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Creasy KT, Ren H, Jiang J, Peterson ML, Spear BT. Elongation of very long chain fatty acids-3 ( Elovl3) is activated by ZHX2 and is a regulator of cell cycle progression. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 2023; 325:G582-G592. [PMID: 37847682 PMCID: PMC10894669 DOI: 10.1152/ajpgi.00235.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2022] [Revised: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023]
Abstract
Zinc fingers and homeoboxes 2 (Zhx2) are transcriptional regulators of liver gene expression with key functions in embryonic development as well as tissue regeneration in response to damage and disease, presumably through its control of target genes. Previous microarray data suggested that elongation of very long chain fatty acids-3 (Elovl3), a member of the ELOVL family of enzymes that synthesize very long chain fatty acids (VLCFAs), is a putative Zhx2 target gene. VLCFAs are core component of ceramides and other bioactive sphingolipids that are often dysregulated in diseases and regulate key cellular processes including proliferation. Since several previously identified Zhx2 targets become dysregulated in liver damage, we investigated the relationship between Zhx2 and Elovl3 in liver development, damage, and regeneration. Here, using mouse and cell models, we demonstrate that Zhx2 positively regulates Elovl3 expression in the liver and that male-biased hepatic Elovl3 expression is established between 4 and 8 wk of age in mice. Elovl3 is dramatically repressed in mouse models of liver regeneration, and the reduced Elovl3 levels in the regenerating liver are associated with changes in hepatic VLCFAs. Human hepatoma cell lines with forced Elovl3 expression have lower rates of cell growth; analysis of synchronized cells indicates that this reduced proliferation correlates with cells stalling in S-phase and lower mRNA levels of cell cyclins. Taken together, these data indicate that Elovl3 expression helps regulate cellular proliferation during liver development and regeneration, possibly through control of VLCFAs.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Numerous targets of the transcription factor Zhx2 are dysregulated in liver disease. We show that the elongase Elovl3 is a novel Zhx2 target. Elovl3 and Zhx2 expression change during liver regeneration, which is associated with changes in very long chain fatty acids. Forced Elovl3 expression reduces cell growth and blocks cell cycle progression. This suggests that Elovl3 may account, at least in part, for the relationship between Zhx2 and proliferation during liver development and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate Townsend Creasy
- Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, Kentucky, United States
| | - Hui Ren
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, Kentucky, United States
| | - Jieyun Jiang
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, Kentucky, United States
| | - Martha L Peterson
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, Kentucky, United States
- Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, Kentucky, United States
| | - Brett T Spear
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, Kentucky, United States
- Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, Kentucky, United States
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Zhang Y, Fan Y, Hu H, Zhang X, Wang Z, Wu Z, Wang L, Yu X, Song X, Xiang P, Zhang X, Wang T, Tan S, Li C, Gao L, Liang X, Li S, Li N, Yue X, Ma C. ZHX2 emerges as a negative regulator of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation during acute liver injury. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7527. [PMID: 37980429 PMCID: PMC10657347 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43439-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Mitochondria dysfunction contributes to acute liver injuries, and mitochondrial regulators, such as PGC-1α and MCJ, affect liver regeneration. Therefore, identification of mitochondrial modulators may pave the way for developing therapeutic strategies. Here, ZHX2 is identified as a mitochondrial regulator during acute liver injury. ZHX2 both transcriptionally inhibits expression of several mitochondrial electron transport chain genes and decreases PGC-1α stability, leading to reduction of mitochondrial mass and OXPHOS. Loss of Zhx2 promotes liver recovery by increasing mitochondrial OXPHOS in mice with partial hepatectomy or CCl4-induced liver injury, and inhibition of PGC-1α or electron transport chain abolishes these effects. Notably, ZHX2 expression is higher in liver tissues from patients with drug-induced liver injury and is negatively correlated with mitochondrial mass marker TOM20. Delivery of shRNA targeting Zhx2 effectively protects mice from CCl4-induced liver injury. Together, our data clarify ZHX2 as a negative regulator of mitochondrial OXPHOS and a potential target for developing strategies for improving liver recovery after acute injuries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yankun Zhang
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo Medical College of Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Yuchen Fan
- Department of Hepatology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Huili Hu
- Institute of Molecular Medicine and Genetics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Xiaohui Zhang
- Institute of Molecular Medicine and Genetics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Zehua Wang
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo Medical College of Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Zhuanchang Wu
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo Medical College of Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Liyuan Wang
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo Medical College of Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Xiangguo Yu
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo Medical College of Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Xiaojia Song
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo Medical College of Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Peng Xiang
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo Medical College of Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Xiaodong Zhang
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo Medical College of Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Tixiao Wang
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo Medical College of Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Siyu Tan
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo Medical College of Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Chunyang Li
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo Medical College of Shandong University, Jinan, China
- Department of Histology and Embryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Lifen Gao
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo Medical College of Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Xiaohong Liang
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo Medical College of Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Shuijie Li
- College of Pharmacy, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Nailin Li
- Department of Medicine-Solna, Cardiovascular Medicine Unit, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Xuetian Yue
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo Medical College of Shandong University, Jinan, China.
- Department of Cell Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China.
| | - Chunhong Ma
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo Medical College of Shandong University, Jinan, China.
