Perturbation-Specific Transcriptional Mapping for unbiased target elucidation of antibiotics.

The rising prevalence of antibiotic resistance threatens human health. While more sophisticated strategies for antibiotic discovery are being developed, target elucidation of new chemical entities remains challenging. In the post-genomic era, expression profiling can play an important role in mechanism-of-action (MOA) prediction by reporting on the cellular response to perturbation. However, the broad application of transcriptomics has yet to fulfill its promise of transforming target elucidation due to challenges in identifying the most relevant, direct responses to target inhibition. We developed an unbiased strategy for MOA prediction, called Perturbation-Specific Transcriptional Mapping (PerSpecTM), in which large-throughput expression profiling of wildtype or hypomorphic mutants, depleted for essential targets, enables a computational strategy to address this challenge. We applied PerSpecTM to perform reference-based MOA prediction based on the principle that similar perturbations, whether chemical or genetic, will elicit similar transcriptional responses. Using this approach, we elucidated the MOAs of three new molecules with activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa by comparing their expression profiles to those of a reference set of antimicrobial compounds with known MOAs. We also show that transcriptional responses to small molecule inhibition resemble those resulting from genetic depletion of essential targets by CRISPRi by PerSpecTM, demonstrating proof-of-concept that correlations between expression profiles of small molecule and genetic perturbations can facilitate MOA prediction when no chemical entities exist to serve as a reference. Empowered by PerSpecTM, this work lays the foundation for an unbiased, readily scalable, systematic reference-based strategy for MOA elucidation that could transform antibiotic discovery efforts.

"Multiplexed screen identifies a Pseudomonas aeruginosa -specific small molecule targeting the outer membrane protein OprH and its interaction with LPS".

The surge of antimicrobial resistance threatens efficacy of current antibiotics, particularly against Pseudomonas aeruginosa , a highly resistant gram-negative pathogen. The asymmetric outer membrane (OM) of P. aeruginosa combined with its array of efflux pumps provide a barrier to xenobiotic accumulation, thus making antibiotic discovery challenging. We adapted PROSPECT 1 , a target-based, whole-cell screening strategy, to discover small molecule probes that kill P. aeruginosa mutants depleted for essential proteins localized at the OM. We identified BRD1401, a small molecule that has specific activity against a P. aeruginosa mutant depleted for the essential lipoprotein, OprL. Genetic and chemical biological studies identified that BRD1401 acts by targeting the OM ß-barrel protein OprH to disrupt its interaction with LPS and increase membrane fluidity. Studies with BRD1401 also revealed an interaction between OprL and OprH, directly linking the OM with peptidoglycan. Thus, a whole-cell, multiplexed screen can identify species-specific chemical probes to reveal novel pathogen biology.

Analyzing histone ChIP-seq data with a bin-based probability of being signal.

Histone ChIP-seq is one of the primary methods for charting the cellular epigenomic landscape, the components of which play a critical regulatory role in gene expression. Analyzing the activity of regulatory elements across datasets and cell types can be challenging due to shifting peak positions and normalization artifacts resulting from, for example, differing read depths, ChIP efficiencies, and target sizes. Moreover, broad regions of enrichment seen in repressive histone marks often evade detection by commonly used peak callers. Here, we present a simple and versatile method for identifying enriched regions in ChIP-seq data that relies on estimating a gamma distribution fit to non-overlapping 5kB genomic bins to establish a global background. We use this distribution to assign a probability of being signal (PBS) between zero and one to each 5 kB bin. This approach, while lower in resolution than typical peak-calling methods, provides a straightforward way to identify enriched regions and compare enrichments among multiple datasets, by transforming the data to values that are universally normalized and can be readily visualized and integrated with downstream analysis methods. We demonstrate applications of PBS for both broad and narrow histone marks, and provide several illustrations of biological insights which can be gleaned by integrating PBS scores with downstream data types.

Single-cell multi-scale footprinting reveals the modular organization of DNA regulatory elements.

