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Wang MJ, Song Y, Guo XQ, Wei D, Cao XT, Sun Y, Xu YG, Hu XM. The Construction of ITP Diagnostic Modeling Based on the Expressions of Hub Genes Associated with M1 Polarization of Macrophages. J Inflamm Res 2022; 15:5905-5915. [PMID: 36274827 PMCID: PMC9581081 DOI: 10.2147/jir.s364414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose Primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an immune disease with a diagnosis of exclusion, since no validated biomarkers have been identified. In this study, we explored biomarkers associated with the development of ITP from an immune perspective to inform the clinical diagnosis. Patients and Methods Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between normal and ITP samples were analyzed using limma package. Random forest algorithm and LASSO regression were further used to screen for DEGs associated with ITP. The expression of these hub genes was validated by PCR. The relationship between DEGs and immunity was explored by enrichment analysis. Immune cell infiltration in ITP was analyzed by CIBERSORT and ssGSEA, and the relationship between DEGs and infiltrating immune cells was analyzed by Spearman’s rank correlation analysis. Finally, a diagnostic model related to DEGs was constructed by the neural network, and its efficiency was detected by the ROC curve. Results After screening the GEO database and validation by PCR analysis, The expression of CTH and TAF8 were higher and while OSBP2 expression was lower in ITP patients compared to normal subjects (P<0.05). GO enrichment analysis showed that these DEGs were associated with inflammatory immune-related diseases, and KEGG analysis showed that they mainly regulated signaling pathways such as JAK-STAT. CIBERSORT and ssGSEA analyses showed that these DEGs were mainly associated with macrophage M1 polarization. The expression of CTH and TAF8 were positively correlated with M1 expression, while OSBP2 was negatively correlated with M1 expression. The ROC curve showed high accuracy of the neural network model [AUC= 0.939, 95% CI (0.8–1)]. Conclusion Our results suggest that CTH, TAF8, and OSBP2 can be used as effective diagnostic biomarkers of ITP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming-Jing Wang
- Department of Hematology, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100091, People’s Republic of China,Graduate School, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100700, People’s Republic of China
| | - Ying Song
- Department of Hematology, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100091, People’s Republic of China,Graduate School, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100700, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xiao-Qing Guo
- Department of Hematology, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100091, People’s Republic of China
| | - Diu Wei
- Department of Hematology, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100091, People’s Republic of China,Graduate School, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100700, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xin-Tian Cao
- Department of Hematology, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100091, People’s Republic of China,Graduate School, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100029, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yan Sun
- Department of Hematology, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100091, People’s Republic of China,Graduate School, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100029, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yong-Gang Xu
- Department of Hematology, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100091, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xiao-Mei Hu
- Department of Hematology, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100091, People’s Republic of China,Correspondence: Xiao-Mei Hu; Yong-Gang Xu, Department of Hematology, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, No. 1 Xiyuancaochang, Haidian District, Beijing, 100091, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 010-6283-5361, Email ;
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Basova LV, Vien W, Bortell N, Najera JA, Marcondes MCG. Methamphetamine signals transcription of IL1β and TNFα in a reactive oxygen species-dependent manner and interacts with HIV-1 Tat to decrease antioxidant defense mechanisms. Front Cell Neurosci 2022; 16:911060. [PMID: 36060276 PMCID: PMC9434488 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2022.911060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Methamphetamine (Meth) abuse is a common HIV co-morbidity that is linked to aggravated Central Nervous System (CNS) inflammation, which accentuates HIV- associated neurological disorders, triggered both directly or indirectly by the drug. We used the well-established human innate immune macrophage cell line system (THP1) to demonstrate that Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) immediately induced by Meth play a role in the increased transcription of inflammatory genes, in interaction with HIV-1 Tat peptide. Meth and Tat, alone and together, affect early events of transcriptional activity, as indicated by changes in RNA polymerase (RNAPol) recruitment patterns throughout the genome, via ROS-dependent and -independent mechanisms. IL1β (IL1β) and TNF α (TNFα), two genes with defining roles in the inflammatory response, were both activated in a ROS-dependent manner. We found that this effect occurred via the activation of the activator protein 1 (AP-1) comprising cFOS and cJUN transcription factors and regulated by the SRC kinase. HIV-1 Tat, which was also able to induce the production of ROS, did not further impact the effects of ROS in the context of Meth, but promoted gene activity independently from ROS, via additional transcription factors. For instance, HIV-1 Tat increased NFkB activation and activated gene clusters regulated by Tata box binding peptide, ING4 and IRF2. Importantly, HIV-1 Tat decreased the expression of anti-oxidant genes, where its suppression of the detoxifying machinery may contribute to the aggravation of oxidative stress induced by ROS in the context of Meth. Our results provide evidence of effects of Meth via ROS and interactions with HIV Tat that promote the transcription of inflammatory genes such as IL1β and TNFα.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liana V. Basova