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3
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Del Nogal Avila M, Das R, Kharlyngdoh J, Molina-Jijon E, Donoro Blazquez H, Gambut S, Crowley M, Crossman DK, Gbadegesin RA, Chugh SS, Chugh SS, Avila-Casado C, Macé C, Clement LC, Chugh SS. Cytokine storm-based mechanisms for extrapulmonary manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 infection. JCI Insight 2023; 8:e166012. [PMID: 37040185 PMCID: PMC10322692 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.166012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 04/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Viral illnesses like SARS-CoV-2 have pathologic effects on nonrespiratory organs in the absence of direct viral infection. We injected mice with cocktails of rodent equivalents of human cytokine storms resulting from SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 or rhinovirus common cold infection. At low doses, COVID-19 cocktails induced glomerular injury and albuminuria in zinc fingers and homeoboxes 2 (Zhx2) hypomorph and Zhx2+/+ mice to mimic COVID-19-related proteinuria. Common Cold cocktail induced albuminuria selectively in Zhx2 hypomorph mice to model relapse of minimal change disease, which improved after depletion of TNF-α, soluble IL-4Rα, or IL-6. The Zhx2 hypomorph state increased cell membrane to nuclear migration of podocyte ZHX proteins in vivo (both cocktails) and lowered phosphorylated STAT6 activation (COVID-19 cocktail) in vitro. At higher doses, COVID-19 cocktails induced acute heart injury, myocarditis, pericarditis, acute liver injury, acute kidney injury, and high mortality in Zhx2+/+ mice, whereas Zhx2 hypomorph mice were relatively protected, due in part to early, asynchronous activation of STAT5 and STAT6 pathways in these organs. Dual depletion of cytokine combinations of TNF-α with IL-2, IL-13, or IL-4 in Zhx2+/+ mice reduced multiorgan injury and eliminated mortality. Using genome sequencing and CRISPR/Cas9, an insertion upstream of ZHX2 was identified as a cause of the human ZHX2 hypomorph state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Del Nogal Avila
- Glomerular Disease Therapeutics Laboratory, Department of Internal Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Ranjan Das
- Glomerular Disease Therapeutics Laboratory, Department of Internal Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Joubert Kharlyngdoh
- Glomerular Disease Therapeutics Laboratory, Department of Internal Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Eduardo Molina-Jijon
- Glomerular Disease Therapeutics Laboratory, Department of Internal Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Hector Donoro Blazquez
- Glomerular Disease Therapeutics Laboratory, Department of Internal Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Stéphanie Gambut
- Glomerular Disease Therapeutics Laboratory, Department of Internal Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Michael Crowley
- Genomics Core Lab, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - David K. Crossman
- Genomics Core Lab, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Rasheed A. Gbadegesin
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Pediatrics, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Sunveer S. Chugh
- Glomerular Disease Therapeutics Laboratory, Department of Internal Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Sunjeet S. Chugh
- Glomerular Disease Therapeutics Laboratory, Department of Internal Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Carmen Avila-Casado
- Department of Anatomical Pathology, Toronto General Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Instituto Nacional de Cardiología, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Camille Macé
- Glomerular Disease Therapeutics Laboratory, Department of Internal Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Lionel C. Clement
- Glomerular Disease Therapeutics Laboratory, Department of Internal Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Sumant S. Chugh
- Glomerular Disease Therapeutics Laboratory, Department of Internal Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA
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Ma L, Zeng W, Tan Z, Wang R, Yang Y, Lin S, Li F, Wang S. Activated Hepatic Nuclear Factor-κB in Experimental Colitis Regulates CYP2A5 and Metronidazole Disposition. Mol Pharm 2023; 20:1222-1229. [PMID: 36583631 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.2c00890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Systemic exposure of metronidazole is increased in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), while the underlying mechanism remains unknown. Here, we aim to decipher the mechanisms by which experimental colitis regulates metronidazole disposition in mice. We first confirmed that the systemic exposure of metronidazole was elevated in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced experimental colitis. Hepatic microsomal incubation with metronidazole revealed that the production rate of 2-hydroxymetronidazole was inhibited, suggestive of a diminished hydroxylation reaction upon colitis. Remarkably, the hydroxylation reaction of metronidazole was selectively catalyzed by CYP2A5, which was downregulated in the liver of colitis mice. In addition, hepatic nuclear factor (NF)-κB (a prototypical and critical signaling pathway in inflammation) was activated in colitis mice. Luciferase reporter and chromatin immunoprecipitation assay indicated that NF-κB downregulated Cyp2a5 transcription through binding to an NF-κB binding site (-1711 to -1720 bp) in the promoter. We further verified that the regulatory effects of colitis on CYP2A5 depended on the disease itself rather than the DSS compound. First, one-day administration of DSS did not alter mRNA and protein levels of CYP2A5. Moreover, CYP2A5 was suppressed in the Il-10-/- spontaneously developing colitis model. Furthermore, Cyp2a5 expression was downregulated in both groups of mice with modest or severe colitis, whereas the expression change was much more significant in severe colitis as compared to modest colitis. Altogether, activated hepatic NF-κB in experimental colitis regulates CYP2A5 and metronidazole disposition, revealing the mechanism of pharmacokinetic instability under IBDs, and providing a theoretical foundation for rational drug use in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luyao Ma
- Institute of Molecular Rhythm and Metabolism, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Wanying Zeng
- Institute of Molecular Rhythm and Metabolism, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Zhiyi Tan
- Guangzhou Customs Technology Center, Guangzhou 510623, China
| | - Rui Wang
- The Third Clinical Medical College, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang 453003, China
| | - Yi Yang
- Department of Bariatric Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou 510630, China
| | - Shubin Lin
- Institute of Molecular Rhythm and Metabolism, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Feng Li
- Infectious Diseases Institute, Guangzhou Eighth People's Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510440, China
| | - Shuai Wang
- Institute of Molecular Rhythm and Metabolism, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510006, China
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5
