scholarly journals Systematic search for schizophrenia pathways sensitive to perturbation by immune activation

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yue Gao ◽  
Xiaozhen Liang ◽  
Zhonglu Ren ◽  
Yanjun Li ◽  
Xinping Yang
Keyword(s):  
Immune Activation ◽  
Interaction Network ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Brain Cell ◽  
Human Interactome ◽  
Neural Connections ◽  
Immune Genes ◽  
Complex Disorders ◽  
Cell Transcriptome

AbstractImmune activation has been recently found to play a large part in the development of schizophrenia, but the underlying mechanism remains largely unknown. Here, we report the construction of a high-quality protein interaction network for schizophrenia (SCZ Network) using a “neighborhood walking” approach to searching across human interactome network for disease-related neighborhoods. The spatiotemporal expression pattern of the immune genes in the SCZ Network demonstrates that this disease network is sensitive to the perturbation of immune activation during mid- to late fetal development and adolescence. The immune genes in the network are involved in pathways regulating the formation, structure and function of synapses and neural connections. Using single-cell transcriptome sequencing on the brains of immune-activated mice, we found that immune activation disturbed the SCZ network in the major brain cell types and the dysregulated pathways were also involved in synapse regulation, demonstrating that our “neighborhood walking” approach enables biological discovery in complex disorders.

scholarly journals Dynamic rewiring of the human interactome by interferon signalling

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig H. Kerr ◽  
Michael A. Skinnider ◽  
Angel M. Madero ◽  
Daniel D.T. Andrews ◽  
R. Greg Stacey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Interaction Network ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Antiviral Response ◽  
Type I ◽  
Protein Protein Interactions ◽  
Human Interactome ◽  
Viral Pathogens ◽  
Protein Protein Interaction ◽  
Dependent Protein

ABSTRACTBackgroundThe type I interferon (IFN) response is an ancient pathway that protects cells against viral pathogens by inducing the transcription of hundreds of IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs). Transcriptomic and biochemical approaches have established comprehensive catalogues of ISGs across species and cell types, but their antiviral mechanisms remain incompletely characterized. Here, we apply a combination of quantitative proteomic approaches to delineate the effects of IFN signalling on the human proteome, culminating in the use of protein correlation profiling to map IFN-induced rearrangements in the human protein-protein interaction network.ResultsWe identified >27,000 protein interactions in IFN-stimulated and unstimulated cells, many of which involve proteins associated with human disease and are observed exclusively within the IFN-stimulated network. Differential network analysis reveals interaction rewiring across a surprisingly broad spectrum of cellular pathways in the antiviral response. We identify IFN-dependent protein-protein interactions mediating novel regulatory mechanisms at the transcriptional and translational levels, with one such interaction modulating the transcriptional activity of STAT1. Moreover, we reveal IFN-dependent changes in ribosomal composition that act to buffer ISG protein synthesis.ConclusionsOur map of the IFN interactome provides a global view of the complex cellular networks activated during the antiviral response, placing ISGs in a functional context, and serves as a framework to understand how these networks are dysregulated in autoimmune or inflammatory disease.

scholarly journals An integrated transcriptomic and epigenomic atlas of mouse primary motor cortex cell types

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zizhen Yao ◽  
Hanqing Liu ◽  
Fangming Xie ◽  
Stephan Fischer ◽  
A. Sina Booeshaghi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Single Cell ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Neuronal Cell ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Regulatory Elements ◽  
Brain Cell ◽  
Molecular Signatures ◽  
Sequencing Technologies ◽  
Cell Transcriptome

AbstractSingle cell transcriptomics has transformed the characterization of brain cell identity by providing quantitative molecular signatures for large, unbiased samples of brain cell populations. With the proliferation of taxonomies based on individual datasets, a major challenge is to integrate and validate results toward defining biologically meaningful cell types. We used a battery of single-cell transcriptome and epigenome measurements generated by the BRAIN Initiative Cell Census Network (BICCN) to comprehensively assess the molecular signatures of cell types in the mouse primary motor cortex (MOp). We further developed computational and statistical methods to integrate these multimodal data and quantitatively validate the reproducibility of the cell types. The reference atlas, based on more than 600,000 high quality single-cell or -nucleus samples assayed by six molecular modalities, is a comprehensive molecular account of the diverse neuronal and non-neuronal cell types in MOp. Collectively, our study indicates that the mouse primary motor cortex contains over 55 neuronal cell types that are highly replicable across analysis methods, sequencing technologies, and modalities. We find many concordant multimodal markers for each cell type, as well as thousands of genes and gene regulatory elements with discrepant transcriptomic and epigenomic signatures. These data highlight the complex molecular regulation of brain cell types and will directly enable design of reagents to target specific MOp cell types for functional analysis.

