Plasma microRNA-320c as a Potential Biomarker for the Severity of Knee Osteoarthritis and Regulates cAMP Responsive Element Binding Protein 5 (CREB5) in Chondrocytes.

Objective: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a commonly known prevalent joint disease, with limited therapeutic methods. This study aimed to investigate the expression of plasma microRNA-320c (miR-320c) in patients with knee OA and to explore the clinical value and potential mechanism of miR-320c in knee OA. Methods: Forty knee OA patients and 20 healthy controls were enrolled. The levels of plasma miR-320c and plasma inflammatory cytokines were measured by real-time PCR or ELISA. Correlations of Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) scores and cytokine levels with the miR-320c expression level were evaluated by Pearson correlation analysis. Then, a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn to analyse the diagnostic value of miR-320c in OA. Finally, the interaction of miR-320c and cAMP responsive element binding protein 5 (CREB5) was determined using a luciferase reporter assay, and the effect of CREB5 on the cAMP pathway was assessed. Results: The expression level of plasma miR-320c was significantly higher in OA patients than in healthy controls (p < 0.05). The increased plasma miR-320c level was positively correlated with the WOMAC score (r = 0.796, p < 0.001) and the plasma interleukin (IL)-1ß (r = 0.814, p < 0.001) and IL-6 (r = 0.695, p < 0.001) levels in patients with OA. ROC curve analysis demonstrated the relatively high diagnostic accuracy of plasma miR-320c for OA. Furthermore, the luciferase reporter assay results showed that miR-320c regulates CREB5 expression by binding to the CREB5 3'-untranslated region. Moreover, suppression of CREB5 significantly reduced the expression levels of c-fos and c-jun. Conclusion: Our results indicate that plasma miR-320c may serve as a potential novel predictor of the severity of knee OA and that miR-320c may play an important role in the pathogenesis of OA through inhibiting the cAMP pathway by targeting CREB5.

Identification of CREB5 as a prognostic and immunotherapeutic biomarker in glioma through multi-omics pan-cancer analysis.

BACKGROUND: The functional relevance of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-response element-binding protein 5 (CREB5) in cancers remains elusive, despite its significance as a member of the CREB family. The current research aims to explore the role of CREB5 in multiple cancers. METHODS: Pan-cancer analysis was performed to explore the expression patterns, prognostic value, mutational landscape as well as single-cell omic, immunologic, and drug sensitivity profiles of CREB5. Furthermore, we incorporated five distinct machine learning algorithms and determined that the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator-COX (LASSO-COX) algorithm, which exhibited the highest C index, was the optimal selection. Subsequently, we constructed a prognostic model centered around CREB5-associated genes. To elucidate the biological function of CREB5 in glioma cells, several assays including cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), wound healing, transwell, flow cytometric were performed. RESULTS: CREB5 was overexpressed in pan-cancer and was linked to unfavorable prognosis, particularly in glioma. Furthermore, genetic alterations were determined in various types of cancer, and modifications in the CREB5 gene were linked to the prognosis. The single-cell omics and enrichment analyses showed that CREB5 was predominantly expressed in malignant glioma cells and was critically involved in the regulation of various oncogenic processes. Elevated levels of CREB5 were strongly linked with the infiltration of cancer-associated fibroblasts and the Th1 subset of CD4+ T cells. The validated CREB5-associated prognostic model reliably predicted the prognosis and drug response of glioma patients. The in vitro experiments showed that CREB5 promoted glioma cell proliferation, invasion, migration, and gap phase 2/mitotic (G2/M) phase arrest and recruited M2 macrophages into glioma cells. CONCLUSION: CREB5 has the potential to act as an oncogene and a biological marker in multiple cancers, particularly glioma.

Identification of SLC40A1, LCN2, CREB5, and SLC7A11 as ferroptosis-related biomarkers in alopecia areata through machine learning.