- San Diego Biomedical Research Institute, San Diego, CA, United States
- The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Whitney Vien
- The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, United States
- University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Nikki Bortell
- The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | | | - Maria Cecilia Garibaldi Marcondes
- San Diego Biomedical Research Institute, San Diego, CA, United States
- The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, United States
- *Correspondence: Maria Cecilia Garibaldi Marcondes,
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Basova LV, Lukkes SE, Milner R, Ellis RJ, Cherner M, Iudicello J, Marcondes MCG. Polygenic networks in peripheral leukocytes indicate patterns associated with HIV infection and context-dependent effects of cannabis use. Brain Behav Immun Health 2022; 20:100414. [PMID: 35128491 PMCID: PMC8808072 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbih.2022.100414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Revised: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
In spite of suppressive antiretroviral therapies (ART), Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-infected subjects still experience the consequences of viral persistence and chronic inflammation. In the brain, where most HIV-1 targets are of innate immune origin, neurological and cognitive impairments are detectable and enhanced by highly prevalent substance use disorders. Cannabis is one of the most prevalent substances among HIV+ subjects, compared to non-infected populations, either prescribed for improving various symptoms or used recreationally, as well as a component of polysubstance use. The mechanisms by which addictive substances and HIV interact are multifactorial and poorly understood. Importantly, the HIV brain target cells, macrophages and microglia, express receptors to neurotransmitters elevated by such drugs, and express receptors to cannabinoids, particularly CB2R. We have tested a panel of 784 transcripts associated with neurological disorders, digitally multiplexed and detectable in peripheral blood cells from a small cohort (n = 102) of HIV-positive (HIV+) and HIV-negative (HIV-) specimens, stratified based on criteria of lifetime (LT) dependence of cannabis (CAN+) or not (CAN-). Demographic homogeneity and low incidence of co-morbidities helped increase power and allowed the identification of key differences consistent with HIV infection, cannabis exposure, or their interactions. A small percentage of these subjects used cannabis as well as other drugs. The data was analyzed using robust systems and visualization strategies to detect orchestrated patterns in gene networks connected based on molecular interfaces with higher power than in single genes. We found that the effects of cannabis differed drastically between HIV- and HIV+ groups, particularly in gene networks playing a role in inflammation, neurodegeneration, apoptosis and leukocyte adhesion and transmigration. At the level of individual genes, we identified detrimental effects that were associated with polysubstance use as a covariate, particularly methamphetamine. Transcription factor usage predictions suggest that the effects of cannabis are associated with transcriptional co-regulation at the gene promoters by multiple factors that vary by context. Overall, we have found that the effects of cannabis may be context-dependent, with potential benefits in the context of HIV reflected by improvements in cognition, but in the absence of the polysubstance use component.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liana V. Basova
- San Diego Biomedical Research Institute, San Diego, CA, 92121, USA
| | | | - Richard Milner
- San Diego Biomedical Research Institute, San Diego, CA, 92121, USA
| | - Ronald J. Ellis
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Mariana Cherner
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Jennifer Iudicello
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, 92093, USA
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4
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Tibatan MA, Sarısaman M. Unitary structure of palindromes in DNA. Biosystems 2021; 211:104565. [PMID: 34740704 DOI: 10.1016/j.biosystems.2021.104565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2021] [Revised: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
We investigate the quantum behavior encountered in palindromes within DNA structure. In particular, we reveal the unitary structure of usual palindromic sequences found in genomic DNAs of all living organisms, using the Schwinger's approach. We clearly demonstrate the role played by palindromic configurations with special emphasis on physical symmetries, in particular subsymmetries of unitary structure. We unveil the prominence of unitary structure in palindromic sequences in the sense that vitally significant information endowed within DNA could be transformed unchangeably in the process of transcription. We introduce a new symmetry relation, namely purine-purine or pyrimidine-pyrimidine symmetries (p-symmetry) in addition to the already known symmetry relation of purine-pyrimidine symmetries (pp-symmetry) given by Chargaff's rule. Therefore, important vital functions of a living organisms are protected by means of these symmetric features. It is understood that higher order palindromic sequences could be generated in terms of the basis of the highest prime numbers that make up the palindrome sequence number. We propose that violation of this unitary structure of palindromic sequences by means of our proposed symmetries leads to a mutation in DNA, which could offer a new perspective in the scientific studies on the origin and cause of mutation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehmet Ali Tibatan
- Department of Biotechnology, Istanbul University, 34134, Vezneciler, Istanbul, Turkey.
| | - Mustafa Sarısaman
- Department of Physics, Istanbul University, 34134, Vezneciler, Istanbul, Turkey.
