Medical Molecular Biology Commons^™

Clinical, Genetic And Structural Delineation Of Rpl13-Related Spondyloepimetaphyseal Dysplasia Suggest Extra-Ribosomal Functions Of El1, Prince Jacob, Hillevi Lindelöf, Cecilie F Rustad, Vernon Reid Sutton, Shahida Moosa, Prajna Udupa, Anna Hammarsjö, Gandham Srilakshmi Bhavani, Dominyka Batkovskyte, Kristian Tveten, Ashwin Dalal, Eva Horemuzova, Ann Nordgren, Emma Tham, Hitesh Shah, Else Merckoll, Laura Orellana, Gen Nishimura, Katta M Girisha, Giedre Grigelioniene

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Spondyloepimetaphyseal dysplasia with severe short stature, RPL13-related (SEMD-RPL13), MIM#618728), is a rare autosomal dominant disorder characterized by short stature and skeletal changes such as mild spondylar and epimetaphyseal dysplasia affecting primarily the lower limbs. The genetic cause was first reported in 2019 by Le Caignec et al., and six disease-causing variants in the gene coding for a ribosomal protein, RPL13 (NM_000977.3) have been identified to date. This study presents clinical and radiographic data from 12 affected individuals aged 2-64 years from seven unrelated families, showing highly variable manifestations. The affected individuals showed a range from mild to severe short stature, …

A Network Pharmacology And Molecular-Docking-Based Approach To Identify The Probable Targets Of Short-Chain Fatty-Acid-Producing Microbial Metabolites Against Kidney Cancer And Inflammation, Md Rezaul Karim, Md Niaj Morshed, Safia Iqbal, Shahnawaz Mohammad, Ramya Mathiyalagan, Deok Chun Yang, Yeon Ju Kim, Joon Hyun Song, Dong Uk Yang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

(1) Background: A large and diverse microbial population exists in the human intestinal tract, which supports gut homeostasis and the health of the host. Short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-secreting microbes also generate several metabolites with favorable regulatory effects on various malignancies and immunological inflammations. The involvement of intestinal SCFAs in kidney diseases, such as various kidney malignancies and inflammations, has emerged as a fascinating area of study in recent years. However, the mechanisms of SCFAs and other metabolites produced by SCFA-producing bacteria against kidney cancer and inflammation have not yet been investigated. (2) Methods: We considered 177 different SCFA-producing microbial species …

Incidental Detection Of Fgfr3 Fusion Via Liquid Biopsy Leading To Earlier Diagnosis Of Urothelial Carcinoma, Quillan Huang, Irene Mitsiades, Heidi Dowst, Neda Zarrin-Khameh, Attiya Batool Noor, Patricia Castro, Michael E Scheurer, Guilherme Godoy, Martha P Mims, Nicholas Mitsiades

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The rising utilization of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) assays in Precision Oncology may incidentally detect genetic material from secondary sources. It is important that such findings are recognized and properly leveraged for both diagnosis and monitoring of response to treatment. Here, we report a patient in whom serial cell-free DNA (cfDNA) monitoring for his known prostate adenocarcinoma uncovered the emergence of an unexpected FGFR3-TACC3 gene fusion, a BRCA1 frameshift mutation, and other molecular abnormalities. Due to the rarity of FGFR3 fusions in prostate cancer, a workup for a second primary cancer was performed, leading to the diagnosis of an otherwise-asymptomatic …

The Transcription Factor Irf4 Determines The Anti-Tumor Immunity Of Cd8+ T Cells, Hui Yan, Yulin Dai, Xiaolong Zhang, Hedong Zhang, Xiang Xiao, Jinfei Fu, Dawei Zou, Anze Yu, Tao Jiang, Xian C Li, Zhongming Zhao, Wenhao Chen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Understanding the factors that regulate T cell infiltration and functional states in solid tumors is crucial for advancing cancer immunotherapies. Here, we discovered that the expression of interferon regulatory factor 4 (IRF4) was a critical T cell intrinsic requirement for effective anti-tumor immunity. Mice with T-cell-specific ablation of IRF4 showed significantly reduced T cell tumor infiltration and function, resulting in accelerated growth of subcutaneous syngeneic tumors and allowing the growth of allogeneic tumors. Additionally, engineered overexpression of IRF4 in anti-tumor CD8+ T cells that were adoptively transferred significantly promoted their tumor infiltration and transition from a naive/memory-like cell state into …