Cis-regulatory elements control gene expression and are dynamic in their structure, reflecting changes to the composition of diverse effector proteins over time1-3. Here we sought to connect the structural changes at cis-regulatory elements to alterations in cellular fate and function. To do this we developed PRINT, a computational method that uses deep learning to correct sequence bias in chromatin accessibility data and identifies multi-scale footprints of DNA-protein interactions. We find that multi-scale footprints enable more accurate inference of TF and nucleosome binding. Using PRINT with single-cell multi-omics, we discover wide-spread changes to the structure and function of candidate cis-regulatory elements (cCREs) across hematopoiesis, wherein nucleosomes slide, expose DNA for TF binding, and promote gene expression. Activity segmentation using the co-variance across cell states identifies "sub-cCREs" as modular cCRE subunits of regulatory DNA. We apply this single-cell and PRINT approach to characterize the age-associated alterations to cCREs within hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Remarkably, we find a spectrum of aging alterations among HSCs corresponding to a global gain of sub-cCRE activity while preserving cCRE accessibility. Collectively, we reveal the functional importance of cCRE structure across cell states, highlighting changes to gene regulation at single-cell and single-base-pair resolution.

The EN-TEx resource of multi-tissue personal epigenomes & variant-impact models.

Understanding how genetic variants impact molecular phenotypes is a key goal of functional genomics, currently hindered by reliance on a single haploid reference genome. Here, we present the EN-TEx resource of 1,635 open-access datasets from four donors (∼30 tissues × âˆ¼15 assays). The datasets are mapped to matched, diploid genomes with long-read phasing and structural variants, instantiating a catalog of >1 million allele-specific loci. These loci exhibit coordinated activity along haplotypes and are less conserved than corresponding, non-allele-specific ones. Surprisingly, a deep-learning transformer model can predict the allele-specific activity based only on local nucleotide-sequence context, highlighting the importance of transcription-factor-binding motifs particularly sensitive to variants. Furthermore, combining EN-TEx with existing genome annotations reveals strong associations between allele-specific and GWAS loci. It also enables models for transferring known eQTLs to difficult-to-profile tissues (e.g., from skin to heart). Overall, EN-TEx provides rich data and generalizable models for more accurate personal functional genomics.

At-home Testing and Risk Factors for Acquisition of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in a Major US Metropolitan Area.

Background: Unbiased assessment of the risks associated with acquisition of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is critical to informing mitigation efforts during pandemics. The objective of our study was to understand the risk factors for acquiring coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in a large prospective cohort of adult residents in a large US metropolitan area. Methods: We designed a fully remote longitudinal cohort study involving monthly at-home SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and serology self-testing and monthly surveys. Results: Between October 2020 and January 2021, we enrolled 10 289 adults reflective of the Boston metropolitan area census data. At study entry, 567 (5.5%) participants had evidence of current or prior SARS-CoV-2 infection. This increased to 13.4% by June 15, 2021. Compared with Whites, Black non-Hispanic participants had a 2.2-fold greater risk of acquiring COVID-19 (hazard ratio [HR], 2.19; 95% CI, 1.91-2.50; P < .001), and Hispanics had a 1.5-fold greater risk (HR, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.32-1.71; P < .016). Individuals aged 18-29, those who worked outside the home, and those living with other adults and children were at an increased risk. Individuals in the second and third lowest disadvantaged neighborhood communities were associated with an increased risk of acquiring COVID-19. Individuals with medical risk factors for severe disease were at a decreased risk of SARS-CoV-2 acquisition. Conclusions: These results demonstrate that race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status are the biggest determinants of acquisition of infection. This disparity is significantly underestimated if based on PCR data alone, as noted by the discrepancy in serology vs PCR detection for non-White participants, and points to persistent disparity in access to testing. Medical conditions and advanced age, which increase the risk for severity of SARS-CoV-2 disease, were associated with a lower risk of COVID-19 acquisition, suggesting the importance of behavior modifications. These findings highlight the need for mitigation programs that overcome challenges of structural racism in current and future pandemics.

Long-range phasing of dynamic, tissue-specific and allele-specific regulatory elements.

Epigenomic maps identify gene regulatory elements by their chromatin state. However, prevailing short-read sequencing methods cannot effectively distinguish alleles, evaluate the interdependence of elements in a locus or capture single-molecule dynamics. Here, we apply targeted nanopore sequencing to profile chromatin accessibility and DNA methylation on contiguous ~100-kb DNA molecules that span loci relevant to development, immunity and imprinting. We detect promoters, enhancers, insulators and transcription factor footprints on single molecules based on exogenous GpC methylation. We infer relationships among dynamic elements within immune loci, and order successive remodeling events during T cell stimulation. Finally, we phase primary sequence and regulatory elements across the H19/IGF2 locus, uncovering primate-specific features. These include a segmental duplication that stabilizes the imprinting control region and a noncanonical enhancer that drives biallelic IGF2 expression in specific contexts. Our study advances emerging strategies for phasing gene regulatory landscapes and reveals a mechanism that overrides IGF2 imprinting in human cells.