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Jiang J, Turpin C, Qiu G(S, Xu M, Lee E, Hinds TD, Peterson ML, Spear BT. Zinc fingers and homeoboxes 2 is required for diethylnitrosamine-induced liver tumor formation in C57BL/6 mice. Hepatol Commun 2022; 6:3550-3562. [PMID: 36194180 PMCID: PMC9701486 DOI: 10.1002/hep4.2106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Revised: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Liver cancer, comprised primarily of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), is the third leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide and increasing in Western countries. We previously identified the transcription factor zinc fingers and homeoboxes 2 (Zhx2) as a regulator of hepatic gene expression, and many Zhx2 target genes are dysregulated in HCC. Here, we investigate HCC in Zhx2-deficient mice using the diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced liver tumor model. Our study using whole-body Zhx2 knockout (Zhx2KO ) mice revealed the complete absence of liver tumors 9 and 10 months after DEN exposure. Analysis soon after DEN treatment showed no differences in expression of the DEN bioactivating enzyme cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) and DNA polymerase delta 2, or in the numbers of phosphorylated histone variant H2AX foci between Zhx2KO and wild-type (Zhx2wt ) mice. The absence of Zhx2, therefore, did not alter DEN bioactivation or DNA damage. Zhx2KO livers showed fewer positive foci for Ki67 staining and reduced interleukin-6 and AKT serine/threonine kinase 2 expression compared with Zhx2wt livers, suggesting that Zhx2 loss reduces liver cell proliferation and may account for reduced tumor formation. Tumors were reduced but not absent in DEN-treated liver-specific Zhx2 knockout mice, suggesting that Zhx2 acts in both hepatocytes and nonparenchymal cells to inhibit tumor formation. Analysis of data from the Cancer Genome Atlas and Clinical Proteomic Tumor Consortium indicated that ZHX2 messenger RNA and protein levels were significantly higher in patients with HCC and associated with clinical pathological parameters. Conclusion: In contrast to previous studies in human hepatoma cell lines and other HCC mouse models showing that Zhx2 acts as a tumor suppressor, our data indicate that Zhx2 acts as an oncogene in the DEN-induced HCC model and is consistent with the higher ZHX2 expression in patients with HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jieyun Jiang
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular GeneticsUniversity of Kentucky College of MedicineLexingtonKentuckyUSA
| | - Courtney Turpin
- Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional SciencesUniversity of Kentucky College of MedicineLexingtonKentuckyUSA
| | - Guofang (Shirley) Qiu
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular GeneticsUniversity of Kentucky College of MedicineLexingtonKentuckyUSA
| | - Mei Xu
- Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional SciencesUniversity of Kentucky College of MedicineLexingtonKentuckyUSA
| | - Eun Lee
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory MedicineUniversity of Kentucky College of MedicineLexingtonKentuckyUSA
| | - Terry D. Hinds
- Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional SciencesUniversity of Kentucky College of MedicineLexingtonKentuckyUSA
- Barnstable Brown Diabetes CenterUniversity of Kentucky College of MedicineLexingtonKentuckyUSA
- Markey Cancer CenterUniversity of Kentucky College of MedicineLexingtonKentuckyUSA
| | - Martha L. Peterson
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular GeneticsUniversity of Kentucky College of MedicineLexingtonKentuckyUSA
- Markey Cancer CenterUniversity of Kentucky College of MedicineLexingtonKentuckyUSA
| | - Brett T. Spear
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular GeneticsUniversity of Kentucky College of MedicineLexingtonKentuckyUSA
- Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional SciencesUniversity of Kentucky College of MedicineLexingtonKentuckyUSA
- Markey Cancer CenterUniversity of Kentucky College of MedicineLexingtonKentuckyUSA
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6
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Beierle JA, Yao EJ, Goldstein SI, Lynch WB, Scotellaro JL, Shah AA, Sena KD, Wong AL, Linnertz CL, Averin O, Moody DE, Reilly CA, Peltz G, Emili A, Ferris MT, Bryant CD. Zhx2 Is a Candidate Gene Underlying Oxymorphone Metabolite Brain Concentration Associated with State-Dependent Oxycodone Reward. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2022; 382:167-180. [PMID: 35688478 PMCID: PMC9341249 DOI: 10.1124/jpet.122.001217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the pharmacogenomics of opioid metabolism and behavior is vital to therapeutic success, as mutations can dramatically alter therapeutic efficacy and addiction liability. We found robust, sex-dependent BALB/c substrain differences in oxycodone behaviors and whole brain concentration of oxycodone metabolites. BALB/cJ females showed robust state-dependent oxycodone reward learning as measured via conditioned place preference when compared with the closely related BALB/cByJ substrain. Accordingly, BALB/cJ females also showed a robust increase in brain concentration of the inactive metabolite noroxycodone and the active metabolite oxymorphone compared with BALB/cByJ mice. Oxymorphone is a highly potent, full agonist at the mu opioid receptor that could enhance drug-induced interoception and state-dependent oxycodone reward learning. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping in a BALB/c F2 reduced complexity cross revealed one major QTL on chromosome 15 underlying brain oxymorphone concentration that explained 32% of the female variance. BALB/cJ and BALB/cByJ differ by fewer than 10,000 variants, which can greatly facilitate candidate gene/variant identification. Hippocampal and striatal cis-expression QTL (eQTL) and exon-level eQTL analysis identified Zhx2, a candidate gene coding for a transcriptional repressor with a private BALB/cJ retroviral insertion that reduces Zhx2 expression and sex-dependent dysregulation of cytochrome P450 enzymes. Whole brain proteomics corroborated the Zhx2 eQTL and identified upregulated CYP2D11 that could increase brain oxymorphone in BALB/cJ females. To summarize, Zhx2 is a highly promising candidate gene underlying brain oxycodone metabolite levels. Future studies will validate Zhx2 and its site of action using reciprocal gene editing and tissue-specific viral manipulations in BALB/c substrains. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Our findings show that genetic variation can result in sex-specific alterations in whole brain concentration of a bioactive opioid metabolite after oxycodone administration, reinforcing the need for sex as a biological factor in pharmacogenomic studies. The cooccurrence of female-specific increased oxymorphone and state-dependent reward learning suggests that this minor yet potent and efficacious metabolite of oxycodone could increase opioid interoception and drug-cue associative learning of opioid reward, which has implications for cue-induced relapse of drug-seeking behavior and for precision pharmacogenetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob A Beierle
- Ph.D. Program in Biomolecular Pharmacology (J.A.B., S.I.G.), Laboratory of Addiction Genetics, Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and Psychiatry (J.A.B., E.J.Y., W.B.L., J.L.S., A.A.S., K.D.S., A.L.W., C.D.B.), Department of Biology and Biochemistry, Center for Network Systems Biology (S.I.G., A.E.), and Graduate Program in Neuroscience (W.B.L), Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; Transformative Training Program in Addiction Science (TTPAS) (J.A.B., W.B.L.) and Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (J.L.S., K.D.S.), Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina (C.L.L., M.T.F.); Department of Pharmacology and Toxicity, Center for Human Toxicology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah (O.A., D.E.M., C.A.R.); and Department of Anesthesiology, Pain, and Preoperative Medicine Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California (G.P.)