Revisiting The Use Of Normal Saline For Peritoneal Washing In Ovarian Cancer, Hironari Akasaka, Honami Naora

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The omentum is the predominant site of ovarian cancer metastasis, but it is difficult to remove the omentum in its entirety. There is a critical need for effective approaches that minimize the risk of colonization of preserved omental tissues by occult cancer cells. Normal saline (0.9% sodium chloride) is commonly used to wash the peritoneal cavity during ovarian cancer surgery. The omentum has a prodigious ability to absorb fluid in the peritoneal cavity, but the impact of normal saline on the omentum is poorly understood. In this review article, we discuss why normal saline is not a biocompatible solution, drawing …

Candida Auris-Macrophage Cellular Interactions And Transcriptional Response, Pedro Miramón, Andrew W Pountain, Michael C Lorenz

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The pathogenic yeast Candida auris represents a global threat of the utmost clinical relevance. This emerging fungal species is remarkable in its resistance to commonly used antifungal agents and its persistence in the nosocomial settings. The innate immune system is one the first lines of defense preventing the dissemination of pathogens in the host. C. auris is susceptible to circulating phagocytes, and understanding the molecular details of these interactions may suggest routes to improved therapies. In this work, we examined the interactions of this yeast with macrophages. We found that macrophages avidly phagocytose C. auris; however, intracellular replication is …

Identification Of Cdk1, Pbk, And Chek1 As An Oncogenic Signature In Glioblastoma: A Bioinformatics Approach To Repurpose Dapagliflozin As A Therapeutic Agent, Harold A Chinyama, Li Wei, Ntlotlang Mokgautsi, Bashir Lawal, Alexander T H Wu, Hsu-Shan Huang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most aggressive and lethal primary brain tumor whose median survival is less than 15 months. The current treatment regimen comprising surgical resectioning, chemotherapy with Temozolomide (TMZ), and adjuvant radiotherapy does not achieve total patient cure. Stem cells' presence and GBM tumor heterogeneity increase their resistance to TMZ, hence the poor overall survival of patients. A dysregulated cell cycle in glioblastoma enhances the rapid progression of GBM by evading senescence or apoptosis through an over-expression of cyclin-dependent kinases and other protein kinases that are the cell cycle's main regulatory proteins. Herein, we identified and validated the …

Nad+ Rescues Aging-Induced Blood-Brain Barrier Damage Via The Cx43-Parp1 Axis, Rui Zhan, Xia Meng, Dongping Tian, Jie Xu, Hongtu Cui, Jialei Yang, Yangkai Xu, Mingming Shi, Jing Xue, Weiwei Yu, Gaofei Hu, Ke Li, Xiaoxiao Ge, Qi Zhang, Mingming Zhao, Jianyong Du, Xin Guo, Wenli Xu, Yang Gao, Changyu Yao, Fan Chen, Yue Chen, Wenxin Shan, Yujie Zhu, Liang Ji, Bing Pan, Yan Yu, Wenguang Li, Xuyang Zhao, Qihua He, Xiaohui Liu, Yue Huang, Shengyou Liao, Bin Zhou, Dehua Chui, Y Eugene Chen, Zheng Sun, Erdan Dong, Yongjun Wang, Lemin Zheng

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Blood-brain barrier (BBB) function deteriorates during aging, contributing to cognitive impairment and neurodegeneration. It is unclear what drives BBB leakage in aging and how it can be prevented. Using single-nucleus transcriptomics, we identified decreased connexin 43 (CX43) expression in cadherin-5

