scholarly journals Weighted gene co-expression network-based approach to identify key genes associated with anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity and construction of miRNA-transcription factor-gene regulatory network

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Guoxing Wan ◽  
Peinan Chen ◽  
Xue Sun ◽  
Xiaojun Cai ◽  
Xiongjie Yu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Cardiotoxicity is a common complication following anthracycline chemotherapy and represents one of the serious adverse reactions affecting life, which severely limits the effective use of anthracyclines in cancer therapy. Although some genes have been investigated by individual studies, the comprehensive analysis of key genes and molecular regulatory network in anthracyclines-induced cardiotoxicity (AIC) is lacking but urgently needed. Methods The present study integrating several transcription profiling datasets aimed to identify key genes associated with AIC by weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) and differentially expressed analysis (DEA) and also constructed miRNA-transcription factor-gene regulatory network. A total of three transcription profiling datasets involving 47 samples comprising 41 rat heart tissues and 6 human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSCMs) samples were enrolled. Results The WGCNA and DEA with E-MTAB-1168 identified 14 common genes affected by doxorubicin administrated by 4 weeks or 6 weeks. Functional and signal enrichment analyses revealed that these genes were mainly enriched in the regulation of heart contraction, muscle contraction, heart process, and oxytocin signaling pathway. Ten (Ryr2, Casq1, Fcgr2b, Postn, Tceal5, Ccn2, Tnfrsf12a, Mybpc2, Ankrd23, Scn3b) of the 14 genes were verified by another gene expression profile GSE154603. Importantly, three key genes (Ryr2, Tnfrsf12a, Scn3b) were further validated in a hiPSCMs-based in-vitro model. Additionally, the miRNA-transcription factor-gene regulatory revealed several top-ranked transcription factors including Tcf12, Ctcf, Spdef, Ebf1, Sp1, Rcor1 and miRNAs including miR-124-3p, miR-195-5p, miR-146a-5p, miR-17-5p, miR-15b-5p, miR-424-5p which may be involved in the regulation of genes associated with AIC. Conclusions Collectively, the current study suggested the important role of the key genes, oxytocin signaling pathway, and the miRNA-transcription factor-gene regulatory network in elucidating the molecular mechanism of AIC.

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 1014-1026 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masoumeh Farahani ◽  
Mostafa Rezaei–Tavirani ◽  
Hakimeh Zali ◽  
Afsaneh Arefi Oskouie ◽  
Meisam Omidi ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brooke E. Chambers ◽  
Gary F. Gerlach ◽  
Karen H. Chen ◽  
Eleanor G. Clark ◽  
Ignaty Leshchiner ◽  
...  

AbstractRenal functional units known as nephrons undergo patterning events during development that create a segmental array of cellular populations with discrete physiological tasks. Knowledge about the terminal differentiation programs of each nephron segment has central importance for understanding kidney disease and to advance regenerative medicine, as mammalian nephrons grown in organoid cultures from pluripotent cells fail to terminally differentiate. Here, from a novel forward genetic screen using zebrafish we report the discovery that transcription factor AP-2 alpha (tfap2a) coordinates a gene regulatory network that controls the progression of nephron distal segment progenitors into the differentiated state. Overexpression of tfap2a rescued differentiation in mutants and caused ectopic expression of distal segment markers in wild-type nephrons, indicating tfap2a is sufficient to instigate the distal segment differentiation program. tfap2a/2b deficiency exacerbated distal nephron segment differentiation defects, revealing functional redundancy where tfap2a has a dominant role upstream of its family member. With further genetic studies, we assembled a blueprint of the tfap2a gene regulatory network during nephrogenesis. We demonstrate that tfap2a acts downstream of Iroquois homeobox 3b, a conserved distal lineage transcription factor. tfap2a controls a circuit consisting of irx1a, tfap2b, and genes encoding solute transporters that dictate the specialized metabolic functions of the distal nephron segments, and we show for the first time that this regulatory node is distinct from the pathway circuits controlling aspects such as apical-basal polarity and ciliogenesis during the differentiation process. Thus, our studies reveal new insights into the genetic control of differentiation, where tfap2a regulates the suite of segment transporter traits. These findings have relevance for understanding renal birth defects, as well as efforts to recapitulate nephrogenesis in vivo to make functional units that can facilitate organoid applications such as drug discovery and regenerative therapies.Summary StatementHere, we report for the first time that transcription factor AP-2 alpha (tfap2a) controls the progression from nephron progenitor into the fully differentiated state. This fundamentally deepens our knowledge about the genetic control of kidney development.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Christian Vogg ◽  
Jaroslav Ferenc ◽  
Wanda Christa Buzgariu ◽  
Chrystelle Perruchoud ◽  
Panagiotis Papasaikas ◽  
...  

The molecular mechanisms that maintain cell identities and prevent transdifferentiation remain mysterious. Interestingly, both dedifferentiation and transdifferentiation are transiently reshuffled during regeneration. Therefore, organisms that regenerate readily offer a fruitful paradigm to investigate the regulation of cell fate stability. Here, we used Hydra as a model system and show that Zic4 silencing is sufficient to induce transdifferentiation of tentacle into foot cells. We identified a Wnt-controlled Gene Regulatory Network that controls a transcriptional switch of cell identity. Furthermore, we show that this switch also controls the re-entry into the cell cycle. Our data indicate that maintenance of cell fate by a Wnt-controlled GRN is a key mechanism during both homeostasis and regeneration.


eLife ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carine Gubelmann ◽  
Petra C Schwalie ◽  
Sunil K Raghav ◽  
Eva Röder ◽  
Tenagne Delessa ◽  
...  

Adipose tissue is a key determinant of whole body metabolism and energy homeostasis. Unraveling the regulatory mechanisms underlying adipogenesis is therefore highly relevant from a biomedical perspective. Our current understanding of fat cell differentiation is centered on the transcriptional cascades driven by the C/EBP protein family and the master regulator PPARγ. To elucidate further components of the adipogenic gene regulatory network, we performed a large-scale transcription factor (TF) screen overexpressing 734 TFs in mouse pre-adipocytes and probed their effect on differentiation. We identified 22 novel pro-adipogenic TFs and characterized the top ranking TF, ZEB1, as being essential for adipogenesis both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, its expression levels correlate with fat cell differentiation potential in humans. Genomic profiling further revealed that this TF directly targets and controls the expression of most early and late adipogenic regulators, identifying ZEB1 as a central transcriptional component of fat cell differentiation.


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