scholarly journals ACE2 protein expression within isogenic cell lines is heterogeneous and associated with distinct transcriptomes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily J Sherman ◽  
Brian Emmer
Keyword(s):  
Cell Lines ◽  
Single Cells ◽  
Mrna Level ◽  
Renin Angiotensin System ◽  
Cellular Heterogeneity ◽  
Epigenetic Mechanism ◽  
Proximal Promoter ◽  
Specific Flow ◽  
Huh7 Cells ◽  
Transcription Factor Target

The membrane protein angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is a physiologic regulator of the renin-angiotensin system and the cellular receptor for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Prior studies of ACE2 expression have primarily focused on mRNA abundance, with investigation at the protein level limited by uncertain specificity of commercial ACE2 antibodies. Here, we report our development of a sensitive and specific flow cytometry-based assay for cellular ACE2 protein abundance. Application of this approach to multiple cell lines revealed an unexpected degree of cellular heterogeneity, with detectable ACE2 protein in only a subset of cells in each isogenic population. This heterogeneity was mediated at the mRNA level by transcripts predominantly initiated from the ACE2 proximal promoter. ACE2 expression was heritable but not fixed over multiple generations of daughter cells, with gradual drift toward the original heterogeneous background. RNA-seq profiling identified distinct transcriptomes of ACE2-expressing relative cells to non-expressing cells, with enrichment in functionally related genes and transcription factor target sets. Our findings provide a validated approach for the specific detection of ACE2 protein at the surface of single cells, support an epigenetic mechanism ACE2 gene regulation, and identify specific pathways associated with ACE2 expression in HuH7 cells.

scholarly journals ACE2 protein expression within isogenic cell lines is heterogeneous and associated with distinct transcriptomes

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily J. Sherman ◽  
Brian T. Emmer
Keyword(s):  
Cell Lines ◽  
Single Cells ◽  
Mrna Level ◽  
Renin Angiotensin System ◽  
Cellular Heterogeneity ◽  
Epigenetic Mechanism ◽  
Proximal Promoter ◽  
Specific Flow ◽  
Huh7 Cells ◽  
Transcription Factor Target

AbstractThe membrane protein angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is a physiologic regulator of the renin-angiotensin system and the cellular receptor for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Prior studies of ACE2 expression have primarily focused on mRNA abundance, with investigation at the protein level limited by uncertain specificity of commercial ACE2 antibodies. Here, we report our development of a sensitive and specific flow cytometry-based assay for cellular ACE2 protein abundance. Application of this approach to multiple cell lines revealed an unexpected degree of cellular heterogeneity, with detectable ACE2 protein in only a subset of cells in each isogenic population. This heterogeneity was mediated at the mRNA level by transcripts predominantly initiated from the ACE2 proximal promoter. ACE2 expression was heritable but not fixed over multiple generations of daughter cells, with gradual drift toward the original heterogeneous background. RNA-seq profiling identified distinct transcriptomes of ACE2-expressing relative cells to non-expressing cells, with enrichment in functionally related genes and transcription factor target sets. Our findings provide a validated approach for the specific detection of ACE2 protein at the surface of single cells, support an epigenetic mechanism of ACE2 gene regulation, and identify specific pathways associated with ACE2 expression in HuH7 cells.

scholarly journals Identification of ACE2 modifiers by CRISPR screening

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily J Sherman ◽  
Carmen Mirabelli ◽  
Vi T Tang ◽  
Taslima G Khan ◽  
Andrew A Kennedy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Lines ◽  
Individual Cell ◽  
Mrna Level ◽  
Host Factors ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Functional Networks ◽  
Huh7 Cells ◽  
Therapeutic Development ◽  
Immortalized Cell

