Medical Specialties Commons^™

A Cocktail Nanovaccine Targeting Key Entry Glycoproteins Elicits High Neutralizing Antibody Levels Against Ebv Infection, Ling Zhong, Wanlin Zhang, Hong Liu, Xinyu Zhang, Zeyu Yang, Zhenfu Wen, Ling Chen, Haolin Chen, Yanran Luo, Yanhong Chen, Qisheng Feng, Mu-Sheng Zeng, Qinjian Zhao, Lixin Liu, Claude Krummenacher, Yi-Xin Zeng, Yongming Chen, Miao Xu, Xiao Zhang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infects more than 95% of adults worldwide and is closely associated with various malignancies. Considering the complex life cycle of EBV, developing vaccines targeting key entry glycoproteins to elicit robust and durable adaptive immune responses may provide better protection. EBV gHgL-, gB- and gp42-specific antibodies in healthy EBV carriers contributed to sera neutralizing abilities in vitro, indicating that they are potential antigen candidates. To enhance the immunogenicity of these antigens, we formulate three nanovaccines by co-delivering molecular adjuvants (CpG and MPLA) and antigens (gHgL, gB or gp42). These nanovaccines induce robust humoral and cellular responses through efficient …

Association Between Obstructive Sleep Apnea And Risk Of Benign Vocal Fold Lesions: A Nationwide 9-Year Follow-Up Cohort Study, Yong Tae Hong, Min Gu Kang, Min Gyu Lee, Sang Woo Yeom, Jong Seung Kim

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Since obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) affects various parts of the body, there has been little interest about the effect of OSA on voice. The objective of this study was to evaluate the risk of benign vocal fold lesions (BVFL) in OSA patients. This study used data from the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) database. The study group was defined as the group diagnosed with OSA between 2008 and 2011. Non-OSA groups were selected based on propensity score (PS) matching. Incidence of BVFL among participants during the follow-up was analyzed. Cox proportional hazard regression analyses were performed to evaluate the association …

Alzheimer's Disease Risk Gene Cd2ap Is A Dose-Sensitive Determinant Of Synaptic Structure And Plasticity, Taeyong Ahn, Gabrielle E Largoza, Julia Younis, Mary E Dickinson, Chih-Wei Hsu, Joshua D Wythe

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Tissue clearing is an essential prerequisite for 3D volumetric imaging of larger tissues or organs. Here, we present a detailed protocol for optical, aqueous-based clearing of adult murine tissues using EZ Clear. We describe steps to ensure successful perfusion and fixation of organs from the adult mouse and supply guidelines for optimal lipid removal, refractive index matching, and tissue clearing. Finally, we provide imaging parameters for visualizing both exogenous perfused fluorescent dyes and endogenous fluorescence reporters in the adult mouse. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Hsu et al.

Protocol For Preclinical Evaluation Of Locoregionally Delivered Car T Cells In Patient-Derived Xenograft Models Of Brain Tumors, Benjamin Draper, Chantelle Bowers, Eleni Vassalou, Ailsa Greppi, John Anderson, Nabil Ahmed, Michael D Taylor, Laura K Donovan

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Here, we present a protocol for preclinical evaluation of locoregionally delivered CAR T cells in patient-derived xenograft models of primary, metastatic, and recurrent brain tumors. We provide instructions for isolating peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), producing CAR T cells in conjunction with locoregional delivery, and preclinical trial design and analysis involving CAR T cells. Additionally, we describe comprehensive preclinical readouts and guidelines for critical endpoint sample collections. In line with clinical trial procedures, our protocol broadens available treatment modalities for direct clinical translation. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Donovan et al …

Analyzing Efficiency Of A Lentiviral Shrna Knockdown System In Human Enteroids Using Western Blot And Flow Cytometry, Adam P Wilson, Karni S Moshal, Addison P Franca, Sasirekha Ramani, Randle Gallucci, Hala Chaaban, Kathryn Y Burge

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Enteroids are in vitro models to study gastrointestinal pathologies and test personalized therapeutics; however, the inherent complexity of enteroids often renders standard gene editing approaches ineffective. Here, we introduce a refined lentiviral transfection protocol, ensuring sufficient lentiviral engagement with enteroids while considering spatiotemporal growth variability throughout the extracellular matrix. Additionally, we highlight a selection process for transduced cells, introduce a protocol to accurately measure transduction efficiency, and explore methodologies to gauge effects of gene knockdown on biological processes.

