Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Deciphering The Role Of Rna Structure In Translation Efficiency., Jianan Lin, Yang Chen, Yuping Zhang, Haifan Lin, Zhengqing Ouyang

Faculty Research 2022

BACKGROUND: RNA secondary structure has broad impact on the fate of RNA metabolism. The reduced stability of secondary structures near the translation initiation site/start codon of the coding region promotes the efficiency of translation in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic species. However, the inaccuracy of in silico folding and the focus on the coding region limit our understanding of the global relationship between the whole mRNA structure and translation efficiency. Leveraging high-throughput RNA structure probing data in the transcriptome, we aim to systematically investigate the role of RNA structure in regulating translation efficiency.

RESULTS: Here, we analyze the influences of hundreds …

Large-Scale Crispri And Transcriptomics Of Staphylococcus Epidermidis Identify Genetic Factors Implicated In Lifestyle Versatility., Michelle Spoto, Johanna P. Riera Puma, Elizabeth Fleming, Changhui Guan, Yvette Ondouah Nzutchi, Dean Kim, Julia Oh

Faculty Research 2022

Staphylococcus epidermidis is a ubiquitous human commensal skin bacterium that is also one of the most prevalent nosocomial pathogens. The genetic factors underlying this remarkable lifestyle plasticity are incompletely understood, mainly due to the difficulties of genetic manipulation, precluding high-throughput functional profiling of this species. To probe the versatility of S. epidermidis to survive across a diversity of environmental conditions, we developed a large-scale CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) screen complemented by transcriptional profiling (RNA sequencing) across 24 diverse conditions and piloted a droplet-based CRISPRi approach to enhance throughput and sensitivity. We identified putative essential genes, importantly revealing amino acid metabolism as …

Multiplex Immunofluorescence-Guided Laser Capture Microdissection For Spatial Transcriptomics Of Metastatic Melanoma Tissues., Jan Martinek, Te-Chia Wu, Lili Sun, Jianan Lin, Kyung In Kim, Florentina Marches, Paul Robson, Joshy George, Karolina Palucka

Faculty Research 2022

We describe a pipeline for optimized and streamlined multiplexed immunofluorescence-guided laser capture microdissection allowing the harvest of individual cells based on their phenotype and tissue localization for transcriptomic analysis with next-generation RNA sequencing. Here, we analyze transcriptomes of CD3+ T cells, CD14+ monocytes/macrophages, and melanoma cells in non-dissociated metastatic melanoma tissue. While this protocol is described for melanoma tissues, we successfully applied it to human tonsil, skin, and breast cancer tissues as well as mouse lung tissues. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Martinek et al. (2022).

Extrachromosomal Dna (Ecdna): An Origin Of Tumor Heterogeneity, Genomic Remodeling, And Drug Resistance., Lauren T Pecorino, Roel G W Verhaak, Anton Henssen, Paul S Mischel

Faculty Research 2022

The genome of cancer cells contains circular extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA) elements not found in normal cells. Analysis of clinical samples reveal they are common in most cancers and their presence indicates poor prognosis. They often contain enhancers and driver oncogenes that are highly expressed. The circular ecDNA topology leads to an open chromatin conformation and generates new gene regulatory interactions, including with distal enhancers. The absence of centromeres leads to random distribution of ecDNAs during cell division and genes encoded on them are transmitted in a non-mendelian manner. ecDNA can integrate into and exit from chromosomal DNA. The numbers of …

Loss Of Pex1 In Inner Ear Hair Cells Contributes To Cochlear Synaptopathy And Hearing Loss., Stephanie A Mauriac, Thibault Peineau, Aamir Zuberi, Cathleen Lutz, Gwénaëlle S G Géléoc

Faculty Research 2022

Peroxisome Biogenesis Disorders (PBD) and Zellweger syndrome spectrum disorders (ZSD) are rare genetic multisystem disorders that include hearing impairment and are associated with defects in peroxisome assembly, function, or both. Mutations in 13 peroxin (PEX) genes have been found to cause PBD-ZSD with ~70% of patients harboring mutations in PEX1. Limited research has focused on the impact of peroxisomal disorders on auditory function. As sensory hair cells are particularly vulnerable to metabolic changes, we hypothesize that mutations in PEX1 lead to oxidative stress affecting hair cells of the inner ear, subsequently resulting in hair cell degeneration and hearing loss. Global …

