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Jimenez-Gonzalez A, Ansaloni F, Nebendahl C, Alavioon G, Murray D, Robak W, Sanges R, Müller F, Immler S. Paternal starvation affects metabolic gene expression during zebrafish offspring development and lifelong fitness. Mol Ecol 2024; 33:e17296. [PMID: 38361456 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2023] [Revised: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
Dietary restriction in the form of fasting is a putative key to a healthier and longer life, but these benefits may come at a trade-off with reproductive fitness and may affect the following generation(s). The potential inter- and transgenerational effects of long-term fasting and starvation are particularly poorly understood in vertebrates when they originate from the paternal line. We utilised the externally fertilising zebrafish amenable to a split-egg clutch design to explore the male-specific effects of fasting/starvation on fertility and fitness of offspring independently of maternal contribution. Eighteen days of fasting resulted in reduced fertility in exposed males. While average offspring survival was not affected, we detected increased larval growth rate in F1 offspring from starved males and more malformed embryos at 24 h post-fertilisation in F2 offspring produced by F1 offspring from starved males. Comparing the transcriptomes of F1 embryos sired by starved and fed fathers revealed robust and reproducible increased expression of muscle composition genes but lower expression of lipid metabolism and lysosome genes in embryos from starved fathers. A large proportion of these genes showed enrichment in the yolk syncytial layer suggesting gene regulatory responses associated with metabolism of nutrients through paternal effects on extra-embryonic tissues which are loaded with maternal factors. We compared the embryo transcriptomes to published adult transcriptome datasets and found comparable repressive effects of starvation on metabolism-associated genes. These similarities suggest a physiologically relevant, directed and potentially adaptive response transmitted by the father, independently from the offspring's nutritional state, which was defined by the mother.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ada Jimenez-Gonzalez
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Federico Ansaloni
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
- Central RNA Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Genova, Italy
- Area of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
| | | | - Ghazal Alavioon
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - David Murray
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
- Centre for Environment, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Science, Lowestoft, UK
| | - Weronika Robak
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Remo Sanges
- Central RNA Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Genova, Italy
- Area of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
| | - Ferenc Müller
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Simone Immler
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
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Bárcenas-Walls JR, Ansaloni F, Hervé B, Strandback E, Nyman T, Castelo-Branco G, Bartošovič M. Nano-CUT&Tag for multimodal chromatin profiling at single-cell resolution. Nat Protoc 2024; 19:791-830. [PMID: 38129675 DOI: 10.1038/s41596-023-00932-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
The ability to comprehensively analyze the chromatin state with single-cell resolution is crucial for understanding gene regulatory principles in heterogenous tissues or during development. Recently, we developed a nanobody-based single-cell CUT&Tag (nano-CT) protocol to simultaneously profile three epigenetic modalities-two histone marks and open chromatin state-from the same single cell. Nano-CT implements a new set of secondary nanobody-Tn5 fusion proteins to direct barcoded tagmentation by Tn5 transposase to genomic targets labeled by primary antibodies raised in different species. Such nanobody-Tn5 fusion proteins are currently not commercially available, and their in-house production and purification can be completed in 3-4 d by following our detailed protocol. The single-cell indexing in nano-CT is performed on a commercially available platform, making it widely accessible to the community. In comparison to other multimodal methods, nano-CT stands out in data complexity, low sample requirements and the flexibility to choose two of the three modalities. In addition, nano-CT works efficiently with fresh brain samples, generating multimodal epigenomic profiles for thousands of brain cells at single-cell resolution. The nano-CT protocol can be completed in just 3 d by users with basic skills in standard molecular biology and bioinformatics, although previous experience with single-cell assay for transposase-accessible chromatin using sequencing (scATAC-seq) is beneficial for more in-depth data analysis. As a multimodal assay, nano-CT holds immense potential to reveal interactions of various chromatin modalities, to explore epigenetic heterogeneity and to increase our understanding of the role and interplay that chromatin dynamics has in cellular development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Federico Ansaloni
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Bastien Hervé
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Emilia Strandback
- Protein Science Facility, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Tomas Nyman
- Protein Science Facility, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Gonçalo Castelo-Branco
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Ming Wai Lau Centre for Reparative Medicine, Stockholm node, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Marek Bartošovič
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
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Mangoni D, Simi A, Lau P, Armaos A, Ansaloni F, Codino A, Damiani D, Floreani L, Di Carlo V, Vozzi D, Persichetti F, Santoro C, Pandolfini L, Tartaglia GG, Sanges R, Gustincich S. LINE-1 regulates cortical development by acting as long non-coding RNAs. Nat Commun 2023; 14:4974. [PMID: 37591988 PMCID: PMC10435495 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40743-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2022] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Long Interspersed Nuclear Elements-1s (L1s) are transposable elements that constitute most of the genome's transcriptional output yet have still largely unknown functions. Here we show that L1s are required for proper mouse brain corticogenesis operating as regulatory long non-coding RNAs. They contribute to the regulation of the balance between neuronal progenitors and differentiation, the migration of post-mitotic neurons and the proportions of different cell types. In cortical cultured neurons, L1 RNAs are mainly associated to chromatin and interact with the Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2) protein subunits enhancer of Zeste homolog 2 (Ezh2) and suppressor of zeste 12 (Suz12). L1 RNA silencing influences PRC2's ability to bind a portion of its targets and the deposition of tri-methylated histone H3 (H3K27me3) marks. Our results position L1 RNAs as crucial signalling hubs for genome-wide chromatin remodelling, enabling the fine-tuning of gene expression during brain development and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damiano Mangoni
- Central RNA Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Genova, Italy
| | - Alessandro Simi
- Central RNA Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Genova, Italy