scholarly journals Single-cell transcriptome profiling reveals intratumoural heterogeneity and malignant progression in retinoblastoma

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Yang ◽  
Yongyun Li ◽  
Yanping Han ◽  
Yiyi Feng ◽  
Min Zhou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Single Cell ◽  
Trajectory Analysis ◽  
Transcriptome Profiling ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Malignant Progression ◽  
Gene Marker ◽  
Retinoblastoma Cell ◽  
Human Retinoblastoma ◽  
Cell Transcriptome

AbstractRetinoblastoma is a childhood retinal tumour that is the most common primary malignant intraocular tumour. However, it has been challenging to identify the cell types associated with genetic complexity. Here, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing on 14,739 cells from two retinoblastoma samples to delineate the heterogeneity and the underlying mechanism of retinoblastoma progression. Using a multiresolution network-based analysis, we identified two major cell types in human retinoblastoma. Cell trajectory analysis yielded a total of 5 cell states organized into two main branches, and the cell cycle-associated cone precursors were the cells of origin of retinoblastoma that were required for initiating the differentiation and malignancy process of retinoblastoma. Tumour cells differentiation reprogramming trajectory analysis revealed that cell-type components of multiple tumour-related pathways and predominantly expressed UBE2C were associated with an activation state in the malignant progression of the tumour, providing a potential novel “switch gene” marker during early critical stages in human retinoblastoma development. Thus, our findings improve our current understanding of the mechanism of retinoblastoma progression and are potentially valuable in providing novel prognostic markers for retinoblastoma.

scholarly journals Multivalent peptide ligands to probe the chromocenter microenvironment in living cells

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nora Guidotti ◽  
Ádám Eördögh ◽  
Maxime Mivelaz ◽  
Pablo Rivera-Fuentes ◽  
Beat Fierz
Keyword(s):  
Single Molecule ◽  
Spatial Organization ◽  
Interaction Network ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Exact Nature ◽  
Heterochromatin Protein 1 ◽  
Fluorescent Peptide ◽  
Peptide Probes

Chromatin is spatially organized into functional states that are defined by both the presence of specific histone post-translational modifications (PTMs) and a defined set of chromatin-associated "reader" proteins. Different models for the underlying mechanism of such compartmentalization have been proposed, including liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) of chromatin-associated proteins to drive spatial organization. Heterochromatin, characterized by lysine 9 methylation on histone H3 (H3K9me3) and the presence of heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1) as a multivalent reader, represents a prime example of a spatially defined chromatin state. Heterochromatin foci exhibit features of protein condensates driven by LLPS; however, the exact nature of the physicochemical environment within heterochromatin in different cell types is not completely understood. Here, we present tools to interrogate the environment of chromatin sub-compartments in the form of modular, cell-permeable, multivalent and fluorescent peptide probes. These probes can be tuned to target specific chromatin states by providing binding sites to reader proteins and can thereby integrate into the PTM-reader interaction network. As a target, here we generate probes specific to HP1, directing them to heterochromatin at chromocenters in mouse fibroblasts. Moreover, we use a polarity-sensing photoactivatable probe that photoconverts to a fluorescent state in phase-separated protein droplets and thereby reports on the local microenvironment. Equipped with this dye, our probes indeed turn fluorescent in murine chromocenters. However, image analysis and single-molecule tracking experiments reveal that the compartments are less dense and more dynamic than HP1 condensates obtained in vitro. Our results thus demonstrate that the local organization of heterochromatin in chromocenters is internally more complex than an HP1 condensate.

scholarly journals Mapping of single-cell landscape of acral melanoma and analysis of molecular regulatory network of tumor microenvironment

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zan He ◽  
Zijuan Xin ◽  
Xiangdong Fang ◽  
Hua Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Tumor Microenvironment ◽  
Single Cell ◽  
Interaction Network ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Cell Interaction ◽  
Malignant Cells ◽  
Acral Melanoma ◽  
Asian Populations ◽  
Specific Tumor ◽  
Cell Transcriptome