Taxonomic Assessment Of Two Wild House Mouse Subspecies Using Whole-Genome Sequencing., Raman Akinyanju Lawal, Verity L Mathis, Mary Barter, Jeremy R. Charette, Alexis Garretson, Beth L Dumont

Faculty Research 2022

The house mouse species complex (Mus musculus) is comprised of three primary subspecies. A large number of secondary subspecies have also been suggested on the basis of divergent morphology and molecular variation at limited numbers of markers. While the phylogenetic relationships among the primary M. musculus subspecies are well-defined, relationships among secondary subspecies and between secondary and primary subspecies remain less clear. Here, we integrate de novo genome sequencing of museum-stored specimens of house mice from one secondary subspecies (M. m. bactrianus) and publicly available genome sequences of house mice previously characterized as M. m. helgolandicus, with whole genome sequences …

Distinct Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha Receptors Dictate Stem Cell Fitness Versus Lineage Output In Dnmt3a-Mutant Clonal Hematopoiesis., Jennifer M. Sanmiguel, Elizabeth Eudy, Matthew A. Loberg, Kira Young, Jayna J. Mistry, Kristina D. Mujica, Logan S. Schwartz, Timothy M. Stearns, Grant A Challen, Jennifer J. Trowbridge

Faculty Research 2022

Clonal hematopoiesis resulting from the enhanced fitness of mutant hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) associates with both favorable and unfavorable health outcomes related to the types of mature mutant blood cells produced, but how this lineage output is regulated is unclear. Using a mouse model of a clonal hematopoiesis-associated mutation, DNMT3AR882/+ (Dnmt3aR878H/+), we found that aging-induced TNFα signaling promoted the selective advantage of mutant HSCs and stimulated the production of mutant B lymphoid cells. The genetic loss of the TNFα receptor TNFR1 ablated the selective advantage of mutant HSCs without altering their lineage output, whereas the loss of TNFR2 resulted in …

Natural Coevolution Of Tumor And Immunoenvironment In Glioblastoma., Lingxiang Wu, Wei Wu, Junxia Zhang, Zheng Zhao, Liangyu Li, Mengyan Zhu, Min Wu, Fan Wu, Fengqi Zhou, Yuxin Du, Rui-Chao Chai, Wei Zhang, Xiaoguang Qiu, Quanzhong Liu, Ziyu Wang, Jie Li, Kening Li, Apeng Chen, Yinan Jiang, Xiangwei Xiao, Han Zou, Rashmi Srivastava, Tingting Zhang, Yun Cai, Yuan Liang, Bin Huang, Ruohan Zhang, Fan Lin, Lang Hu, Xiuxing Wang, Xu Qian, Sali Lv, Baoli Hu, Siyuan Zheng, Zhibin Hu, Hongbing Shen, Yongping You, Roel G W Verhaak, Tao Jiang, Qianghu Wang

Faculty Research 2022

Isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) wild-type glioblastoma (GBM) has a dismal prognosis. A better understanding of tumor evolution holds the key to developing more effective treatment. Here we study GBM's natural evolutionary trajectory by using rare multifocal samples. We sequenced 61,062 single cells from eight multifocal IDH wild-type primary GBMs and defined a natural evolution signature (NES) of the tumor. We show that the NES significantly associates with the activation of transcription factors that regulate brain development, including MYBL2 and FOSL2. Hypoxia is involved in inducing NES transition potentially via activation of the HIF1A-FOSL2 axis. High-NES tumor cells could recruit and polarize …

Research Note: Association Of Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Of Akt3 With Egg Production Traits In White Muscovy Ducks (Cairina Moschata)., Semiu Folaniyi Bello, Haiping Xu, Kan Li, Lijin Guo, Siyu Zhang, Ridwan Olawale Ahmed, Endashaw Jebessa Bekele, Ming Zheng, Mingjian Xian, Bahareldin Ali Abdalla, Adeniyi Charles Adeola, Adeyinka Abiola Adetula, Raman Akinyanju Lawal, Weijian Zhu, Dexiang Zhang, Xiquan Zhang, Congliang Ji, Qinghua Nie