| | - Pierre Lau
- Central RNA Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Genova, Italy
| | - Alexandros Armaos
- Central RNA Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Genova, Italy
| | - Federico Ansaloni
- Central RNA Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Genova, Italy
| | - Azzurra Codino
- Central RNA Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Genova, Italy
| | - Devid Damiani
- Central RNA Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Genova, Italy
| | - Lavinia Floreani
- Area of Neuroscience, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
| | - Valerio Di Carlo
- Central RNA Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Genova, Italy
| | - Diego Vozzi
- Central RNA Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Genova, Italy
| | - Francesca Persichetti
- Department of Health Sciences and Research Center on Autoimmune and Allergic Diseases (CAAD), University of Piemonte Orientale (UPO), Novara, Italy
| | - Claudio Santoro
- Department of Health Sciences and Research Center on Autoimmune and Allergic Diseases (CAAD), University of Piemonte Orientale (UPO), Novara, Italy
| | - Luca Pandolfini
- Central RNA Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Genova, Italy
| | | | - Remo Sanges
- Central RNA Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Genova, Italy.
- Area of Neuroscience, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Trieste, Italy.
| | - Stefano Gustincich
- Central RNA Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Genova, Italy.
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Ansaloni F, Gustincich S, Sanges R. In silico characterisation of minor wave genes and LINE-1s transcriptional dynamics at murine zygotic genome activation. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1124266. [PMID: 37389353 PMCID: PMC10300423 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1124266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: In mouse, the zygotic genome activation (ZGA) is coordinated by MERVL elements, a class of LTR retrotransposons. In addition to MERVL, another class of retrotransposons, LINE-1 elements, recently came under the spotlight as key regulators of murine ZGA. In particular, LINE-1 transcripts seem to be required to switch-off the transcriptional program started by MERVL sequences, suggesting an antagonistic interplay between LINE-1 and MERVL pathways. Methods: To better investigate the activities of LINE-1 and MERVL elements at ZGA, we integrated publicly available transcriptomics (RNA-seq), chromatin accessibility (ATAC-seq) and Pol-II binding (Stacc-seq) datasets and characterised the transcriptional and epigenetic dynamics of such elements during murine ZGA. Results: We identified two likely distinct transcriptional activities characterising the murine zygotic genome at ZGA onset. On the one hand, our results confirmed that ZGA minor wave genes are preferentially transcribed from MERVL-rich and gene-dense genomic compartments, such as gene clusters. On the other hand, we identified a set of evolutionary young and likely transcriptionally autonomous LINE-1s located in intergenic and gene-poor regions showing, at the same stage, features such as open chromatin and RNA Pol II binding suggesting them to be, at least, poised for transcription. Discussion: These results suggest that, across evolution, transcription of two different classes of transposable elements, MERVLs and LINE-1s, have likely been confined in genic and intergenic regions respectively in order to maintain and regulate two successive transcriptional programs at ZGA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Ansaloni
- Area of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
- Central RNA Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia—IIT, Genova, Italy
| | - Stefano Gustincich
- Central RNA Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia—IIT, Genova, Italy
| | - Remo Sanges
- Area of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
- Central RNA Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia—IIT, Genova, Italy
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Hadzhiev Y, Wheatley L, Cooper L, Ansaloni F, Whalley C, Chen Z, Finaurini S, Gustincich S, Sanges R, Burgess S, Beggs A, Müller F. The miR-430 locus with extreme promoter density forms a transcription body during the minor wave of zygotic genome activation. Dev Cell 2023; 58:155-170.e8. [PMID: 36693321 PMCID: PMC9904021 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2022.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Revised: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
In anamniote embryos, the major wave of zygotic genome activation starts during the mid-blastula transition. However, some genes escape global genome repression, are activated substantially earlier, and contribute to the minor wave of genome activation. The mechanisms underlying the minor wave of genome activation are little understood. We explored the genomic organization and cis-regulatory mechanisms of a transcription body, in which the minor wave of genome activation is first detected in zebrafish. We identified the miR-430 cluster as having excessive copy number and the highest density of Pol-II-transcribed promoters in the genome, and this is required for forming the transcription body. However, this transcription body is not essential for, nor does it encompasse, minor wave transcription globally. Instead, distinct minor-wave-specific promoter architecture suggests that promoter-autonomous mechanisms regulate the minor wave of genome activation. The minor-wave-specific features also suggest distinct transcription initiation mechanisms between the minor and major waves of genome activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yavor Hadzhiev
- Institute of Cancer and Genomics Sciences, Birmingham Centre for Genome Biology, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Lucy Wheatley
- Institute of Cancer and Genomics Sciences, Birmingham Centre for Genome Biology, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Ledean Cooper
- Institute of Cancer and Genomics Sciences, Birmingham Centre for Genome Biology, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Federico Ansaloni
- Institute of Cancer and Genomics Sciences, Birmingham Centre for Genome Biology, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK; Area of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), 34136 Trieste, Italy; Central RNA Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), 16163 Genoa, Italy
| | - Celina Whalley
- Institute of Cancer and Genomics Sciences, Birmingham Centre for Genome Biology, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Zhelin Chen
- South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China; Translational and Functional Genomics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-2152, USA
| | - Sara Finaurini
- Area of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), 34136 Trieste, Italy
| | - Stefano Gustincich
- Central RNA Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), 16163 Genoa, Italy
| | - Remo Sanges
- Area of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), 34136 Trieste, Italy; Central RNA Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), 16163 Genoa, Italy
| | - Shawn Burgess
- Translational and Functional Genomics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-2152, USA
| | - Andrew Beggs
- Institute of Cancer and Genomics Sciences, Birmingham Centre for Genome Biology, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Ferenc Müller
- Institute of Cancer and Genomics Sciences, Birmingham Centre for Genome Biology, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK.