Melanoma is a type of skin malignant tumor with high invasiveness, high metastasis, and poor prognosis. The incidence of melanoma continues to increase. Among them, the subtype of acral melanoma (AM) is more common in Asian populations. AM has higher degree, low immunotherapy response rate. With the help of single-cell sequencing technology provides new technical means for tumor microenvironment research, so that we can more easily explore specific tumor types suitable immunotherapy targets. However, no complete single-cell level differentiation map exists for the AM tumor microenvironment (TME). In this study, we used AM related sample and used the 10x Genomics single-cell transcriptome platform to draw a specific single-cell map of AM, understand the cell composition of AM, and analyze the interaction and molecular regulation of AM TME. Nine cell types were identified, of which malignant cells accounted for the largest proportion, followed by fibroblasts. And the cell interaction network shows that malignant cells, macrophages, B cells, T cells and fibroblasts play important roles in AM TME. Our research provides systematic theoretical guidance for the diagnosis and treatment of acral melanoma.

scholarly journals Hypoxia, Acidification and Inflammation: Partners in Crime in Parkinson’s Disease Pathogenesis?

Immuno ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 78-90
Author(s):  
Johannes Burtscher ◽  
Grégoire P. Millet
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Neurodegenerative Diseases ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Brain Cell ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Molecular Alterations ◽  
Research Fields

Like in other neurodegenerative diseases, protein aggregation, mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress and neuroinflammation are hallmarks of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Differentiating characteristics of PD include the central role of α-synuclein in the aggregation pathology, a distinct vulnerability of the striato-nigral system with the related motor symptoms, as well as specific mitochondrial deficits. Which molecular alterations cause neurodegeneration and drive PD pathogenesis is poorly understood. Here, we summarize evidence of the involvement of three interdependent factors in PD and suggest that their interplay is likely a trigger and/or aggravator of PD-related neurodegeneration: hypoxia, acidification and inflammation. We aim to integrate the existing knowledge on the well-established role of inflammation and immunity, the emerging interest in the contribution of hypoxic insults and the rather neglected effects of brain acidification in PD pathogenesis. Their tight association as an important aspect of the disease merits detailed investigation. Consequences of related injuries are discussed in the context of aging and the interaction of different brain cell types, in particular with regard to potential consequences on the vulnerability of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. A special focus is put on the identification of current knowledge gaps and we emphasize the importance of related insights from other research fields, such as cancer research and immunometabolism, for neurodegeneration research. The highlighted interplay of hypoxia, acidification and inflammation is likely also of relevance for other neurodegenerative diseases, despite disease-specific biochemical and metabolic alterations.

scholarly journals Single-cell mapping of focused ultrasound-transfected brain

Gene Therapy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. S. Mathew ◽  
C. M. Gorick ◽  
R. J. Price
Keyword(s):  
Single Cell ◽  
Focused Ultrasound ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Brain Cell ◽  
Therapeutic Modality ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Stress Genes ◽  
Multiple Cell ◽  
Differential Gene

AbstractGene delivery via focused ultrasound (FUS) mediated blood-brain barrier (BBB) opening is a disruptive therapeutic modality. Unlocking its full potential will require an understanding of how FUS parameters (e.g., peak-negative pressure (PNP)) affect transfected cell populations. Following plasmid (mRuby) delivery across the BBB with 1 MHz FUS, we used single-cell RNA-sequencing to ascertain that distributions of transfected cell types were highly dependent on PNP. Cells of the BBB (i.e., endothelial cells, pericytes, and astrocytes) were enriched at 0.2 MPa PNP, while transfection of cells distal to the BBB (i.e., neurons, oligodendrocytes, and microglia) was augmented at 0.4 MPa PNP. PNP-dependent differential gene expression was observed for multiple cell types. Cell stress genes were upregulated proportional to PNP, independent of cell type. Our results underscore how FUS may be tuned to bias transfection toward specific brain cell types in vivo and predict how those cells will respond to transfection.

scholarly journals Gene co-expression in the interactome: moving from correlation toward causation via an integrated approach to disease module discovery

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paola Paci ◽  
Giulia Fiscon ◽  
Federica Conte ◽  
Rui-Sheng Wang ◽  
Lorenzo Farina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Network Analysis ◽  
Interaction Network ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
State Transitions ◽  
Disease Genes ◽  
Human Interactome ◽  
Protein Protein Interaction ◽  
Interactome Network ◽  
Module Discovery ◽  
Specific Disorders