Faculty Research 2022

Prior studies on transcriptomes of hypothalamus and ovary revealed that AKT3 is one of the candidate genes that might affect egg production in White Muscovy ducks. The role of AKT3 in the uterus during reproductive processes cannot be overemphasized. However, functional role of this gene in the tissues and on egg production traits of Muscovy ducks remains unknown. To identify the relationship between AKT3 and egg production traits in ducks, relative expression profile was first examined prior to identifying the variants within AKT3 that may underscore egg production traits [age at first egg (AFE), number of eggs at 300 d …

Phenotype-Aware Prioritisation Of Rare Mendelian Disease Variants., Catherine Kelly, Anita Szabo, Nikolas Pontikos, Gavin Arno, Peter N Robinson, Jules O B Jacobsen, Damian Smedley, Valentina Cipriani

Faculty Research 2022

A molecular diagnosis from the analysis of sequencing data in rare Mendelian diseases has a huge impact on the management of patients and their families. Numerous patient phenotype-aware variant prioritisation (VP) tools have been developed to help automate this process, and shorten the diagnostic odyssey, but performance statistics on real patient data are limited. Here we identify, assess, and compare the performance of all up-to-date, freely available, and programmatically accessible tools using a whole-exome, retinal disease dataset from 134 individuals with a molecular diagnosis. All tools were able to identify around two-thirds of the genetic diagnoses as the top-ranked candidate, …

Identifying Susceptibility Genes For Essential Hypertension By Transcriptome-Wide Association Study., Lu-Jie Huang, Qiao-Xia Zhang, Robert K Valenzuela, Jia-Chen Xu, Fang Yan, Jie Ma

Faculty Research 2022

Hypertension is a leading risk factor of cardiovascular disease and mortality in the population worldwide. Recently, hundreds of genomic loci were reported for hypertension by GWAS, however, the most SNPs are located in intergenic regions of genome, where a functional cause is difficult to determine. In the current study, a TWAS of hypertension was conducted using 452,264 individuals including 84,640 patients. KEGG and GO enrichment analyses were performed for the hypertension-related genes identified via TWAS. PPI network analysis based on the STRING database was also performed to detect TWAS-identified genes in hypertension. We have identified 18,420 genes from the …

A Reference Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Line For Large-Scale Collaborative Studies., Caroline B Pantazis, Andrian Yang, Erika Lara, Justin A Mcdonough, Cornelis Blauwendraat, Lirong Peng, Hideyuki Oguro, Jitendra Kanaujiya, Jizhong Zou, David Sebesta, Gretchen Pratt, Erin Cross, Jeffrey Blockwick, Philip Buxton, Lauren Kinner-Bibeau, Constance Medura, Christopher Tompkins, Stephen Hughes, Marianita Santiana, Faraz Faghri, Mike A Nalls, Daniel Vitale, Shannon Ballard, Yue A Qi, Daniel M Ramos, Kailyn M Anderson, Julia Stadler, Priyanka Narayan, Jason Papademetriou, Luke Reilly, Matthew P Nelson, Sanya Aggarwal, Leah U Rosen, Peter Kirwan, Venkat Pisupati, Steven L Coon, Sonja W Scholz, Theresa Priebe, Miriam Öttl, Jian Dong, Marieke Meijer, Lara J M Janssen, Vanessa S Lourenco, Rik Van Der Kant, Dennis Crusius, Dominik Paquet, Ana-Caroline Raulin, Guojun Bu, Aaron Held, Brian J Wainger, Rebecca M C Gabriele, Jackie M Casey, Selina Wray, Dad Abu-Bonsrah, Clare L Parish, Melinda S Beccari, Don W Cleveland, Emmy Li, Indigo V L Rose, Martin Kampmann, Carles Calatayud Aristoy, Patrik Verstreken, Laurin Heinrich, Max Y Chen, Birgitt Schüle, Dan Dou, Erika L F Holzbaur, Maria Clara Zanellati, Richa Basundra, Mohanish Deshmukh, Sarah Cohen, Richa Khanna, Malavika Raman, Zachary S Nevin, Madeline Matia, Jonas Van Lent, Vincent Timmerman, Bruce R Conklin, Katherine Johnson Chase, Ke Zhang, Salome Funes, Daryl A Bosco, Lena Erlebach, Marc Welzer, Deborah Kronenberg-Versteeg, Guochang Lyu, Ernest Arenas, Elena Coccia, Lily Sarrafha, Tim Ahfeldt, John C Marioni, William C Skarnes, Mark R Cookson, Michael E Ward, Florian T Merkle