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6
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Esposito M, Gualandi N, Spirito G, Ansaloni F, Gustincich S, Sanges R. Transposons Acting as Competitive Endogenous RNAs: In-Silico Evidence from Datasets Characterised by L1 Overexpression. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10123279. [PMID: 36552034 PMCID: PMC9776036 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10123279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2022] [Revised: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
LINE L1 are transposable elements that can replicate within the genome by passing through RNA intermediates. The vast majority of these element copies in the human genome are inactive and just between 100 and 150 copies are still able to mobilize. During evolution, they could have been positively selected for beneficial cellular functions. Nonetheless, L1 deregulation can be detrimental to the cell, causing diseases such as cancer. The activity of miRNAs represents a fundamental mechanism for controlling transcript levels in somatic cells. These are a class of small non-coding RNAs that cause degradation or translational inhibition of their target transcripts. Beyond this, competitive endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs), mostly made by circular and non-coding RNAs, have been seen to compete for the binding of the same set of miRNAs targeting protein coding genes. In this study, we have investigated whether autonomously transcribed L1s may act as ceRNAs by analyzing public dataset in-silico. We observed that genes sharing miRNA target sites with L1 have a tendency to be upregulated when L1 are overexpressed, suggesting the possibility that L1 might act as ceRNAs. This finding will help in the interpretation of transcriptomic responses in contexts characterized by the specific activation of transposons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mauro Esposito
- Computational Genomics Laboratory, Area of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), 34136 Trieste, Italy
| | - Nicolò Gualandi
- Computational Genomics Laboratory, Area of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), 34136 Trieste, Italy
| | - Giovanni Spirito
- Computational Genomics Laboratory, Area of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), 34136 Trieste, Italy
- CMP3vda, via Lavoratori Vittime del Col Du Mont 28, 11100 Aosta, Italy
| | - Federico Ansaloni
- Computational Genomics Laboratory, Area of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), 34136 Trieste, Italy
- Central RNA Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 16132 Genova, Italy
| | - Stefano Gustincich
- CMP3vda, via Lavoratori Vittime del Col Du Mont 28, 11100 Aosta, Italy
- Central RNA Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 16132 Genova, Italy
| | - Remo Sanges
- Computational Genomics Laboratory, Area of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), 34136 Trieste, Italy
- Central RNA Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 16132 Genova, Italy
- Correspondence:
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7
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Ansaloni F, Gualandi N, Esposito M, Gustincich S, Sanges R. TEspeX: consensus-specific quantification of transposable element expression preventing biases from exonized fragments. Bioinformatics 2022; 38:4430-4433. [PMID: 35876845 PMCID: PMC9477521 DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btac526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Revised: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
SUMMARY Transposable elements (TEs) play key roles in crucial biological pathways. Therefore, several tools enabling the quantification of their expression were recently developed. However, many of the existing tools lack the capability to distinguish between the transcription of autonomously expressed TEs and TE fragments embedded in canonical coding/non-coding non-TE transcripts. Consequently, an apparent change in the expression of a given TE may simply reflect the variation in the expression of the transcripts containing TE-derived sequences. To overcome this issue, we have developed TEspeX, a pipeline for the quantification of TE expression at the consensus level. TEspeX uses Illumina RNA-seq short reads to quantify TE expression avoiding counting reads deriving from inactive TE fragments embedded in canonical transcripts. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION The tool is implemented in python3, distributed under the GNU General Public License (GPL) and available on Github at https://github.com/fansalon/TEspeX (Zenodo URL: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6800331). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Ansaloni
- Area of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Trieste 34136, Italy,Central RNA Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova 16163, Italy
| | - Nicolò Gualandi
- Area of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Trieste 34136, Italy
| | - Mauro Esposito
- Area of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Trieste 34136, Italy
| | | | - Remo Sanges
- To whom correspondence should be addressed. or