| | - Emily J Yao
- Ph.D. Program in Biomolecular Pharmacology (J.A.B., S.I.G.), Laboratory of Addiction Genetics, Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and Psychiatry (J.A.B., E.J.Y., W.B.L., J.L.S., A.A.S., K.D.S., A.L.W., C.D.B.), Department of Biology and Biochemistry, Center for Network Systems Biology (S.I.G., A.E.), and Graduate Program in Neuroscience (W.B.L), Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; Transformative Training Program in Addiction Science (TTPAS) (J.A.B., W.B.L.) and Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (J.L.S., K.D.S.), Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina (C.L.L., M.T.F.); Department of Pharmacology and Toxicity, Center for Human Toxicology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah (O.A., D.E.M., C.A.R.); and Department of Anesthesiology, Pain, and Preoperative Medicine Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California (G.P.)
| | - Stanley I Goldstein
- Ph.D. Program in Biomolecular Pharmacology (J.A.B., S.I.G.), Laboratory of Addiction Genetics, Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and Psychiatry (J.A.B., E.J.Y., W.B.L., J.L.S., A.A.S., K.D.S., A.L.W., C.D.B.), Department of Biology and Biochemistry, Center for Network Systems Biology (S.I.G., A.E.), and Graduate Program in Neuroscience (W.B.L), Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; Transformative Training Program in Addiction Science (TTPAS) (J.A.B., W.B.L.) and Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (J.L.S., K.D.S.), Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina (C.L.L., M.T.F.); Department of Pharmacology and Toxicity, Center for Human Toxicology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah (O.A., D.E.M., C.A.R.); and Department of Anesthesiology, Pain, and Preoperative Medicine Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California (G.P.)
| | - William B Lynch
- Ph.D. Program in Biomolecular Pharmacology (J.A.B., S.I.G.), Laboratory of Addiction Genetics, Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and Psychiatry (J.A.B., E.J.Y., W.B.L., J.L.S., A.A.S., K.D.S., A.L.W., C.D.B.), Department of Biology and Biochemistry, Center for Network Systems Biology (S.I.G., A.E.), and Graduate Program in Neuroscience (W.B.L), Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; Transformative Training Program in Addiction Science (TTPAS) (J.A.B., W.B.L.) and Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (J.L.S., K.D.S.), Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina (C.L.L., M.T.F.); Department of Pharmacology and Toxicity, Center for Human Toxicology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah (O.A., D.E.M., C.A.R.); and Department of Anesthesiology, Pain, and Preoperative Medicine Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California (G.P.)
| | - Julia L Scotellaro
- Ph.D. Program in Biomolecular Pharmacology (J.A.B., S.I.G.), Laboratory of Addiction Genetics, Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and Psychiatry (J.A.B., E.J.Y., W.B.L., J.L.S., A.A.S., K.D.S., A.L.W., C.D.B.), Department of Biology and Biochemistry, Center for Network Systems Biology (S.I.G., A.E.), and Graduate Program in Neuroscience (W.B.L), Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; Transformative Training Program in Addiction Science (TTPAS) (J.A.B., W.B.L.) and Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (J.L.S., K.D.S.), Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina (C.L.L., M.T.F.); Department of Pharmacology and Toxicity, Center for Human Toxicology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah (O.A., D.E.M., C.A.R.); and Department of Anesthesiology, Pain, and Preoperative Medicine Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California (G.P.)
| | - Anyaa A Shah
- Ph.D. Program in Biomolecular Pharmacology (J.A.B., S.I.G.), Laboratory of Addiction Genetics, Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and Psychiatry (J.A.B., E.J.Y., W.B.L., J.L.S., A.A.S., K.D.S., A.L.W., C.D.B.), Department of Biology and Biochemistry, Center for Network Systems Biology (S.I.G., A.E.), and Graduate Program in Neuroscience (W.B.L), Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; Transformative Training Program in Addiction Science (TTPAS) (J.A.B., W.B.L.) and Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (J.L.S., K.D.S.), Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina (C.L.L., M.T.F.); Department of Pharmacology and Toxicity, Center for Human Toxicology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah (O.A., D.E.M., C.A.R.); and Department of Anesthesiology, Pain, and Preoperative Medicine Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California (G.P.)
| | - Katherine D Sena
- Ph.D. Program in Biomolecular Pharmacology (J.A.B., S.I.G.), Laboratory of Addiction Genetics, Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and Psychiatry (J.A.B., E.J.Y., W.B.L., J.L.S., A.A.S., K.D.S., A.L.W., C.D.B.), Department of Biology and Biochemistry, Center for Network Systems Biology (S.I.G., A.E.), and Graduate Program in Neuroscience (W.B.L), Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; Transformative Training Program in Addiction Science (TTPAS) (J.A.B., W.B.L.) and Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (J.L.S., K.D.S.), Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina (C.L.L., M.T.F.); Department of Pharmacology and Toxicity, Center for Human Toxicology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah (O.A., D.E.M., C.A.R.); and Department of Anesthesiology, Pain, and Preoperative Medicine Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California (G.P.)
| | - Alyssa L Wong
- Ph.D. Program in Biomolecular Pharmacology (J.A.B., S.I.G.), Laboratory of Addiction Genetics, Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and Psychiatry (J.A.B., E.J.Y., W.B.L., J.L.S., A.A.S., K.D.S., A.L.W., C.D.B.), Department of Biology and Biochemistry, Center for Network Systems Biology (S.I.G., A.E.), and Graduate Program in Neuroscience (W.B.L), Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; Transformative Training Program in Addiction Science (TTPAS) (J.A.B., W.B.L.) and Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (J.L.S., K.D.S.), Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina (C.L.L., M.T.F.); Department of Pharmacology and Toxicity, Center for Human Toxicology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah (O.A., D.E.M., C.A.R.); and Department of Anesthesiology, Pain, and Preoperative Medicine Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California (G.P.)