Faculty Research 2022

Human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines are a powerful tool for studying development and disease, but the considerable phenotypic variation between lines makes it challenging to replicate key findings and integrate data across research groups. To address this issue, we sub-cloned candidate human iPSC lines and deeply characterized their genetic properties using whole genome sequencing, their genomic stability upon CRISPR-Cas9-based gene editing, and their phenotypic properties including differentiation to commonly used cell types. These studies identified KOLF2.1J as an all-around well-performing iPSC line. We then shared KOLF2.1J with groups around the world who tested its performance in head-to-head comparisons …

Analysis Of Genome-Wide Knockout Mouse Database Identifies Candidate Ciliopathy Genes., Kendall Higgins, Bret A Moore, Zorana Berberovic, Hibret A Adissu, Mohammad Eskandarian, Ann M Flenniken, Andy Shao, Denise M Imai, Dave Clary, Louise Lanoue, Susan Newbigging, Lauryl M J Nutter, David J Adams, Fatima Bosch, Robert Schneider, Steve D M Brown, Mary E Dickinson, Michael Dobbie, Paul Flicek, Xiang Gao, Sanjeev Galande, Anne Grobler, Jason D Heaney, Yann Herault, Martin Hrabe De Angelis, Hsian-Jean Genie Chin, Fabio Mammano, Chuan Qin, Toshihiko Shiroishi, Radislav Sedlacek, J-K Seong, Ying Xu, K C Kent Lloyd, Colin Mckerlie, Ala Moshiri

Faculty Research 2022

We searched a database of single-gene knockout (KO) mice produced by the International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium (IMPC) to identify candidate ciliopathy genes. We first screened for phenotypes in mouse lines with both ocular and renal or reproductive trait abnormalities. The STRING protein interaction tool was used to identify interactions between known cilia gene products and those encoded by the genes in individual knockout mouse strains in order to generate a list of "candidate ciliopathy genes." From this list, 32 genes encoded proteins predicted to interact with known ciliopathy proteins. Of these, 25 had no previously described roles in ciliary pathobiology. …

Early Experience With Targeted Therapy As A First-Line Adjuvant Treatment For Pediatric Low-Grade Glioma., Nathan K Leclair, William Lambert, Kimberley Roche, Eileen Gillan, Joanna J Gell, Ching C Lau, Gregory Wrubel, Joshua Knopf, Shirali Amin, Megan Anderson, Jonathan E Martin, Markus J Bookland, David S Hersh

Faculty Research 2022

OBJECTIVE: Pediatric low-grade gliomas (pLGGs) frequently exhibit dysregulation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. Targeted therapies, including mutant BRAF inhibitors (dabrafenib) and MEK inhibitors (trametinib), have shown promise in patients in whom conventional chemotherapy has failed. However, few studies have investigated the use of targeted therapy as a first-line treatment for pLGG. Here, the authors reviewed their institutional experience with using a personalized medicine approach to patients with newly diagnosed pLGGs.

METHODS: All pediatric patients at the authors' institution who had been treated with dabrafenib or trametinib for pLGG without first receiving conventional chemotherapy or radiation were retrospectively reviewed. …

Lifespan Benefits For The Combination Of Rapamycin Plus Acarbose And For Captopril In Genetically Heterogeneous Mice., Randy Strong, Richard A Miller, Catherine J Cheng, James F Nelson, Jonathan Gelfond, Shailaja Kesaraju Allani, Vivian Diaz, Angela Olsen Dorigatti, Jonathan Dorigatti, Elizabeth Fernandez, Andrzej Galecki, Brett Ginsburg, Karyn L Hamilton, Martin A Javors, Kerry Kornfeld, Matt Kaeberlein, Suja Kumar, David B Lombard, Marisa Lopez-Cruzan, Benjamin F Miller, Peter Rabinovitch, Peter C. Reifsnyder, Nadia Rosenthal, Molly A. Bogue, Adam B Salmon, Yousin Suh, Eric Verdin, Herbert Weissbach, John Newman, Francesca Maccchiarini, David E. Harrison