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Petrosino G, Ponte G, Volpe M, Zarrella I, Ansaloni F, Langella C, Di Cristina G, Finaurini S, Russo MT, Basu S, Musacchia F, Ristoratore F, Pavlinic D, Benes V, Ferrante MI, Albertin C, Simakov O, Gustincich S, Fiorito G, Sanges R. Identification of LINE retrotransposons and long non-coding RNAs expressed in the octopus brain. BMC Biol 2022; 20:116. [PMID: 35581640 PMCID: PMC9115989 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-022-01303-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2021] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Transposable elements (TEs) widely contribute to the evolution of genomes allowing genomic innovations, generating germinal and somatic heterogeneity, and giving birth to long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). These features have been associated to the evolution, functioning, and complexity of the nervous system at such a level that somatic retrotransposition of long interspersed element (LINE) L1 has been proposed to be associated to human cognition. Among invertebrates, octopuses are fascinating animals whose nervous system reaches a high level of complexity achieving sophisticated cognitive abilities. The sequencing of the genome of the Octopus bimaculoides revealed a striking expansion of TEs which were proposed to have contributed to the evolution of its complex nervous system. We recently found a similar expansion also in the genome of Octopus vulgaris. However, a specific search for the existence and the transcription of full-length transpositionally competent TEs has not been performed in this genus. Results Here, we report the identification of LINE elements competent for retrotransposition in Octopus vulgaris and Octopus bimaculoides and show evidence suggesting that they might be transcribed and determine germline and somatic polymorphisms especially in the brain. Transcription and translation measured for one of these elements resulted in specific signals in neurons belonging to areas associated with behavioral plasticity. We also report the transcription of thousands of lncRNAs and the pervasive inclusion of TE fragments in the transcriptomes of both Octopus species, further testifying the crucial activity of TEs in the evolution of the octopus genomes. Conclusions The neural transcriptome of the octopus shows the transcription of thousands of putative lncRNAs and of a full-length LINE element belonging to the RTE class. We speculate that a convergent evolutionary process involving retrotransposons activity in the brain has been important for the evolution of sophisticated cognitive abilities in this genus. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12915-022-01303-5.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Petrosino
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, SZN, 80121, Naples, Italy.,Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB), Mainz, Germany
| | - Giovanna Ponte
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, SZN, 80121, Naples, Italy
| | - Massimiliano Volpe
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, SZN, 80121, Naples, Italy.,Central RNA Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Via Enrico Melen 83, 16152, Genova, Italy.,Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Ilaria Zarrella
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, SZN, 80121, Naples, Italy
| | - Federico Ansaloni
- Central RNA Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Via Enrico Melen 83, 16152, Genova, Italy
| | - Concetta Langella
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, SZN, 80121, Naples, Italy
| | - Giulia Di Cristina
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, SZN, 80121, Naples, Italy.,Institute of Zoology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Sara Finaurini
- Neurobiology Sector, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Via Bonomea 265, 34136, Trieste, Italy
| | - Monia T Russo
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, SZN, 80121, Naples, Italy
| | - Swaraj Basu
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, SZN, 80121, Naples, Italy.,Strand Life Sciences, Bengaluru, India
| | - Francesco Musacchia
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, SZN, 80121, Naples, Italy
| | - Filomena Ristoratore
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, SZN, 80121, Naples, Italy
| | - Dinko Pavlinic
- Scientific Core Facilities & Technologies, GeneCore, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Meyerhofstrasse 1, 69117, Heidelberg, Germany.,Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Vladimir Benes
- Scientific Core Facilities & Technologies, GeneCore, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Meyerhofstrasse 1, 69117, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Maria I Ferrante
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, SZN, 80121, Naples, Italy
| | | | - Oleg Simakov
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna, Okinawa, 9040495, Japan.,Department of Molecular Evolution and Development, Wien University, Althanstraße 14 (UZA I), 1090, Wien, Austria
| | - Stefano Gustincich
- Central RNA Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Via Enrico Melen 83, 16152, Genova, Italy.,Neurobiology Sector, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Via Bonomea 265, 34136, Trieste, Italy
| | - Graziano Fiorito
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, SZN, 80121, Naples, Italy.
| | - Remo Sanges
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, SZN, 80121, Naples, Italy. .,Central RNA Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Via Enrico Melen 83, 16152, Genova, Italy. .,Neurobiology Sector, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Via Bonomea 265, 34136, Trieste, Italy.