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Biederstädt A, Rezvani K. Engineering the next generation of CAR-NK immunotherapies. Int J Hematol 2021; 114:554-571. [PMID: 34453686 PMCID: PMC8397867 DOI: 10.1007/s12185-021-03209-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Revised: 08/13/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Over the past few years, cellular immunotherapy has emerged as a novel treatment option for certain forms of hematologic malignancies with multiple CAR-T therapies now routinely administered in the clinic. The limitations of generating an autologous cell product and the challenges of toxicity with CAR-T cells underscore the need to develop novel cell therapy products that are universal, safe, and potent. Natural killer (NK) cells are part of the innate immune system with unique advantages, including the potential for off-the-shelf therapy. A recent first-in-human trial of CD19-CAR-NK infusion in patients with relapsed/refractory lymphoid malignancies proved safe with promising clinical activity. Building on these encouraging clinical responses, research is now actively exploring ways to further enhance CAR-NK cell potency by prolonging in vivo persistence and overcoming mechanisms of functional exhaustion. Besides these strategies to modulate CAR-NK cell intrinsic properties, there are increasing efforts to translate the successes seen in hematologic malignancies to the solid tumor space. This review will provide an overview on current trends and evolving concepts to genetically engineer the next generation of CAR-NK therapies. Emphasis will be placed on innovative multiplexed engineering approaches including CRISPR/Cas9 to overcome CAR-NK functional exhaustion and reprogram immune cell metabolism for enhanced potency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Biederstädt
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd., Unit 423, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Medicine III, Hematology/Oncology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Ismaninger Str. 22, 81675, Munich, Germany
| | - Katayoun Rezvani
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd., Unit 423, Houston, TX, USA.
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Zhu X, Li F, Wang M, Su H, Wu X, Qiu H, Zhou W, Shan C, Wang C, Wei L. Integrated Analysis of Omics Data Reveal AP-1 as a Potential Regulation Hub in the Inflammation-Induced Hyperalgesia Rat Model. Front Immunol 2021; 12:672498. [PMID: 34122430 PMCID: PMC8194263 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.672498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Inflammation-associated chronic pain is a global clinical problem, affecting millions of people worldwide. However, the underlying mechanisms that mediate inflammation-associated chronic pain remain unclear. A rat model of cutaneous inflammation induced by Complete Freund's Adjuvant (CFA) has been widely used as an inflammation-induced pain hypersensitivity model. We present the transcriptomics profile of CFA-induced inflammation in the rat dorsal root ganglion (DRG) via an approach that targets gene expression, DNA methylation, and post-transcriptional regulation. We identified 418 differentially expressed mRNAs, 120 differentially expressed microRNAs (miRNAs), and 2,670 differentially methylated regions (DMRs), which were all highly associated with multiple inflammation-related pathways, including nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and interferon (IFN) signaling pathways. An integrated analysis further demonstrated that the activator protein 1 (AP-1) network, which may act as a regulator of the inflammatory response, is regulated at both the transcriptomic and epigenetic levels. We believe our data will not only provide drug screening targets for the treatment of chronic pain and inflammation but will also shed light on the molecular network associated with inflammation-induced hyperalgesia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiang Zhu
- Department of Anesthesiology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, China
| | - Feng Li
- The Yancheng Clinical College of XuZhou Medical University, The First People's Hospital of Yancheng, Yancheng, China
| | - Miqun Wang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Qingdao Women and Children's Hospital, Qingdao, China
| | - Huibin Su
- Department of Anesthesiology, Suzhou Municipal Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, China
| | - Xuedong Wu
- Department of Anesthesiology, Suzhou Municipal Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, China
| | - Haiyan Qiu
- Department of Anesthesiology, The First People's Hospital of Yancheng, Yancheng, China
| | - Wang Zhou
- Department of Anesthesiology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, China.,Graduate School of Nantong University, Nantong, China
| | - Chunli Shan
- Department of Anesthesiology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, China.,Graduate School of Nantong University, Nantong, China
| | - Cancan Wang
- Graduate School of Nantong University, Nantong, China
| | - Lei Wei
- Department of Anesthesiology, Suzhou Municipal Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, China
