scholarly journals Genome-Wide Profiling of Laron Syndrome Patients Identifies Novel Cancer Protection Pathways

Cells ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 596 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haim Werner ◽  
Lena Lapkina-Gendler ◽  
Laris Achlaug ◽  
Karthik Nagaraj ◽  
Lina Somri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Critical Role ◽  
Tumor Biology ◽  
Tumor Development ◽  
Life Time ◽  
Epidemiological Data ◽  
Laron Syndrome ◽  
New Developments ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Igf1 Deficiency

Laron syndrome (LS), or primary growth hormone resistance, is a prototypical congenital insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) deficiency. The recent epidemiological finding that LS patients do not develop cancer is of major scientific and clinical relevance. Epidemiological data suggest that congenital IGF1 deficiency confers protection against the development of malignancies. This ‘experiment of nature’ reflects the critical role of IGF1 in tumor biology. The present review article provides an overview of recently conducted genome-wide profiling analyses aimed at identifying mechanisms and signaling pathways that are directly responsible for the link between life-time low IGF1 levels and protection from tumor development. The review underscores the concept that ‘data mining’ an orphan disease might translate into new developments in oncology.

Genetics of PTSD

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer A. Sumner ◽  
Angela C. Bustamante ◽  
Karestan C. Koenen ◽  
Monica Uddin
Keyword(s):  
Association Studies ◽  
Molecular Genetic ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Trauma Exposure ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Risk And Resilience ◽  
New Developments ◽  
Gene Environment ◽  
Genome Wide

Trauma exposure and PTSD are heritable. However, the mechanisms of risk and resilience following trauma exposure are not yet well understood, suggesting that investigations into the genetic architecture of PTSD have much to contribute. This chapter reviews the rapidly growing literature on molecular genetic risk factors for PTSD, including findings from candidate gene and genome-wide association studies. Given the critical role of trauma exposure in the onset of PTSD, it also discusses gene-environment interplay, and highlights some recent findings from epigenetic studies. The chapter concludes by summarizing considerations for the field as it continues to move forward, and discusses exciting new developments in the search for genetic markers for PTSD.

scholarly journals Dual oxidase 1 limits the IFNγ-associated antitumor effect of macrophages

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. e000622
Author(s):  
Lydia Meziani ◽  
Marine Gerbé de Thoré ◽  
Pauline Hamon ◽  
Sophie Bockel ◽  
Ruy Andrade Louzada ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antitumor Effect ◽  
Therapeutic Strategy ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Tumor Development ◽  
Intratumoral Injection ◽  
Histocompatibility Complex ◽  
Dual Oxidase

BackgroundMacrophages play pivotal roles in tumor progression and the response to anticancer therapies, including radiotherapy (RT). Dual oxidase (DUOX) 1 is a transmembrane enzyme that plays a critical role in oxidant generation.MethodsSince we found DUOX1 expression in macrophages from human lung samples exposed to ionizing radiation, we aimed to assess the involvement of DUOX1 in macrophage activation and the role of these macrophages in tumor development.ResultsUsing Duox1−/− mice, we demonstrated that the lack of DUOX1 in proinflammatory macrophages improved the antitumor effect of these cells. Furthermore, intratumoral injection of Duox1−/− proinflammatory macrophages significantly enhanced the antitumor effect of RT. Mechanistically, DUOX1 deficiency increased the production of proinflammatory cytokines (IFNγ, CXCL9, CCL3 and TNFα) by activated macrophages in vitro and the expression of major histocompatibility complex class II in the membranes of macrophages. We also demonstrated that DUOX1 was involved in the phagocytotic function of macrophages in vitro and in vivo. The antitumor effect of Duox1−/− macrophages was associated with a significant increase in IFNγ production by both lymphoid and myeloid immune cells.ConclusionsOur data indicate that DUOX1 is a new target for macrophage reprogramming and suggest that DUOX1 inhibition in macrophages combined with RT is a new therapeutic strategy for the management of cancers.