AbstractIn this study, we integrate the outcomes of co-expression network analysis with the human interactome network to predict novel putative disease genes and modules. We first apply the SWItch Miner (SWIM) methodology, which predicts important (switch) genes within the co-expression network that regulate disease state transitions, then map them to the human protein–protein interaction network (PPI, or interactome) to predict novel disease–disease relationships (i.e., a SWIM-informed diseasome). Although the relevance of switch genes to an observed phenotype has been recently assessed, their performance at the system or network level constitutes a new, potentially fascinating territory yet to be explored. Quantifying the interplay between switch genes and human diseases in the interactome network, we found that switch genes associated with specific disorders are closer to each other than to other nodes in the network, and tend to form localized connected subnetworks. These subnetworks overlap between similar diseases and are situated in different neighborhoods for pathologically distinct phenotypes, consistent with the well-known topological proximity property of disease genes. These findings allow us to demonstrate how SWIM-based correlation network analysis can serve as a useful tool for efficient screening of potentially new disease gene associations. When integrated with an interactome-based network analysis, it not only identifies novel candidate disease genes, but also may offer testable hypotheses by which to elucidate the molecular underpinnings of human disease and reveal commonalities between seemingly unrelated diseases.

microRNA-252 and FoxO repress inflammaging by a dual inhibitory mechanism on Dawdle mediated TGF-β pathway in Drosophila

Genetics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaofen Wu ◽  
Kongyan Niu ◽  
Xiaofan Wang ◽  
Jing Zhao ◽  
Han Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Types ◽  
Innate Immune ◽  
Low Grade ◽  
Sequencing Analysis ◽  
Immune Genes ◽  
Healthy Longevity ◽  
Muscle Tissues ◽  
Distinct Cell ◽  
A Cell ◽  
Innate Immune Genes

Abstract Inflammaging refers to low-grade, chronically activated innate immunity that has deleterious effects on healthy lifespan. However, little is known about the intrinsic signaling pathway that elicits innate immune genes during aging. Here using Drosophila melanogaster, we profile the microRNA targetomes in young and aged animals, and reveal Dawdle (Daw), an activin-like ligand of the TGF-β pathway, as a physiological target of microRNA-252 (miR-252). We show that miR-252 cooperates with Forkhead box O (FoxO), a conserved transcriptional factor implicated in aging, to repress Daw. Unopposed Daw triggers hyper activation of innate immune genes coupled with a decline in organismal survival. Using adult muscle tissues, single-cell sequencing analysis describes that Daw and its downstream innate immune genes are expressed in distinct cell types, suggesting a cell non-autonomous mode of regulation. We further determine the genetic cascade by which Daw signaling leads to increased Kenny/IKKγ protein, which in turn activates Relish/NF-κB protein and consequentially innate immune genes. Finally, transgenic increase of miR-252 and FoxO pathway factors in wild-type Drosophila extends lifespan and mitigates the induction of innate immune genes in aging. Together, we propose that miR-252 and FoxO promote healthy longevity by cooperative inhibition on Daw mediated inflammaging.

scholarly journals Muscle contracture and passive mechanics in cerebral palsy

2019 ◽  
Vol 126 (5) ◽  
pp. 1492-1501 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard L. Lieber ◽  
Jan Fridén
Keyword(s):  
Extracellular Matrix ◽  
Cerebral Palsy ◽  
Satellite Cells ◽  
Neuromuscular Disorders ◽  
Light And Electron Microscopy ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Muscle Stiffness ◽  
Muscle Satellite Cells ◽  
Cord Injury

Skeletal muscle contractures represent the permanent shortening of a muscle-tendon unit, resulting in loss of elasticity and, in extreme cases, joint deformation. They may result from cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury, stroke, muscular dystrophy, and other neuromuscular disorders. Contractures are the prototypic and most severe clinical presentation of increased passive mechanical muscle force in humans, often requiring surgical correction. Intraoperative experiments demonstrate that high muscle passive force is associated with sarcomeres that are abnormally stretched, although otherwise normal, with fewer sarcomeres in series. Furthermore, changes in the amount and arrangement of collagen in the extracellular matrix also increase muscle stiffness. Structural light and electron microscopy studies demonstrate that large bundles of collagen, referred to as perimysial cables, may be responsible for this increased stiffness and are regulated by interaction of a number of cell types within the extracellular matrix. Loss of muscle satellite cells may be related to changes in both sarcomeres and extracellular matrix. Future studies are required to determine the underlying mechanism for changes in muscle satellite cells and their relationship (if any) to contracture. A more complete understanding of this mechanism may lead to effective nonsurgical treatments to relieve and even prevent muscle contractures.

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