Zeolitic imidazolate frameworks activate endosomal Toll-like receptors and potentiate immunogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein trimer.

Nanomaterials offer unique opportunities to engineer immunomodulatory activity. In this work, we report the Toll-like receptor agonist activity of a nanoscale adjuvant zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8). The accumulation of ZIF-8 in endosomes and the pH-responsive release of its subunits enable selective engagement with endosomal Toll-like receptors, minimizing the risk of off-target activation. The intrinsic adjuvant properties of ZIF-8, along with the efficient delivery and biomimetic presentation of a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 spike protein receptor-binding domain trimer, primed rapid humoral and cell-mediated immunity in a dose-sparing manner. Our study offers insights for next-generation adjuvants that can potentially impact future vaccine development.

Beyond the exome: utility of long-read whole genome sequencing in exome-negative autosomal recessive diseases.

BACKGROUND: Long-read whole genome sequencing (lrWGS) has the potential to address the technical limitations of exome sequencing in ways not possible by short-read WGS. However, its utility in autosomal recessive Mendelian diseases is largely unknown. METHODS: In a cohort of 34 families in which the suspected autosomal recessive diseases remained undiagnosed by exome sequencing, lrWGS was performed on the Pacific Bioscience Sequel IIe platform. RESULTS: Likely causal variants were identified in 13 (38%) of the cohort. These include (1) a homozygous splicing SV in TYMS as a novel candidate gene for lethal neonatal lactic acidosis, (2) a homozygous non-coding SV that we propose impacts STK25 expression and causes a novel neurodevelopmental disorder, (3) a compound heterozygous SV in RP1L1 with complex inheritance pattern in a family with inherited retinal disease, (4) homozygous deep intronic variants in LEMD2 and SNAP91 as novel candidate genes for neurodevelopmental disorders in two families, and (5) a promoter SNV in SLC4A4 causing non-syndromic band keratopathy. Surprisingly, we also encountered causal variants that could have been identified by short-read exome sequencing in 7 families. The latter highlight scenarios that are especially challenging at the interpretation level. CONCLUSIONS: Our data highlight the continued need to address the interpretation challenges in parallel with efforts to improve the sequencing technology itself. We propose a path forward for the implementation of lrWGS sequencing in the setting of autosomal recessive diseases in a way that maximizes its utility.

Ago1 controls myogenic differentiation by regulating eRNA-mediated CBP-guided epigenome reprogramming.

The role of chromatin-associated RNAi components in the nucleus of mammalian cells and in particular in the context of developmental programs remains to be elucidated. Here, we investigate the function of nuclear Argonaute 1 (Ago1) in gene expression regulation during skeletal muscle differentiation. We show that Ago1 is required for activation of the myogenic program by supporting chromatin modification mediated by developmental enhancer activation. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that Ago1 directly controls global H3K27 acetylation (H3K27ac) by regulating enhancer RNA (eRNA)-CREB-binding protein (CBP) acetyltransferase interaction, a key step in enhancer-driven gene activation. In particular, we show that Ago1 is specifically required for myogenic differentiation 1 (MyoD) and downstream myogenic gene activation, whereas its depletion leads to failure of CBP acetyltransferase activation and blocking of the myogenic program. Our work establishes a role of the mammalian enhancer-associated RNAi component Ago1 in epigenome regulation and activation of developmental programs.

Ubiquitin ligases HUWE1 and NEDD4 cooperatively control signal-dependent PRC2-Ezh1α/ß-mediated adaptive stress response pathway in skeletal muscle cells.

BACKGROUND: While the role of Polycomb group protein-mediated "cell memory" is well established in developmental contexts, little is known about their role in adult tissues and in particular in post-mitotic cells. Emerging evidence assigns a pivotal role in cell plasticity and adaptation. PRC2-Ezh1α/ß signaling pathway from cytoplasm to chromatin protects skeletal muscle cells from oxidative stress. However, detailed mechanisms controlling degradation of cytoplasmic Ezh1ß and assembly of canonical PRC2-Ezh1α repressive complex remain to be clarified. RESULTS: Here, we report NEDD4 ubiquitin E3 ligase, as key regulator of Ezh1ß. In addition, we report that ubiquitination and degradation of Ezh1ß is controlled by another layer of regulation, that is, one specific phosphorylation of serine 560 located at Ezh1ß-specific C terminal. Finally, we demonstrate that also Ezh1α needs to be stabilized under stress condition and this stabilization process requires decreased association pattern between another E3 ubiquitin ligase HUWE1. CONCLUSIONS: Together, these results shed light on key components that regulate PRC2-Ezh1α/ß pathway to direct modulation of epigenome plasticity and transcriptional output in skeletal muscle cells.

Atlas of Circadian Metabolism Reveals System-wide Coordination and Communication between Clocks.

Metabolic diseases are often characterized by circadian misalignment in different tissues, yet how altered coordination and communication among tissue clocks relate to specific pathogenic mechanisms remains largely unknown. Applying an integrated systems biology approach, we performed 24-hr metabolomics profiling of eight mouse tissues simultaneously. We present a temporal and spatial atlas of circadian metabolism in the context of systemic energy balance and under chronic nutrient stress (high-fat diet [HFD]). Comparative analysis reveals how the repertoires of tissue metabolism are linked and gated to specific temporal windows and how this highly specialized communication and coherence among tissue clocks is rewired by nutrient challenge. Overall, we illustrate how dynamic metabolic relationships can be reconstructed across time and space and how integration of circadian metabolomics data from multiple tissues can improve our understanding of health and disease.