The Role Of Noncoding Rnas In Pancreatic Birth Defects, Ziyue Zoey Yang, Ronald J Parchem

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Congenital defects in the pancreas can cause severe health issues such as pancreatic cancer and diabetes which require lifelong treatment. Regenerating healthy pancreatic cells to replace malfunctioning cells has been considered a promising cure for pancreatic diseases including birth defects. However, such therapies are currently unavailable in the clinic. The developmental gene regulatory network underlying pancreatic development must be reactivated for in vivo regeneration and recapitulated in vitro for cell replacement therapy. Thus, understanding the mechanisms driving pancreatic development will pave the way for regenerative therapies. Pancreatic progenitor cells are the precursors of all pancreatic cells which use epigenetic changes …

Associations Between Birth Defects With Neural Crest Cell Origins And Pediatric Embryonal Tumors, Eugene C Wong, Philip J Lupo, Tania A Desrosiers, Hazel B Nichols, Susan M Smith, Charles Poole, Mark Canfield, Charles Shumate, Tiffany M Chambers, Jeremy M Schraw, Wendy N Nembhard, Mahsa M Yazdy, Eirini Nestoridi, Amanda E Janitz, Andrew F Olshan

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: There are few assessments evaluating associations between birth defects with neural crest cell developmental origins (BDNCOs) and embryonal tumors, which are characterized by undifferentiated cells having a molecular profile similar to neural crest cells. The effect of BDNCOs on embryonal tumors was estimated to explore potential shared etiologic pathways and genetic origins.

METHODS: With the use of a multistate, registry-linkage cohort study, BDNCO-embryonal tumor associations were evaluated by generating hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) with Cox regression models. BDNCOs consisted of ear, face, and neck defects, Hirschsprung disease, and a selection of congenital heart defects. Embryonal …

Usp38 Exacerbates Atrial Inflammation, Fibrosis, And Susceptibility To Atrial Fibrillation After Myocardial Infarction In Mice, Yang Gong, Tingting Yu, Wei Shuai, Tao Chen, Jingjing Zhang, He Huang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Inflammation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of atrial fibrillation (AF) after myocardial infarction (MI). The role of USP38, a member of the ubiquitin-specific protease family, on MI-induced atrial inflammation, fibrosis, and associated AF is unclear.

METHODS: In this study, we surgically constructed a mouse MI model using USP38 cardiac conditional knockout (USP38-CKO) and cardiac-specific overexpression (USP38-TG) mice and applied biochemical, histological, electrophysiological characterization and molecular biology to investigate the effects of USP38 on atrial inflammation, fibrosis, and AF and its mechanisms.

RESULTS: Our results revealed that USP38-CKO attenuates atrial inflammation, thereby ameliorating fibrosis, and abnormal electrophysiologic properties, …

A Single Cell Genomics Atlas Of The Drosophila Larval Eye Reveals Distinct Photoreceptor Developmental Timelines, Komal Kumar Bollepogu Raja, Kelvin Yeung, Yoon-Kyung Shim, Yumei Li, Rui Chen, Graeme Mardon

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The Drosophila eye is a powerful model system to study the dynamics of cell differentiation, cell state transitions, cell maturation, and pattern formation. However, a high-resolution single cell genomics resource that accurately profiles all major cell types of the larval eye disc and their spatiotemporal relationships is lacking. Here, we report transcriptomic and chromatin accessibility data for all known cell types in the developing eye. Photoreceptors appear as strands of cells that represent their dynamic developmental timelines. As photoreceptor subtypes mature, they appear to assume a common transcriptomic profile that is dominated by genes involved in axon function. We identify …

Counts, Incidence Rates, And Trends Of Pediatric Cancer In The United States, 2003–2019, David A Siegel, Jessica B King, Philip J Lupo, Eric B Durbin, Eric Tai, Kathi Mills, Elizabeth Van Dyne, Natasha Buchanan Lunsford, S Jane Henley, Reda J Wilson

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Cancer is a leading cause of death by disease among children and adolescents in the United States. This study updates cancer incidence rates and trends using the most recent and comprehensive US cancer registry data available.