At-home Testing and Risk Factors for Acquisition of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in a Major US Metropolitan Area.

IMPORTANCE: Unbiased assessment of risks associated with acquisition of SARS-CoV-2 is critical to informing mitigation efforts during pandemics. OBJECTIVE: Understand risk factors for acquiring COVID-19 in a large, prospective cohort of adult residents recruited to be representative of a large US metropolitan area. DESIGN: Fully remote longitudinal cohort study launched in October 2020 and ongoing; Study data reported through June 15, 2021. SETTING: Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston MA. PARTICIPANTS: Adults within 45 miles of Boston, MA. INTERVENTION: Monthly at-home SARS-CoV-2 viral and antibody testing. MAIN OUTCOMES: Between October 2020 and January 2021, we enrolled 10,289 adults reflective of Massachusetts census data. At study entry, 567 (5.5%) participants had evidence of current or prior SARS-CoV-2 infection. This increased to 13.4% by June 15, 2021. Compared to whites, Black non-Hispanic participants had a 2.2 fold greater risk of acquiring COVID-19 (HR 2.19, 95% CI 1.91-2.50; p=<0.001) and Hispanics had a 1.5 fold greater risk (HR 1.52, 95% CI 1.32-1.71; p=<0.016). Individuals aged 18-29, those who worked outside the home, and those living with other adults and children were at an increased risk. Individuals in the second and third lowest disadvantaged neighborhood communities, as measured by the area deprivation index as a marker for socioeconomic status by census block group, were associated with an increased risk in developing COVID-19. Individuals with medical risk factors for severe COVID-19 disease were at a decreased risk of SARS-CoV-2 acquisition. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status are not only risk factors for severity of disease but are also the biggest determinants of acquisition of infection. Importantly, this disparity is significantly underestimated if based on PCR data alone as noted by the discrepancy in serology vs. PCR detection for non-white participants, and points to persistent disparity in access to testing. Meanwhile, medical conditions and advanced age that increase the risk for severity of SARS-CoV-2 disease were associated with a lower risk of acquisition of COVID-19 suggesting the importance of behavior modifications. These findings highlight the need for mitigation programs that overcome challenges of structural racism in current and future pandemics. TRIAL REGISTRATION: N/A. QUESTION: What population and occupational groups in the United States are at increased risk for acquiring COVID-19? FINDINGS: In this remote, longitudinal cohort study involving monthly PCR and serology self-testing of 10,289 adult residents of the Boston metropolitan area, 9257 (90.0%) of TestBoston participants acquired evidence of immunity to SARS-CoV-2 through vaccination, infection, or both as of June 15, 2021. Residents identifying as Black, Hispanic/Latinx had an increased risk of acquisition of COVID-19. Healthcare workers were not at increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 acquisition. Individuals with medical risk factors for severe COVID-19 disease were at a decreased risk of SARS-CoV-2 acquisition. MEANING: These results demonstrate that race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status are not only risk factors for severity of disease but also are the biggest determinants of acquisition of infection. These findings highlight the need to address the consequences of structural racism during the development of mitigation programs for current and future pandemics.

Large-Scale Topological Changes Restrain Malignant Progression in Colorectal Cancer.

Widespread changes to DNA methylation and chromatin are well documented in cancer, but the fate of higher-order chromosomal structure remains obscure. Here we integrated topological maps for colon tumors and normal colons with epigenetic, transcriptional, and imaging data to characterize alterations to chromatin loops, topologically associated domains, and large-scale compartments. We found that spatial partitioning of the open and closed genome compartments is profoundly compromised in tumors. This reorganization is accompanied by compartment-specific hypomethylation and chromatin changes. Additionally, we identify a compartment at the interface between the canonical A and B compartments that is reorganized in tumors. Remarkably, similar shifts were evident in non-malignant cells that have accumulated excess divisions. Our analyses suggest that these topological changes repress stemness and invasion programs while inducing anti-tumor immunity genes and may therefore restrain malignant progression. Our findings call into question the conventional view that tumor-associated epigenomic alterations are primarily oncogenic.

Detecting sample swaps in diverse NGS data types using linkage disequilibrium.

As the number of genomics datasets grows rapidly, sample mislabeling has become a high stakes issue. We present CrosscheckFingerprints (Crosscheck), a tool for quantifying sample-relatedness and detecting incorrectly paired sequencing datasets from different donors. Crosscheck outperforms similar methods and is effective even when data are sparse or from different assays. Application of Crosscheck to 8851 ENCODE ChIP-, RNA-, and DNase-seq datasets enabled us to identify and correct dozens of mislabeled samples and ambiguous metadata annotations, representing ~1% of ENCODE datasets.