Esr1 And P53 Interactome Alteration Defines Mechanisms Of Tamoxifen Response In Luminal Breast Cancer, Chetan C Oturkar, Spencer R Rosario, Alan D Hutson, Adrianne Groman, Stephen B Edge, Carl D Morrison, Wendy M Swetzig, Jianmin Wang, Jun Hyoung Park, Benny Abraham Kaipparettu, Prashant K Singh, Shicha Kumar, Helen H Cappuccino, Manish Ranjan, Araba Adjei, Mohammad Ghasemi, Andrew K L Goey, Swati Kulkarni, Gokul M Das

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The canonical mechanism behind tamoxifen's therapeutic effect on estrogen receptor α/ESR1+ breast cancers is inhibition of ESR1-dependent estrogen signaling. Although ESR1+ tumors expressing wild-type p53 were reported to be more responsive to tamoxifen (Tam) therapy, p53 has not been factored into choice of this therapy and the mechanism underlying the role of p53 in Tam response remains unclear. In a window-of-opportunity trial on patients with newly diagnosed stage I-III ESR1+/HER2/wild-type p53 breast cancer who were randomized to arms with or without Tam prior to surgery, we reveal that the ESR1-p53 interaction in tumors was inhibited by Tam. This resulted in …

Comprehensive Single-Cell Atlas Of The Mouse Retina, Jin Li, Jongsu Choi, Xuesen Cheng, Justin Ma, Shahil Pema, Joshua R Sanes, Graeme Mardon, Benjamin J Frankfort, Nicholas M Tran, Yumei Li, Rui Chen

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) has advanced our understanding of cellular heterogeneity by characterizing cell types across tissues and species. While several mouse retinal scRNA-seq datasets exist, each dataset is either limited in cell numbers or focused on specific cell classes, thereby hindering comprehensive gene expression analysis across all retina types. To fill the gap, we generated the largest retinal scRNA-seq dataset to date, comprising approximately 190,000 single cells from C57BL/6J mouse retinas, enriched for rare population cells via antibody-based magnetic cell sorting. Integrating this dataset with public datasets, we constructed the Mouse Retina Cell Atlas (MRCA) for wild-type mice, encompassing …

Protocol For Optical, Aqueous-Based Clearing Of Murine Tissues Using Ez Clear, Taeyong Ahn, Gabrielle E Largoza, Julia Younis, Mary E Dickinson, Chih-Wei Hsu, Joshua D Wythe

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Tissue clearing is an essential prerequisite for 3D volumetric imaging of larger tissues or organs. Here, we present a detailed protocol for optical, aqueous-based clearing of adult murine tissues using EZ Clear. We describe steps to ensure successful perfusion and fixation of organs from the adult mouse and supply guidelines for optimal lipid removal, refractive index matching, and tissue clearing. Finally, we provide imaging parameters for visualizing both exogenous perfused fluorescent dyes and endogenous fluorescence reporters in the adult mouse. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Hsu et al.

Identifying Interventions To Improve Diagnostic Safety In Emergency Departments: Protocol For A Participatory Design Study, Woosuk Seo, Sun Young Park, Zhan Zhang, Hardeep Singh, Kalyan Pasupathy, Prashant Mahajan

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Emergency departments (EDs) are complex and fast-paced clinical settings where a diagnosis is made in a time-, information-, and resource-constrained context. Thus, it is predisposed to suboptimal diagnostic outcomes, leading to errors and subsequent patient harm. Arriving at a timely and accurate diagnosis is an activity that occurs after an effective collaboration between the patient or caregiver and the clinical team within the ED. Interventions such as novel sociotechnical solutions are needed to mitigate errors and risks.