scholarly journals The S1/S2 boundary of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein modulates cell entry pathways and transmission

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunkai Zhu ◽  
Fei Feng ◽  
Gaowei Hu ◽  
Yuyan Wang ◽  
Yin Yu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Critical Role ◽  
Surface Expression ◽  
Spike Protein ◽  
Hamster Model ◽  
Entry Pathway ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
A Genome ◽  
Model Animal ◽  
Public Health Challenges

SUMMARYThe global spread of SARS-CoV-2 is posing major public health challenges. One unique feature of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein is the insertion of multi-basic residues at the S1/S2 subunit cleavage site, the function of which remains uncertain. We found that the virus with intact spike (Sfull) preferentially enters cells via fusion at the plasma membrane, whereas a clone (Sdel) with deletion disrupting the multi-basic S1/S2 site instead utilizes a less efficient endosomal entry pathway. This idea was supported by the identification of a suite of endosomal entry factors specific to Sdel virus by a genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 screen. A panel of host factors regulating the surface expression of ACE2 was identified for both viruses. Using a hamster model, animal-to-animal transmission with the Sdel virus was almost completely abrogated, unlike with Sfull. These findings highlight the critical role of the S1/S2 boundary of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in modulating virus entry and transmission.

scholarly journals Genome-Wide Analysis of PR-1 Genes From Piper Nigrum Reveals Critical Role in Defense Response During Phytophthora Capsici Infection

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Divya Kattupalli ◽  
Asha Sriniva ◽  
Soniya E V
Keyword(s):  
Function Analysis ◽  
Phytophthora Capsici ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Defense Responses ◽  
Regulatory Elements ◽  
Black Pepper ◽  
Piper Nigrum ◽  
Binding Motif ◽  
Genome Wide

Abstract Background: Black pepper is a prominent spice which is an indispensable ingredient in culinary and traditional medicine. Phytophthora capsici, the causative agent of foot rot disease causes drastic constraint in black pepper cultivation and productivity. To counterattack various biotic and abiotic stresses plants employ a broad array of mechanisms one such includes the accumulation of pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins. Several studies have reported the role of PR-1 proteins in triggering the plant defenses during plant-oomycete interaction.Results: Through the genome-wide survey, eleven PR-1 genes that belongs to a CAP superfamily protein with Caveolin-Binding Motif (CBM) and CAP-derived peptide (CAPE) were identified from P. nigrum. Despite the critical functional domains, PnPR1 homologs differ in their signal peptide motifs, and core amino acid sequence composition in the functional protein domains. The GO, biological function analysis reveals their role in defense responses and response to biotic stimulus whereas the KEGG functional annotation predicted their function in the plant-pathogen interactions. Furthermore, transcriptome-assisted FPKM analysis revealed PnPR-1 genes mapped to P. nigrum - P. capsici interaction pathway. The differentially expressed pathogen-responsive PR-1 gene was validated through qRT-PCR. Subsequent analysis revealed the structural details, phylogenetic relationships, conserved sequence motifs and critical cis-regulatory elements of PnPR-1 genes.Conclusion: This is the first genome-wide study that identified the role of PR-1 genes during P. nigrum - P. capsici interactions. The detailed in silico experimental analysis revealed the vital role of PnPR-1 genes in regulating the first layer of defense towards P. capsici infection in Panniyur-1 plants.

scholarly journals Saccharomyces cerevisiae histone Chaperones FACT and Spt6 modulate Pol II and histone occupancy genome-wide

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rakesh Pathak ◽  
Priyanka Singh ◽  
Sudha Ananthakrishnan ◽  
Sarah Adamczyk ◽  
Olivia Schimmel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Histone Chaperones ◽  
Strongly Correlated ◽  
Pol Ii ◽  
Chromatin Remodelers ◽  
Coding Regions ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
High Level