Expanded encyclopaedias of DNA elements in the human and mouse genomes.

The human and mouse genomes contain instructions that specify RNAs and proteins and govern the timing, magnitude, and cellular context of their production. To better delineate these elements, phase III of the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) Project has expanded analysis of the cell and tissue repertoires of RNA transcription, chromatin structure and modification, DNA methylation, chromatin looping, and occupancy by transcription factors and RNA-binding proteins. Here we summarize these efforts, which have produced 5,992 new experimental datasets, including systematic determinations across mouse fetal development. All data are available through the ENCODE data portal (https://www.encodeproject.org), including phase II ENCODE1 and Roadmap Epigenomics2 data. We have developed a registry of 926,535 human and 339,815 mouse candidate cis-regulatory elements, covering 7.9 and 3.4% of their respective genomes, by integrating selected datatypes associated with gene regulation, and constructed a web-based server (SCREEN; http://screen.encodeproject.org) to provide flexible, user-defined access to this resource. Collectively, the ENCODE data and registry provide an expansive resource for the scientific community to build a better understanding of the organization and function of the human and mouse genomes.

An Optimized Competitive-Aging Method Reveals Gene-Drug Interactions Underlying the Chronological Lifespan of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The chronological lifespan of budding yeast is a model of aging and age-related diseases. This paradigm has recently allowed genome-wide screening of genetic factors underlying post-mitotic viability in a simple unicellular system, which underscores its potential to provide a comprehensive view of the aging process. However, results from different large-scale studies show little overlap and typically lack quantitative resolution to derive interactions among different aging factors. We previously introduced a sensitive, parallelizable approach to measure the chronological-lifespan effects of gene deletions based on the competitive aging of fluorescence-labeled strains. Here, we present a thorough description of the method, including an improved multiple-regression model to estimate the association between death rates and fluorescent signals, which accounts for possible differences in growth rate and experimental batch effects. We illustrate the experimental procedure-from data acquisition to calculation of relative survivorship-for ten deletion strains with known lifespan phenotypes, which is achieved with high technical replicability. We apply our method to screen for gene-drug interactions in an array of yeast deletion strains, which reveals a functional link between protein glycosylation and lifespan extension by metformin. Competitive-aging screening coupled to multiple-regression modeling provides a powerful, straight-forward way to identify aging factors in yeast and their interactions with pharmacological interventions.

Hybridization-based capture of pathogen mRNA enables paired host-pathogen transcriptional analysis.

Dual transcriptional profiling of host and bacteria during infection is challenging due to the low abundance of bacterial mRNA. We report Pathogen Hybrid Capture (PatH-Cap), a method to enrich for bacterial mRNA and deplete bacterial rRNA simultaneously from dual RNA-seq libraries using transcriptome-specific probes. By addressing both the differential RNA content of the host relative to the infecting bacterium and the overwhelming abundance of uninformative structural RNAs (rRNA, tRNA) of both species in a single step, this approach enables analysis of very low-input RNA samples. By sequencing libraries before (pre-PatH-Cap) and after (post-PatH-Cap) enrichment, we achieve dual transcriptional profiling of host and bacteria, respectively, from the same sample. Importantly, enrichment preserves relative transcript abundance and increases the number of unique bacterial transcripts per gene in post-PatH-Cap libraries compared to pre-PatH-Cap libraries at the same sequencing depth, thereby decreasing the sequencing depth required to fully capture the transcriptional profile of the infecting bacteria. We demonstrate that PatH-Cap enables the study of low-input samples including single eukaryotic cells infected by 1-3 Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria and paired host-pathogen temporal gene expression analysis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infecting macrophages. PatH-Cap can be applied to the study of a range of pathogens and microbial species, and more generally, to lowly-abundant species in mixed populations.

Simultaneous detection of genotype and phenotype enables rapid and accurate antibiotic susceptibility determination.