Faculty Research 2022

Mice bred in 2017 and entered into the C2017 cohort were tested for possible lifespan benefits of (R/S)-1,3-butanediol (BD), captopril (Capt), leucine (Leu), the Nrf2-activating botanical mixture PB125, sulindac, syringaresinol, or the combination of rapamycin and acarbose started at 9 or 16 months of age (RaAc9, RaAc16). In male mice, the combination of Rapa and Aca started at 9 months and led to a longer lifespan than in either of the two prior cohorts of mice treated with Rapa only, suggesting that this drug combination was more potent than either of its components used alone. In females, lifespan in mice …

Metformin Is Associated With Reduced Covid-19 Severity In Patients With Prediabetes., Lauren E Chan, Elena Casiraghi, Bryan Laraway, Ben D Coleman, Hannah Blau, Adnin Zaman, Nomi L Harris, Kenneth Wilkins, Blessy Antony, Michael Gargano, Giorgio Valentini, David Sahner, Melissa Haendel, Peter N Robinson, Carolyn Bramante, Justin Reese

Faculty Research 2022

AIMS: Studies suggest that metformin is associated with reduced COVID-19 severity in individuals with diabetes compared to other antihyperglycemics. We assessed if metformin is associated with reduced incidence of severe COVID-19 for patients with prediabetes or polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), common diseases that increase the risk of severe COVID-19.

METHODS: This observational, retrospective study utilized EHR data from 52 hospitals for COVID-19 patients with PCOS or prediabetes treated with metformin or levothyroxine/ondansetron (controls). After balancing via inverse probability score weighting, associations with COVID-19 severity were assessed by logistic regression.

RESULTS: In the prediabetes cohort, when compared to levothyroxine, metformin was …

Sequencing And Assembling Bear Genomes: The Bare Necessities., Courtney Willey, Ron Korstanje

Faculty Research 2022

Unique genetic adaptations are present in bears of every species across the world. From (nearly) shutting down important organs during hibernation to preventing harm from lifestyles that could easily cause metabolic diseases in humans, bears may hold the answer to various human ailments. However, only a few of these unique traits are currently being investigated at the molecular level, partly because of the lack of necessary tools. One of these tools is well-annotated genome assemblies from the different, extant bear species. These reference genomes are needed to allow us to identify differences in genetic variants, isoforms, gene expression, and genomic …

Blackcurrants Reduce The Risk Of Postmenopausal Osteoporosis: A Pilot Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial., Briana M Nosal, Junichi R Sakaki, Zachary Macdonald, Kyle Mahoney, Kijoon Kim, Matthew Madore, Staci Thornton, Thi Dong Binh Tran, George M. Weinstock, Elaine Choung-Hee Lee, Ock K Chun

Faculty Research 2022

Beneficial effects of blackcurrant supplementation on bone metabolism in mice has recently been demonstrated, but no studies are available in humans. The current study aimed to examine the dose-dependent effects of blackcurrant in preventing bone loss and the underlying mechanisms of action in adult women. Forty peri- and early postmenopausal women were randomly assigned into one of three treatment groups for 6 months: (1) a placebo (control group, n = 13); (2) 392 mg/day of blackcurrant powder (low blackcurrant, BC, group, n = 16); and (3) 784 mg/day of blackcurrant powder (high BC group, n = 11). The significance of …

Myc Regulates A Pan-Cancer Network Of Co-Expressed Oncogenic Splicing Factors., Laura M Urbanski, Mattia Brugiolo, Sunghee Park, Brittany Lynn Angarola, Nathan Leclair, Marina Yurieva, Phil Palmer, Sangram Keshari Sahu, Olga Anczuków

Faculty Research 2022

MYC is dysregulated in >50% of cancers, but direct targeting of MYC has been clinically unsuccessful. Targeting downstream MYC effector pathways represents an attractive alternative. MYC regulates alternative mRNA splicing, but the mechanistic links between MYC and the splicing machinery in cancer remain underexplored. Here, we identify a network of co-expressed splicing factors (SF-modules) in MYC-active breast tumors. Of these, one is a pan-cancer SF-module correlating with MYC activity across 33 tumor types. In mammary cell models, MYC activation leads to co-upregulation of pan-cancer module SFs and to changes in >4,000 splicing events. In breast cancer organoids, co-overexpression of the …