| | - Colton L Linnertz
- Ph.D. Program in Biomolecular Pharmacology (J.A.B., S.I.G.), Laboratory of Addiction Genetics, Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and Psychiatry (J.A.B., E.J.Y., W.B.L., J.L.S., A.A.S., K.D.S., A.L.W., C.D.B.), Department of Biology and Biochemistry, Center for Network Systems Biology (S.I.G., A.E.), and Graduate Program in Neuroscience (W.B.L), Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; Transformative Training Program in Addiction Science (TTPAS) (J.A.B., W.B.L.) and Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (J.L.S., K.D.S.), Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina (C.L.L., M.T.F.); Department of Pharmacology and Toxicity, Center for Human Toxicology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah (O.A., D.E.M., C.A.R.); and Department of Anesthesiology, Pain, and Preoperative Medicine Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California (G.P.)
| | - Olga Averin
- Ph.D. Program in Biomolecular Pharmacology (J.A.B., S.I.G.), Laboratory of Addiction Genetics, Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and Psychiatry (J.A.B., E.J.Y., W.B.L., J.L.S., A.A.S., K.D.S., A.L.W., C.D.B.), Department of Biology and Biochemistry, Center for Network Systems Biology (S.I.G., A.E.), and Graduate Program in Neuroscience (W.B.L), Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; Transformative Training Program in Addiction Science (TTPAS) (J.A.B., W.B.L.) and Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (J.L.S., K.D.S.), Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina (C.L.L., M.T.F.); Department of Pharmacology and Toxicity, Center for Human Toxicology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah (O.A., D.E.M., C.A.R.); and Department of Anesthesiology, Pain, and Preoperative Medicine Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California (G.P.)
| | - David E Moody
- Ph.D. Program in Biomolecular Pharmacology (J.A.B., S.I.G.), Laboratory of Addiction Genetics, Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and Psychiatry (J.A.B., E.J.Y., W.B.L., J.L.S., A.A.S., K.D.S., A.L.W., C.D.B.), Department of Biology and Biochemistry, Center for Network Systems Biology (S.I.G., A.E.), and Graduate Program in Neuroscience (W.B.L), Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; Transformative Training Program in Addiction Science (TTPAS) (J.A.B., W.B.L.) and Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (J.L.S., K.D.S.), Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina (C.L.L., M.T.F.); Department of Pharmacology and Toxicity, Center for Human Toxicology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah (O.A., D.E.M., C.A.R.); and Department of Anesthesiology, Pain, and Preoperative Medicine Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California (G.P.)
| | - Christopher A Reilly
- Ph.D. Program in Biomolecular Pharmacology (J.A.B., S.I.G.), Laboratory of Addiction Genetics, Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and Psychiatry (J.A.B., E.J.Y., W.B.L., J.L.S., A.A.S., K.D.S., A.L.W., C.D.B.), Department of Biology and Biochemistry, Center for Network Systems Biology (S.I.G., A.E.), and Graduate Program in Neuroscience (W.B.L), Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; Transformative Training Program in Addiction Science (TTPAS) (J.A.B., W.B.L.) and Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (J.L.S., K.D.S.), Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina (C.L.L., M.T.F.); Department of Pharmacology and Toxicity, Center for Human Toxicology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah (O.A., D.E.M., C.A.R.); and Department of Anesthesiology, Pain, and Preoperative Medicine Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California (G.P.)
| | - Gary Peltz
- Ph.D. Program in Biomolecular Pharmacology (J.A.B., S.I.G.), Laboratory of Addiction Genetics, Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and Psychiatry (J.A.B., E.J.Y., W.B.L., J.L.S., A.A.S., K.D.S., A.L.W., C.D.B.), Department of Biology and Biochemistry, Center for Network Systems Biology (S.I.G., A.E.), and Graduate Program in Neuroscience (W.B.L), Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; Transformative Training Program in Addiction Science (TTPAS) (J.A.B., W.B.L.) and Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (J.L.S., K.D.S.), Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina (C.L.L., M.T.F.); Department of Pharmacology and Toxicity, Center for Human Toxicology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah (O.A., D.E.M., C.A.R.); and Department of Anesthesiology, Pain, and Preoperative Medicine Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California (G.P.)
| | - Andrew Emili
- Ph.D. Program in Biomolecular Pharmacology (J.A.B., S.I.G.), Laboratory of Addiction Genetics, Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and Psychiatry (J.A.B., E.J.Y., W.B.L., J.L.S., A.A.S., K.D.S., A.L.W., C.D.B.), Department of Biology and Biochemistry, Center for Network Systems Biology (S.I.G., A.E.), and Graduate Program in Neuroscience (W.B.L), Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; Transformative Training Program in Addiction Science (TTPAS) (J.A.B., W.B.L.) and Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (J.L.S., K.D.S.), Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina (C.L.L., M.T.F.); Department of Pharmacology and Toxicity, Center for Human Toxicology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah (O.A., D.E.M., C.A.R.); and Department of Anesthesiology, Pain, and Preoperative Medicine Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California (G.P.)
| | - Martin T Ferris
- Ph.D. Program in Biomolecular Pharmacology (J.A.B., S.I.G.), Laboratory of Addiction Genetics, Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and Psychiatry (J.A.B., E.J.Y., W.B.L., J.L.S., A.A.S., K.D.S., A.L.W., C.D.B.), Department of Biology and Biochemistry, Center for Network Systems Biology (S.I.G., A.E.), and Graduate Program in Neuroscience (W.B.L), Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; Transformative Training Program in Addiction Science (TTPAS) (J.A.B., W.B.L.) and Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (J.L.S., K.D.S.), Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina (C.L.L., M.T.F.); Department of Pharmacology and Toxicity, Center for Human Toxicology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah (O.A., D.E.M., C.A.R.); and Department of Anesthesiology, Pain, and Preoperative Medicine Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California (G.P.)
| | - Camron D Bryant
- Ph.D. Program in Biomolecular Pharmacology (J.A.B., S.I.G.), Laboratory of Addiction Genetics, Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and Psychiatry (J.A.B., E.J.Y., W.B.L., J.L.S., A.A.S., K.D.S., A.L.W., C.D.B.), Department of Biology and Biochemistry, Center for Network Systems Biology (S.I.G., A.E.), and Graduate Program in Neuroscience (W.B.L), Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; Transformative Training Program in Addiction Science (TTPAS) (J.A.B., W.B.L.) and Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (J.L.S., K.D.S.), Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina (C.L.L., M.T.F.); Department of Pharmacology and Toxicity, Center for Human Toxicology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah (O.A., D.E.M., C.A.R.); and Department of Anesthesiology, Pain, and Preoperative Medicine Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California (G.P.)