SARS-CoV-2 infection is initiated by binding of the viral spike protein to its receptor, ACE2, on the surface of host cells. ACE2 expression is heterogeneous both in vivo and in immortalized cell lines, but the molecular pathways that govern ACE2 expression remain unclear. We now report high-throughput CRISPR screens for functional modifiers of ACE2 surface abundance. We identified 35 genes whose disruption was associated with a change in the surface abundance of ACE2 in HuH7 cells. Enriched among these ACE2 regulators were established transcription factors, epigenetic regulators, and functional networks. We further characterized individual cell lines with disruption of SMAD4, EP300, PIAS1, or BAMBI and found these genes to regulate ACE2 at the mRNA level and to influence cellular susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Collectively, our findings clarify the host factors involved in SARS-CoV-2 entry and suggest potential targets for therapeutic development.

scholarly journals Dissecting Intra-Tumor Heterogeneity by the Analysis of Copy Number Variations in Single Cells: The Neuroblastoma Case Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 893 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federica Cariati ◽  
Francesca Borrillo ◽  
Varun Shankar ◽  
Marcella Nunziato ◽  
Valeria D’Argenio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Lines ◽  
Copy Number ◽  
Tumor Heterogeneity ◽  
Single Cells ◽  
Neuroblastoma Cell ◽  
Copy Number Variants ◽  
Copy Number Variations ◽  
Cellular Heterogeneity ◽  
Genotypic Differences ◽  
Laboratory Protocol

Tumors often show intra-tumor heterogeneity because of genotypic differences between all the cells that compose it and that derive from it. Recent studies have shown significant aspects of neuroblastoma heterogeneity that may affect the diagnostic-therapeutic strategy. Therefore, we developed a laboratory protocol, based on the combination of the advanced dielectrophoresis-based array technology and next-generation sequencing to identify and sort single cells individually and carry out their copy number variants analysis. The aim was to evaluate the cellular heterogeneity, avoiding overestimation or underestimation errors, due to a bulk analysis of the sample. We tested the above-mentioned protocol on two neuroblastoma cell lines, SK-N-BE(2)-C and IMR-32. The presence of several gain or loss chromosomal regions, in both cell lines, shows a high heterogeneity of the copy number variants status of the single tumor cells, even if they belong to an immortalized cell line. This finding confirms that each cell can potentially accumulate different alterations that can modulate its behavior. The laboratory protocol proposed herein provides a tool able to identify prevalent behaviors, and at the same time highlights the presence of particular clusters that deviate from them. Finally, it could be applicable to many other types of cancer.

scholarly journals Noise-driven cellular heterogeneity in circadian periodicity

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (19) ◽  
pp. 10350-10356 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Li ◽  
Yongli Shan ◽  
Ravi V. Desai ◽  
Kimberly H. Cox ◽  
Leor S. Weinberger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Lines ◽  
Single Cells ◽  
Variance Partitioning ◽  
Period Length ◽  
Cellular Heterogeneity ◽  
Phenotypic Variance ◽  
Circadian Period ◽  
Clonal Cell ◽  
Clonal Cell Lines ◽  
Cell To Cell Variability

Nongenetic cellular heterogeneity is associated with aging and disease. However, the origins of cell-to-cell variability are complex and the individual contributions of different factors to total phenotypic variance are still unclear. Here, we took advantage of clear phenotypic heterogeneity of circadian oscillations in clonal cell populations to investigate the underlying mechanisms of cell-to-cell variability. Using a fully automated tracking and analysis pipeline, we examined circadian period length in thousands of single cells and hundreds of clonal cell lines and found that longer circadian period is associated with increased intercellular heterogeneity. Based on our experimental results, we then estimated the contributions of heritable and nonheritable factors to this variation in circadian period length using a variance partitioning model. We found that nonheritable noise predominantly drives intercellular circadian period variation in clonal cell lines, thereby revealing a previously unrecognized link between circadian oscillations and intercellular heterogeneity. Moreover, administration of a noise-enhancing drug reversibly increased both period length and variance. These findings suggest that circadian period may be used as an indicator of cellular noise and drug screening for noise control.

scholarly journals An ultra-sensitive and easy-to-use multiplexed single-cell proteomic analysis