Transposable Element-Mediated Rearrangements Are Prevalent In Human Genomes., Parithi Balachandran, Isha A Walawalkar, Jacob I Flores, Jacob N Dayton, Peter A Audano, Christine R Beck

Faculty Research 2022

Transposable elements constitute about half of human genomes, and their role in generating human variation through retrotransposition is broadly studied and appreciated. Structural variants mediated by transposons, which we call transposable element-mediated rearrangements (TEMRs), are less well studied, and the mechanisms leading to their formation as well as their broader impact on human diversity are poorly understood. Here, we identify 493 unique TEMRs across the genomes of three individuals. While homology directed repair is the dominant driver of TEMRs, our sequence-resolved TEMR resource allows us to identify complex inversion breakpoints, triplications or other high copy number polymorphisms, and additional complexities. …

A Genomically And Clinically Annotated Patient-Derived Xenograft Resource For Preclinical Research In Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer., Xing Yi Woo, Anuj Srivastava, Philip C Mack, Joel H. Graber, Brian J Sanderson, Michael W Lloyd, Mandy Chen, Sergii Domanskyi, Regina Gandour-Edwards, Rebekah A Tsai, James G. Keck, Mingshan Cheng, Margaret Bundy, Emily L Jocoy, Jonathan W Riess, William Holland, Stephen C. Grubb, James G Peterson, Grace Stafford, Carolyn Paisie, Steven Neuhauser, Radha Krishna Murthy Karuturi, Joshy George, Allen K. Simons, Margaret Chavaree, Clifford G Tepper, Neal Goodwin, Susan Airhart, Primo N Lara, Thomas H Openshaw, Edison Liu, David R Gandara, Carol J Bult

Faculty Research 2022

UNLABELLED: Patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models are an effective preclinical in vivo platform for testing the efficacy of novel drugs and drug combinations for cancer therapeutics. Here we describe a repository of 79 genomically and clinically annotated lung cancer PDXs available from The Jackson Laboratory that have been extensively characterized for histopathologic features, mutational profiles, gene expression, and copy-number aberrations. Most of the PDXs are models of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), including 37 lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and 33 lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) models. Other lung cancer models in the repository include four small cell carcinomas, two large cell neuroendocrine …

Tnbc Therapeutics Based On Combination Of Fusarochromanone With Egfr Inhibitors., Natalie Carroll, Reneau Youngblood, Alena Smith, Ana-Maria Dragoi, Brian A Salvatore, Elahe Mahdavian

Faculty Research 2022

Fusarochromanone is an experimental drug with unique and potent anti-cancer activity. Current cancer therapies often incorporate a combination of drugs to increase efficacy and decrease the development of drug resistance. In this study, we used drug combinations and cellular phenotypic screens to address important questions about FC101's mode of action and its potential therapeutic synergies in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). We hypothesized that FC101's activity against TNBC is similar to the mTOR inhibitor, everolimus, because FC101 downregulates the phosphorylation of two mTOR substrates, S6K and S6. Since everolimus synergistically enhances the anti-cancer activities of two known EGFR inhibitors (erlotinib …

High-Temporal Resolution Profiling Reveals Distinct Immune Trajectories Following The First And Second Doses Of Covid-19 Mrna Vaccines., Darawan Rinchai, Sara Deola, Gabriele Zoppoli, Basirudeen Syed Ahamed Kabeer, Sara Taleb, Igor Pavlovski, Selma Maacha, Giusy Gentilcore, Mohammed Toufiq, Lisa Mathew, Li Liu, Fazulur Rehaman Vempalli, Ghada Mubarak, Stephan Lorenz, Irene Sivieri, Gabriella Cirmena, Chiara Dentone, Paola Cuccarolo, Daniele Roberto Giacobbe, Federico Baldi, Alberto Garbarino, Benedetta Cigolini, Paolo Cremonesi, Michele Bedognetti, Alberto Ballestrero, Matteo Bassetti, Boris P Hejblum, Tracy Augustine, Nicholas Van Panhuys, Rodolphe Thiebaut, Ricardo Branco, Tracey Chew, Maryam Shojaei, Kirsty Short, Carl G Feng, Predict-19 Consortium, Susu M Zughaier, Andrea De Maria, Benjamin Tang, Ali Ait Hssain, Davide Bedognetti, Jean-Charles Grivel, Damien Chaussabel