METHODS: We used data from US Cancer Statistics to evaluate counts, age-adjusted incidence rates, and trends among children and adolescents younger than 20 years of age diagnosed with malignant tumors between 2003 and 2019. We calculated the average annual percent change (APC) and APC using joinpoint regression. Rates and trends were stratified by demographic and geographic characteristics and by cancer type.

RESULTS: With …

Molecular Mechanisms Of Twist1-Regulated Transcription In Emt And Cancer Metastasis, Xiaobin Yu, Tao He, Zhangwei Tong, Lan Liao, Shixia Huang, Walid D Fakhouri, Dean P Edwards, Jianming Xu

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

TWIST1 induces epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) to drive cancer metastasis. It is yet unclear what determines TWIST1 functions to activate or repress transcription. We found that the TWIST1 N-terminus antagonizes TWIST1-regulated gene expression, cancer growth and metastasis. TWIST1 interacts with both the NuRD complex and the NuA4/TIP60 complex (TIP60-Com) via its N-terminus. Non-acetylated TWIST1-K73/76 selectively interacts with and recruits NuRD to repress epithelial target gene transcription. Diacetylated TWIST1-acK73/76 binds BRD8, a component of TIP60-Com that also binds histone H4-acK5/8, to recruit TIP60-Com to activate mesenchymal target genes and MYC. Knockdown of BRD8 abolishes TWIST1 and TIP60-Com interaction and TIP60-Com recruitment to …

Mechanistic Toxicology In Light Of Genetic Compensation, Mary Jane Elizalde, Daniel A Gorelick

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Mechanistic toxicology seeks to identify the molecular and cellular mechanisms by which toxicants exert their deleterious effects. One powerful approach is to generate mutations in genes that respond to a particular toxicant, and then test how such mutations change the effects of the toxicant. CRISPR is a rapid and versatile approach to generate mutations in cultured cells and in animal models. Many studies use CRISPR to generate short insertions or deletions in a target gene and then assume that the resulting mutation, such as a premature termination codon, causes a loss of functional protein. However, recent studies demonstrate that this …

Machine Learning Methods For Endocrine Disrupting Potential Identification Based On Single-Cell Data, Zahir Aghayev, Adam T Szafran, Anh Tran, Hari S Ganesh, Fabio Stossi, Lan Zhou, Michael A Mancini, Efstratios N Pistikopoulos, Burcu Beykal

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Humans are continuously exposed to a variety of toxicants and chemicals which is exacerbated during and after environmental catastrophes such as floods, earthquakes, and hurricanes. The hazardous chemical mixtures generated during these events threaten the health and safety of humans and other living organisms. This necessitates the development of rapid decision-making tools to facilitate mitigating the adverse effects of exposure on the key modulators of the endocrine system, such as the estrogen receptor alpha (ERα), for example. The mechanistic stages of the estrogenic transcriptional activity can be measured with high content/high throughput microscopy-based biosensor assays at the single-cell level, which …

Srcap Mutations Drive Clonal Hematopoiesis Through Epigenetic And Dna Repair Dysregulation, Chun-Wei Chen, Linda Zhang, Ravi Dutta, Abhishek Niroula, Peter G Miller, Christopher J Gibson, Alexander G Bick, Jaime M Reyes, Yi-Tang Lee, Ayala Tovy, Tianpeng Gu, Sarah Waldvogel, Yi-Hung Chen, Bryan J Venters, Pierre-Olivier Estève, Sriharsa Pradhan, Michael-Christopher Keogh, Pradeep Natarajan, Koichi Takahashi, Adam S Sperling, Margaret A Goodell

