidad de Sevilla, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Avda. Americo Vespucio 24, 41092, Seville, Spain
- Present Address: Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Forschungsinstitut für Augenheilkunde, Elfriede-Aulhorn-Str. 7, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Andrea Diez-Lloret
- Regeneration and Cell Therapy Department, Andalusian Molecular Biology and Regenerative Medicine Centre-CABIMER (Junta de Andalucía), CSIC, Universidad de Sevilla, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Avda. Americo Vespucio 24, 41092, Seville, Spain
| | - Daniel Rodríguez-Martínez
- Regeneration and Cell Therapy Department, Andalusian Molecular Biology and Regenerative Medicine Centre-CABIMER (Junta de Andalucía), CSIC, Universidad de Sevilla, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Avda. Americo Vespucio 24, 41092, Seville, Spain
| | - Christina Chakarova
- Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, 11-43 Bath Street, London, EC1V 9EL, UK
| | - Shom S Bhattacharya
- Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, 11-43 Bath Street, London, EC1V 9EL, UK.
| | - Francisco J Díaz-Corrales
- Regeneration and Cell Therapy Department, Andalusian Molecular Biology and Regenerative Medicine Centre-CABIMER (Junta de Andalucía), CSIC, Universidad de Sevilla, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Avda. Americo Vespucio 24, 41092, Seville, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Jing R, Qi T, Wen C, Yue J, Wang G, Pei C, Ma B. Interleukin-2 induces extracellular matrix synthesis and TGF-β2 expression in retinal pigment epithelial cells. Dev Growth Differ 2019; 61:410-418. [PMID: 31608440 PMCID: PMC6899885 DOI: 10.1111/dgd.12630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2019] [Revised: 08/23/2019] [Accepted: 09/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Macular fibrosis is a vital obstacle of vision acuity improvement of age‐related macular degeneration patients. This study was to investigate the effects of interleukin 2 (IL‐2) on epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT), extracellular matrix (ECM) synthesis and transforming growth factor β2 (TGF‐β2) expression in retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. 10 μg/L IL‐2 was used to induce fibrosis in RPE cells for various times. Western blot was used to detect the EMT marker α‐smooth muscle actin (α‐SMA), ECM markers fibronectin (Fn) and type 1 collagen (COL‐1), TGF‐β2, and the activation of the JAK/STAT3 and NF‐κB signaling pathway. Furthermore, JAK/STAT3 and NF‐κB signaling pathways were specifically blocked by WP1066 or BAY11‐7082, respectively, and the expression of α‐SMA, COL‐1, Fn and TGF‐β2 protein were detected. Wound healing and Transwell assays were used to measure cell migration ability of IL‐2 with or without WP1066 or BAY11‐7082. After induction of IL‐2, the expressions of Fn, COL‐1, TGF‐β2 protein were significantly increased, and this effect was correlated with IL‐2 treatment duration, while α‐SMA protein expression did not change significantly. Both WP1066 and BAY11‐7082 could effectively downregulate the expression of Fn, COL‐1 and TGF‐β2 induced by IL‐2. What's more, both NF‐κB and JAK/STAT3 inhibitors could suppress the activation of the other signaling pathway. Additionally, JAK/STAT3 inhibitor WP1066 and NF‐κB inhibitor BAY 11‐7082 could obviously decrease RPE cells migration capability induced by IL‐2. IL‐2 promotes cell migration, ECM synthesis and TGF‐β2 expression in RPE cells via JAK/STAT3 and NF‐κB signaling pathways, which may play an important role in proliferative vitreoretinopathy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ruihua Jing
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Tiantian Qi
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Chan Wen
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Jiaqi Yue
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Guangyan Wang
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Cheng Pei
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Bo Ma
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Ayub H, Shafique S, Azam A, Muslim I, Qazi NA, Akhtar F, Khan MA, Ayub A, Bashir S, Bakker B, Ahmed S, Azam M, den Hollander AI, Qamar R. Association of rs10490924 in ARMS2/HTRA1 with age-related macular degeneration in the Pakistani population. Ann Hum Genet 2019; 83:285-290. [PMID: 30895599 DOI: 10.1111/ahg.12311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2018] [Revised: 12/11/2018] [Accepted: 03/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a disease of the elderly in which central vision is lost because of degenerative changes of the macula. The current study investigated the association of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with AMD in the Pakistani population. Four SNPs were analyzed in this study: rs1061170 in the CFH, rs429608 near CFB, rs2230199 in the C3, and rs10490924 in ARMS2/HTRA1. This case-control association study was conducted on 300 AMD patients (125 wet AMD and 175 dry AMD) and 200 unaffected age- and gender-matched control individuals. The association of the SNP genotypes and allele frequency distributions were compared between patients and healthy controls, keeping age, gender, and smoking status as covariates. A significant genotype and variant allele association was found of rs10490924 in ARMS2/HTRA1 with wet AMD, while the SNPs in CFH, CFB, and C3 were not associated with AMD in the current Pakistani cohort. The lack of association of CFH, CFB, and C3 may be attributed to limited sample size. This study demonstrates that genetic causative factors of AMD differ among populations and supports the need for genetic association studies among cohorts from various populations to increase our global understanding of the disease pathogenesis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Humaira Ayub
- Transalational Genomics Laboratory, Department of Biosciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Pakistan
- Department of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad Campus, Pakistan
| | - Sobia Shafique
- Institute of Biomedical and Genetic Engineering, G-9/1, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Aisha Azam
- Institute of Ophthalmology Mayo Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Irfan Muslim
- Institute of Ophthalmology Mayo Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan
| | | | - Farah Akhtar
- Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Asim Khan
- Department of Ophthalmology, Khyber Teaching Hospital, Peshawar, Pakistan
| | - Adil Ayub
- Ayub Teaching Hospital, Abbottabad, Pakistan
| | - Shaheena Bashir
- Transalational Genomics Laboratory, Department of Biosciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Bjorn Bakker
- Department of Ophthalmology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Shakil Ahmed
- Transalational Genomics Laboratory, Department of Biosciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Maleeha Azam
- Transalational Genomics Laboratory, Department of Biosciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Anneke I den Hollander
- Department of Ophthalmology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Raheel Qamar
- Transalational Genomics Laboratory, Department of Biosciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Pakistan
- Pakistan Academy of Sciences, Islamabad, Pakistan
