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Rubin JB, Abou-Antoun T, Ippolito JE, Llaci L, Marquez CT, Wong JP, Yang L. Epigenetic developmental mechanisms underlying sex differences in cancer. J Clin Invest 2024; 134:e180071. [PMID: 38949020 PMCID: PMC11213507 DOI: 10.1172/jci180071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Cancer risk is modulated by hereditary and somatic mutations, exposures, age, sex, and gender. The mechanisms by which sex and gender work alone and in combination with other cancer risk factors remain underexplored. In general, cancers that occur in both the male and female sexes occur more commonly in XY compared with XX individuals, regardless of genetic ancestry, geographic location, and age. Moreover, XY individuals are less frequently cured of their cancers, highlighting the need for a greater understanding of sex and gender effects in oncology. This will be necessary for optimal laboratory and clinical cancer investigations. To that end, we review the epigenetics of sexual differentiation and its effect on cancer hallmark pathways throughout life. Specifically, we will touch on how sex differences in metabolism, immunity, pluripotency, and tumor suppressor functions are patterned through the epigenetic effects of imprinting, sex chromosome complement, X inactivation, genes escaping X inactivation, sex hormones, and life history.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Joseph E. Ippolito
- Department of Radiology
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics
| | - Lorida Llaci
- Deartment of Genetics Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
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Ma D, Ma J, Zhao C, Tai W. Reasons why women are more likely to develop primary biliary cholangitis. Heliyon 2024; 10:e25634. [PMID: 38384574 PMCID: PMC10878884 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e25634] [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: 10/28/2023] [Revised: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a chronic autoimmune disease of biliary stasis in which immune factors cause the gradual destruction of small bile ducts, biliary stasis, and eventually the development of liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and even liver failure. One of the main characteristics of PBC is that it primarily affects middle-aged women, but the precise cause is still unknown. This article analyzes the unique causes and mechanisms of the female predominance of PBC and summarizes the potential causes.The female domination of PBC is reported to be primarily caused by sex hormones, environmental circumstances, and epigenetic changes, each of which has a different subtle impact on patients' gender disparities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Di Ma
- Clinical Laboratory Department, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Jiaxuan Ma
- Clinical Laboratory Department, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Chunmei Zhao
- Clinical Laboratory Department, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Wenlin Tai
- Clinical Laboratory Department, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
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Pehlivanoglu B, Aysal A, Agalar C, Egeli T, Ozbilgin M, Unek T, Unek IT, Oztop I, Aktas S, Sagol O. lncRNA XIST Interacts with Regulatory T Cells within the Tumor Microenvironment in Chronic Hepatitis B-Associated Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Turk Patoloji Derg 2024; 40:101-108. [PMID: 38265097 PMCID: PMC11131571 DOI: 10.5146/tjpath.2023.13161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Alterations in the expression of several long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been shown in chronic hepatitis B-associated hepatocellular carcinoma (CHB-HCC). Here, we aimed to investigate the association between the expression of inflammation-associated lncRNA X-inactive specific transcript (XIST) and the type of inflammatory cells within the tumor microenvironment. MATERIAL AND METHODS Twenty-one consecutive cirrhotic patients with CHB-HCC were included. XIST expression levels were investigated on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tumoral and peritumoral tissue samples by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Immunohistochemical staining for CD3, CD4, CD8, CD25, CD163, CTLA4, and PD-1 were performed. The findings were statistically analyzed. RESULTS Of the 21 cases, 11 (52.4%) had tumoral and 10 (47.6%) had peritumoral XIST expression. No significant association was found between the degree of inflammation and XIST expression. The number of intratumoral CD3, CD4, CD8 and CD20 positive cells was higher in XIST-expressing tumors, albeit without statistical significance. Tumoral and peritumoral XIST expression tended to be more common in patients with tumoral and peritumoral CD4high inflammation. The number of intratumoral CD25 positive cells was significantly higher in XIST-expressing tumors (p=0.01). Tumoral XIST expression was significantly more common in intratumoral CD25high cases (p=0.04). Peritumoral XIST expression was also more common among patients with CD25high peritumoral inflammation, albeit without statistical significance (p=0.19). CONCLUSION lncRNA XIST is expressed in CHB-HCC and its expression is significantly associated with the inflammatory tumor microenvironment, particularly with the presence and number of CD25 (+) regulatory T cells. In vitro studies are needed to explore the detailed mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Burcin Pehlivanoglu
- Department of Molecular Pathology, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey; Department of Pathology, Dokuz Eylul University, Faculty of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey
- Department of General Surgery, Dokuz Eylul University, Faculty of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Anil Aysal
- Department of Molecular Pathology, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey; Department of Pathology, Dokuz Eylul University, Faculty of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey
- Department of General Surgery, Dokuz Eylul University, Faculty of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Cihan Agalar
- Department of General Surgery, Dokuz Eylul University, Faculty of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Tufan Egeli
- Department of General Surgery, Dokuz Eylul University, Faculty of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Mucahit Ozbilgin
- Department of General Surgery, Dokuz Eylul University, Faculty of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Tarkan Unek
- Department of General Surgery, Dokuz Eylul University, Faculty of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Ilkay Tugba Unek
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dokuz Eylul University, Faculty of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Ilhan Oztop
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dokuz Eylul University, Faculty of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Safiye Aktas
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dokuz Eylul University, Faculty of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey
- Department of Molecular Pathology, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey; Department of Basic Oncology, Dokuz Eylul University, Institute of Oncology, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Ozgul Sagol
- Department of Molecular Pathology, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey; Department of Pathology, Dokuz Eylul University, Faculty of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey
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Caramia F, Speed TP, Shen H, Haupt Y, Haupt S. Establishing the Link between X-Chromosome Aberrations and TP53 Status, with Breast Cancer Patient Outcomes. Cells 2023; 12:2245. [PMID: 37759468 PMCID: PMC10526523 DOI: 10.3390/cells12182245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Revised: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Ubiquitous to normal female human somatic cells, X-chromosome inactivation (XCI) tightly regulates the transcriptional silencing of a single X chromosome from each pair. Some genes escape XCI, including crucial tumour suppressors. Cancer susceptibility can be influenced by the variability in the genes that escape XCI. The mechanisms of XCI dysregulation remain poorly understood in complex diseases, including cancer. Using publicly available breast cancer next-generation sequencing data, we show that the status of the major tumour suppressor TP53 from Chromosome 17 is highly associated with the genomic integrity of the inactive X (Xi) and the active X (Xa) chromosomes. Our quantification of XCI and XCI escape demonstrates that aberrant XCI is linked to poor survival. We derived prognostic gene expression signatures associated with either large deletions of Xi; large amplifications of Xa; or abnormal X-methylation. Our findings expose a novel insight into female cancer risks, beyond those associated with the standard molecular subtypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franco Caramia
- Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia; (F.C.); (Y.H.)
- Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Terence P. Speed
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia;
| | - Hui Shen
- Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, USA;
| | - Ygal Haupt
- Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia; (F.C.); (Y.H.)
- Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Sue Haupt
- Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia; (F.C.); (Y.H.)
- Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
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Li J, Huang F, Ma Q, Guo W, Feng K, Huang T, Cai YD. Identification of genes related to immune enhancement caused by heterologous ChAdOx1-BNT162b2 vaccines in lymphocytes at single-cell resolution with machine learning methods. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1131051. [PMID: 36936955 PMCID: PMC10017451 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1131051] [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: 12/30/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The widely used ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (ChAd) vector and BNT162b2 (BNT) mRNA vaccines have been shown to induce robust immune responses. Recent studies demonstrated that the immune responses of people who received one dose of ChAdOx1 and one dose of BNT were better than those of people who received vaccines with two homologous ChAdOx1 or two BNT doses. However, how heterologous vaccines function has not been extensively investigated. In this study, single-cell RNA sequencing data from three classes of samples: volunteers vaccinated with heterologous ChAdOx1-BNT and volunteers vaccinated with homologous ChAd-ChAd and BNT-BNT vaccinations after 7 days were divided into three types of immune cells (3654 B, 8212 CD4+ T, and 5608 CD8+ T cells). To identify differences in gene expression in various cell types induced by vaccines administered through different vaccination strategies, multiple advanced feature selection methods (max-relevance and min-redundancy, Monte Carlo feature selection, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator, light gradient boosting machine, and permutation feature importance) and classification algorithms (decision tree and random forest) were integrated into a computational framework. Feature selection methods were in charge of analyzing the importance of gene features, yielding multiple gene lists. These lists were fed into incremental feature selection, incorporating decision tree and random forest, to extract essential genes, classification rules and build efficient classifiers. Highly ranked genes include PLCG2, whose differential expression is important to the B cell immune pathway and is positively correlated with immune cells, such as CD8+ T cells, and B2M, which is associated with thymic T cell differentiation. This study gave an important contribution to the mechanistic explanation of results showing the stronger immune response of a heterologous ChAdOx1-BNT vaccination schedule than two doses of either BNT or ChAdOx1, offering a theoretical foundation for vaccine modification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Li