Alopecia areata (AA) is a common non-scarring hair loss condition driven by the collapse of immune privilege and oxidative stress. The role of ferroptosis, a type of cell death linked to oxidative stress, in AA is yet to be explored, even though it's implicated in various diseases. Using transcriptome data from AA patients and controls from datasets GSE68801 and GSE80342, we aimed to identify AA diagnostic marker genes linked to ferroptosis. We employed Single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) for immune cell infiltration evaluation. Correlations between ferroptosis-related differentially expressed genes (FRDEGs) and immune cells/functions were identified using Spearman analysis. Feature selection was done through Support vector machine-recursive feature elimination (SVM-RFE) and LASSO regression models. Validation was performed using the GSE80342 dataset, followed by hierarchical internal validation. We also constructed a nomogram to assess the predictive ability of FRDEGs in AA. Furthermore, the expression and distribution of these molecules were confirmed through immunofluorescence. Four genes, namely SLC40A1, LCN2, CREB5, and SLC7A11, were identified as markers for AA. A prediction model based on these genes showed high accuracy (AUC = 0.9052). Immunofluorescence revealed reduced expression of these molecules in AA patients compared to normal controls (NC), with SLC40A1 and CREB5 showing significant differences. Notably, they were primarily localized to the outer root sheath and in proximity to the sebaceous glands. Our study identified several ferroptosis-related genes associated with AA. These findings, emerging from the integration of immune cell infiltration analysis and machine learning, contribute to the evolving understanding of diagnostic and therapeutic strategies in AA. Importantly, this research lays a solid foundation for subsequent studies exploring the intricate relationship between AA and ferroptosis.

SPOP promotes CREB5 ubiquitination to inhibit MET signaling in liver cancer.

Liver cancer is ranked as the sixth most prevalent from of malignancy globally and stands as the third primary contributor to cancer-related mortality. Metastasis is the main reason for liver cancer treatment failure and patient deaths. Speckle-type POZ protein (SPOP) serves as a crucial substrate junction protein within the cullin-RING E3 ligase complex, acting as a significant tumor suppressor in liver cancer. Nevertheless, the precise molecular mechanism underlying the role of SPOP in liver cancer metastasis remain elusive. In the current study, we identified cAMP response element binding 5 (CREB5) as a novel SPOP substrate in liver cancer. SPOP facilitates non-degradative K63-polyubiquitination of CREB5 on K432 site, consequently hindering its capacity to activate receptor tyrosine kinase MET. Moreover, liver cancer-associated SPOP mutant S119N disrupts the SPOP-CREB5 interactions and impairs the ubiquitination of CREB5.This disruption ultimately leads to the activation of the MET signaling pathway and enhances metastatic properties of hepatoma cells both in vitro and in vivo. In conclusion, our findings highlight the functional significance of the SPOP-CREB5-MET axis in liver cancer metastasis.

The ATF2/miR-3913-5p/CREB5 axis is involved in the cell proliferation and metastasis of colorectal cancer.

Various miRNAs have been shown to participate in the tumor progression and development of colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the role of miR-3913-5p in CRC are yet to be clearly defined. In the present study, we determine that miR-3913-5p is downregulated in CRC cell lines and CRC tissues. Exogenous miR-3913-5p expression weakens the CRC cells growth, migration and invasion. Mechanistically, miR-3913-5p directly targets the 3'UTR of CREB5. Overexpression of CREB5 reverses the suppression of CRC cells proliferation, migration and invasion induced by miR-3913-5p. Furthermore, ATF2 negatively regulates the transcription of miR-3913-5p by binding to its promoter. CREB5 can cooperate with ATF2. CREB5 is required for ATF2 in regulating miR-3913-5p. Finally, inverse correlations can be found between the expressions of miR-3913-5p and CREB5 or ATF2 in CRC tissues. Thus, a plausible mechanism of ATF2/miR-3913-5p/CREB5 axis regulating CRC progression is elucidated. Our findings suggest that miR-3913-5p functions as a tumor suppressor in CRC. ATF2/miR-3913-5p/CREB5 axis might be a potential therapeutic target against CRC progression.

Regulon analysis identifies protective FXR and CREB5 in proximal tubules in early diabetic kidney disease.

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is the most common complication of diabetes mellitus and a leading cause of kidney failure worldwide. Despite its prevalence, the mechanisms underlying early kidney damage in DKD remain poorly understood. In this study, we used single nucleus RNA-seq to construct gene regulatory networks (GRNs) in the kidney cortex of patients with early DKD. By comparing these networks with those of healthy controls, we identify cell type-specific changes in genetic regulation associated with diabetic status. The regulon activities of FXR (NR1H4) and CREB5 were found to be upregulated in kidney proximal convoluted tubule epithelial cells (PCTs), which were validated using immunofluorescence staining in kidney biopsies from DKD patients. In vitro experiments using cultured HK2 cells showed that FXR and CREB5 protected cells from apoptosis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Our findings suggest that FXR and CREB5 may be promising targets for early intervention in patients with DKD.

The Drosophila gene encoding JIG protein (CG14850) is critical for CrebA nuclear trafficking during development.