Objective: This study aims to identify challenges that frontline ED health care providers and patients face in the ED diagnostic process and …

Elderly Mice With History Of Acetaminophen Intoxication Display Worsened Cognitive Impairment And Persistent Elevation Of Astrocyte And Microglia Burden, Celso S G Catumbela, Rodrigo Morales

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Acetaminophen (APAP) is a leading cause of acute liver failure. The effect of APAP metabolite's effects in the periphery are well characterized; however, associated consequences in the brain remain poorly understood. Animal studies on this subject are few and reveal that frequent APAP intake can trigger cerebral abnormalities that vary depending on the subject's age. Alarmingly, experimental efforts have yet to examine associated consequences in elderly hosts, who correspond to the highest risk of medication overload, impaired drug clearance, and cognitive deficits. Here, we interrogated the cerebral and peripheral pathology of elderly mice submitted to monthly episodes of APAP intoxication …

Integration Of Ζ-Deficient Cars Into The Cd3Ζ Gene Conveys Potent Cytotoxicity In T And Nk Cells, Jonas Kath, Clemens Franke, Vanessa Drosdek, Weijie Du, Viktor Glaser, Carla Fuster-Garcia, Maik Stein, Tatiana Zittel, Sarah Schulenberg, Caroline E Porter, Lena Andersch, Annette Künkele, Joshua Alcaniz, Jens Hoffmann, Hinrich Abken, Mohamed Abou-El-Enein, Axel Pruß, Masataka Suzuki, Toni Cathomen, Renata Stripecke, Hans-Dieter Volk, Petra Reinke, Michael Schmueck-Henneresse, Dimitrios L Wagner

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-redirected immune cells hold significant therapeutic potential for oncology, autoimmune diseases, transplant medicine, and infections. All approved CAR-T therapies rely on personalized manufacturing using undirected viral gene transfer, which results in nonphysiological regulation of CAR-signaling and limits their accessibility due to logistical challenges, high costs and biosafety requirements. Random gene transfer modalities pose a risk of malignant transformation by insertional mutagenesis. Here, we propose a novel approach utilizing CRISPR-Cas gene editing to redirect T cells and natural killer (NK) cells with CARs. By transferring shorter, truncated CAR-transgenes lacking a main activation domain into the human CD3ζ (CD247) …

Erratum: Gut Microbiota Composition Is Associated With The Efficacy Of Delta-24-Rgdox In Malignant Gliomas, Natalie M Meléndez-Vázquez, Teresa T Nguyen, Xuejun Fan, Andrés R López-Rivas, Juan Fueyo, Candelaria Gomez-Manzano, Filipa Godoy-Vitorino

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Glioblastoma, the most common primary brain tumor, has a 6.8% survival rate 5 years post diagnosis. Our team developed an oncolytic adenovirus with an OX-40L expression cassette named Delta-24-RGDOX. While studies have revealed the interaction between the gut microbiota and immunotherapy agents, there are no studies linking the gut microbiota with viroimmunotherapy efficacy. We hypothesize that gut bacterial signatures will be associated with oncolytic viral therapy efficacy. To test this hypothesis, we evaluated the changes in gut microbiota in two mouse cohorts: (1) GSC-005 glioblastoma-bearing mice treated orally with indoximod, an immunotherapeutic agent, or with Delta-24-RGDOX by intratumoral injection and …

Understanding Enterprise Data Warehouses To Support Clinical And Translational Research: Impact, Sustainability, Demand Management, And Accessibility, Thomas R Campion, Catherine K Craven, David A Dorr, Elmer V Bernstam, Boyd M Knosp

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVES: Healthcare organizations, including Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) hubs funded by the National Institutes of Health, seek to enable secondary use of electronic health record (EHR) data through an enterprise data warehouse for research (EDW4R), but optimal approaches are unknown. In this qualitative study, our goal was to understand EDW4R impact, sustainability, demand management, and accessibility.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We engaged a convenience sample of informatics leaders from CTSA hubs (n = 21) for semi-structured interviews and completed a directed content analysis of interview transcripts.