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Kovalchuk A, Ilnytskyy Y, Rodriguez-Juarez R, Shpyleva S, Melnyk S, Pogribny I, Katz A, Sidransky D, Kovalchuk O, Kolb B. Chemo brain or tumor brain - that is the question: the presence of extracranial tumors profoundly affects molecular processes in the prefrontal cortex of TumorGraft mice. Aging (Albany NY) 2018; 9:1660-1676. [PMID: 28758896 PMCID: PMC5559168 DOI: 10.18632/aging.101243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2017] [Accepted: 05/22/2017] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Cancer chemotherapy causes numerous persistent central nervous system complications. This condition is known as chemo brain. Cognitive impairments occur even before treatment, and hence are referred to as cancer associated cognitive changes, or tumor brain. There is much yet to be learned about the mechanisms of both chemo brain and tumor brain. The frequency and timing of chemo brain and tumor brain occurrence and persistence strongly suggest they may be epigenetic in nature and associated with altered gene expression. Here we used TumorGraftTM models wherein part of a patient's tumor is removed and grafted into immune-deficient mice and conducted global gene expression and DNA methylation analysis. We show that malignant non-central nervous system tumor growth causes profound molecular alterations in the brain. Mice harbouring triple negative or progesterone positive breast cancer TumorGrafts exhibited altered gene expression, decreased levels of DNA methylation, increased levels of DNA hydroxymethylation, and oxidative stress in the prefrontal cortex. Interestingly, chemotherapy did not have any additional synergistic effects on the analyzed processes. The molecular changes observed in this study are known signs of neurodegeneration and brain aging. This study provides an important roadmap for future large-scale analysis of the molecular and cellular mechanisms of tumor brain.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Kovalchuk
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB T1K 6T5, Canada.,Leaders in Medicine Program, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Yaroslav Ilnytskyy
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB T1K 6T5, Canada
| | - Rocio Rodriguez-Juarez
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB T1K 6T5, Canada
| | - Svitlana Shpyleva
- Division of Biochemical Toxicology, National Center for Toxicological Research, FDA, Jefferson, AR 72079, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA
| | - Stepan Melnyk
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA
| | - Igor Pogribny
- Division of Biochemical Toxicology, National Center for Toxicological Research, FDA, Jefferson, AR 72079, USA
| | - Amanda Katz
- Department of Oncology, Champions Oncology, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - David Sidransky
- Department of Oncology, Champions Oncology, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Olga Kovalchuk
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB T1K 6T5, Canada
| | - Bryan Kolb
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB T1K 6T5, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Jiang D, Liu X, Hu J. Topical administration of Esculetin as a potential therapy for experimental dry eye syndrome. Eye (Lond) 2017; 31:1724-1732. [PMID: 28643798 PMCID: PMC5733282 DOI: 10.1038/eye.2017.117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2016] [Accepted: 04/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
PurposeIn this study, we investigated the therapeutic effects of topical Esculetin for dry eye rabbits through the ocular tests, inflammatory factor levels and specific phosphorylated protein expressions of ERK1/2 singnal pathway.Patients and methodsThirty-two healthy adult male New Zealand white rabbits were chosen for the study. DES models were established after removing of the main lacrimal gland, Harderian gland and nictitating membrane in the left eyes and randomly divided into group DES control, group CsA, group Esculetin and group Esculetin combined with CsA (C&E), meanwhile the right eyes served as group Normal control. Schirmer's I tests, fluorescein scores, goblet cell densities, inflammatory cytokines IL-1α,IL-1β,TNF-αlevels were observed by slit-lamp microscope, conjunctival impression cytology and ELISA essay at week 0, 1, 2, 4, 8. Phosphorylated-ERK1/2 expressions were detected in Western blot analysis at week 8.ResultsAfter induction of DES, aqueous tear production and goblet cell density were decreased, FL score was much higher in group DES control throughout the study (P<0.05). Both topical Esculetin and Esculetin combing CsA increased the SIT values (10±1 mm, 14±3 mm, P<0.05) and goblet cell densities (77±12/HP, 92±12/HP, P<0.05), decreased FL scores (7.48±0.33, 5.09±0.24, P<0.05) at week 8. Alternations of IL-1α,IL-1β,TNF-αlevels had similar trend. In Western blot analysis, downregulations of p-ERK1/2 were observed in therapy groups when compared with group DES control and the most decreasing was found in group C&E (P<0.05).ConclusionTopical Esculetin improved DES symptoms, downregulated the inflammatory cytokine expressions, suppressed the ERK1/2 pathway and enhanced the therapeutic effect of CsA.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- D Jiang
- Department of Ophthalmology, Longhua Hosptial, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - X Liu
- Department of Ophthalmology, Longhua Hosptial, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - J Hu
- Department of Ophthalmology, Longhua Hosptial, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Strzalka-Mrozik B, Kimsa-Furdzik M, Kabiesz A, Michalska-Malecka K, Nita M, Mazurek U. Gene expression levels of the insulin-like growth factor family in patients with AMD before and after ranibizumab intravitreal injections. Clin Interv Aging 2017; 12:1401-1408. [PMID: 28919726 PMCID: PMC5592959 DOI: 10.2147/cia.s135030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose The present study focused on the assessment of the mRNA levels of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) family in patients with the exudative form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) before and after ranibizumab intravitreal injections. Patients and methods An analysis of the expression profile of the IGF family of genes in patients with AMD was carried out using the oligonucleotide microarray and quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) methods. Results In the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) obtained from AMD group receiving ranibizumab compared to the peripheral blood mononuclear cells from AMD group before ranibizumab treatment using oligonucleotide microarray technique, six statistically significant differentially expressed transcripts related to the IGF family were detected (unpaired t-test, p<0.05, fold change >1.5). Moreover, analysis using the real-time RT-qPCR technique revealed statistically significant differences in the IGF2 and IGF2R mRNA levels (Mann–Whitney U test, p<0.05) between the two groups that were studied. Statistical analyses of both oligonucleotide microarray and real-time RT-qPCR results demonstrated a significant decreased expression only for IGF2 mRNA. Conclusion Our results revealed a changed expression of IGF2 mRNA after ranibizumab treatment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Strzalka-Mrozik
- Department of Molecular Biology, School of Pharmacy with the Division of Laboratory Medicine in Sosnowiec, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland
| | - Malgorzata Kimsa-Furdzik
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland
| | - Adam Kabiesz
- University Center for Ophthalmology and Oncology, Independent Public Clinical Hospital, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Michalska-Malecka
- University Center for Ophthalmology and Oncology, Independent Public Clinical Hospital, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland.,Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland
| | - Malgorzata Nita
- Domestic and Specialized Medicine Centre "Dilmed", Katowice, Poland
| | - Urszula Mazurek