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7
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Conner MM, Parker HV, Falcone DR, Chung G, Schaner Tooley CE. Novel regulation of the transcription factor ZHX2 by N-terminal methylation. Transcription 2022; 13:1-15. [PMID: 35613330 DOI: 10.1080/21541264.2022.2079184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
N-terminal methylation (Nα-methylation) by the methyltransferase NRMT1 is an important post-translational modification that regulates protein-DNA interactions. Accordingly, its loss impairs functions that are reliant on such interactions, including DNA repair and transcriptional regulation. The global loss of Nα-methylation results in severe developmental and premature aging phenotypes, but given over 300 predicted substrates, it is hard to discern which physiological substrates contribute to each phenotype. One of the most striking phenotypes in NRMT1 knockout (Nrmt1-/-) mice is early liver degeneration. To identify the disrupted signaling pathways leading to this phenotype and the NRMT1 substrates involved, we performed RNA-sequencing analysis of control and Nrmt1-/- adult mouse livers. We found both a significant upregulation of transcripts in the cytochrome P450 (CYP) family and downregulation of transcripts in the major urinary protein (MUP) family. Interestingly, transcription of both families is inversely regulated by the transcription factor zinc fingers and homeoboxes 2 (ZHX2). ZHX2 contains a non-canonical NRMT1 consensus sequence, indicating that its function could be directly regulated by Nα-methylation. We confirmed misregulation of CYP and MUP mRNA and protein levels in Nrmt1-/- livers and verified NRMT1 can methylate ZHX2 in vitro. In addition, we used a mutant of ZHX2 that cannot be methylated to directly demonstrate Nα-methylation promotes ZHX2 transcription factor activity and target promoter occupancy. Finally, we show Nrmt1-/- mice also exhibit early postnatal de-repression of ZHX2 targets involved in fetal liver development. Taken together, these data implicate ZHX2 misregulation as a driving force behind the liver phenotype seen in Nrmt1-/- mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meghan M Conner
- Department of Biochemistry, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Haley V Parker
- Department of Biochemistry, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Daniela R Falcone
- Department of Biochemistry, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Gehoon Chung
- Department of Oral Physiology and Program in Neurobiology, School of Dentistry, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Christine E Schaner Tooley
- Department of Biochemistry, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
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8
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Sex-dependent dynamics of metabolism in primary mouse hepatocytes. Arch Toxicol 2021; 95:3001-3013. [PMID: 34241659 PMCID: PMC8380230 DOI: 10.1007/s00204-021-03118-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 07/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
The liver is one of the most sexually dimorphic organs. The hepatic metabolic pathways that are subject to sexual dimorphism include xenobiotic, amino acid and lipid metabolism. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma are among diseases with sex-dependent prevalence, progression and outcome. Although male and female livers differ in their abilities to metabolize foreign compounds, including drugs, sex-dependent treatment and pharmacological dynamics are rarely applied in all relevant cases. Therefore, it is important to consider hepatic sexual dimorphism when developing new treatment strategies and to understand the underlying mechanisms in model systems. We isolated primary hepatocytes from male and female C57BL6/N mice and examined the sex-dependent transcriptome, proteome and extracellular metabolome parameters in the course of culturing them for 96 h. The sex-specific gene expression of the general xenobiotic pathway altered and the female-specific expression of Cyp2b13 and Cyp2b9 was significantly reduced during culture. Sex-dependent differences of several signaling pathways increased, including genes related to serotonin and melatonin degradation. Furthermore, the ratios of male and female gene expression were inversed for other pathways, such as amino acid degradation, beta-oxidation, androgen signaling and hepatic steatosis. Because the primary hepatocytes were cultivated without the influence of known regulators of sexual dimorphism, these results suggest currently unknown modulatory mechanisms of sexual dimorphism in vitro. The large sex-dependent differences in the regulation and dynamics of drug metabolism observed during cultivation can have an immense influence on the evaluation of pharmacodynamic processes when conducting initial preclinical trials to investigate potential new drugs.
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9
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Jaiswal SK, Gupta A, Shafer ABA, P. K. VP, Vijay N, Sharma VK. Genomic Insights Into the Molecular Basis of Sexual Selection in Birds. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.538498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexual selection is a well-known biological process, yet the genomic basis and patterns of sexual selection are not fully understood. The extravagant ornamental plumage of peacock (Pavo cristatus) was instrumental in shaping Charles Darwin's theory of sexual selection and is considered to be an honest signal of its immunocompetence. Here, we used the recently generated draft genome sequence of peafowl (Pavo cristatus) and carried out a comparative analysis across 11 bird genomes that encompass a range of sexual selection and also had high-quality genomic and phenotypic data publically available to study the genomic basis of sexual selection. We found that varying degree of purifying selection was the predominant mechanism of action for sexual selection at the genome-wide scale and observed that sexual selection mostly influences genes regulating gene expression and protein processing. Specifically, the genome-wide phylogenetically corrected regression analysis supported the continuous or ongoing model of sexual selection. Genes involved in nucleic acid binding and gene expression regulation, including a specific regulator of sex-determination known as TRA2A to be under positive selection in the species with high post-copulatory sexual selection manifested as high sperm competition. We also detected specific feather-related and immune-related gene-pairs evolving under similar selection pressures across the 11 species, including peacock (Pavo cristatus), which is consistent with the Hamilton-Zuk hypothesis. The comparative genomics analysis of 11 avian taxa has provided new insights on the molecular underpinnings of sexual selection and identifies specific genomic regions for future in-depth analysis.