RESULTS: EDW4R have created institutional capacity for single- and multi-center studies, democratized access …

Electronic Patient-Reported Outcome-Based Symptom Management Versus Usual Care After Lung Cancer Surgery: Long-Term Results Of A Multicenter, Randomized, Controlled Trial, Wei Dai, Yaqin Wang, Jia Liao, Xing Wei, Zhen Dai, Wei Xu, Yangjun Liu, Xin Shelley Wang, Cecilia Pompili, Hongfan Yu, Yang Pu, Yuqian Zhao, Bangrong Cao, Qifeng Wang, Wenhong Feng, Yuanqiang Zhang, Fang Liu, Yuanle Deng, Jin Zhou, Juan Li, Shaohua Xie, Run Xiang, Xiang Wang, Bo Tian, Xiaozun Yang, Bin Hu, Xiaoqin Liu, Tianpeng Xie, Xiaojun Yang, Xiang Zhuang, Guibin Qiao, Qiang Li, Qiuling Shi

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Clinical trials frequently include multiple end points that mature at different times. The initial report, typically based on the primary end point, may be published when key planned co-primary or secondary analyses are not yet available. Clinical Trial Updates provide an opportunity to disseminate additional results from studies, published in JCO or elsewhere, for which the primary end point has already been reported.We previously reported superior symptom control of electronic patient-reported outcome (ePRO)-based symptom management after lung cancer surgery for up to 1 month postdischarge. Here, we present the long-term results (1-12 months) of this multicenter, randomized trial, where …

Sensory Asic3 Channel Exacerbates Psoriatic Inflammation Via A Neurogenic Pathway In Female Mice, Chen Huang, Pei-Yi Sun, Yiming Jiang, Yuandong Liu, Zhichao Liu, Shao-Ling Han, Bao-Shan Wang, Yong-Xin Huang, An-Ran Ren, Jian-Fei Lu, Qin Jiang, Ying Li, Michael X Zhu, Zhirong Yao, Yang Tian, Xin Qi, Wei-Guang Li, Tian-Le Xu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Psoriasis is an immune-mediated skin disease associated with neurogenic inflammation, but the underlying molecular mechanism remains unclear. We demonstrate here that acid-sensing ion channel 3 (ASIC3) exacerbates psoriatic inflammation through a sensory neurogenic pathway. Global or nociceptor-specific Asic3 knockout (KO) in female mice alleviates imiquimod-induced psoriatic acanthosis and type 17 inflammation to the same extent as nociceptor ablation. However, ASIC3 is dispensable for IL-23-induced psoriatic inflammation that bypasses the need for nociceptors. Mechanistically, ASIC3 activation induces the activity-dependent release of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) from sensory neurons to promote neurogenic inflammation. Botulinum neurotoxin A and CGRP antagonists prevent sensory neuron-mediated …

Rejection Resistant Cd30car-Modified Epstein-Barr Virus-Specific T Cells As An Off-The-Shelf Platform For Cd30+ Lymphoma, David H Quach, Haran R Ganesh, Yolanda D Briones, Nazila Nouraee, Audrey Ma, Yezan F Hadidi, Sandhya Sharma, Cliona M Rooney

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Off-the-shelf (OTS) adoptive T cell therapies have many benefits such as immediate availability, improved access and reduced cost, but face the major challenges of graft-vs-host disease (GVHD) and graft rejection, mediated by alloreactive T cells present in the graft and host, respectively. We have developed a platform for OTS T cell therapies by using Epstein-Bar virus (EBV)-specific T cells (EBVSTs) expressing a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) targeting CD30. Allogeneic EBVSTs have not caused GVHD in several clinical trials, while the CD30.CAR, that is effective for the treatment of lymphoma, can also target alloreactive T cells that upregulate CD30 on activation. …

Changes In Plasma Concentrations Of Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances After Bariatric Surgery In Adolescents From The Teen-Longitudinal Assessment Of Bariatric Surgery (Teen-Labs) Study, Brittney O Baumert, Sandrah P Eckel, Jesse A Goodrich, Zhenjiang Li, Nikos Stratakis, Douglas I Walker, Yinqi Zhao, Fabian Christoph Fischer, Scott Bartell, Damaskini Valvi, Xiangping Lin, Zoe Coates Fuentes, Thomas Inge, Justin Ryder, Todd Jenkins, Rohit Kohli, Stephanie Sisley, Stavra Xanthakos, Sarah Rock, Michele A La Merrill, Rob Mcconnell, David V Conti, Lida Chatzi