- Department of Molecular Biology, School of Pharmacy with the Division of Laboratory Medicine in Sosnowiec, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Stamatas GN, Wu J, Pappas A, Mirmirani P, McCormick TS, Cooper KD, Consolo M, Schastnaya J, Ozerov IV, Aliper A, Zhavoronkov A. An analysis of gene expression data involving examination of signaling pathways activation reveals new insights into the mechanism of action of minoxidil topical foam in men with androgenetic alopecia. Cell Cycle 2017; 16:1578-1584. [PMID: 28594262 DOI: 10.1080/15384101.2017.1327492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Androgenetic alopecia is the most common form of hair loss. Minoxidil has been approved for the treatment of hair loss, however its mechanism of action is still not fully clarified. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the effects of 5% minoxidil topical foam on gene expression and activation of signaling pathways in vertex and frontal scalp of men with androgenetic alopecia. We identified regional variations in gene expression and perturbed signaling pathways using in silico Pathway Activation Network Decomposition Analysis (iPANDA) before and after treatment with minoxidil. Vertex and frontal scalp of patients showed a generally similar response to minoxidil. Both scalp regions showed upregulation of genes that encode keratin associated proteins and downregulation of ILK, Akt, and MAPK signaling pathways after minoxidil treatment. Our results provide new insights into the mechanism of action of minoxidil topical foam in men with androgenetic alopecia.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Georgios N Stamatas
- a Emerging Science & Innovation, Johnson & Johnson Santé Beauté France , Johnson & Johnson Group of Consumer Companies , Issy-les-Moulineaux , France
| | - Jeff Wu
- b Hair Care R&D, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Worldwide , Johnson & Johnson Family of Consumer Companies, Inc. , Skillman , NJ , USA
| | - Apostolos Pappas
- c Emerging Science & Innovation, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Worldwide , Johnson & Johnson Family of Consumer Companies, Inc. , Skillman , NJ , USA
| | - Paradi Mirmirani
- d Department of Dermatology , The Permanente Medical Group , Vallejo , CA , USA.,e Department of Dermatology , University of California , San Francisco , CA , USA.,f Department of Dermatology , Case Western Reserve University, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center , Cleveland , OH , USA
| | - Thomas S McCormick
- f Department of Dermatology , Case Western Reserve University, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center , Cleveland , OH , USA
| | - Kevin D Cooper
- f Department of Dermatology , Case Western Reserve University, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center , Cleveland , OH , USA
| | - Mary Consolo
- f Department of Dermatology , Case Western Reserve University, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center , Cleveland , OH , USA
| | - Jane Schastnaya
- g Insilico Medicine, Inc., Emerging Technology Centers , Johns Hopkins University at Eastern , Baltimore , MD , USA
| | - Ivan V Ozerov
- g Insilico Medicine, Inc., Emerging Technology Centers , Johns Hopkins University at Eastern , Baltimore , MD , USA
| | - Alexander Aliper
- g Insilico Medicine, Inc., Emerging Technology Centers , Johns Hopkins University at Eastern , Baltimore , MD , USA
| | - Alex Zhavoronkov
- g Insilico Medicine, Inc., Emerging Technology Centers , Johns Hopkins University at Eastern , Baltimore , MD , USA
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Zhavoronkov A, Izumchenko E, Kanherkar RR, Teka M, Cantor C, Manaye K, Sidransky D, West MD, Makarev E, Csoka AB. Pro-fibrotic pathway activation in trabecular meshwork and lamina cribrosa is the main driving force of glaucoma. Cell Cycle 2017; 15:1643-52. [PMID: 27229292 PMCID: PMC4934076 DOI: 10.1080/15384101.2016.1170261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
While primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is a leading cause of blindness worldwide, it still does not have a clear mechanism that can explain all clinical cases of the disease. Elevated IOP is associated with increased accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins in the trabecular meshwork (TM) that prevents normal outflow of aqueous humor (AH) and has damaging effects on the fine mesh-like lamina cribrosa (LC) through which the optic nerve fibers pass. Applying a pathway analysis algorithm, we discovered that an elevated level of TGFβ observed in glaucoma-affected tissues could lead to pro-fibrotic pathway activation in TM and in LC. In turn, activated pro-fibrotic pathways lead to ECM remodeling in TM and LC, making TM less efficient in AH drainage and making LC more susceptible to damage from elevated IOP via ECM transformation in LC. We propose pathway targets for potential therapeutic interventions to delay or avoid fibrosis initiation in TM and LC tissues.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alex Zhavoronkov
- a Insilico Medicine, Inc., ETC, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore , MD , USA.,b The Biogerontology Research Foundation , London , UK
| | - Evgeny Izumchenko
- e Johns Hopkins University , Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
| | - Riya R Kanherkar
- c Vision Genomics, LLC , Washington, DC , USA.,d Epigenetics Laboratory, Howard University , Washington, DC , USA
| | - Mahder Teka
- c Vision Genomics, LLC , Washington, DC , USA
| | - Charles Cantor
- f Boston University , Boston , MA , USA.,g Retrotope, Inc ; Los Altos Hills , CA , USA
| | - Kebreten Manaye
- d Epigenetics Laboratory, Howard University , Washington, DC , USA
| | | | | | - Eugene Makarev
- a Insilico Medicine, Inc., ETC, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore , MD , USA
| | - Antonei Benjamin Csoka
- c Vision Genomics, LLC , Washington, DC , USA.,d Epigenetics Laboratory, Howard University , Washington, DC , USA
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Buzdin AA, Prassolov V, Zhavoronkov AA, Borisov NM. Bioinformatics Meets Biomedicine: OncoFinder, a Quantitative Approach for Interrogating Molecular Pathways Using Gene Expression Data. Methods Mol Biol 2017; 1613:53-83. [PMID: 28849558 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-7027-8_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
We propose a biomathematical approach termed OncoFinder (OF) that enables performing both quantitative and qualitative analyses of the intracellular molecular pathway activation. OF utilizes an algorithm that distinguishes the activator/repressor role of every gene product in a pathway. This method is applicable for the analysis of any physiological, stress, malignancy, and other conditions at the molecular level. OF showed a strong potential to neutralize background-caused differences between experimental gene expression data obtained using NGS, microarray and modern proteomics techniques. Importantly, in most cases, pathway activation signatures were better markers of cancer progression compared to the individual gene products. OF also enables correlating pathway activation with the success of anticancer therapy for individual patients. We further expanded this approach to analyze impact of micro RNAs (miRs) on the regulation of cellular interactome. Many alternative sources provide information about miRs and their targets. However, instruments elucidating higher level impact of the established total miR profiles are still largely missing. A variant of OncoFinder termed MiRImpact enables linking miR expression data with its estimated outcome on the regulation of molecular processes, such as signaling, metabolic, cytoskeleton, and DNA repair pathways. MiRImpact was used to establish cancer-specific and cytomegaloviral infection-linked interactomic signatures for hundreds of molecular pathways. Interestingly, the impact of miRs appeared orthogonal to pathway regulation at the mRNA level, which stresses the importance of combining all available levels of gene regulation to build a more objective molecular model of cell.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anton A Buzdin
- Pathway Pharmaceuticals, Wan Chai, Hong Kong SAR.
- Centre for Convergence of Nano-, Bio-, Information and Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, National Research Centre "Kurchatov Institute", Bldg 140, Suite 415, 1, Akademika Kurchatova sq., Moscow, 123182, Russia.
- Group for Genomic Regulation of Cell Signaling Systems, Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Moscow, 117997, Russia.
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics, D. Rogachev Federal Research Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia.