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Casale AM, Liguori F, Ansaloni F, Cappucci U, Finaurini S, Spirito G, Persichetti F, Sanges R, Gustincich S, Piacentini L. Transposable element activation promotes neurodegeneration in a Drosophila model of Huntington's disease. iScience 2022; 25:103702. [PMID: 35036881 PMCID: PMC8752904 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.103702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Revised: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant disorder with progressive motor dysfunction and cognitive decline. The disease is caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the IT15 gene, which elongates a polyglutamine stretch of the HD protein, Huntingtin. No therapeutic treatments are available, and new pharmacological targets are needed. Retrotransposons are transposable elements (TEs) that represent 40% and 30% of the human and Drosophila genomes and replicate through an RNA intermediate. Mounting evidence suggests that mammalian TEs are active during neurogenesis and may be involved in diseases of the nervous system. Here we show that TE expression and mobilization are increased in a Drosophila melanogaster HD model. By inhibiting TE mobilization with Reverse Transcriptase inhibitors, polyQ-dependent eye neurodegeneration and genome instability in larval brains are rescued and fly lifespan is increased. These results suggest that TE activation may be involved in polyQ-induced neurotoxicity and a potential pharmacological target. Transposable elements: new pathogenic players in Huntington's disease polyQ-Htt expression leads to widespread heterochromatin relaxation Reverse transcriptase inhibitors rescue HD-induced neurodegeneration
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Affiliation(s)
- Assunta Maria Casale
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "C. Darwin", Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesco Liguori
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "C. Darwin", Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Federico Ansaloni
- Area of Neuroscience, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
| | - Ugo Cappucci
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "C. Darwin", Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Sara Finaurini
- Department of Health Sciences, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy
| | - Giovanni Spirito
- Area of Neuroscience, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
| | | | - Remo Sanges
- Area of Neuroscience, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Trieste, Italy.,Central RNA Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy
| | | | - Lucia Piacentini
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "C. Darwin", Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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10
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Floreani L, Ansaloni F, Mangoni D, Agostoni E, Sanges R, Persichetti F, Gustincich S. Analysis of LINE1 Retrotransposons in Huntington’s Disease. Front Cell Neurosci 2022; 15:743797. [PMID: 35095420 PMCID: PMC8795916 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2021.743797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 12/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Transposable elements (TEs) are mobile genetic elements that made up about half the human genome. Among them, the autonomous non-LTR retrotransposon long interspersed nuclear element-1 (L1) is the only currently active TE in mammals and covers about 17% of the mammalian genome. L1s exert their function as structural elements in the genome, as transcribed RNAs to influence chromatin structure and as retrotransposed elements to shape genomic variation in somatic cells. L1s activity has been shown altered in several diseases of the nervous system. Huntington disease (HD) is a dominantly inherited neurodegenerative disorder caused by an expansion of a CAG repeat in the HTT gene which leads to a gradual loss of neurons most prominently in the striatum and, to a lesser extent, in cortical brain regions. The length of the expanded CAG tract is related to age at disease onset, with longer repeats leading to earlier onset. Here we carried out bioinformatic analysis of public RNA-seq data of a panel of HD mouse models showing that a decrease of L1 RNA expression recapitulates two hallmarks of the disease: it correlates to CAG repeat length and it occurs in the striatum, the site of neurodegeneration. Results were then experimentally validated in HttQ111 knock-in mice. The expression of L1-encoded proteins was independent from L1 RNA levels and differentially regulated in time and tissues. The pattern of expression L1 RNAs in human HD post-mortem brains showed similarity to mouse models of the disease. This work suggests the need for further study of L1s in HD and adds support to the current hypothesis that dysregulation of TEs may be involved in neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lavinia Floreani
- Area of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
| | - Federico Ansaloni
- Area of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
- Central RNA Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia—IIT, Genova, Italy
| | - Damiano Mangoni
- Central RNA Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia—IIT, Genova, Italy
| | - Elena Agostoni
- Area of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
| | - Remo Sanges
- Area of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
- Central RNA Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia—IIT, Genova, Italy
- *Correspondence: Remo Sanges,
| | - Francesca Persichetti
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Piemonte Orientale “ A. Avogadro,”Novara, Italy
- Francesca Persichetti,
| | - Stefano Gustincich
- Area of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
- Central RNA Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia—IIT, Genova, Italy
- Stefano Gustincich,
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11
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Napoletano F, Ferrari Bravo G, Voto IAP, Santin A, Celora L, Campaner E, Dezi C, Bertossi A, Valentino E, Santorsola M, Rustighi A, Fajner V, Maspero E, Ansaloni F, Cancila V, Valenti CF, Santo M, Artimagnella OB, Finaurini S, Gioia U, Polo S, Sanges R, Tripodo C, Mallamaci A, Gustincich S, d'Adda di Fagagna F, Mantovani F, Specchia V, Del Sal G. The prolyl-isomerase PIN1 is essential for nuclear Lamin-B structure and function and protects heterochromatin under mechanical stress. Cell Rep 2021; 36:109694. [PMID: 34525372 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Revised: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Chromatin organization plays a crucial role in tissue homeostasis. Heterochromatin relaxation and consequent unscheduled mobilization of transposable elements (TEs) are emerging as key contributors of aging and aging-related pathologies, including Alzheimer's disease (AD) and cancer. However, the mechanisms governing heterochromatin maintenance or its relaxation in pathological conditions remain poorly understood. Here we show that PIN1, the only phosphorylation-specific cis/trans prolyl isomerase, whose loss is associated with premature aging and AD, is essential to preserve heterochromatin. We demonstrate that this PIN1 function is conserved from Drosophila to humans and prevents TE mobilization-dependent neurodegeneration and cognitive defects. Mechanistically, PIN1 maintains nuclear type-B Lamin structure and anchoring function for heterochromatin protein 1α (HP1α). This mechanism prevents nuclear envelope alterations and heterochromatin relaxation under mechanical stress, which is a key contributor to aging-related pathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Napoletano
- Laboratorio Nazionale CIB (LNCIB), Area Science Park, Padriciano 99, 34149 Trieste, Italy; Department of Life Sciences (DSV), University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy.