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Exposure to per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is ubiquitous due to their persistence in the environment and in humans. Extreme weight loss has been shown to influence concentrations of circulating persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Using data from the multi-center perspective Teen-Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (Teen-LABS) cohort, we investigated changes in plasma-PFAS in adolescents after bariatric surgery. Adolescents (Mean age = 17.1 years, SD = 1.5 years) undergoing bariatric surgery were enrolled in the Teen-LABS study. Plasma-PFAS were measured at the time of surgery and then 6-, 12-, and 36 months post-surgery. Linear mixed effect models were used to evaluate …

Neuroecological Links Of The Exposome And One Health, Agustin Ibanez, Lucia Melloni, Paweł Świeboda, William Hynes, Burcin Ikiz, Rym Ayadi, Massamba Thioye, Consuelo Walss-Bass, Bahar Güntekin, Jyoti Mishra, Mohamed Salama, Sarah Dunlop, Claudia Duran-Aniotz, Harris A Eyre

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

This NeuroView assesses the interplay among exposome, One Health, and brain capital in health and disease. Physical and social exposomes affect brain health, and green brain skills are required for environmental health strategies. Ibanez et al. address current gaps and strategies needed in research, policy, and technology, offering a road map for stakeholders.

Challenges And Opportunities In Cancer Immunotherapy: A Society For Immunotherapy Of Cancer (Sitc) Strategic Vision, Leisha A Emens, Pedro J Romero, Ana Carrizosa Anderson, Tullia C Bruno, Christian M Capitini, Deborah Collyar, James L Gulley, Patrick Hwu, Avery D Posey, Ann W Silk, Jennifer A Wargo

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Cancer immunotherapy has flourished over the last 10-15 years, transforming the practice of oncology and providing long-term clinical benefit to some patients. During this time, three distinct classes of immune checkpoint inhibitors, chimeric antigen receptor-T cell therapies specific for two targets, and two distinct classes of bispecific T cell engagers, a vaccine, and an oncolytic virus have joined cytokines as a standard of cancer care. At the same time, scientific progress has delivered vast amounts of new knowledge. For example, advances in technologies such as single-cell sequencing and spatial transcriptomics have provided deep insights into the immunobiology of the tumor …

Mediterranean Diet Information On Tiktok And Implications For Digital Health Promotion Research: Social Media Content Analysis, Margaret Raber, Haley Allen, Sophia Huang, Maria Vazquez, Echo Warner, Debbe Thompson

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Background: The Mediterranean diet has been linked to reduced risk for several cardiometabolic diseases. The lack of a clear definition of the Mediterranean diet in the scientific literature and the documented proliferation of nutrition misinformation on the internet suggest the potential for confusion among consumers seeking web-based Mediterranean diet information.

Objective: We conducted a social media content analysis of information about the Mediterranean diet on the influential social media platform, TikTok, to examine public discourse about the diet and identify potential areas of misinformation. We then analyzed these findings in the context of health promotion to identify potential challenges and …

Keep Fingers On The Cpg Islands, Xing Zhang, Robert M Blumenthal, Xiaodong Cheng

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The post-genomic era has ushered in the extensive application of epigenetic editing tools, allowing for precise alterations of gene expression. The use of reprogrammable editors that carry transcriptional corepressors has significant potential for long-term epigenetic silencing for the treatment of human diseases. The ideal scenario involves precise targeting of a specific genomic location by a DNA-binding domain, ensuring there are no off-target effects and that the process yields no genetic remnants aside from specific epigenetic modifications (i.e., DNA methylation). A notable example is a recent study on the mouse

Microglial P2y6 Calcium Signaling Promotes Phagocytosis And Shapes Neuroimmune Responses In Epileptogenesis, Anthony D Umpierre, Bohan Li, Katayoun Ayasoufi, Whitney L Simon, Shunyi Zhao, Manling Xie, Grace Thyen, Benjamin Hur, Jiaying Zheng, Yue Liang, Dale B Bosco, Mark A Maynes, Zhaofa Wu, Xinzhu Yu, Jaeyun Sung, Aaron J Johnson, Yulong Li, Long-Jun Wu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Microglial calcium signaling is rare in a baseline state but strongly engaged during early epilepsy development. The mechanism(s) governing microglial calcium signaling are not known. By developing an in vivo uridine diphosphate (UDP) fluorescent sensor, GRABUDP1.0, we discovered that UDP release is a conserved response to seizures and excitotoxicity across brain regions. UDP can signal through the microglial-enriched P2Y6 receptor to increase calcium activity during epileptogenesis. P2Y6 calcium activity is associated with lysosome biogenesis and enhanced production of NF-κB-related cytokines. In the hippocampus, knockout of the P2Y6 receptor prevents microglia from fully engulfing neurons. Attenuating microglial calcium signaling through calcium …