| | - Vladimir Prassolov
- Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Vavilova street 32, Mosow, 119991, Russia
| | - Alex A Zhavoronkov
- Pathway Pharmaceuticals, Wan Chai, Hong Kong SAR
- Group for Genomic Regulation of Cell Signaling Systems, Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Moscow, 117997, Russia
| | - Nikolay M Borisov
- Centre for Convergence of Nano-, Bio-, Information and Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, National Research Centre "Kurchatov Institute", Bldg 140, Suite 415, 1, Akademika Kurchatova sq., Moscow, 123182, Russia
- Department of Personalized Medicine, First Oncology Research and Advisory Center, Moscow, Russia
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Buzdin AA, Artcibasova AV, Fedorova NF, Suntsova MV, Garazha AV, Sorokin MI, Allina D, Shalatonin M, Borisov NM, Zhavoronkov AA, Kovalchuk I, Kovalchuk O, Kushch AA. Early stage of cytomegalovirus infection suppresses host microRNA expression regulation in human fibroblasts. Cell Cycle 2016; 15:3378-3389. [PMID: 28051642 PMCID: PMC5224468 DOI: 10.1080/15384101.2016.1241928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2016] [Revised: 09/12/2016] [Accepted: 09/21/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Responses to human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection are largely individual and cell type specific. We investigated molecular profiles in 2 primary cell cultures of human fibroblasts, which are highly or marginally sensitive to HCMV infection, respectively. We screened expression of genes and microRNAs (miRs) at the early (3 hours) stage of infection. To assess molecular pathway activation profiles, we applied bioinformatic algorithms OncoFinder and MiRImpact. In both cell types, pathway regulation properties at mRNA and miR levels were markedly different. Surprisingly, in the infected highly sensitive cells, we observed a "freeze" of miR expression profiles compared to uninfected controls. Our results evidence that in the sensitive cells, HCMV blocks intracellular regulation of microRNA expression already at the earliest stage of infection. These data suggest somewhat new functions for HCMV products and demonstrate dependence of miR expression arrest on the host-encoded factors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anton A. Buzdin
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics, D. Rogachyov Federal Research Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia
- Group for Genomic Regulation of Cell Signaling Systems, Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Moscow, Russia
- National Research Centre “Kurchatov Institute”, Centre for Convergence of Nano-, Bio-, Information and Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, Moscow, Russia
| | - Alina V. Artcibasova
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics, D. Rogachyov Federal Research Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia
- Pathway Pharmaceuticals, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR
| | - Natalya F. Fedorova
- N.F. Gamaleya Federal Research Centre for Epidemiology and Microbiology of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Moscow, Russia
| | - Maria V. Suntsova
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics, D. Rogachyov Federal Research Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia
- Group for Genomic Regulation of Cell Signaling Systems, Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Moscow, Russia
| | - Andrew V. Garazha
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics, D. Rogachyov Federal Research Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny, Moscow region, Russia
| | | | - Daria Allina
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny, Moscow region, Russia
- First Oncology Research and Advisory Center, Moscow, Russia
| | | | - Nikolay M. Borisov
- National Research Centre “Kurchatov Institute”, Centre for Convergence of Nano-, Bio-, Information and Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, Moscow, Russia
- First Oncology Research and Advisory Center, Moscow, Russia
| | - Alex A. Zhavoronkov
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics, D. Rogachyov Federal Research Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia
- Pathway Pharmaceuticals, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR
| | - Igor Kovalchuk
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
| | - Olga Kovalchuk
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
| | - Alla A. Kushch
- N.F. Gamaleya Federal Research Centre for Epidemiology and Microbiology of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Moscow, Russia
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Artcibasova AV, Korzinkin MB, Sorokin MI, Shegay PV, Zhavoronkov AA, Gaifullin N, Alekseev BY, Vorobyev NV, Kuzmin DV, Kaprin АD, Borisov NM, Buzdin AA. MiRImpact, a new bioinformatic method using complete microRNA expression profiles to assess their overall influence on the activity of intracellular molecular pathways. Cell Cycle 2016; 15:689-98. [PMID: 27027999 PMCID: PMC4845938 DOI: 10.1080/15384101.2016.1147633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRs) are short noncoding RNA molecules that regulate expression of target mRNAs. Many published sources provide information about miRs and their targets. However, bioinformatic tools elucidating higher level impact of the established total miR profiles, are still largely missing. Recently, we developed a method termed OncoFinder enabling quantification of the activities of intracellular molecular pathways basing on gene expression data. Here we propose a new technique, MiRImpact, which enables to link miR expression data with its estimated outcome on the regulation of molecular pathways, like signaling, metabolic, cytoskeleton rearrangement, and DNA repair pathways. MiRImpact uses OncoFinder rationale for pathway activity calculations, with the major distinctions that (i) it deals with the concentrations of miRs - known regulators of gene products participating in molecular pathways, and (ii) miRs are considered as negative regulators of target molecules, if other is not specified. MiRImpact operates with 2 types of databases: for molecular targets of miRs and for gene products participating in molecular pathways. We applied MiRImpact to compare regulation of human bladder cancer-specific signaling pathways at the levels of mRNA and miR expression. We took 2 most complete alternative databases of experimentally validated miR targets – miRTarBase and DianaTarBase, and an OncoFinder database featuring 2725 gene products and 271 signaling pathways. We showed that the impact of miRs is orthogonal to pathway regulation at the mRNA level, which stresses the importance of studying posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression. We also report characteristic set of miR and mRNA regulation features linked with bladder cancer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alina V Artcibasova
- a Pathway Pharmaceuticals , Wan Chai , Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR.,b Laboratory of Bioinformatics, D. Rogachyov Federal Research Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology , Moscow , Russia
| | | | - Maksim I Sorokin
- a Pathway Pharmaceuticals , Wan Chai , Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR.,c First Oncology Research and Advisory Center , Moscow , Russia
| | - Peter V Shegay
- d P.A. Herzen Moscow Oncological Research Institute , Moscow , Russia
| | - Alex A Zhavoronkov
- b Laboratory of Bioinformatics, D. Rogachyov Federal Research Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology , Moscow , Russia
| | - Nurshat Gaifullin
- e Moscow State University, Faculty of Fundamental Medicine , Moscow , Russia
| | - Boris Y Alekseev
- d P.A. Herzen Moscow Oncological Research Institute , Moscow , Russia
| | | | - Denis V Kuzmin
- f Group for Genomic Regulation of Cell Signaling Systems, Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry , Moscow , Russia
| | - Аndrey D Kaprin
- d P.A. Herzen Moscow Oncological Research Institute , Moscow , Russia
| | - Nikolay M Borisov
- g National Research Centre "Kurchatov Institute," Centre for Convergence of Nano-, Bio-, Information and Cognitive Sciences and Technologies , Moscow , Russia
| | - Anton A Buzdin
- b Laboratory of Bioinformatics, D. Rogachyov Federal Research Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology , Moscow , Russia.,f Group for Genomic Regulation of Cell Signaling Systems, Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry , Moscow , Russia.,g National Research Centre "Kurchatov Institute," Centre for Convergence of Nano-, Bio-, Information and Cognitive Sciences and Technologies , Moscow , Russia