- School of Computer Science, Baicheng Normal University, Baicheng, Jilin, China
| | - FeiMing Huang
- School of Life Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China
| | - QingLan Ma
- School of Life Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wei Guo
- Key Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine (SJTUSM) and Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences (SIBS), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Shanghai, China
| | - KaiYan Feng
- Department of Computer Science, Guangdong AIB Polytechnic College, Guangzhou, China
| | - Tao Huang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, Bio-Med Big Data Center, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Science, Shanghai, China
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tissue Microenvironment and Tumor, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Yu-Dong Cai
- School of Life Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China
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Gibbs LC, Oviedo JM, Ondigo BN, Fairfax KC. Maternal infection causes dysfunctional BCR signaling in male offspring due to aberrant Xist expression. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.13.528357. [PMID: 36824836 PMCID: PMC9948949 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.13.528357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Abstract
Infections during pregnancy with pathogens such as helminths correlate with altered immune responses to common childhood immunizations. However, the molecular mechanisms that underlie this remain unknown. Using our murine model of maternal schistosomiasis, when immunized, males from infected mothers had a lower frequency of antigen-specific germinal center B cells and downregulation of transcripts downstream of BCR signaling compared to males from uninfected mothers. This is driven by a reduction in developing B cell populations within the bone marrow of pups from infected mothers. Males from infected mothers were impacted to a greater extent than their female littermate counterparts. We found this defect to be caused by aberrant expression of the long non-coding RNA Xist in males leading to dysregulated Igα expression on developing B cells. This, for the first time, links dysfunctional BCR signaling with Xist expression, while also proposing a detrimental function for Xist expression in males.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa C. Gibbs
- Department of Pathology, University of Utah; Salt Lake City, UT, United States
| | - Juan M. Oviedo
- Department of Pathology, University of Utah; Salt Lake City, UT, United States
| | | | - Keke C. Fairfax
- Department of Pathology, University of Utah; Salt Lake City, UT, United States
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Kumar D, Sahoo SS, Chauss D, Kazemian M, Afzali B. Non-coding RNAs in immunoregulation and autoimmunity: Technological advances and critical limitations. J Autoimmun 2023; 134:102982. [PMID: 36592512 PMCID: PMC9908861 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaut.2022.102982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Revised: 12/11/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Immune cell function is critically dependent on precise control over transcriptional output from the genome. In this respect, integration of environmental signals that regulate gene expression, specifically by transcription factors, enhancer DNA elements, genome topography and non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), are key components. The first three have been extensively investigated. Even though non-coding RNAs represent the vast majority of cellular RNA species, this class of RNA remains historically understudied. This is partly because of a lag in technological and bioinformatic innovations specifically capable of identifying and accurately measuring their expression. Nevertheless, recent progress in this domain has enabled a profusion of publications identifying novel sub-types of ncRNAs and studies directly addressing the function of ncRNAs in human health and disease. Many ncRNAs, including circular and enhancer RNAs, have now been demonstrated to play key functions in the regulation of immune cells and to show associations with immune-mediated diseases. Some ncRNAs may function as biomarkers of disease, aiding in diagnostics and in estimating response to treatment, while others may play a direct role in the pathogenesis of disease. Importantly, some are relatively stable and are amenable to therapeutic targeting, for example through gene therapy. Here, we provide an overview of ncRNAs and review technological advances that enable their study and hold substantial promise for the future. We provide context-specific examples by examining the associations of ncRNAs with four prototypical human autoimmune diseases, specifically rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease and multiple sclerosis. We anticipate that the utility and mechanistic roles of these ncRNAs in autoimmunity will be further elucidated in the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dhaneshwar Kumar
- Immunoregulation Section, Kidney Diseases Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Subhransu Sekhar Sahoo
- Departments of Biochemistry and Computer Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Daniel Chauss
- Immunoregulation Section, Kidney Diseases Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Majid Kazemian
- Departments of Biochemistry and Computer Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Behdad Afzali
- Immunoregulation Section, Kidney Diseases Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA.
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