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chen Li ◽  
Lei Gu ◽  
Zi Yi Li ◽  
Qin Qin Wang ◽  
Hui Ping Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Single Cell ◽  
Cell Lines ◽  
Single Cells ◽  
Cell Activity ◽  
Cellular Heterogeneity ◽  
Batch Experiment ◽  
Cell Protein ◽  
Data Quality Control ◽  
High Throughput Analysis ◽  
Average Cell

Proteins analysis from an average cell population often overlooks the cellular heterogeneity of expressed effector molecules, and knowledge about the regulations of key biological processes may remain obscure. Therefore, the necessity of single-cell proteomics (SCP) technologies arises. Without microfluidic chip, expensive ultrasonic equipment, or reformed liquid chromatogram (LC) system, we established an Ultra-sensitive and Easy-to-use multiplexed Single-Cell Proteomic workflow (UE-SCP). Specifically, the flexible sorting system ensured outstanding cell activity, high accuracy, remarkable efficiency, and robustness during single-cell isolation. Multiplex isobaric labeling realized the high-throughput analysis in trapped ion mobility spectrometry coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (timsTOF MS). Using this pipeline, we achieved single-cell protein quantities to a depth of over 2,000 protein groups in two human cell lines, Hela and HEK-293T. A small batch experiment can identify and quantify more than 3200 protein groups in 32 single cells, while a large batch experiment can identify and quantify about 4000 protein groups in 96 single cells. All the 128 single cells from different cell lines could been unsupervised clustered based on their proteomes. After the integration of data quality control, data cleaning, and data analysis, we are confident that our UE-SCP platform will be easy-to-marketing popularization and will promote biological applications of single-cell proteomics.

scholarly journals BHK-21 Cell Clones Differ in Chikungunya Virus Infection and MXRA8 Receptor Expression

Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 949
Author(s):  
Peiqi Yin ◽  
Margaret Kielian
Keyword(s):  
Cell Lines ◽  
Primary Infection ◽  
Sindbis Virus ◽  
Chikungunya Virus ◽  
Mrna Level ◽  
Receptor Expression ◽  
Chikv Infection ◽  
Cell Clones ◽  
Clonal Cell Lines ◽  
Exogenous Expression

Baby hamster kidney-21 (BHK-21) cells are widely used to propagate and study many animal viruses using infection and transfection techniques. Among various BHK-21 cell clones, the fibroblast-like BHK-21/C-13 line and the epithelial-like BHK-21/WI-2 line are commonly used cell clones for alphavirus research. Here we report that BHK-21/WI-2 cells were significantly less susceptible to primary infection by the alphavirus chikungunya virus (CHIKV) than were BHK-21/C-13 cells. The electroporation efficiency of alphavirus RNA into BHK-21/WI-2 was also lower than that of BHK-21/C-13. The growth of CHIKV was decreased in BHK-21/WI-2 compared to BHK-21/C-13, while primary infection and growth of the alphavirus Sindbis virus (SINV) were equivalent in the two cell lines. Our results suggested that CHIKV entry could be compromised in BHK-21/WI-2. Indeed, we found that the mRNA level of the CHIKV receptor MXRA8 in BHK-21/WI-2 cells was much lower than that in BHK-21/C-13 cells, and exogenous expression of either human MXRA8 or hamster MXRA8 rescued CHIKV infection. Our results affirm the importance of the MXRA8 receptor for CHIKV infection, and document differences in its expression in two clonal cell lines derived from the original BHK-21 cell cultures. Our results also indicate that CHIKV propagation and entry studies in BHK-21 cells will be significantly more efficient in BHK-21/C-13 than in BHK-21/WI-2 cells.

scholarly journals Cryopreservation of human cancers conserves tumour heterogeneity for single-cell multi-omics analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sunny Z. Wu ◽  
Daniel L. Roden ◽  
Ghamdan Al-Eryani ◽  
Nenad Bartonicek ◽  
Kate Harvey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Single Cell ◽  
Rna Sequencing ◽  
High Throughput ◽  
Single Cells ◽  
Cellular Heterogeneity ◽  
Tumour Heterogeneity ◽  
Fresh Tissue ◽  
Human Cancers ◽  
Cryopreserved Cell ◽  
Single Cell Rna Sequencing