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Shepelin D, Korzinkin M, Vanyushina A, Aliper A, Borisov N, Vasilov R, Zhukov N, Sokov D, Prassolov V, Gaifullin N, Zhavoronkov A, Bhullar B, Buzdin A. Molecular pathway activation features linked with transition from normal skin to primary and metastatic melanomas in human. Oncotarget 2016; 7:656-70. [PMID: 26624979 PMCID: PMC4808024 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.6394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2015] [Accepted: 11/11/2015] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Melanoma is the most aggressive and dangerous type of skin cancer, but its molecular mechanisms remain largely unclear. For transcriptomic data of 478 primary and metastatic melanoma, nevi and normal skin samples, we performed high-throughput analysis of intracellular molecular networks including 592 signaling and metabolic pathways. We showed that at the molecular pathway level, the formation of nevi largely resembles transition from normal skin to primary melanoma. Using a combination of bioinformatic machine learning algorithms, we identified 44 characteristic signaling and metabolic pathways connected with the formation of nevi, development of primary melanoma, and its metastases. We created a model describing formation and progression of melanoma at the level of molecular pathway activation. We discovered six novel associations between activation of metabolic molecular pathways and progression of melanoma: for allopregnanolone biosynthesis, L-carnitine biosynthesis, zymosterol biosynthesis (inhibited in melanoma), fructose 2, 6-bisphosphate synthesis and dephosphorylation, resolvin D biosynthesis (activated in melanoma), D-myo-inositol hexakisphosphate biosynthesis (activated in primary, inhibited in metastatic melanoma). Finally, we discovered fourteen tightly coordinated functional clusters of molecular pathways. This study helps to decode molecular mechanisms underlying the development of melanoma.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Denis Shepelin
- Pathway Pharmaceuticals, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR.,Group for Genomic Analysis of Cell Signaling Systems, Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Moscow, Russia
| | - Mikhail Korzinkin
- Pathway Pharmaceuticals, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR.,First Oncology Research and Advisory Center, Moscow, Russia
| | - Anna Vanyushina
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics, D. Rogachyov Federal Research Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Alexander Aliper
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics, D. Rogachyov Federal Research Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Nicolas Borisov
- First Oncology Research and Advisory Center, Moscow, Russia.,National Research Centre "Kurchatov Institute", Centre for Convergence of Nano-, Bio-, Information and Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, Moscow, Russia
| | - Raif Vasilov
- National Research Centre "Kurchatov Institute", Centre for Convergence of Nano-, Bio-, Information and Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, Moscow, Russia
| | - Nikolay Zhukov
- First Oncology Research and Advisory Center, Moscow, Russia.,Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Department of Oncology, Hematology and Radiotherapy, Moscow, Russia
| | | | - Vladimir Prassolov
- Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Mosow, Russia
| | - Nurshat Gaifullin
- Moscow State University, Faculty of Fundamental Medicine, Moscow, Russia
| | - Alex Zhavoronkov
- Insilico Medicine, Inc, ETC, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | | | - Anton Buzdin
- Pathway Pharmaceuticals, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR.,Laboratory of Bioinformatics, D. Rogachyov Federal Research Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia.,National Research Centre "Kurchatov Institute", Centre for Convergence of Nano-, Bio-, Information and Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, Moscow, Russia
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Venkova L, Aliper A, Suntsova M, Kholodenko R, Shepelin D, Borisov N, Malakhova G, Vasilov R, Roumiantsev S, Zhavoronkov A, Buzdin A. Combinatorial high-throughput experimental and bioinformatic approach identifies molecular pathways linked with the sensitivity to anticancer target drugs. Oncotarget 2016; 6:27227-38. [PMID: 26317900 PMCID: PMC4694985 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.4507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2015] [Accepted: 07/17/2015] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Effective choice of anticancer drugs is important problem of modern medicine. We developed a method termed OncoFinder for the analysis of new type of biomarkers reflecting activation of intracellular signaling and metabolic molecular pathways. These biomarkers may be linked with the sensitivity to anticancer drugs. In this study, we compared the experimental data obtained in our laboratory and in the Genomics of Drug Sensitivity in Cancer (GDS) project for testing response to anticancer drugs and transcriptomes of various human cell lines. The microarray-based profiling of transcriptomes was performed for the cell lines before the addition of drugs to the medium, and experimental growth inhibition curves were built for each drug, featuring characteristic IC50 values. We assayed here four target drugs - Pazopanib, Sorafenib, Sunitinib and Temsirolimus, and 238 different cell lines, of which 11 were profiled in our laboratory and 227 - in GDS project. Using the OncoFinder-processed transcriptomic data on ∼600 molecular pathways, we identified pathways showing significant correlation between pathway activation strength (PAS) and IC50 values for these drugs. Correlations reflect relationships between response to drug and pathway activation features. We intersected the results and found molecular pathways significantly correlated in both our assay and GDS project. For most of these pathways, we generated molecular models of their interaction with known molecular target(s) of the respective drugs. For the first time, our study uncovered mechanisms underlying cancer cell response to drugs at the high-throughput molecular interactomic level.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Larisa Venkova
- Drug Research and Design Department, Pathway Pharmaceuticals, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR.,Department of Personalized Medicine, First Oncology Research and Advisory Center, Moscow, Russia
| | - Alexander Aliper
- Drug Research and Design Department, Pathway Pharmaceuticals, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR.,Laboratory of Bioinformatics, D. Rogachyov Federal Research Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Maria Suntsova
- Drug Research and Design Department, Pathway Pharmaceuticals, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR.,Department of Personalized Medicine, First Oncology Research and Advisory Center, Moscow, Russia.,Laboratory of Bioinformatics, D. Rogachyov Federal Research Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Roman Kholodenko
- Group for Genomic Regulation of Cell Signaling Systems, Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Moscow, Russia
| | - Denis Shepelin
- Drug Research and Design Department, Pathway Pharmaceuticals, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR.,Group for Genomic Regulation of Cell Signaling Systems, Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Moscow, Russia
| | - Nicolas Borisov
- Drug Research and Design Department, Pathway Pharmaceuticals, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR.,Department of Personalized Medicine, First Oncology Research and Advisory Center, Moscow, Russia
| | - Galina Malakhova
- Group for Genomic Regulation of Cell Signaling Systems, Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Moscow, Russia
| | - Raif Vasilov
- National Research Centre "Kurchatov Institute", Centre for Convergence of Nano-, Bio-, Information and Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, Moscow, Russia
| | - Sergey Roumiantsev
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics, D. Rogachyov Federal Research Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia.,Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Department of Oncology, Hematology and Radiotherapy, Moscow, Russia.,Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Department of Translational and Regenerative Medicine, Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region, Russia
| | - Alex Zhavoronkov
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics, D. Rogachyov Federal Research Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia.,Insilico Medicine, Inc, ETC, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Anton Buzdin
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics, D. Rogachyov Federal Research Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia.,Group for Genomic Regulation of Cell Signaling Systems, Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Moscow, Russia.,National Research Centre "Kurchatov Institute", Centre for Convergence of Nano-, Bio-, Information and Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, Moscow, Russia
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Artemov A, Aliper A, Korzinkin M, Lezhnina K, Jellen L, Zhukov N, Roumiantsev S, Gaifullin N, Zhavoronkov A, Borisov N, Buzdin A. A method for predicting target drug efficiency in cancer based on the analysis of signaling pathway activation. Oncotarget 2016; 6:29347-56. [PMID: 26320181 PMCID: PMC4745731 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.5119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2015] [Accepted: 07/24/2015] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