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Basova L, Lindsey A, McGovern AM, Ellis RJ, Marcondes MCG. Detection of H3K4me3 Identifies NeuroHIV Signatures, Genomic Effects of Methamphetamine and Addiction Pathways in Postmortem HIV+ Brain Specimens that Are Not Amenable to Transcriptome Analysis. Viruses 2021; 13:544. [PMID: 33805201 PMCID: PMC8064323 DOI: 10.3390/v13040544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2021] [Revised: 03/19/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Human postmortem specimens are extremely valuable resources for investigating translational hypotheses. Tissue repositories collect clinically assessed specimens from people with and without HIV, including age, viral load, treatments, substance use patterns and cognitive functions. One challenge is the limited number of specimens suitable for transcriptional studies, mainly due to poor RNA quality resulting from long postmortem intervals. We hypothesized that epigenomic signatures would be more stable than RNA for assessing global changes associated with outcomes of interest. We found that H3K27Ac or RNA Polymerase (Pol) were not consistently detected by Chromatin Immunoprecipitation (ChIP), while the enhancer H3K4me3 histone modification was abundant and stable up to the 72 h postmortem. We tested our ability to use HeK4me3 in human prefrontal cortex from HIV+ individuals meeting criteria for methamphetamine use disorder or not (Meth +/-) which exhibited poor RNA quality and were not suitable for transcriptional profiling. Systems strategies that are typically used in transcriptional metadata were applied to H3K4me3 peaks revealing consistent genomic activity differences in regions where addiction and neuronal synapses pathway genes are represented, including genes of the dopaminergic system, as well as inflammatory pathways. The resulting comparisons mirrored previously observed effects of Meth on suppressing gene expression and provided insights on neurological processes affected by Meth. The results suggested that H3K4me3 detection in chromatin may reflect transcriptional patterns, thus providing opportunities for analysis of larger numbers of specimens from cases with substance use and neurological deficits. In conclusion, the detection of H3K4me3 in isolated chromatin can be an alternative to transcriptome strategies to increase the power of association using specimens with long postmortem intervals and low RNA quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liana Basova
- San Diego Biomedical Research Institute, San Diego, CA 92121, USA; (L.B.); (A.L.); (A.M.M.)
| | - Alexander Lindsey
- San Diego Biomedical Research Institute, San Diego, CA 92121, USA; (L.B.); (A.L.); (A.M.M.)
| | - Anne Marie McGovern
- San Diego Biomedical Research Institute, San Diego, CA 92121, USA; (L.B.); (A.L.); (A.M.M.)
| | - Ronald J. Ellis
- Departments of Neurosciences and Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA 92103, USA;
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Beaurivage C, Kanapeckaite A, Loomans C, Erdmann KS, Stallen J, Janssen RAJ. Development of a human primary gut-on-a-chip to model inflammatory processes. Sci Rep 2020; 10:21475. [PMID: 33293676 PMCID: PMC7722760 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-78359-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a complex multi-factorial disease for which physiologically relevant in vitro models are lacking. Existing models are often a compromise between biological relevance and scalability. Here, we integrated intestinal epithelial cells (IEC) derived from human intestinal organoids with monocyte-derived macrophages, in a gut-on-a-chip platform to model the human intestine and key aspects of IBD. The microfluidic culture of IEC lead to an increased polarization and differentiation state that closely resembled the expression profile of human colon in vivo. Activation of the model resulted in the polarized secretion of CXCL10, IL-8 and CCL-20 by IEC and could efficiently be prevented by TPCA-1 exposure. Importantly, upregulated gene expression by the inflammatory trigger correlated with dysregulated pathways in IBD patients. Finally, integration of activated macrophages offers a first-step towards a multi-factorial amenable IBD platform that could be scaled up to assess compound efficacy at early stages of drug development or in personalized medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Beaurivage
- Galapagos BV, Leiden, South Holland, 2333CL, The Netherlands
- Department of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, South Yorkshire, UK
| | | | - Cindy Loomans
- Galapagos BV, Leiden, South Holland, 2333CL, The Netherlands
| | - Kai S Erdmann
- Department of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, South Yorkshire, UK
| | - Jan Stallen
- Galapagos BV, Leiden, South Holland, 2333CL, The Netherlands
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A SARS-CoV-2 host infection model network based on genomic human Transcription Factors (TFs) depletion. Heliyon 2020; 6:e05010. [PMID: 32984567 PMCID: PMC7501776 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e05010] [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: 05/05/2020] [Revised: 07/30/2020] [Accepted: 09/17/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