Faculty Research 2022

Knowledge of the mechanisms underpinning the development of protective immunity conferred by mRNA vaccines is fragmentary. Here, we investigated responses to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mRNA vaccination via high-temporal resolution blood transcriptome profiling. The first vaccine dose elicited modest interferon and adaptive immune responses, which peaked on days 2 and 5, respectively. The second vaccine dose, in contrast, elicited sharp day 1 interferon, inflammation, and erythroid cell responses, followed by a day 5 plasmablast response. Both post-first and post-second dose interferon signatures were associated with the subsequent development of antibody responses. Yet, we observed distinct interferon response patterns after each …

Gzmk(High) Cd8(+) T Effector Memory Cells Are Associated With Cd15(High) Neutrophil Abundance In Non-Metastatic Colorectal Tumors And Predict Poor Clinical Outcome, Silvia Tiberti, Carlotta Catozzi, Ottavio Croci, Mattia Ballerini, Danilo Cagnina, Chiara Soriani, Caterina Scirgolea, Zheng Gong, Jiatai He, Angeli D Macandog, Amir Nabinejad, Carina B Nava Lauson, Arianna Quinte', Giovanni Bertalot, Wanda L Petz, Simona P Ravenda, Valerio Licursi, Paola Paci, Marco Rasponi, Luca Rotta, Nicola Fazio, Guangwen Ren, Uberto Fumagalli-Romario, Martin H Schaefer, Stefano Campaner, Enrico Lugli, Luigi Nezi, Teresa Manzo

Faculty Research 2022

CD8+ T cells are a major prognostic determinant in solid tumors, including colorectal cancer (CRC). However, understanding how the interplay between different immune cells impacts on clinical outcome is still in its infancy. Here, we describe that the interaction of tumor infiltrating neutrophils expressing high levels of CD15 with CD8+ T effector memory cells (TEM) correlates with tumor progression. Mechanistically, stromal cell-derived factor-1 (CXCL12/ SDF-1) promotes the retention of neutrophils within tumors, increasing the crosstalk with CD8+ T cells. As a consequence of the contact-mediated inter- action with neutrophils, CD8+ T cells are skewed to produce high levels of GZMK, …

Adding Gene Transcripts Into Genomic Prediction Improves Accuracy And Reveals Sampling Time Dependence., Bruno C Perez, Marco C A M Bink, Karen L. Svenson, Gary Churchill, Mario P L Calus

Faculty Research 2022

Recent developments allowed generating multiple high-quality 'omics' data that could increase the predictive performance of genomic prediction for phenotypes and genetic merit in animals and plants. Here, we have assessed the performance of parametric and nonparametric models that leverage transcriptomics in genomic prediction for 13 complex traits recorded in 478 animals from an outbred mouse population. Parametric models were implemented using the best linear unbiased prediction, while nonparametric models were implemented using the gradient boosting machine algorithm. We also propose a new model named GTCBLUP that aims to remove between-omics-layer covariance from predictors, whereas its counterpart GTBLUP does not do …

Bifidobacterial Carbohydrate/Nucleoside Metabolism Enhances Oxidative Phosphorylation In White Adipose Tissue To Protect Against Diet-Induced Obesity., Gihyeon Kim, Youngmin Yoon, Jin Ho Park, Jae Won Park, Myung-Guin Noh, Hyun Kim, Changho Park, Hyuktae Kwon, Jeong-Hyeon Park, Yena Kim, Jinyoung Sohn, Shinyoung Park, Hyeonhui Kim, Sun-Kyoung Im, Yeongmin Kim, Ha Yung Chung, Myung Hee Nam, Jee Young Kwon, Il Yong Kim, Yong Jae Kim, Ji Hyeon Baek, Hak Su Kim, George M Weinstock, Belong Cho, Charles Lee, Sungsoon Fang, Hansoo Park, Je Kyung Seong

Faculty Research 2022

BACKGROUND: Comparisons of the gut microbiome of lean and obese humans have revealed that obesity is associated with the gut microbiome plus changes in numerous environmental factors, including high-fat diet (HFD). Here, we report that two species of Bifidobacterium are crucial to controlling metabolic parameters in the Korean population.