A new generation of anticancer therapeutics called target drugs has quickly developed in the 21st century. These drugs are tailored to inhibit cancer cell growth, proliferation, and viability by specific interactions with one or a few target proteins. However, despite formally known molecular targets for every "target" drug, patient response to treatment remains largely individual and unpredictable. Choosing the most effective personalized treatment remains a major challenge in oncology and is still largely trial and error. Here we present a novel approach for predicting target drug efficacy based on the gene expression signature of the individual tumor sample(s). The enclosed bioinformatic algorithm detects activation of intracellular regulatory pathways in the tumor in comparison to the corresponding normal tissues. According to the nature of the molecular targets of a drug, it predicts whether the drug can prevent cancer growth and survival in each individual case by blocking the abnormally activated tumor-promoting pathways or by reinforcing internal tumor suppressor cascades. To validate the method, we compared the distribution of predicted drug efficacy scores for five drugs (Sorafenib, Bevacizumab, Cetuximab, Sorafenib, Imatinib, Sunitinib) and seven cancer types (Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma, Colon cancer, Lung adenocarcinoma, non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, Thyroid cancer and Sarcoma) with the available clinical trials data for the respective cancer types and drugs. The percent of responders to a drug treatment correlated significantly (Pearson's correlation 0.77 p = 0.023) with the percent of tumors showing high drug scores calculated with the current algorithm.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Artem Artemov
- Pathway Pharmaceuticals, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR.,D. Rogachyov Federal Research Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Alexander Aliper
- D. Rogachyov Federal Research Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia.,First Oncology Research and Advisory Center, Moscow, Russia
| | | | | | - Leslie Jellen
- Department of Genetics, Genomics, and Informatics, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Nikolay Zhukov
- D. Rogachyov Federal Research Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia.,First Oncology Research and Advisory Center, Moscow, Russia.,Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Department of Oncology, Hematology and Radiotherapy, Moscow, Russia
| | - Sergey Roumiantsev
- D. Rogachyov Federal Research Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia.,Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Department of Oncology, Hematology and Radiotherapy, Moscow, Russia
| | - Nurshat Gaifullin
- Moscow State University, Faculty of Fundamental Medicine, Moscow, Russia
| | - Alex Zhavoronkov
- Insilico Medicine, Inc., ETC, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | | | - Anton Buzdin
- Pathway Pharmaceuticals, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR.,D. Rogachyov Federal Research Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia.,Group for Genomic Regulation of Cell Signaling Systems, Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Moscow, Russia
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Makarev E, Fortney K, Litovchenko M, Braunewell KH, Zhavoronkov A, Atala A. Quantifying signaling pathway activation to monitor the quality of induced pluripotent stem cells. Oncotarget 2016; 6:23204-12. [PMID: 26327604 PMCID: PMC4695112 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.4673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2015] [Accepted: 08/10/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Many attempts have been made to evaluate the safety and potency of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) for clinical applications using transcriptome data, but results so far have been ambiguous or even contradictory. Here, we characterized stem cells at the pathway level, rather than at the gene level as has been the focus of previous work. We meta-analyzed publically-available gene expression data sets and evaluated signaling and metabolic pathway activation profiles for 20 human embryonic stem cell (ESC) lines, 12 human iPSC lines, five embryonic body lines, and six fibroblast cell lines. We demonstrated the close resemblance of iPSCs with ESCs at the pathway level, and provided examples of how pathway activity can be applied to identify iPSC line abnormalities or to predict in vitro differentiation potential. Our results indicate that pathway activation profiling is a promising strategy for evaluating the safety and potency of iPSC lines in translational medicine applications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eugene Makarev
- Atlas Regeneration, Inc, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.,Insilico Medicine, Inc, ETC, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Kristen Fortney
- Atlas Regeneration, Inc, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.,Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Maria Litovchenko
- Department of Computational Genomics, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany
| | - Karl H Braunewell
- Department of Neurophysiology, Medical Faculty, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany
| | - Alex Zhavoronkov
- Insilico Medicine, Inc, ETC, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.,The Biogerontology Research Foundation, London, UK
| | - Anthony Atala
- Atlas Regeneration, Inc, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.,Department of Urology, Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Geroprotectors.org: a new, structured and curated database of current therapeutic interventions in aging and age-related disease. Aging (Albany NY) 2016; 7:616-28. [PMID: 26342919 PMCID: PMC4600621 DOI: 10.18632/aging.100799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
As the level of interest in aging research increases, there is a growing number of geroprotectors, or therapeutic interventions that aim to extend the healthy lifespan and repair or reduce aging-related damage in model organisms and, eventually, in humans. There is a clear need for a manually-curated database of geroprotectors to compile and index their effects on aging and age-related diseases and link these effects to relevant studies and multiple biochemical and drug databases. Here, we introduce the first such resource, Geroprotectors (http://geroprotectors.org). Geroprotectors is a public, rapidly explorable database that catalogs over 250 experiments involving over 200 known or candidate geroprotectors that extend lifespan in model organisms. Each compound has a comprehensive profile complete with biochemistry, mechanisms, and lifespan effects in various model organisms, along with information ranging from chemical structure, side effects, and toxicity to FDA drug status. These are presented in a visually intuitive, efficient framework fit for casual browsing or in-depth research alike. Data are linked to the source studies or databases, providing quick and convenient access to original data. The Geroprotectors database facilitates cross-study, cross-organism, and cross-discipline analysis and saves countless hours of inefficient literature and web searching. Geroprotectors is a one-stop, knowledge-sharing, time-saving resource for researchers seeking healthy aging solutions.
Collapse
|
30
|
Kyosseva SV. Targeting MAPK Signaling in Age-Related Macular Degeneration. OPHTHALMOLOGY AND EYE DISEASES 2016; 8:23-30. [PMID: 27385915 PMCID: PMC4920203 DOI: 10.4137/oed.s32200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2016] [Revised: 05/08/2016] [Accepted: 05/13/2016] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a major cause of irreversible blindness affecting elderly people in the world. AMD is a complex multifactorial disease associated with demographic, genetics, and environmental risk factors. It is well established that oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis play critical roles in the pathogenesis of AMD. The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways are activated by diverse extracellular stimuli, including growth factors, mitogens, hormones, cytokines, and different cellular stressors such as oxidative stress. They regulate cell proliferation, differentiation, survival, and apoptosis. This review addresses the novel findings from human and animal studies on the relationship of MAPK signaling with AMD. The use of specific MAPK inhibitors may represent a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of this debilitating eye disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Svetlana V Kyosseva
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Aliper A, Plis S, Artemov A, Ulloa A, Mamoshina P, Zhavoronkov A. Deep Learning Applications for Predicting Pharmacological Properties of Drugs and Drug Repurposing Using Transcriptomic Data. Mol Pharm 2016; 13:2524-30. [PMID: 27200455 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.6b00248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 258] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Deep learning is rapidly advancing many areas of science and technology with multiple success stories in image, text, voice and video recognition, robotics, and autonomous driving. In this paper we demonstrate how deep neural networks (DNN) trained on large transcriptional response data sets can classify various drugs to therapeutic categories solely based on their transcriptional profiles. We used the perturbation samples of 678 drugs across A549, MCF-7, and PC-3 cell lines from the LINCS Project and linked those to 12 therapeutic use categories derived from MeSH. To train the DNN, we utilized both gene level transcriptomic data and transcriptomic data processed using a pathway activation scoring algorithm, for a pooled data set of samples perturbed with different concentrations of the drug for 6 and 24 hours. In both pathway and gene level classification, DNN achieved high classification accuracy and convincingly outperformed the support vector machine (SVM) model on every multiclass classification problem, however, models based on pathway level data performed significantly better. For the first time we demonstrate a deep learning neural net trained on transcriptomic data to recognize pharmacological properties of multiple drugs across different biological systems and conditions. We also propose using deep neural net confusion matrices for drug repositioning. This work is a proof of principle for applying deep learning to drug discovery and development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Aliper