| | - Gloria Ferrari Bravo
- Laboratorio Nazionale CIB (LNCIB), Area Science Park, Padriciano 99, 34149 Trieste, Italy; Department of Life Sciences (DSV), University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Ilaria Anna Pia Voto
- Laboratorio Nazionale CIB (LNCIB), Area Science Park, Padriciano 99, 34149 Trieste, Italy
| | - Aurora Santin
- Laboratorio Nazionale CIB (LNCIB), Area Science Park, Padriciano 99, 34149 Trieste, Italy
| | - Lucia Celora
- Laboratorio Nazionale CIB (LNCIB), Area Science Park, Padriciano 99, 34149 Trieste, Italy
| | - Elena Campaner
- Laboratorio Nazionale CIB (LNCIB), Area Science Park, Padriciano 99, 34149 Trieste, Italy; Department of Life Sciences (DSV), University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Clara Dezi
- Department of Life Sciences (DSV), University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Arianna Bertossi
- Laboratorio Nazionale CIB (LNCIB), Area Science Park, Padriciano 99, 34149 Trieste, Italy; Department of Life Sciences (DSV), University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Elena Valentino
- Laboratorio Nazionale CIB (LNCIB), Area Science Park, Padriciano 99, 34149 Trieste, Italy
| | - Mariangela Santorsola
- Laboratorio Nazionale CIB (LNCIB), Area Science Park, Padriciano 99, 34149 Trieste, Italy; Department of Life Sciences (DSV), University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Alessandra Rustighi
- Laboratorio Nazionale CIB (LNCIB), Area Science Park, Padriciano 99, 34149 Trieste, Italy; Department of Life Sciences (DSV), University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | | | - Elena Maspero
- FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology (IFOM), 20139 Milan, Italy
| | - Federico Ansaloni
- Area of Neuroscience, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), 34146 Trieste, Italy
| | - Valeria Cancila
- Tumor Immunology Unit, Department of Health Science, Human Pathology Section, School of Medicine, University of Palermo, 90133 Palermo, Italy
| | - Cesare Fabio Valenti
- Tumor Immunology Unit, Department of Health Science, Human Pathology Section, School of Medicine, University of Palermo, 90133 Palermo, Italy
| | - Manuela Santo
- Area of Neuroscience, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), 34146 Trieste, Italy
| | | | - Sara Finaurini
- Area of Neuroscience, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), 34146 Trieste, Italy
| | - Ubaldo Gioia
- FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology (IFOM), 20139 Milan, Italy
| | - Simona Polo
- FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology (IFOM), 20139 Milan, Italy
| | - Remo Sanges
- Area of Neuroscience, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), 34146 Trieste, Italy
| | - Claudio Tripodo
- FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology (IFOM), 20139 Milan, Italy; Tumor Immunology Unit, Department of Health Science, Human Pathology Section, School of Medicine, University of Palermo, 90133 Palermo, Italy
| | - Antonello Mallamaci
- Area of Neuroscience, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), 34146 Trieste, Italy
| | - Stefano Gustincich
- Area of Neuroscience, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), 34146 Trieste, Italy; Central RNA Laboratory, Italian Institute of Technology, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Fabrizio d'Adda di Fagagna
- FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology (IFOM), 20139 Milan, Italy; Institute of Molecular Genetics, National Research Institute (CNR), Pavia, Italy
| | - Fiamma Mantovani
- Laboratorio Nazionale CIB (LNCIB), Area Science Park, Padriciano 99, 34149 Trieste, Italy; Department of Life Sciences (DSV), University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Valeria Specchia
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies (DiSTeBA), University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy
| | - Giannino Del Sal
- Laboratorio Nazionale CIB (LNCIB), Area Science Park, Padriciano 99, 34149 Trieste, Italy; Department of Life Sciences (DSV), University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy; FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology (IFOM), 20139 Milan, Italy.
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12
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Masci A, D"alessandro N, Scivoletto A, Severi S, Ansaloni F, Dal Monte A, Tomasi C, Fabbri C, Corsi C. Endocardial left atrial appendage occlusion in atrial fibrillation: computational fluid dynamics simulations to assess stroke risk. Europace 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/europace/euab116.173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Funding Acknowledgements
Type of funding sources: None.