Coordination of mitochondrial and nuclear processes is key to the cellular health; however, very little is known about the molecular mechanisms regulating nuclear-mitochondrial crosstalk. Here, we report a novel molecular mechanism controlling the shuttling of CREB (cAMP response element-binding protein) protein complex between mitochondria and nucleoplasm. We show that a previously unknown protein, herein termed as Jig, functions as a tissue-specific and developmental timing-specific coregulator in the CREB pathway. Our results demonstrate that Jig shuttles between mitochondria and nucleoplasm, interacts with CrebA protein and controls its delivery to the nucleus, thus triggering CREB-dependent transcription in nuclear chromatin and mitochondria. Ablating the expression of Jig prevents CrebA from localizing to the nucleoplasm, affecting mitochondrial functioning and morphology and leads to Drosophila developmental arrest at the early third instar larval stage. Together, these results implicate Jig as an essential mediator of nuclear and mitochondrial processes. We also found that Jig belongs to a family of nine similar proteins, each of which has its own tissue- and time-specific expression profile. Thus, our results are the first to describe the molecular mechanism regulating nuclear and mitochondrial processes in a tissue- and time-specific manner.

A trio of tumor suppressor miRNA downregulates CREB5 dependent transcription to modulate neoadjuvant hormonal therapy sensitivity.

Neoadjuvant hormonal therapy (NHT) prior to radical prostatectomy (RP) is an approach that can potentially maximize survival outcomes in prostate cancer (PCa) patients with high-risk disease. Unfortunately, subsets of patients do not respond well to such hormonal therapy. We previously identified several pathological parameters in predicting differences in response to NHT of PCa. However, little is known about the potential role and mechanism of miRNAs mediated NHT resistance (NHT-R) in PCa. Here we demonstrate that miR-l42-3p, miR-150-5p and miR-342-3p are the top downregulated miRNAs in PCa tissues with NHT-R. Functional analysis reveals that the three miRNAs inhibit cell proliferation in vitro. Transfection of miRNAs mimics strengthens the inhibitory effects of bicalutamide and enzalutamide to PCa cells. Luciferase reporter assay reveals that CREB5 is the common target of these three miRNAs. Clinically, high expression level of CREB5 correlates with high Gleason score, advanced tumor stage and NHT-R in PCa tissues. CREB5 expression promotes antiandrogen therapy resistance in LNCaP cells and IL6 signaling pathway may be involved in this process. In all, our findings highlight an important role of miR-142-3p, miR-150-5p, and miR-342-3p in contributing NHT-R by targeting CREB5 in PCa.

Long noncoding RNA SNHG4 promotes the malignant progression of hepatocellular carcinoma through the miR-211-5p/CREB5 axis.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the main death-leading malignant tumors which deserve in-depth explorations to uncover the underlying molecular mechanisms. Plenty of proofs have revealed that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) participate in malignancy and progression of HCC. Nevertheless, the definite role of lncRNA-SNHG4 in HCC remains vague. METHODS: To figure out the role of SNHG4 in HCC, the bioinformatics analysis and functional assays and in vivo assay were performed. RESULTS: Our findings demonstrated that the data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) displayed that the higher expression of lncRNA SNHG4 was detected in HCC tissues, which predicted the poor prognosis. The upregulation of SNHG4 was positively associated with worse clinicopathological characteristics. The functional experiments were performed to identify the role of SNHG4 in HCC. We found that SNHG4 enhanced the proliferative, migratory and invasive capacities of HCC cell line, and facilitated the tumor growth in vivo. A series of follow-up studies have shown that SNHG4 promoted the progression and malignancy of HCC through upregulating CREB5 via sponging miR-211-5p. CONCLUSION: Collectively, the above findings suggest that SNHG4 promotes HCC malignancy through the SNHG4/miR-211-5p/CREB5 axis, providing potential therapeutic targets and prognostic factors for HCC. Highlights SNHG4 is overexpressed in HCC and correlated with the poor clinical characteristics SNHG4 promotes the malignant progression of HCC by reducing miR-211-5p expression MiR-211-5p inhibits CREB5 expression in HCC The oncogenic effect of SNHG4 in HCC can be reversed by CREB5 silencing.

The DNAm levels of CREB5 (cg11301281) were associated with clopidogrel resistance.