- Insilico Medicine, ETC, B301, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
| | - Sergey Plis
- Datalytic Solutions , 1101 Yale Boulevard NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87106, United States.,The Mind Research Network , Albuquerque, New Mexico 87106, United States
| | - Artem Artemov
- Insilico Medicine, ETC, B301, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
| | - Alvaro Ulloa
- The Mind Research Network , Albuquerque, New Mexico 87106, United States
| | - Polina Mamoshina
- Insilico Medicine, ETC, B301, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
| | - Alex Zhavoronkov
- Insilico Medicine, ETC, B301, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States.,The Biogerontology Research Foundation , Oxford, U.K
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Han S, Lu Q, Wang N. Apr3 accelerates the senescence of human retinal pigment epithelial cells. Mol Med Rep 2016; 13:3121-6. [PMID: 26934949 DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2016.4926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2015] [Accepted: 12/08/2015] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Senescence of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells is a major contributor to age‑related macular degeneration (AMD). However, the molecular mechanisms underlying RPE dysfunction are not well understood. Apoptosis related protein 3 (Apr3) was originally cloned from HL‑60 cells induced by all‑trans retinoic acid (ATRA). Preliminary data revealed elevated Apr3 expression in the tissues of aged mice, suggesting that it is involved in the aging process. The present study demonstrated that Apr3 mRNA and protein levels were markedly increased in aged mouse RPE cells. Elevated Apr3 expression was also observed during premature senescence induced by oxidative stress (H2O2 and tert‑BHP) in ARPE‑19 cells. Moreover, Apr3 overexpression promoted cellular senescence in ARPE‑19 cells, as characterized by enhanced senescence‑associated β‑galactosidase activity, reduced cell proliferation and increased expression of the senescence markers p53 and p21. In addition, it was demonstrated that overexpression of Apr3‑N, a truncated counterpart of Apr3, abrogated Apr3‑induced phenotypes. It was concluded that Apr3 expression was induced in replicative and premature senescence of RPE cells and its overexpression accelerated senescence of ARPE‑19 cells, which provides important insights into the function of Apr3 in senescence‑associated diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Song Han
- Beijing Tongren Eye Center, Beijing Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences Key Laboratory, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100730, P.R. China
| | - Qingjun Lu
- Beijing Tongren Eye Center, Beijing Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences Key Laboratory, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100730, P.R. China
| | - Ningli Wang
- Beijing Tongren Eye Center, Beijing Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences Key Laboratory, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100730, P.R. China
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Zhavoronkov A, Moskalev A. Editorial: Should We Treat Aging as a Disease? Academic, Pharmaceutical, Healthcare Policy, and Pension Fund Perspectives. Front Genet 2016; 7:17. [PMID: 26909101 PMCID: PMC4754422 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2016.00017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2016] [Accepted: 01/29/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Alex Zhavoronkov
- The Biogerontology Research FoundationOxford, UK; Insilico Medicine Inc.Baltimore, MD, USA; Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine, Federal Research and Clinical Centre of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and ImmunologyMoscow, Russia
| | - Alexey Moskalev
- Insilico Medicine Inc.Baltimore, MD, USA; Radiation Ecology, Laboratory of Molecular Radiobiology and Gerontology, Institute of Biology of Komi Science Center of Ural Branch of RASSyktyvkar, Russia; Biological and Medical Physics Department, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (State University)Dolgoprudny, Russia
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Wyse Jackson AC, Cotter TG. The synthetic progesterone Norgestrel is neuroprotective in stressed photoreceptor-like cells and retinal explants, mediating its effects via basic fibroblast growth factor, protein kinase A and glycogen synthase kinase 3β signalling. Eur J Neurosci 2016; 43:899-911. [PMID: 26750157 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.13166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2015] [Revised: 12/17/2015] [Accepted: 12/29/2015] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
The synthetic progesterone Norgestrel has been shown to have proven neuroprotective efficacy in two distinct models of retinitis pigmentosa: the rd10/rd10 (B6.CXBI-Pde6b(rd10)/J) mouse model and the Balb/c light-damage model. However, the cellular mechanism underlying this neuroprotection is still largely unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the downstream signalling pathways associated with Norgestrel both in vitro and ex vivo. In this work, we identify the potential of Norgestrel to rescue stressed 661W photoreceptor-like cells and ex vivo retinal explants from cell death over 24 h. Norgestel is thought to work through an upregulation of neuroprotective basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). Analysis of 661W cells in vitro by real-time polymerase chain reaction (rt-PCR), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blotting revealed an upregulation of bFGF in response to Norgestrel over 6 h. Specific siRNA knockdown of bFGF abrogated the protective properties of Norgestrel on damaged photoreceptors, thus highlighting the crucial importance of bFGF in Norgestrel-mediated protection. Furthermore, Norgestrel initiated a bFGF-dependent inactivation of glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) through phosphorylation at serine 9. The effects of Norgestrel on GSK3β were dependent on protein kinase A (PKA) pathway activation. Specific inhibition of both the PKA and GSK3β pathways prevented Norgestrel-mediated neuroprotection of stressed photoreceptor cells in vitro. Involvement of the PKA pathway following Norgestrel treatment was also confirmed ex vivo. Therefore, these results indicate that the protective efficacy of Norgestrel is, at least in part, due to the bFGF-mediated activation of the PKA pathway, with subsequent inactivation of GSK3β.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alice C Wyse Jackson
- Biochemistry Department, Cell Development and Disease Laboratory, Bioscience Research Institute, University College Cork, College Road, Cork City Centre, Cork, Ireland
| | - Thomas G Cotter
- Biochemistry Department, Cell Development and Disease Laboratory, Bioscience Research Institute, University College Cork, College Road, Cork City Centre, Cork, Ireland
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Moskalev A, Zhikrivetskaya S, Shaposhnikov M, Dobrovolskaya E, Gurinovich R, Kuryan O, Pashuk A, Jellen LC, Aliper A, Peregudov A, Zhavoronkov A. Aging Chart: a community resource for rapid exploratory pathway analysis of age-related processes. Nucleic Acids Res 2015; 44:D894-9. [PMID: 26602690 PMCID: PMC4702909 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkv1287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2015] [Accepted: 11/05/2015] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Aging research is a multi-disciplinary field encompassing knowledge from many areas of basic, applied and clinical research. Age-related processes occur on molecular, cellular, tissue, organ, system, organismal and even psychological levels, trigger the onset of multiple debilitating diseases and lead to a loss of function, and there is a need for a unified knowledge repository designed to track, analyze and visualize the cause and effect relationships and interactions between the many elements and processes on all levels. Aging Chart (http://agingchart.org/) is a new, community-curated collection of aging pathways and knowledge that provides a platform for rapid exploratory analysis. Building on an initial content base constructed by a team of experts from peer-reviewed literature, users can integrate new data into biological pathway diagrams for a visible, intuitive, top-down framework of aging processes that fosters knowledge-building and collaboration. As the body of knowledge in aging research is rapidly increasing, an open visual encyclopedia of aging processes will be useful to both the new entrants and experts in the field.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexey Moskalev
- Laboratory of molecular radiobiology and gerontology, Institute of Biology of Komi Science Center of Ural Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, Syktyvkar, 167982, Russia Laboratory of genetics of aging and longevity, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny, 141700, Russia Laboratory of postgenomic studies, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology of Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119991, Russia School of Systems Biology, George Mason University, VA, Manassas, 20110, USA Branch of N.I.Pirogov Russian State Medical University "Scientific Clinical Center of Gerontology", Moscow, 117997, Russia
