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Forabosco P, Pala M, Crobu F, Diana MA, Marongiu M, Cusano R, Angius A, Steri M, Orrù V, Schlessinger D, Fiorillo E, Devoto M, Cucca F. Transcriptome organization of white blood cells through gene co-expression network analysis in a large RNA-seq dataset. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1350111. [PMID: 38629067 PMCID: PMC11018966 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1350111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Gene co-expression network analysis enables identification of biologically meaningful clusters of co-regulated genes (modules) in an unsupervised manner. We present here the largest study conducted thus far of co-expression networks in white blood cells (WBC) based on RNA-seq data from 624 individuals. We identify 41 modules, 13 of them related to specific immune-related functions and cell types (e.g. neutrophils, B and T cells, NK cells, and plasmacytoid dendritic cells); we highlight biologically relevant lncRNAs for each annotated module of co-expressed genes. We further characterize with unprecedented resolution the modules in T cell sub-types, through the availability of 95 immune phenotypes obtained by flow cytometry in the same individuals. This study provides novel insights into the transcriptional architecture of human leukocytes, showing how network analysis can advance our understanding of coding and non-coding gene interactions in immune system cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Forabosco
- Istituto di Ricerca Genetica e Biomedica (IRGB), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Cagliari, Italy
| | - Mauro Pala
- Istituto di Ricerca Genetica e Biomedica (IRGB), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Cagliari, Italy
| | - Francesca Crobu
- Istituto di Ricerca Genetica e Biomedica (IRGB), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Cagliari, Italy
| | - Maria Antonietta Diana
- Istituto di Ricerca Genetica e Biomedica (IRGB), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Cagliari, Italy
| | - Mara Marongiu
- Istituto di Ricerca Genetica e Biomedica (IRGB), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Cagliari, Italy
| | - Roberto Cusano
- CRS4-Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) Core, Parco POLARIS, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Andrea Angius
- Istituto di Ricerca Genetica e Biomedica (IRGB), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Cagliari, Italy
| | - Maristella Steri
- Istituto di Ricerca Genetica e Biomedica (IRGB), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Cagliari, Italy
| | - Valeria Orrù
- Istituto di Ricerca Genetica e Biomedica (IRGB), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Cagliari, Italy
| | - David Schlessinger
- Laboratory of Genetics and Genomics, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Baltimore, MA, United States
| | - Edoardo Fiorillo
- Istituto di Ricerca Genetica e Biomedica (IRGB), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Cagliari, Italy
| | - Marcella Devoto
- Istituto di Ricerca Genetica e Biomedica (IRGB), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Cagliari, Italy
- Dipartimento di Medicina Traslazionale e di Precisione, Università Sapienza, Roma, Italy
| | - Francesco Cucca
- Istituto di Ricerca Genetica e Biomedica (IRGB), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Cagliari, Italy
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, Università degli Studi di Sassari, Sassari, Italy
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Mariotti B, Di Blas C, Bazzoni F. Implementation of a combined bioinformatics and experimental approach to address lncRNA mechanism of action: The example of NRIR. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 9:873847. [PMID: 36406275 PMCID: PMC9671926 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.873847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, we demonstrate the benefit of applying combined strategies to analyze lncRNA action based on bioinformatics and experimental information. This strategy was developed to identify the molecular function of negative regulator of interferon response (NRIR), a type I interferon-stimulated gene (ISG), that we have previously demonstrated to be involved in the upregulation of a subset of ISGs in LPS-stimulated human monocytes. In this study, we provide experimental evidence that NRIR is localized in cellular nuclei, enriched on the chromatin fraction, and upregulates ISGs acting at the transcriptional level. In silico analysis of secondary structures identified distinct NRIR structural domains, comprising putative DNA- and protein-binding regions. In parallel, the presence of a putative DNA-binding domain in NRIR and the five putative NRIR-binding sites in the promoter of NRIR-target genes support the function of NRIR as a transcriptional regulator of its target genes. By use of integrated experimental/bioinformatics approaches, comprising database and literature mining together with in silico analysis of putative NRIR-binding proteins, we identified a list of eight transcription factors (TFs) shared by the majority of NRIR-target genes and simultaneously able to bind TF binding sites enriched in the NRIR-target gene promoters. Among these TFs, the predicted NRIR:STAT interactions were experimentally validated by RIP assay.
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Zhang X, Liu Y, Lu Y, Li S, Liu J, Zhang Y, Wang L, Li M, Luo Y, Zhang W, Chen C, Li Y. N-3-(oxododecanoyl)-l-homoserine lactone suppresses dendritic cell maturation by upregulating the long noncoding RNA NRIR. J Biosci 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s12038-021-00186-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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Non-Coding RNA Databases in Cardiovascular Research. Noncoding RNA 2020; 6:ncrna6030035. [PMID: 32887511 PMCID: PMC7549374 DOI: 10.3390/ncrna6030035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2020] [Revised: 08/28/2020] [Accepted: 09/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are of multifactorial origin and can be attributed to several genetic and environmental components. CVDs are the leading cause of mortality worldwide and they primarily damage the heart and the vascular system. Non-coding RNA (ncRNA) refers to functional RNA molecules, which have been transcribed into DNA but do not further get translated into proteins. Recent transcriptomic studies have identified the presence of thousands of ncRNA molecules across species. In humans, less than 2% of the total genome represents the protein-coding genes. While the role of many ncRNAs is yet to be ascertained, some long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) have been associated with disease progression, serving as useful diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. A plethora of data repositories specialized in ncRNAs have been developed over the years using publicly available high-throughput data from next-generation sequencing and other approaches, that cover various facets of ncRNA research like basic and functional annotation, expressional profile, structural and molecular changes, and interaction with other biomolecules. Here, we provide a compendium of the current ncRNA databases relevant to cardiovascular research.
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Exploring the Role of Non-Coding RNAs in the Pathophysiology of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. Biomolecules 2020; 10:biom10060937. [PMID: 32580306 PMCID: PMC7356926 DOI: 10.3390/biom10060937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Revised: 06/04/2020] [Accepted: 06/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic immune-related disorder designated by a lack of tolerance to self-antigens and the over-secretion of autoantibodies against several cellular compartments. Although the exact pathophysiology of SLE has not been clarified yet, this disorder has a strong genetic component based on the results of familial aggregation and twin studies. Variation in the expression of non-coding RNAs has been shown to influence both susceptibility to SLE and the clinical course of this disorder. Several long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) such as GAS5, MALAT1 and NEAT1 are dysregulated in SLE patients. Moreover, genetic variants within lncRNAs such as SLEAR and linc00513 have been associated with risk of this disorder. The dysregulation of a number of lncRNAs in the peripheral blood of SLE patients has potentiated them as biomarkers for diagnosis, disease activity and therapeutic response. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have also been shown to affect apoptosis and the function of immune cells. Taken together, there is a compelling rationale for the better understanding of the involvement of these two classes of non-coding RNAs in the pathogenesis of SLE. Clarification of the function of these transcripts has the potential to elucidate the molecular pathophysiology of SLE and provide new opportunities for the development of targeted therapies for this disorder.
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Le M, Muntyanu A, Netchiporouk E. IncRNAs and circRNAs provide insight into discoid lupus pathogenesis and progression. ANNALS OF TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE 2020; 8:260. [PMID: 32355704 PMCID: PMC7186711 DOI: 10.21037/atm.2020.03.56] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Michelle Le
- Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Anastasiya Muntyanu
- Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Elena Netchiporouk
- Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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