Abstract Background High throughput single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-Seq) has emerged as a powerful tool for exploring cellular heterogeneity among complex human cancers. scRNA-Seq studies using fresh human surgical tissue are logistically difficult, preclude histopathological triage of samples, and limit the ability to perform batch processing. This hindrance can often introduce technical biases when integrating patient datasets and increase experimental costs. Although tissue preservation methods have been previously explored to address such issues, it is yet to be examined on complex human tissues, such as solid cancers and on high throughput scRNA-Seq platforms. Methods Using the Chromium 10X platform, we sequenced a total of ~ 120,000 cells from fresh and cryopreserved replicates across three primary breast cancers, two primary prostate cancers and a cutaneous melanoma. We performed detailed analyses between cells from each condition to assess the effects of cryopreservation on cellular heterogeneity, cell quality, clustering and the identification of gene ontologies. In addition, we performed single-cell immunophenotyping using CITE-Seq on a single breast cancer sample cryopreserved as solid tissue fragments. Results Tumour heterogeneity identified from fresh tissues was largely conserved in cryopreserved replicates. We show that sequencing of single cells prepared from cryopreserved tissue fragments or from cryopreserved cell suspensions is comparable to sequenced cells prepared from fresh tissue, with cryopreserved cell suspensions displaying higher correlations with fresh tissue in gene expression. We showed that cryopreservation had minimal impacts on the results of downstream analyses such as biological pathway enrichment. For some tumours, cryopreservation modestly increased cell stress signatures compared to freshly analysed tissue. Further, we demonstrate the advantage of cryopreserving whole-cells for detecting cell-surface proteins using CITE-Seq, which is impossible using other preservation methods such as single nuclei-sequencing. Conclusions We show that the viable cryopreservation of human cancers provides high-quality single-cells for multi-omics analysis. Our study guides new experimental designs for tissue biobanking for future clinical single-cell RNA sequencing studies.

scholarly journals Cellular lensing and near infrared fluorescent nanosensor arrays to enable chemical efflux cytometry

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Soo-Yeon Cho ◽  
Xun Gong ◽  
Volodymyr B. Koman ◽  
Matthias Kuehne ◽  
Sun Jin Moon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Near Infrared ◽  
Single Cells ◽  
Microfluidic Channel ◽  
Human Monocyte ◽  
Cellular Heterogeneity ◽  
Label Free ◽  
Nanotube Array ◽  
Chemical Cytometry ◽  
Rich Information ◽  
Non Destructive

AbstractNanosensors have proven to be powerful tools to monitor single cells, achieving spatiotemporal precision even at molecular level. However, there has not been way of extending this approach to statistically relevant numbers of living cells. Herein, we design and fabricate nanosensor array in microfluidics that addresses this limitation, creating a Nanosensor Chemical Cytometry (NCC). nIR fluorescent carbon nanotube array is integrated along microfluidic channel through which flowing cells is guided. We can utilize the flowing cell itself as highly informative Gaussian lenses projecting nIR profiles and extract rich information. This unique biophotonic waveguide allows for quantified cross-correlation of biomolecular information with various physical properties and creates label-free chemical cytometer for cellular heterogeneity measurement. As an example, the NCC can profile the immune heterogeneities of human monocyte populations at attomolar sensitivity in completely non-destructive and real-time manner with rate of ~600 cells/hr, highest range demonstrated to date for state-of-the-art chemical cytometry.

scholarly journals Polyphenol-Enriched Blueberry Preparation Controls Breast Cancer Stem Cells by Targeting FOXO1 and miR-145

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (14) ◽  
pp. 4330
Author(s):  
Jean-François Mallet ◽  
Roghayeh Shahbazi ◽  
Nawal Alsadi ◽  
Chantal Matar
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Cell Lines ◽  
Cancer Cell ◽  
Breast Cancer Cell ◽  
Mirna Expression ◽  
Epigenetic Mechanism ◽  
Breast Cancer Cell Lines ◽  
Relative Expression ◽  
Target Proteins ◽  
Pathological Characteristics