Multidrug resistant organisms are a serious threat to human health1,2. Fast, accurate antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) is a critical need in addressing escalating antibiotic resistance, since delays in identifying multidrug resistant organisms increase mortality3,4 and use of broad-spectrum antibiotics, further selecting for resistant organisms. Yet current growth-based AST assays, such as broth microdilution5, require several days before informing key clinical decisions. Rapid AST would transform the care of patients with infection while ensuring that our antibiotic arsenal is deployed as efficiently as possible. Growth-based assays are fundamentally constrained in speed by doubling time of the pathogen, and genotypic assays are limited by the ever-growing diversity and complexity of bacterial antibiotic resistance mechanisms. Here we describe a rapid assay for combined genotypic and phenotypic AST through RNA detection, GoPhAST-R, that classifies strains with 94-99% accuracy by coupling machine learning analysis of early antibiotic-induced transcriptional changes with simultaneous detection of key genetic resistance determinants to increase accuracy of resistance detection, facilitate molecular epidemiology and enable early detection of emerging resistance mechanisms. This two-pronged approach provides phenotypic AST 24-36 h faster than standard workflows, with <4 h assay time on a pilot instrument for hybridization-based multiplexed RNA detection implemented directly from positive blood cultures.

Publisher Correction: Enhancer signatures stratify and predict outcomes of non-functional pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Enhancer signatures stratify and predict outcomes of non-functional pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.

Most pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs) do not produce excess hormones and are therefore considered 'non-functional'1-3. As clinical behaviors vary widely and distant metastases are eventually lethal2,4, biological classifications might guide treatment. Using enhancer maps to infer gene regulatory programs, we find that non-functional PNETs fall into two major subtypes, with epigenomes and transcriptomes that partially resemble islet α- and ß-cells. Transcription factors ARX and PDX1 specify these normal cells, respectively5,6, and 84% of 142 non-functional PNETs expressed one or the other factor, occasionally both. Among 103 cases, distant relapses occurred almost exclusively in patients with ARX+PDX1- tumors and, within this subtype, in cases with alternative lengthening of telomeres. These markedly different outcomes belied similar clinical presentations and histology and, in one cohort, occurred irrespective of MEN1 mutation. This robust molecular stratification provides insight into cell lineage correlates of non-functional PNETs, accurately predicts disease course and can inform postoperative clinical decisions.

RNA sequence analysis reveals macroscopic somatic clonal expansion across normal tissues.

How somatic mutations accumulate in normal cells is poorly understood. A comprehensive analysis of RNA sequencing data from ~6700 samples across 29 normal tissues revealed multiple somatic variants, demonstrating that macroscopic clones can be found in many normal tissues. We found that sun-exposed skin, esophagus, and lung have a higher mutation burden than other tested tissues, which suggests that environmental factors can promote somatic mosaicism. Mutation burden was associated with both age and tissue-specific cell proliferation rate, highlighting that mutations accumulate over both time and number of cell divisions. Finally, normal tissues were found to harbor mutations in known cancer genes and hotspots. This study provides a broad view of macroscopic clonal expansion in human tissues, thus serving as a foundation for associating clonal expansion with environmental factors, aging, and risk of disease.

Defining the core essential genome of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Genomics offered the promise of transforming antibiotic discovery by revealing many new essential genes as good targets, but the results fell short of the promise. While numerous factors contributed to the disappointing yield, one factor was that essential genes for a bacterial species were often defined based on a single or limited number of strains grown under a single or limited number of in vitro laboratory conditions. In fact, the essentiality of a gene can depend on both the genetic background and growth condition. We thus developed a strategy for more rigorously defining the core essential genome of a bacterial species by studying many pathogen strains and growth conditions. We assessed how many strains must be examined to converge on a set of core essential genes for a species. We used transposon insertion sequencing (Tn-Seq) to define essential genes in nine strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa on five different media and developed a statistical model, FiTnEss, to classify genes as essential versus nonessential across all strain-medium combinations. We defined a set of 321 core essential genes, representing 6.6% of the genome. We determined that analysis of four strains was typically sufficient in P. aeruginosa to converge on a set of core essential genes likely to be essential across the species across a wide range of conditions relevant to in vivo infection, and thus to represent attractive targets for novel drug discovery.

Rapid identification and phylogenetic classification of diverse bacterial pathogens in a multiplexed hybridization assay targeting ribosomal RNA.

Rapid bacterial identification remains a critical challenge in infectious disease diagnostics. We developed a novel molecular approach to detect and identify a wide diversity of bacterial pathogens in a single, simple assay, exploiting the conservation, abundance, and rich phylogenetic content of ribosomal RNA in a rapid fluorescent hybridization assay that requires no amplification or enzymology. Of 117 isolates from 64 species across 4 phyla, this assay identified bacteria with >89% accuracy at the species level and 100% accuracy at the family level, enabling all critical clinical distinctions. In pilot studies on primary clinical specimens, including sputum, blood cultures, and pus, bacteria from 5 different phyla were identified.