Background
Percutaneous endocardial left atrial appendage (LAA) occlusion (LAAO) in non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) seems comparable to anticoagulation therapy (OAC) as regards thromboembolic risk reduction with a possible additional decrease in major bleeding. LAAO is currently limited to patients with contraindications to OAC, due to its high costs and procedural risks, but better pre-procedural planning and operative techniques might improve the outcome widening practical indications. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) represents a valuable non-invasive approach to estimate physiologically significant hemodynamic parameters in a complex fluid dynamics system. It might provide a helpful in silico simulation of blood flow patterns within the LA and LAA by using 3D patient-specific models, allowing LAAO planning and effects prediction.
Purpose
This study’s aim was to simulate the fluid dynamics effects of LAAO in AF patients to predict patient-specific hemodynamic changes caused by applying the two most popular devices.
Methods
LAAO was simulated on the 3D LA anatomical models obtained from CT data in 5 AF patients, considering the device specific shape. CFD simulations in AF condition were performed both on the whole LA model and on the models with the LAAO performed with the two devices. Significant fluid dynamics indices (blood velocity, vortex structures, LAA ostium velocity, LA blood stasis) were computed to evaluate the changes in the flow patterns after LAAO in relation to the thrombogenic risk.
Results
Overall we found a more effective washout within the LA after LAAO, in terms of a different spatial distribution of velocities (see figure for a qualitative evaluation of LA blood flow velocity in one patient: (A) model with LA and LAA; models after LAAO applying the Amulet (B) and the Watchman (C) device) and vortex structures (after LAAO, they were decreased in number and increased in size). Moreover, a higher velocity at the mitral valve and at the LAA ostium (peak velocity: 12-17 cm/s in the models with LAA, 40-60 cm/s in LAAO_A and 35-65 in LAAO_W) was detected together with a slightly improved washout effect in terms of blood stasis with the Watchman device (stasis: 3.1-5.7% in the models with LAA, 1.9-4.1% in LAAO_A, 1.7-3.7% in LAAO_W).
Conclusions
A workflow for simulating the fluid dynamics effects of endocardial LAAO in AF was developed and tested. CFD provides a valuable tool to quantify hemodynamic changes after LAAO and assess thrombogenic risk in patient-specific LA and LAA. Our preliminary results suggest that endocardial LAAO favourably affects blood fluid dynamics in the LA. Abstract figure
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Affiliation(s)
- A Masci
- DEI, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | | | | | - S Severi
- DEI, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - F Ansaloni
- Santa Maria delle Croci Hospital, AUSL della Romagna, Ravenna, Italy
| | - A Dal Monte
- Santa Maria delle Croci Hospital, AUSL della Romagna, Ravenna, Italy
| | - C Tomasi
- Santa Maria delle Croci Hospital, AUSL della Romagna, Ravenna, Italy
| | - C Fabbri
- DEI, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - C Corsi
- DEI, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
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13
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Ansaloni F, Gerdol M, Torboli V, Fornaini NR, Greco S, Giulianini PG, Coscia MR, Miccoli A, Santovito G, Buonocore F, Scapigliati G, Pallavicini A. Cold Adaptation in Antarctic Notothenioids: Comparative Transcriptomics Reveals Novel Insights in the Peculiar Role of Gills and Highlights Signatures of Cobalamin Deficiency. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22041812. [PMID: 33670421 PMCID: PMC7918649 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22041812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Revised: 02/04/2021] [Accepted: 02/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Far from being devoid of life, Antarctic waters are home to Cryonotothenioidea, which represent one of the fascinating cases of evolutionary adaptation to extreme environmental conditions in vertebrates. Thanks to a series of unique morphological and physiological peculiarities, which include the paradigmatic case of loss of hemoglobin in the family Channichthyidae, these fish survive and thrive at sub-zero temperatures. While some of the distinctive features of such adaptations have been known for decades, our knowledge of their genetic and molecular bases is still limited. We generated a reference de novo assembly of the icefish Chionodraco hamatus transcriptome and used this resource for a large-scale comparative analysis among five red-blooded Cryonotothenioidea, the sub-Antarctic notothenioid Eleginops maclovinus and seven temperate teleost species. Our investigation targeted the gills, a tissue of primary importance for gaseous exchange, osmoregulation, ammonia excretion, and its role in fish immunity. One hundred and twenty genes were identified as significantly up-regulated in Antarctic species and surprisingly shared by red- and white-blooded notothenioids, unveiling several previously unreported molecular players that might have contributed to the evolutionary success of Cryonotothenioidea in Antarctica. In particular, we detected cobalamin deficiency signatures and discussed the possible biological implications of this condition concerning hematological alterations and the heavy parasitic loads typically observed in all Cryonotothenioidea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Ansaloni
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy; (F.A.); (V.T.); (N.R.F.); (S.G.); (P.G.G.); (A.P.)