Scientific evidence supports the early deregulation of epigenetic profiles during breast carcinogenesis. Research shows that cellular transformation, carcinogenesis, and stemness maintenance are regulated by epigenetic-specific changes that involve microRNAs (miRNAs). Dietary bioactive compounds such as blueberry polyphenols may modulate susceptibility to breast cancer by the modulation of CSC survival and self-renewal pathways through the epigenetic mechanism, including the regulation of miRNA expression. Therefore, the current study aimed to assay the effect of polyphenol enriched blueberry preparation (PEBP) or non-fermented blueberry juice (NBJ) on the modulation of miRNA signature and the target proteins associated with different clinical-pathological characteristics of breast cancer such as stemness, invasion, and chemoresistance using breast cancer cell lines. To this end, 4T1 and MB-MDM-231 cell lines were exposed to NBJ or PEBP for 24 h. miRNA profiling was performed in breast cancer cell cultures, and RT-qPCR was undertaken to assay the expression of target miRNA. The expression of target proteins was examined by Western blotting. Profiling of miRNA revealed that several miRNAs associated with different clinical-pathological characteristics were differentially expressed in cells treated with PEBP. The validation study showed significant downregulation of oncogenic miR-210 expression in both 4T1 and MDA-MB-231 cells exposed to PEBP. In addition, expression of tumor suppressor miR-145 was significantly increased in both cell lines treated with PEBP. Western blot analysis showed a significant increase in the relative expression of FOXO1 in 4T1 and MDA-MB-231 cells exposed to PEBP and in MDA-MB-231 cells exposed to NBJ. Furthermore, a significant decrease was observed in the relative expression of N-RAS in 4T1 and MDA-MB-231 cells exposed to PEBP and in MDA-MB-231 cells exposed to NBJ. Our data indicate a potential chemoprevention role of PEBP through the modulation of miRNA expression, particularly miR-210 and miR-145, and protection against breast cancer development and progression. Thus, PEBP may represent a source for novel chemopreventative agents against breast cancer.

scholarly journals Selective Anti-Cancer Effects of Plasma-Activated Medium and Its High Efficacy with Cisplatin on Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Cancer Stem Cell Characteristics

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (8) ◽  
pp. 3956
Author(s):  
Yan Li ◽  
Tianyu Tang ◽  
Hae June Lee ◽  
Kiwon Song
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Cell Death ◽  
Cell Lines ◽  
Primary Liver Cancer ◽  
Atmospheric Pressure Plasma ◽  
Normal Liver ◽  
Normal Liver Cell ◽  
Ample Evidence ◽  
Huh7 Cells ◽  
Anti Cancer

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major histological subtype of primary liver cancer. Ample evidence suggests that the pathological properties of HCC originate from hepatic cancer stem cells (CSCs), which are responsible for carcinogenesis, recurrence, and drug resistance. Cold atmospheric-pressure plasma (CAP) and plasma-activated medium (PAM) induce apoptosis in cancer cells and represent novel and powerful anti-cancer agents. This study aimed to determine the anti-cancer effect of CAP and PAM in HCC cell lines with CSC characteristics. We showed that the air-based CAP and PAM selectively induced cell death in Hep3B and Huh7 cells with CSC characteristics, but not in the normal liver cell line, MIHA. We observed both caspase-dependent and -independent cell death in the PAM-treated HCC cell lines. Moreover, we determined whether combinatorial PAM therapy with various anti-cancer agents have an additive effect on cell death in Huh7. We found that PAM highly increased the efficacy of the chemotherapeutic agent, cisplatin, while enhanced the anti-cancer effect of doxorubicin and the targeted-therapy drugs, trametinib and sorafenib to a lesser extent. These findings support the application of CAP and PAM as anti-cancer agents to induce selective cell death in cancers containing CSCs, suggesting that the combinatorial use of PAM and some specific anti-cancer agents is complemented mechanistically.

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