In December 2019 a new beta-coronavirus was isolated and characterized by sequencing samples from pneumonia patients in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. Coronaviruses are positive-sense RNA viruses widely distributed among different animal species and humans in which they cause respiratory, enteric, liver and neurological symptomatology. Six species of coronavirus have been described (HCoV-229E, HCoV-OC43, HCoV-NL63 and HCoV-HKU1) that cause cold-like symptoms in immunocompetent or immunocompromised subjects and two strains of sometimes fatal zoonotic origin that cause severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV). The SARS-CoV-2 strain is the emerging seventh member of the coronavirus family, which is actually determining a global emergency. In silico analysis is a promising approach for understanding biological events in complex diseases and due to serious worldwide emergency and serious threat to global health, it is extremely important to use bioinformatics methods able to study an emerging pathogen like SARS-CoV-2. Herein, we report on in silico comparative analysis between complete genome of SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, HCoV-OC43 and SARS-CoV-2 strains, to identify the occurrence of specific conserved motifs on viral genomic sequences which should be able to bind and therefore induce a subtraction of host's Transcription Factors (TFs) which lead to a depletion, an effect comparable to haploinsufficiency (a genetic dominant condition in which a single copy of wild-type allele at a locus, in heterozygous combination with a variant allele, is insufficient to produce the correct quantity of transcript and, therefore, of protein, for a correct standard phenotypic expression). In this competitive scenario, virus versus host, the proposed in silico protocol identified the TFs same as the distribution of TFBSs (Transcription Factor Binding Sites) on analyzed viral strains, potentially able to influence genes and pathways with biological functions confirming that this approach could brings useful insights regarding SARS-CoV-2. According to our results obtained by this in silico approach it is possible to hypothesize that TF-binding motifs could be of help in the explanation of the complex and heterogeneous clinical presentation in SARS-CoV-2 and subsequently predict possible interactions regarding metabolic pathways, and drug or target relationships.
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Systems Biology Analysis of the Antagonizing Effects of HIV-1 Tat Expression in the Brain over Transcriptional Changes Caused by Methamphetamine Sensitization. Viruses 2020; 12:v12040426. [PMID: 32283831 PMCID: PMC7232389 DOI: 10.3390/v12040426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2020] [Revised: 03/27/2020] [Accepted: 04/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Methamphetamine (Meth) abuse is common among humans with immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The HIV-1 regulatory protein, trans-activator of transcription (Tat), has been described to induce changes in brain gene transcription that can result in impaired reward circuitry, as well as in inflammatory processes. In transgenic mice with doxycycline-induced Tat protein expression in the brain, i.e., a mouse model of neuroHIV, we tested global gene expression patterns induced by Meth sensitization. Meth-induced locomotor sensitization included repeated daily Meth or saline injections for seven days and Meth challenge after a seven-day abstinence period. Brain samples were collected 30 min after the Meth challenge. We investigated global gene expression changes in the caudate putamen, an area with relevance in behavior and HIV pathogenesis, and performed pathway and transcriptional factor usage predictions using systems biology strategies. We found that Tat expression alone had a very limited impact in gene transcription after the Meth challenge. In contrast, Meth-induced sensitization in the absence of Tat induced a global suppression of gene transcription. Interestingly, the interaction between Tat and Meth broadly prevented the Meth-induced global transcriptional suppression, by maintaining regulation pathways, and resulting in gene expression profiles that were more similar to the controls. Pathways associated with mitochondrial health, initiation of transcription and translation, as well as with epigenetic control, were heavily affected by Meth, and by its interaction with Tat in anti-directional ways. A series of systems strategies have predicted several components impacted by these interactions, including mitochondrial pathways, mTOR/RICTOR, AP-1 transcription factor, and eukaryotic initiation factors involved in transcription and translation. In spite of the antagonizing effects of Tat, a few genes identified in relevant gene networks remained downregulated, such as sirtuin 1, and the amyloid precursor protein (APP). In conclusion, Tat expression in the brain had a low acute transcriptional impact but strongly interacted with Meth sensitization, to modify effects in the global transcriptome.
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