| | - Svetlana Zhikrivetskaya
- Laboratory of genetics of aging and longevity, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny, 141700, Russia Laboratory of postgenomic studies, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology of Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119991, Russia
| | - Mikhail Shaposhnikov
- Laboratory of molecular radiobiology and gerontology, Institute of Biology of Komi Science Center of Ural Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, Syktyvkar, 167982, Russia
| | - Evgenia Dobrovolskaya
- Laboratory of molecular radiobiology and gerontology, Institute of Biology of Komi Science Center of Ural Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, Syktyvkar, 167982, Russia
| | - Roman Gurinovich
- Xpansa, Conzl OU, Mustamae Tee 5, Tallinn, 10616, Estonia Infinity Sciences, Inc, 16192 Coastal Highway, Lewes, Delaware, County of Sussex, 19958, USA
| | - Oleg Kuryan
- Xpansa, Conzl OU, Mustamae Tee 5, Tallinn, 10616, Estonia Infinity Sciences, Inc, 16192 Coastal Highway, Lewes, Delaware, County of Sussex, 19958, USA
| | - Aleksandr Pashuk
- Xpansa, Conzl OU, Mustamae Tee 5, Tallinn, 10616, Estonia Infinity Sciences, Inc, 16192 Coastal Highway, Lewes, Delaware, County of Sussex, 19958, USA
| | - Leslie C Jellen
- Genetics, Genomics, and Informatics, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, 38163, USA
| | - Alex Aliper
- D.Rogachev FRC Center for Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Samory Machela 1, Moscow, 117997, Russia Insilico Medicine, Inc, Johns Hopkins University, ETC, B310, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
| | - Alex Peregudov
- The Biogerontology Research Foundation, 2354 Chynoweth House, Trevissome Park, Blackwater, Truro, Cornwall TR4 8UN, UK
| | - Alex Zhavoronkov
- Laboratory of genetics of aging and longevity, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny, 141700, Russia D.Rogachev FRC Center for Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Samory Machela 1, Moscow, 117997, Russia Insilico Medicine, Inc, Johns Hopkins University, ETC, B310, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA The Biogerontology Research Foundation, 2354 Chynoweth House, Trevissome Park, Blackwater, Truro, Cornwall TR4 8UN, UK
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Zhavoronkov A, Bhullar B. Classifying aging as a disease in the context of ICD-11. Front Genet 2015; 6:326. [PMID: 26583032 PMCID: PMC4631811 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2015.00326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2015] [Accepted: 10/20/2015] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Aging is a complex continuous multifactorial process leading to loss of function and crystalizing into the many age-related diseases. Here, we explore the arguments for classifying aging as a disease in the context of the upcoming World Health Organization's 11th International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-11), expected to be finalized in 2018. We hypothesize that classifying aging as a disease with a "non-garbage" set of codes will result in new approaches and business models for addressing aging as a treatable condition, which will lead to both economic and healthcare benefits for all stakeholders. Actionable classification of aging as a disease may lead to more efficient allocation of resources by enabling funding bodies and other stakeholders to use quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and healthy-years equivalent (HYE) as metrics when evaluating both research and clinical programs. We propose forming a Task Force to interface the WHO in order to develop a multidisciplinary framework for classifying aging as a disease with multiple disease codes facilitating for therapeutic interventions and preventative strategies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alex Zhavoronkov
- The Biogerontology Research Foundation, Oxford, UK
- Insilico Medicine Inc, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Bhupinder Bhullar
- Novartis Pharma AG, Department of Developmental and Molecular Pathways, Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Romano GL, Platania CBM, Forte S, Salomone S, Drago F, Bucolo C. MicroRNA target prediction in glaucoma. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2015; 220:217-40. [PMID: 26497793 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2015.04.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Glaucoma is a progressive optic neuropathy and is one of the leading causes of blindness in the industrialized countries. The aim of this study is to investigate microRNA (miRNA) regulation in glaucoma and other neurodegenerative diseases, that share similar pathways, by means of in silico approaches such as bibliographic search and access to bioinformatic resources. First of all, data mining was carried out on Human miRNA Disease Database (HMDD) and miR2Disease databases. Then, predictions of deregulated miRNAs were carried out accessing to microrna.org database. Finally, the potential combinatorial effect of miRNAs, on regulation of biochemical pathways, was studied by an enrichment analysis performed by DIANA-miRPath v.2.0. We found, from literature search, 8 deregulated miRNAs in glaucoma and 9 and 23 in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD), respectively. One miRNA is commonly deregulated in glaucoma and AMD (miR-23a). Two miRNAs (miR-29a, miR-29b) are common to glaucoma and AD, and four miRNAs were identified to be commonly deregulated in AMD and AD (miR-9, miR-21, miR-34a, miR-146a). The match of the miRNA common to glaucoma and the other two neurodegenerative diseases (AMD and AD) did not generate any output. Enrichment of information has been reached through miRNAs prediction: 88 predicted miRNAs are common to glaucoma and AMD, 19 are common to glaucoma and AD, and 9 are common to AMD and AD. Indeed, predicted miRNAs common to the three neurodegenerative diseases are nine (miR-107, miR-137, miR-146a, miR-181c, miR-197, miR-21, miR-22, miR-590, miR-9). DIANA-miRPath predicted that those nine miRNAs might regulate pathways involved in inflammation. The findings hereby obtained provide a valuable hint to assess deregulation of specific miRNA, as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets, in glaucoma and other neurodegenerative diseases by means of preclinical and clinical studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Luca Romano
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, Section of Pharmacology, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Chiara Bianca Maria Platania
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, Section of Pharmacology, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | | | - Salvatore Salomone
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, Section of Pharmacology, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Filippo Drago
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, Section of Pharmacology, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Claudio Bucolo
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, Section of Pharmacology, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Jellen LC, Aliper A, Buzdin A, Zhavoronkov A. Screening and personalizing nootropic drugs and cognitive modulator regimens in silico. Front Syst Neurosci 2015; 9:4. [PMID: 25705179 PMCID: PMC4319391 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2015.00004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2014] [Accepted: 01/10/2015] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The go-to cognitive enhancers of today are those that are widely available rather than optimal for the user, including drugs typically prescribed for treatment of ADHD (e.g., methylphenidate) and sleep disturbances such as narcolepsy (modafinil). While highly effective in their intended therapeutic role, performance gains in healthy populations are modest at best and profoundly inconsistent across subgroups and individuals. We propose a method for in silico screening of possible novel cognitive enhancers followed by high-throughput in vivo and in vitro validation. The proposed method uses gene expression data to evaluate the the collection of activated or suppressed signaling pathways in tissues or neurons of the cognitively enhanced brain. An algorithm maps expression data onto signaling pathways and quantifies their individual activation strength. The collective pathways and their activation form what we term the signaling pathway cloud, a biological fingerprint of cognitive enhancement (or any other condition of interest). Drugs can then be screened and ranked based on their ability to minimize, mimic, or exaggerate pathway activation or suppression within that cloud. Using this approach, one may predict the efficacy of many drugs that may enhance various aspects of cognition before costly preclinical studies and clinical trials are undertaken.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Leslie C Jellen
- Department of Genetics, Genomics, and Informatics, University of Tennessee Health Science Center Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Alexander Aliper
- Aging Research, Insilico Medicine, Emerging Technology Center, Johns Hopkins University Eastern Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Anton Buzdin
- Personalized Medicine, Pathway Pharmaceuticals Ltd Wan Chai, Hong Kong
| | - Alex Zhavoronkov
- Aging Research, Insilico Medicine, Emerging Technology Center, Johns Hopkins University Eastern Baltimore, MD, USA ; Research, Biogerontology Research Foundation Truro, UK
| |
Collapse
|