ABSTRACTHistone chaperones, chromatin remodelers, and histone modifying complexes play a critical role in alleviating the nucleosomal barrier. Here, we have examined the role of two highly conserved yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) histone chaperones, FACT and Spt6, in regulating transcription and histone occupancy. We show that the H3 tail contributes to the recruitment of FACT to coding sequences in a manner dependent on acetylation. We found that deleting a H3 HAT Gcn5 or mutating lysines on the H3 tail impairs FACT recruitment at ADH1 and ARG1 genes. However, deleting the H4 tail or mutating the H4 lysines failed to dampen FACT occupancy in coding regions. Additionally, we show that FACT-depletion greatly reduces Pol II occupancy in the 5’ ends genome-wide. By contrast, Spt6-depletion led to reduction in Pol II occupancy towards the 3’ end, in a manner dependent on the gene-length. Severe transcription and histone eviction defects were also observed in a strain that was impaired for Spt6 recruitment (spt6Δ202) and depleted of FACT. Importantly, the severity of the defect strongly correlated with WT Pol II occupancies at these genes, indicating critical roles of Spt6 and Spt16 in promoting high-level transcription. Collectively, our study shows cooperation, as well as redundancy between chaperones, FACT and Spt6, in regulating transcription and chromatin in coding regions of transcribed genes.

Matrix metalloproteinases-2, -3, and -9 secreted by explants of benign and malignant lesions of the uterine cervix

2004 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 333-340 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Argüello-Ramírez ◽  
E. PÉREZ-CÁRDENAS ◽  
R. Delgado-Chávez ◽  
G. Solorza-Luna ◽  
S. Villa-Treviño ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Matrix Metalloproteinases ◽  
Poor Prognosis ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Tumor Development ◽  
Cervical Lesions ◽  
Elevated Expression ◽  
Human Carcinomas ◽  
Malignant Lesions ◽  
Biological Development

Elevated expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) plays a critical role in extracellular matrix (EM) degradation in tumor development and prognosis of different human carcinomas. In cervical carcinoma (Ce Ca), the role of these proteinases in the biological development of this neoplasm is controversial. In the present study, we compared the secretion of MMP-2, MMP-3 and MMP-9 among 29 benign and premalignant cervical lesions (cervicitis and cervical intraepithelial neoplasias) and 46 tumoral explants of Ce Ca. The explants were cultured for 48 h. The gelatinases secreted into conditioned medium were revealed by zymography and quantified by densitometry. The results showed high levels of MMP-3 and MMP-9 in tumoral explants. In contrast, only the pro-MMP-2 was higher in benign cervical lesions, although both active and inactive MMP-2 species are associated with advanced clinical stages in tumoral samples, and only the secretion of MMP-3 was associated with unresponsiveness to radiotherapy. We can conclude that the expression of MMPs is related to the invasive process in Ce Ca and suggest that they may play a role in degradation of the EM during local invasion. In addition, MMP-3 secretion could be a marker of poor prognosis in Ce Ca.

scholarly journals Spatial architecture of the immune microenvironment orchestrates tumor immunity and therapeutic response

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tong Fu ◽  
Lei-Jie Dai ◽  
Song-Yang Wu ◽  
Yi Xiao ◽  
Ding Ma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Therapeutic Response ◽  
Tumor Biology ◽  
Tumor Development ◽  
Immune Microenvironment ◽  
Clinical Value ◽  
Ecosystem Research ◽  
Tumor Immune Microenvironment ◽  
Tumor Research ◽  
Spatial Architecture

AbstractTumors are not only aggregates of malignant cells but also well-organized complex ecosystems. The immunological components within tumors, termed the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME), have long been shown to be strongly related to tumor development, recurrence and metastasis. However, conventional studies that underestimate the potential value of the spatial architecture of the TIME are unable to completely elucidate its complexity. As innovative high-flux and high-dimensional technologies emerge, researchers can more feasibly and accurately detect and depict the spatial architecture of the TIME. These findings have improved our understanding of the complexity and role of the TIME in tumor biology. In this review, we first epitomized some representative emerging technologies in the study of the spatial architecture of the TIME and categorized the description methods used to characterize these structures. Then, we determined the functions of the spatial architecture of the TIME in tumor biology and the effects of the gradient of extracellular nonspecific chemicals (ENSCs) on the TIME. We also discussed the potential clinical value of our understanding of the spatial architectures of the TIME, as well as current limitations and future prospects in this novel field. This review will bring spatial architectures of the TIME, an emerging dimension of tumor ecosystem research, to the attention of more researchers and promote its application in tumor research and clinical practice.