PURPOSE: Clopidogrel resistance (CR) is mostly caused by interindividual variability of the platelet inhibition of clopidogrel, which may induce cardiovascular events. The aim of this research was to evaluate whether DNAm levels of CREB5 (cg01534253) are involved in CR among acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients treated with clopidogrel. METHODS: 72 patients(36 CR and 36 non-CR) who underwent ACS were included in this study. The VerifyNow P2Y12 assay was selected to evaluate residual platelet reactivity, and bisulfite pyrosequencing methods was used to examine DNA methylation levels on cg01534253. Secondly, CREB5 mRNA expression was analyzed via quantitative real-time PCR. Last, we employed logistic regression to test the interaction between genetic factors of CREB5 methylation and multiple clinical variables in CR patients. RESULTS: Subunit analysis indicated that for patients whose HbA1c levels were ≥6.5% or whose GLU levels were ≥7 mmol/L, lower methylation of cg01534253 indicated a poorer clopidogrel response. In addition, CREB5 mRNA expression was increased in CR patients with GLU levels ≥7 mmol/L. Moreover, regression analysis indicated that the values of albumin and uric acid were correlated with the incidence of CR. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings were likely to provide fresh understanding for the new mechanism of platelet inhibition failure and promote individualized antiplatelet therapy.

microRNA-206 prevents hepatocellular carcinoma growth and metastasis via down-regulating CREB5 and inhibiting the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers and has continued to increase in incidence worldwide. Moreover, the involvement of microRNAs (miRs) has been reported in the development and progression of HCC. Here, we investigated the role of miR-206 in HCC growth and metastasis. HCC-related microarray datasets were harvested to screen differentially expressed miRNAs in HCC samples followed by prediction of downstream target genes. The dual-luciferase reporter assay verified the target-binding relationship between miR-206 and CREB5. The human HCC cell line MHCC97-H was cultured in vitro and transfected with miR-206 mimic/inhibitor or sh-/oe-CREB5 for analyzing MHCC97-H cell biological functions. The orthotopic xenograft model of HCC mice was constructed to observe the tumorigenic ability of HCC cells in vivo. Bioinformatics analysis found that miR-206 may be involved in HCC growth and metastasis by targeting CREB5 and regulating PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. In vivo animal experiments found that CREB5 was significantly overexpressed in mouse HCC tissues. In HCC cells, miR-206 can target down-regulate the expression of CREB5, thereby inhibiting the activation of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Furthermore, in vitro cell experiments confirmed that overexpression of miR-206 could inhibit the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway by down-regulating CREB5 expression, thereby inhibiting the proliferation, migration and invasion of HCC cells. In conclusion, our results revealed that miR-206 could down-regulate the expression of CREB5 and inhibit the activation of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, thereby preventing HCC growth and metastasis.Abbreviations: HCC: hepatocellular carcinoma; HBV or HCV: hepatitis B or C virus; miRNAs: microRNAs; CREB: cAMP response element-binding protein; CRE: cAMP response elements.

Single-cell RNA transcriptomic analysis identifies Creb5 and CD11b-DCs as regulator of asthma exacerbations.

Immune responses that result in asthma exacerbation are associated with allergen or viral exposure. Identification of common immune factors will be beneficial for the development of uniformed targeted therapy. We employed a House Dust Mite (HDM) mouse model of asthma and challenged allergic HDM mice with allergens (HDM, cockroach extract (CRE)) or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Purified lung immune cells underwent high-dimensional single-cell RNA deep sequencing (scRNA-seq) to generate an RNA transcriptome. Gene silencing with siRNA was employed to confirm the efficacy of scRNA-seq analysis. scRNA-seq UMAP analysis portrayed an array of cell markers within individual immune clusters. SCENIC R analysis showed an increase in regulon number and activity in CD11b- DC cells. Analysis of conserved regulon factors further identified Creb5 as a shared regulon between the exacerbation groups. Creb5 siRNAs attenuated HDM, CRE or RSV-induced asthma exacerbation. scRNA-seq multidimensional analysis of immune clusters identified gene pathways that were conserved between the exacerbation groups. We propose that these analyses provide a strong framework that could be used to identify specific therapeutic targets in multifaceted pathologies.