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10
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Nail AN, Spear BT, Peterson ML. Highly homologous mouse Cyp2a4 and Cyp2a5 genes are differentially expressed in the liver and both express long non-coding antisense RNAs. Gene 2020; 767:145162. [PMID: 32987105 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2020.145162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2020] [Revised: 09/04/2020] [Accepted: 09/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The mammalian Cytochrome P450 (Cyp) gene superfamily encodes enzymes involved in numerous metabolic pathways and are frequently expressed in the liver. Despite the remarkably high sequence similarity of Cyp2a4 and Cyp2a5 genes and their surrounding genomic regions, they exhibit differences in expression in the adult mouse liver. For example, Cyp2a4 is highly female-biased whereas Cyp2a5 is only moderately female-biased and Cyp2a4, but not Cyp2a5, is activated in liver cancer. We hypothesized that the limited sequence differences may help us identify the basis for this differential expression. An antisense expressed sequence tag had been uniquely annotated to the Cyp2a4 gene which led us to investigate this transcript as a possible regulator of this gene. We characterized the full-length antisense transcript and also discovered a similar transcript in the Cyp2a5 gene. These transcripts are nuclear long noncoding RNAs that are expressed similarly to their sense mRNA counterparts. This includes the sex-biased and liver tumor differences seen between the Cyp2a4 and Cyp2a5 genes, but we also find that these two genes and their antisense transcripts are expressed within different zones of the liver structure. Interestingly, while the differences in sex-biased expression of the mRNAs are established 1-2 months after birth, the antisense transcripts exhibit these expression differences earlier, at 3-4 weeks after birth. By analyzing published genomic data, we have identified candidate transcription factor binding sites that could account for differences in Cyp2a4/Cyp2a5 expression. Taken together, these studies characterize the first antisense RNAs within the Cyp supergene family and identify potential transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms governing different Cyp2a4 and Cyp2a5 expression patterns in mouse liver.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra N Nail
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, USA
| | - Brett T Spear
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, USA; Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY 40536, USA
| | - Martha L Peterson
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, USA; Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY 40536, USA.
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11
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Wu Z, Ma H, Wang L, Song X, Zhang J, Liu W, Ge Y, Sun Y, Yu X, Wang Z, Wang J, Zhang Y, Li C, Li N, Gao L, Liang X, Yue X, Ma C. Tumor suppressor ZHX2 inhibits NAFLD-HCC progression via blocking LPL-mediated lipid uptake. Cell Death Differ 2019; 27:1693-1708. [PMID: 31740790 PMCID: PMC7206072 DOI: 10.1038/s41418-019-0453-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2019] [Revised: 10/27/2019] [Accepted: 10/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) leads to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the underlying mechanism remains largely unclear. Here, we investigated the role of the tumor suppressor Zinc fingers and homeoboxes 2 (ZHX2) in the progression of NAFLD to HCC. ZHX2 expression was significantly decreased in fatty liver tissues, especially in the liver with NAFLD–HCC. ZHX2 overexpression disturbed lipid homeostasis of cultured HCC cells, and inhibited lipid deposition in hepatocytes both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, ZHX2 inhibited uptake of exogenous lipids through transcriptional suppression of lipid lipase (LPL), leading to retarded proliferation of HCC cells. Importantly, LPL overexpression significantly reversed ZHX2-mediated inhibition of HCC cell proliferation, xenograft tumor growth, lipid deposition, and spontaneous liver tumor formation. Consistently, IHC staining demonstrated a negative correlation of ZHX2 with LPL in an HCC cohort. Collectively, ZHX2 protects hepatocytes from abnormal lipid deposition in NAFLD through transcriptional repression of LPL, which subsequently retards cell growth and NAFLD–HCC progression. These findings illustrate a novel mechanism of NAFLD progression into HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhuanchang Wu
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education and Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Science, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, PR China
| | - Hongxin Ma
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education and Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Science, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, PR China.,Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Cancer Hospital & Institute Affiliated to Shandong University, Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, PR China
| | - Liyuan Wang
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education and Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Science, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, PR China
| | - Xiaojia Song
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education and Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Science, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, PR China
| | - Jie Zhang
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education and Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Science, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, PR China
| | - Wen Liu
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education and Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Science, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, PR China
| | - Yutong Ge
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education and Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Science, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, PR China
| | - Yang Sun
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education and Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Science, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, PR China
| | - Xiangguo Yu
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education and Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Science, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, PR China
| | - Zehua Wang
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education and Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Science, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, PR China
| | - Jianping Wang
- Department of General Surgery, Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, PR China
| | - Yankun Zhang
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education and Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Science, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, PR China
| | - Chunyang Li
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education and Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Science, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, PR China
| | - Nailin Li
- Karolinska Institutet, Department of Medicine-Solna, Clinical Pharmacology Group, 171 76, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Lifen Gao
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education and Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Science, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, PR China
| | - Xiaohong Liang
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education and Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Science, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, PR China
| | - Xuetian Yue
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education and Department of Cell Biology, School of Basic Medical Science, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, PR China.
| | - Chunhong Ma
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education and Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Science, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, PR China.
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12
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Clinkenbeard EL, Turpin C, Jiang J, Peterson ML, Spear BT. Liver size and lipid content differences between BALB/c and BALB/cJ mice on a high-fat diet are due, in part, to Zhx2. Mamm Genome 2019; 30:226-236. [PMID: 31321500 DOI: 10.1007/s00335-019-09811-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2019] [Accepted: 07/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BALB/cJ mice exhibit considerable phenotypic differences with other BALB/c substrains. Some of these traits involve the liver, including persistent postnatal expression of genes that are normally expressed only in the fetal liver and reduced expression of major urinary proteins. These traits are due to a mutation that dramatically reduces expression of the gene encoding the transcription factor Zinc fingers and homeoboxes 2 (Zhx2). BALB/cJ mice also exhibit reduced serum lipid levels and resistance to atherosclerosis compared to other mouse strains when placed on a high-fat diet. This trait is also due, at least in part, to the Zhx2 mutation. Microarray analysis identified many genes affecting lipid homeostasis, including Lipoprotein lipase, that are dysregulated in BALB/cJ liver. This led us to investigate whether hepatic lipid levels would be different between BALB/cJ and BALB/c mice when placed on a normal chow or a high-fat chow diet. On the high-fat chow, BALB/cJ mice had increased weight gain, increased liver:body weight ratio, elevated hepatic lipid accumulation and markers of liver damage when compared to BALB/c mice. These traits in BALB/cJ mice were only partially reversed by a hepatocyte-specific Zhx2 transgene. These data indicate that Zhx2 reduces liver lipid levels and is hepatoprotective in mice on a high-fat diet, but the partial rescue by the Zhx2 transgene suggests a contribution by both parenchymal and non-parenchymal cells. A model to account for the cardiovascular and liver phenotype in mice with reduced Zhx2 levels is provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica L Clinkenbeard
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
| | - Courtney Turpin
- Department of Pharmacology & Nutritional Sciences, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA
| | - Jieyun Jiang
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA
| | - Martha L Peterson
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA
- Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA
| | - Brett T Spear
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA.
- Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA.
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13
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Loss of liver-specific and sexually dimorphic gene expression by aryl hydrocarbon receptor activation in C57BL/6 mice. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0184842. [PMID: 28922406 PMCID: PMC5602546 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0184842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2017] [Accepted: 08/31/2017] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a highly conserved transcription factor that mediates a broad spectrum of species-, strain-, sex-, age-, tissue-, and cell-specific responses elicited by structurally diverse ligands including 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). Dose-dependent effects on liver-specific and sexually dimorphic gene expression were examined in male and female mice gavaged with TCDD every 4 days for 28 or 92 days. RNA-seq data revealed the coordinated repression of 181 genes predominately expressed in the liver including albumin (3.7-fold), α-fibrinogen (14.5-fold), and β-fibrinogen (17.4-fold) in males with corresponding AhR enrichment at 2 hr. Liver-specific genes exhibiting sexually dimorphic expression also demonstrated diminished divergence between sexes. For example, male-biased Gstp1 was repressed 3.0-fold in males and induced 4.5-fold in females, which were confirmed at the protein level. Disrupted regulation is consistent with impaired GHR-JAK2-STAT5 signaling and inhibition of female specific CUX2-mediated transcription as well as the repression of other key transcriptional regulators including Ghr, Stat5b, Bcl6, Hnf4a, Hnf6, Foxa1/2/3, and Zhx2. Attenuated liver-specific and sexually dimorphic gene expression was concurrent with the induction of fetal genes such as alpha-fetoprotein. The results suggest AhR activation causes the loss of liver-specific and sexually dimorphic gene expression producing a functionally "de-differentiated" hepatic phenotype.
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Pope C, Mishra S, Russell J, Zhou Q, Zhong XB. Targeting H19, an Imprinted Long Non-Coding RNA, in Hepatic Functions and Liver Diseases. Diseases 2017; 5:E11. [PMID: 28933364 PMCID: PMC5456333 DOI: 10.3390/diseases5010011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2017] [Accepted: 03/03/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
H19 is a long non-coding RNA regulated by genomic imprinting through methylation at the locus between H19 and IGF2. H19 is important in normal liver development, controlling proliferation and impacting genes involved in an important network controlling fetal development. H19 also plays a major role in disease progression, particularly in hepatocellular carcinoma. H19 participates in the epigenetic regulation of many processes impacting diseases, such as activating the miR-200 pathway by histone acetylation to inhibit the epithelial-mesenchymal transition to suppress tumor metastasis. Furthermore, H19's normal regulation is disturbed in diseases, such as hepatocellular carcinoma. In this disease, aberrant epigenetic maintenance results in biallelic expression of IGF2, leading to uncontrolled cellular proliferation. This review aims to further research utilizing H19 for drug discovery and the treatment of liver diseases by focusing on both the epigenetic regulation of H19 and how H19 regulates normal liver functions and diseases, particularly by epigenetic mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chad Pope
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Connecticut, 69 N Eagleville Road, Storrs, CT 06269, USA.
| | - Shashank Mishra
- Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, University of Connecticut, 75 N Eagleville Road, Storrs, CT 06269, USA.
| | - Joshua Russell
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Connecticut, 69 N Eagleville Road, Storrs, CT 06269, USA.
| | - Qingqing Zhou
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Connecticut, 69 N Eagleville Road, Storrs, CT 06269, USA.
| | - Xiao-Bo Zhong
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Connecticut, 69 N Eagleville Road, Storrs, CT 06269, USA.
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Jiang J, Creasy KT, Purnell J, Peterson ML, Spear BT. Zhx2 (zinc fingers and homeoboxes 2) regulates major urinary protein gene expression in the mouse liver. J Biol Chem 2017; 292:6765-6774. [PMID: 28258223 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m116.768275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2016] [Revised: 02/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The mouse major urinary proteins (Mups) are encoded by a large family of highly related genes clustered on chromosome 4. Mups, synthesized primarily and abundantly in the liver and secreted through the kidneys, exhibit male-biased expression. Mups bind a variety of volatile ligands; these ligands, and Mup proteins themselves, influence numerous behavioral traits. Although urinary Mup protein levels vary between inbred mouse strains, this difference is most pronounced in BALB/cJ mice, which have dramatically low urinary Mup levels; this BALB/cJ trait had been mapped to a locus on chromosome 15. We previously identified Zhx2 (zinc fingers and homeoboxes 2) as a regulator of numerous liver-enriched genes. Zhx2 is located on chromosome 15, and a natural hypomorphic mutation in the BALB/cJ Zhx2 allele dramatically reduces Zhx2 expression. Based on these data, we hypothesized that reduced Zhx2 levels are responsible for lower Mup expression in BALB/cJ mice. Using both transgenic and knock-out mice along with in vitro assays, our data show that Zhx2 binds Mup promoters and is required for high levels of Mup expression in the adult liver. In contrast to previously identified Zhx2 targets that appear to be repressed by Zhx2, Mup genes are positively regulated by Zhx2. These data identify Zhx2 as a novel regulator of Mup expression and indicate that Zhx2 activates as well as represses expression of target genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jieyun Jiang
- From the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics,
| | | | - Justin Purnell
- From the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics
| | - Martha L Peterson
- From the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics.,Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, Kentucky 40536
| | - Brett T Spear
- From the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, .,Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, and.,Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, Kentucky 40536
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