scholarly journals Incorporation of DNA methylation into eQTL mapping in African Americans

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anmol Singh ◽  
Yizhen Zhong ◽  
Layan Nahlawi ◽  
C. Sehwan Park ◽  
Tanima De ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Dna Methylation ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Genetic Basis ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Eqtl Analysis ◽  
Biliary Cirrhosis ◽  
Eqtl Mapping ◽  
Genome Wide

Epigenetics is a reversible molecular mechanism that plays a critical role in many developmental, adaptive, and disease processes. DNA methylation has been shown to regulate gene expression and the advent of high throughput technologies has made genome-wide DNA methylation analysis possible. We investigated the effect of DNA methylation in eQTL mapping (methylation-adjusted eQTLs), by incorporating DNA methylation as a SNP-based covariate in eQTL mapping in African American derived hepatocytes. We found that the addition of DNA methylation uncovered new eQTLs and eGenes. Previously discovered eQTLs were significantly altered by the addition of DNA methylation data suggesting that methylation may modulate the association of SNPs to gene expression. We found that methylation-adjusted eQTLs which were less significant compared to PC-adjusted eQTLs were enriched in lipoprotein measurements (FDR = 0.0040), immune system disorders (FDR = 0.0042), and liver enzyme measurements (FDR = 0.047), suggesting a role of DNA methylation in regulating the genetic basis of these phenotypes. Our methylation-adjusted eQTL analysis also uncovered novel SNP-gene pairs. For example, our study found the SNP, rs11546996, was associated to PNKP. In a previous GWAS, this SNP was associated with primary biliary cirrhosis although the causal gene was thought to be SPIB. Our methylation-adjusted method potentially adds new understanding to the genetic basis of complex diseases that disproportionally affect African Americans.

Enhanced heterozygosity from male meiotic chromosome chains is superseded by hybrid female asexuality in termites

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (51) ◽  
pp. e2009533118
Author(s):  
Toshihisa Yashiro ◽  
Yi-Kai Tea ◽  
Cara Van Der Wal ◽  
Tomonari Nozaki ◽  
Nobuaki Mizumoto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Chromosomes ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Meiotic Chromosome ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Nuptial Gifts ◽  
Hybrid Female ◽  
Single Nucleotide ◽  
Intraspecific Hybridization ◽  
Genome Wide

Although males are a ubiquitous feature of animals, they have been lost repeatedly in diverse lineages. The tendency for obligate asexuality to evolve is thought to be reduced in animals whose males play a critical role beyond the contribution of gametes, for example, via care of offspring or provision of nuptial gifts. To our knowledge, the evolution of obligate asexuality in such species is unknown. In some species that undergo frequent inbreeding, males are hypothesized to play a key role in maintaining genetic heterozygosity through the possession of neo-sex chromosomes, although empirical evidence for this is lacking. Because inbreeding is a key feature of the life cycle of termites, we investigated the potential role of males in promoting heterozygosity within populations through karyotyping and genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphism analyses of the drywood termite Glyptotermes nakajimai. We showed that males possess up to 15 out of 17 of their chromosomes as sex-linked (sex and neo-sex) chromosomes and that they maintain significantly higher levels of heterozygosity than do females. Furthermore, we showed that two obligately asexual lineages of this species—representing the only known all-female termite populations—arose independently via intraspecific hybridization between sexual lineages with differing diploid chromosome numbers. Importantly, these asexual females have markedly higher heterozygosity than their conspecific males and appear to have replaced the sexual lineages in some populations. Our results indicate that asexuality has enabled females to supplant a key role of males.

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