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Somatic mutations accumulate in all cells with age and can confer a selective advantage, leading to clonal expansion over time. In hematopoietic cells, mutations in a subset of genes regulating DNA repair or epigenetics frequently lead to clonal hematopoiesis (CH). Here, we describe the context and mechanisms that lead to enrichment of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) with mutations in SRCAP, which encodes a chromatin remodeler that also influences DNA repair. We show that SRCAP mutations confer a selective advantage in human cells and in mice upon treatment with the anthracycline-class chemotherapeutic doxorubicin and bone marrow transplantation. Furthermore, Srcap mutations lead …

Rare De Novo Gain-Of-Function Missense Variants In Dot1l Are Associated With Developmental Delay And Congenital Anomalies, Zelha Nil, Ashish R Deshwar, Yan Huang, Scott Barish, Xi Zhang, Sanaa Choufani, Polona Le Quesne Stabej, Ian Hayes, Patrick Yap, Chad Haldeman-Englert, Carolyn Wilson, Trine Prescott, Kristian Tveten, Arve Vøllo, Devon Haynes, Patricia G Wheeler, Jessica Zon, Cheryl Cytrynbaum, Rebekah Jobling, Moira Blyth, Siddharth Banka, Alexandra Afenjar, Cyril Mignot, Florence Robin-Renaldo, Boris Keren, Oguz Kanca, Xiao Mao, Daniel J Wegner, Kathleen Sisco, Marwan Shinawi, Undiagnosed Disease Network, Michael F Wangler, Rosanna Weksberg, Shinya Yamamoto, Gregory Costain, Hugo J Bellen

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Misregulation of histone lysine methylation is associated with several human cancers and with human developmental disorders. DOT1L is an evolutionarily conserved gene encoding a lysine methyltransferase (KMT) that methylates histone 3 lysine-79 (H3K79) and was not previously associated with a Mendelian disease in OMIM. We have identified nine unrelated individuals with seven different de novo heterozygous missense variants in DOT1L through the Undiagnosed Disease Network (UDN), the SickKids Complex Care genomics project, and GeneMatcher. All probands had some degree of global developmental delay/intellectual disability, and most had one or more major congenital anomalies. To assess the pathogenicity of the DOT1L …

A Human Mitofusin 2 Mutation Can Cause Mitophagic Cardiomyopathy, Antonietta Franco, Jiajia Li, Daniel P Kelly, Ray E Hershberger, Ali J Marian, Renate M Lewis, Moshi Song, Xiawei Dang, Alina D Schmidt, Mary E Mathyer, John R Edwards, Cristina De Guzman Strong, Gerald W Dorn

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Cardiac muscle has the highest mitochondrial density of any human tissue, but mitochondrial dysfunction is not a recognized cause of isolated cardiomyopathy. Here, we determined that the rare mitofusin (MFN) 2 R400Q mutation is 15-20× over-represented in clinical cardiomyopathy, whereas this specific mutation is not reported as a cause of MFN2 mutant-induced peripheral neuropathy, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2A (CMT2A). Accordingly, we interrogated the enzymatic, biophysical, and functional characteristics of MFN2 Q400 versus wild-type and CMT2A-causing MFN2 mutants. All MFN2 mutants had impaired mitochondrial fusion, the canonical MFN2 function. Compared to MFN2 T105M that lacked catalytic GTPase activity and exhibited normal …

Multi-Omics Analysis Of Circulating Exosomes In Adherent Long-Term Treated Osa Patients, Abdelnaby Khalyfa, Jose M. Marin, David Sanz-Rubio, Zhen Lyu, Trupti Joshi, David Gozal

Biomedical Sciences

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a highly prevalent chronic disease affecting nearly a billion people globally and increasing the risk of multi-organ morbidity and overall mortality. However, the mechanisms underlying such adverse outcomes remain incompletely delineated. Extracellular vesicles (exosomes) are secreted by most cells, are involved in both proximal and long-distance intercellular communication, and contribute toward homeostasis under physiological conditions. A multi-omics integrative assessment of plasma-derived exosomes from adult OSA patients prior to and after 1-year adherent CPAP treatment is lacking. We conducted multi-omic integrative assessments of plasma-derived exosomes from adult OSA patients prior to and following 1-year adherent CPAP …