Leveraging Integrated Rna Sequencing To Decipher Adrenomedullin's Protective Mechanisms In Experimental Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia, Subarna Palit, Amrit Kumar Shrestha, Shyam Thapa, Sandra L Grimm, Cristian Coarfa, Fabian Theis, Lukas M Simon, Binoy Shivanna

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a chronic lung disease commonly affecting premature infants, with limited therapeutic options and increased long-term consequences. Adrenomedullin (Adm), a proangiogenic peptide hormone, has been found to protect rodents against experimental BPD. This study aims to elucidate the molecular and cellular mechanisms through which Adm influences BPD pathogenesis using a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced model of experimental BPD in mice. Bulk RNA sequencing of Adm-sufficient (wild-type or Adm+/+) and Adm-haplodeficient (Adm+/−) mice lungs, integrated with single-cell RNA sequencing data, revealed distinct gene expression patterns and cell type alterations associated with Adm deficiency …

A Single Cell Rna Sequence Atlas Of The Early Drosophila Larval Eye, Komal Kumar Bollepogu Raja, Kelvin Yeung, Yumei Li, Rui Chen, Graeme Mardon

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The Drosophila eye has been an important model to understand principles of differentiation, proliferation, apoptosis and tissue morphogenesis. However, a single cell RNA sequence resource that captures gene expression dynamics from the initiation of differentiation to the specification of different cell types in the larval eye disc is lacking. Here, we report transcriptomic data from 13,000 cells that cover six developmental stages of the larval eye. Our data show cell clusters that correspond to all major cell types present in the eye disc ranging from the initiation of the morphogenetic furrow to the differentiation of each photoreceptor cell type as …

The Cdk9 Inhibitor Enitociclib Overcomes Resistance To Btk Inhibition And Car-T Therapy In Mantle Cell Lymphoma, Vivian Jiang, William Lee, Tianci Zhang, Alexa Jordan, Fangfang Yan, Qingsong Cai, Joseph Mcintosh, Jovanny Vargas, Yang Liu, Michael Wang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Inhibitors of Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTKi) and chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy targeting CD19 are paradigm-shifting advances in treating patients with aggressive mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). However, clinical relapses following BTKi and CD19-directed CAR-T treatments are a fast-growing medical challenge. Development of novel therapies to overcome BTKi resistance (BTKi-R) and BTKi-CAR-T dual resistance (Dual-R) are urgently needed. Our single-cell RNA sequencing data revealed major transcriptomic reprogramming, with great enrichment of MYC-targets evolving as resistance to these therapies developed. Interestingly, cyclin-dependent kinase 9 (CDK9), a critical component of the positive transcription elongation factor-b complex, was among the top upregulated genes …

Fate-Mapping And Functional Dissection Reveal Perilous Influence Of Type I Interferon Signaling In Mouse Brain Aging, Ethan R Roy, Sanming Li, Sepideh Saroukhani, Yanyu Wang, Wei Cao

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Aging significantly elevates the risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases. Neuroinflammation is a universal hallmark of neurodegeneration as well as normal brain aging. Which branches of age-related neuroinflammation, and how they precondition the brain toward pathological progression, remain ill-understood. The presence of elevated type I interferon (IFN-I) has been documented in the aged brain, but its role in promoting degenerative processes, such as the loss of neurons in vulnerable regions, has not been studied in depth.