- International School for Advanced Studies, 34136 Trieste, Italy
| | - Marco Gerdol
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy; (F.A.); (V.T.); (N.R.F.); (S.G.); (P.G.G.); (A.P.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Valentina Torboli
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy; (F.A.); (V.T.); (N.R.F.); (S.G.); (P.G.G.); (A.P.)
| | - Nicola Reinaldo Fornaini
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy; (F.A.); (V.T.); (N.R.F.); (S.G.); (P.G.G.); (A.P.)
- Department of Cell Biology, Charles University, 12800 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Samuele Greco
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy; (F.A.); (V.T.); (N.R.F.); (S.G.); (P.G.G.); (A.P.)
| | - Piero Giulio Giulianini
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy; (F.A.); (V.T.); (N.R.F.); (S.G.); (P.G.G.); (A.P.)
| | - Maria Rosaria Coscia
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, National Research Council of Italy, 80131 Naples, Italy;
| | - Andrea Miccoli
- Department for Innovation in Biological, Agro-Food and Forest Systems, University of Tuscia, 01100 Viterbo, Italy; (A.M.); (F.B.); (G.S.)
| | | | - Francesco Buonocore
- Department for Innovation in Biological, Agro-Food and Forest Systems, University of Tuscia, 01100 Viterbo, Italy; (A.M.); (F.B.); (G.S.)
| | - Giuseppe Scapigliati
- Department for Innovation in Biological, Agro-Food and Forest Systems, University of Tuscia, 01100 Viterbo, Italy; (A.M.); (F.B.); (G.S.)
| | - Alberto Pallavicini
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy; (F.A.); (V.T.); (N.R.F.); (S.G.); (P.G.G.); (A.P.)
- Anton Dohrn Zoological Station, 80122 Naples, Italy
- National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics, 34010 Trieste, Italy
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14
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Ansaloni F, Scarpato M, Di Schiavi E, Gustincich S, Sanges R. Exploratory analysis of transposable elements expression in the C. elegans early embryo. BMC Bioinformatics 2019; 20:484. [PMID: 31757208 PMCID: PMC6873666 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-019-3088-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2019] [Accepted: 09/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Transposable Elements (TE) are mobile sequences that make up large portions of eukaryote genomes. The functions they play within the complex cellular architecture are still not clearly understood, but it is becoming evident that TE have a role in several physiological and pathological processes. In particular, it has been shown that TE transcription is necessary for the correct development of mice embryos and that their expression is able to finely modulate transcription of coding and non-coding genes. Moreover, their activity in the central nervous system (CNS) and other tissues has been correlated with the creation of somatic mosaicisms and with pathologies such as neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases as well as cancers. RESULTS We analyzed TE expression among different cell types of the Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) early embryo asking if, where and when TE are expressed and whether their expression is correlated with genes playing a role in early embryo development. To answer these questions, we took advantage of a public C. elegans embryonic single-cell RNA-seq (sc-RNAseq) dataset and developed a bioinformatics pipeline able to quantify reads mapping specifically against TE, avoiding counting reads mapping on TE fragments embedded in coding/non-coding transcripts. Our results suggest that i) canonical TE expression analysis tools, which do not discard reads mapping on TE fragments embedded in annotated transcripts, may over-estimate TE expression levels, ii) Long Terminal Repeats (LTR) elements are mostly expressed in undifferentiated cells and might play a role in pluripotency maintenance and activation of the innate immune response, iii) non-LTR are expressed in differentiated cells, in particular in neurons and nervous system-associated tissues, and iv) DNA TE are homogenously expressed throughout the C. elegans early embryo development. CONCLUSIONS TE expression appears finely modulated in the C. elegans early embryo and different TE classes are expressed in different cell types and stages, suggesting that TE might play diverse functions during early embryo development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Ansaloni
- Area of Neuroscience, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
| | - Margherita Scarpato
- Central RNA Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Genova, Italy
| | - Elia Di Schiavi
- Institute of Biosciences and BioResources (IBBR), CNR, Napoli, Italy
| | - Stefano Gustincich
- Area of Neuroscience, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
- Central RNA Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Genova, Italy
| | - Remo Sanges
- Area of Neuroscience, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
- Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Napoli, Italy
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15
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Feliciani G, Francesca S, Barbieri S, Del Duca M, Mazzotti G, Ravaglia V, Sarnelli A, Parenti G, Ansaloni F, Albarello F, Menghi E. EP-1995: Robustness of textural features in ADC maps with different contouring for prostate cancer patients. Radiother Oncol 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/s0167-8140(18)32304-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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16
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Farnedi S, Scrittori N, Ansaloni F. Analysis of dosimetric data from CT examination collected with RDIM system, territorial area of Ravenna, AUSL della Romagna. Phys Med 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmp.2016.01.262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022] Open
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17
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Palandri F, Bonifazi F, Rossi C, Falcioni S, Arpinati M, Giannini MB, Ansaloni F, Bandini G, Baccarani M. Successful treatment of severe hemorrhagic cystitis with selective vesical artery embolization. Bone Marrow Transplant 2005; 35:529-30. [PMID: 15665843 DOI: 10.1038/sj.bmt.1704818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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