RESULTS: Based on gut microbial analysis from 99 Korean individuals, we observed the abundance of Bifidobacterium longum and Bifidobacterium bifidum was markedly reduced in individuals with increased visceral adipose tissue (VAT), body mass index (BMI), blood triglyceride (TG), and fatty liver. Bacterial transcriptomic analysis revealed that carbohydrate/nucleoside metabolic processes of Bifidobacterium …

Differential Regulation Of Gene Expression Pathways With Dexamethasone And Acth After Early Life Seizures., Jeffrey L Brabec, Mohamed Ouardouz, J Matthew Mahoney, Rod C Scott, Amanda E Hernan

Faculty Research 2022

Early-life seizures (ELS) are associated with persistent cognitive deficits such as ADHD and memory impairment. These co-morbidities have a dramatic negative impact on the quality of life of patients. Therapies that improve cognitive outcomes have enormous potential to improve patients' quality of life. Our previous work in a rat flurothyl-induction model showed that administration of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) at time of seizure induction led to improved learning and memory in the animals despite no effect on seizure latency or duration. Administration of dexamethasone (Dex), a corticosteroid, did not have the same positive effect on learning and memory and has even …

Advancing Clinical And Translational Research In Germ Cell Tumours (Gct): Recommendations From The Malignant Germ Cell International Consortium., Adriana Fonseca, João Lobo, Florette K Hazard, Joanna J Gell, Peter K Nicholls, Robert S Weiss, Lindsay Klosterkemper, Samuel L Volchenboum, James C Nicholson, A Lindsay Frazier, James F Amatruda, Aditya Bagrodia, Michelle Lockley, Matthew J Murray

Faculty Research 2022

Germ cell tumours (GCTs) are a heterogeneous group of rare neoplasms that present in different anatomical sites and across a wide spectrum of patient ages from birth through to adulthood. Once these strata are applied, cohort numbers become modest, hindering inferences regarding management and therapeutic advances. Moreover, patients with GCTs are treated by different medical professionals including paediatric oncologists, neuro-oncologists, medical oncologists, neurosurgeons, gynaecological oncologists, surgeons, and urologists. Silos of care have thus formed, further hampering knowledge dissemination between specialists. Dedicated biobank specimen collection is therefore critical to foster continuous growth in our understanding of similarities and differences by age, …

[Rare-Disease Data Standards]., Peter N Robinson, Holm Graessner

Faculty Research 2022

The use of standardized data formats (data standards) in healthcare supports four main goals: (1) exchange of data, (2) integration of computer systems and tools, (3) data storage and archiving, and (4) support of federated databases. Standards are especially important for rare-disease research and clinical care.In this review, we introduce healthcare standards and present a selection of standards that are commonly used in the field of rare diseases. The Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) is the most commonly used standard for annotating phenotypic abnormalities and supporting phenotype-driven analysis of diagnostic exome and genome sequencing. Numerous standards for diseases are available that …

Direct Cell-To-Cell Transfer In Stressed Tumor Microenvironment Aggravates Tumorigenic Or Metastatic Potential In Pancreatic Cancer., Giyong Jang, Jaeik Oh, Eunsung Jun, Jieun Lee, Jee Young Kwon, Jaesang Kim, Sang-Hyuk Lee, Song Cheol Kim, Sung-Yup Cho, Charles Lee

Faculty Research 2022

Pancreatic cancer exhibits a characteristic tumor microenvironment (TME) due to enhanced fibrosis and hypoxia and is particularly resistant to conventional chemotherapy. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying TME-associated treatment resistance in pancreatic cancer are not fully understood. Here, we developed an in vitro TME mimic system comprising pancreatic cancer cells, fibroblasts and immune cells, and a stress condition, including hypoxia and gemcitabine. Cells with high viability under stress showed evidence of increased direct cell-to-cell transfer of biomolecules. The resulting derivative cells (CD44