Methods: To comprehend the scope of IFN-I activity in the aging brain, we surveyed IFN-I-responsive reporter mice at multiple ages. We also examined 5- …

Neurogranin Modulates The Rate Of Association Between Calmodulin And Target Peptides, John A Putkey, Laurel Hoffman, Vladimir Berka, Xu Wang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The best-known mode of action of calmodulin (CaM) is binding of Ca2+ to its N- and C-domains, followed by binding to target proteins. An underappreciated facet of this process is that CaM is typically bound to proteins at basal levels of free Ca2+, including the small, intrinsically disordered, neuronal IQ-motif proteins called PEP-19 and neurogranin (Ng). PEP-19 and Ng would not be effective competitive inhibitors of high-affinity Ca2+-dependent CaM targets at equilibrium because they bind to CaM with relatively low affinity, but they could influence the time course of CaM signaling by affecting the rate of association of CaM with …

Targeting Il-11r/Ezh2 Signaling Axis As A Therapeutic Strategy For Osteosarcoma Lung Metastases, Eswaran Devarajan, R Eric Davis, Hannah C Beird, Wei-Lien Wang, V Behrana Jensen, Arumugam Jayakumar, Cheuk Hong Leung, Heather Y Lin, Chia-Chin Wu, Stephanie A Ihezie, Jen-Wei Tsai, P Andrew Futreal, Valerae O Lewis

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Lung metastases are the primary cause of death for osteosarcoma (OS) patients. We recently validated interleukin-11 receptor α (IL-11Rα) as a molecular target for the inhibition of OS lung metastases. Since there is no clinically approved antibody against this receptor, we sought to identify downstream targets that mediate the effects of IL-11Rα signaling. We used shRNA to deplete IL-11Rα from OS cells; as a complementary approach, we added IL-11 exogenously to OS cells. The resulting changes in gene expression identified EZH2 as a downstream candidate. This was confirmed by knockdown of IL-11Rα in OS cells, which led to increased expression …

Repeat Controlled Human Plasmodium Falciparum Infections Delay Bloodstream Patency And Reduce Symptoms, Patricia Ferrer, Andrea A Berry, Allison N Bucsan, Surendra K Prajapati, Karthik Krishnan, Michelle C Barbeau, David M Rickert, Sandra Mendoza Guerrero, Miho Usui, Yonas Abebe, Asha Patil, Sumana Chakravarty, Peter F Billingsley, Faith Pa'ahana-Brown, Kathy Strauss, Biraj Shrestha, Effie Nomicos, Gregory A Deye, B Kim Lee Sim, Stephen L Hoffman, Kim C Williamson, Kirsten E Lyke

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Resistance to clinical malaria takes years to develop even in hyperendemic regions and sterilizing immunity has rarely been observed. To evaluate the maturation of the host response against controlled repeat exposures to P. falciparum (Pf) NF54 strain-infected mosquitoes, we systematically monitored malaria-naïve participants through an initial exposure to uninfected mosquitoes and 4 subsequent homologous exposures to Pf-infected mosquitoes over 21 months (n = 8 males) (ClinicalTrials.gov# NCT03014258). The primary outcome was to determine whether protective immunity against parasite infection develops following repeat CHMI and the secondary outcomes were to track the clinical signs and symptoms of malaria and anti-Pf antibody …

Phase 2 Study Of Neoadjuvant Enzalutamide And Paclitaxel For Luminal Androgen Receptor-Enriched Tnbc: Trial Results And Insights Into “Arness”, Bora Lim, Sahil Seth, Clinton Yam, Lei Huo, Takeo Fujii, Jangsoon Lee, Roland Bassett, Sara Nasser, Lisa Ravenberg, Jason White, Alyson Clayborn, Gil Guerra, Jennifer K Litton, Senthil Damodaran, Rachel Layman, Vicente Valero, Debasish Tripathy, Michael Lewis, Lacey E Dobrolecki, Jonathan Lei, Rosalind Candelaria, Banu Arun, Gaiane Rauch, Li Zhao, Jianhua Zhang, Qingqing Ding, W Fraser Symmans, Jeffrey T Chang, Alastair M Thompson, Stacy L Moulder, Naoto T Ueno

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Luminal androgen receptor (LAR)-enriched triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a distinct subtype. The efficacy of AR inhibitors and the relevant biomarkers in neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) are yet to be determined. We tested the combination of the AR inhibitor enzalutamide (120 mg daily by mouth) and paclitaxel (80 mg/m2 weekly intravenously) (ZT) for 12 weeks as NAT for LAR-enriched TNBC. Eligibility criteria included a percentage of cells expressing nuclear AR by immunohistochemistry (iAR) of at least 10% and a reduction in sonographic volume of less than 70% after four cycles of doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide. Twenty-four patients were enrolled. Ten achieved a …