A novel CREB5/TOP1MT axis confers cisplatin resistance through inhibiting mitochondrial apoptosis in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Cisplatin resistance is one of the main causes of treatment failure and death in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). A more comprehensive understanding of the cisplatin resistance mechanism and the development of effective treatment strategies are urgent. METHODS: RNA sequencing, RT-PCR, and immunoblotting were used to identify differentially expressed genes associated with cisplatin resistance. Gain- and loss-of-function experiments were performed to detect the effect of CREB5 on cisplatin resistance and mitochondrial apoptosis in HNSCC. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay, dual-luciferase reporter assay, and immunoblotting experiments were performed to explore the underlying mechanisms of CREB5. RESULTS: CREB5 was significantly upregulated in cisplatin-resistant HNSCC (CR-HNSCC) patients, which was correlated with poor prognosis. CREB5 overexpression strikingly facilitated the cisplatin resistance of HNSCC cells in vitro and in vivo, while CREB5 knockdown enhanced cisplatin sensitivity in CR-HNSCC cells. Interestingly, the activation of AKT signaling induced by cisplatin promoted nucleus translocation of CREB5 in CR-HNSCC cells. Furthermore, CREB5 transcriptionally activated TOP1MT expression depending on the canonical motif. Moreover, CREB5 silencing could trigger mitochondrial apoptosis and overcome cisplatin resistance in CR-HNSCC cells, which could be reversed by TOP1MT overexpression. Additionally, double-targeting of CREB5 and TOP1MT could combat cisplatin resistance of HNSCC in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings reveal a novel CREB5/TOP1MT axis conferring cisplatin resistance in HNSCC, which provides a new basis to develop effective strategies for overcoming cisplatin resistance.

MicroRNA-204/CREB5 axis regulates vasculogenic mimicry in breast cancer cells.

BACKGROUND: Vasculogenic mimicry (VM) is characterized by formation of three-dimensional (3D) channels-like structures by tumor cells, supplying the nutrients needed for tumor growth. VM is stimulated by hypoxic tumor microenvironment, and it has been associated with increased metastasis and clinical poor outcome in cancer patients. cAMP responsive element (CRE)-binding protein 5 (CREB5) is a hypoxia-activated transcription factor involved in tumorigenesis. However, CREB5 functions in VM and if its regulated by microRNAs remains unknown in breast cancer. OBJECTIVE: We aim to study the functional relationships between VM, CREB5 and microRNA-204-5p (miR-204) in breast cancer cells. METHODS: CREB5 expression was evaluated by mining the public databases, and using RT-qPCR and Western blot assays. CREB5 expression was silenced using short-hairpin RNAs in MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 breast cancer cells. VM formation was analyzed using matrigel-based cultures in hypoxic conditions. MiR-204 expression was restored in cancer cells by transfection of RNA mimics. Luciferase reporter assays were performed to evaluate the binding of miR-204 to 3'UTR of CREB5. RESULTS: Our data showed that CREB5 mRNA expression was upregulated in a set of breast cancer cell lines and clinical tumors, and it was positively associated with poor prognosis in lymph nodes positive and grade 3 basal breast cancer patients. Silencing of CREB5 impaired the hypoxia-induced formation of 3D channels-like structures representative of the early stages of VM in MDA-MB-231 cells. In contrast, VM formation was not observed in MCF-7 cells. Interestingly, we found that CREB5 expression was negatively regulated by miR-204 mimics in breast cancer cells. Functional analysis confirmed that miR-204 binds to CREB5 3'-UTR indicating that it's an ulterior effector. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggested that CREB5 could be a potential biomarker of disease progression in basal subtype of breast cancer, and that perturbations of the miR-204/CREB5 axis plays an important role in VM development in breast cancer cells.

CREB5 reprograms FOXA1 nuclear interactions to promote resistance to androgen receptor-targeting therapies.

Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancers (mCRPCs) are treated with therapies that antagonize the androgen receptor (AR). Nearly all patients develop resistance to AR-targeted therapies (ARTs). Our previous work identified CREB5 as an upregulated target gene in human mCRPC that promoted resistance to all clinically approved ART. The mechanisms by which CREB5 promotes progression of mCRPC or other cancers remains elusive. Integrating ChIP-seq and rapid immunoprecipitation and mass spectroscopy of endogenous proteins, we report that cells overexpressing CREB5 demonstrate extensive reprogramming of nuclear protein-protein interactions in response to the ART agent enzalutamide. Specifically, CREB5 physically interacts with AR, the pioneering actor FOXA1, and other known co-factors of AR and FOXA1 at transcription regulatory elements recently found to be active in mCRPC patients. We identified a subset of CREB5/FOXA1 co-interacting nuclear factors that have critical functions for AR transcription (GRHL2, HOXB13) while others (TBX3, NFIC) regulated cell viability and ART resistance and were amplified or overexpressed in mCRPC. Upon examining the nuclear protein interactions and the impact of CREB5 expression on the mCRPC patient transcriptome, we found that CREB5 was associated with Wnt signaling and epithelial to mesenchymal transitions, implicating these pathways in CREB5/FOXA1-mediated ART resistance. Overall, these observations define the molecular interactions among CREB5, FOXA1, and pathways that promote ART resistance.

CREBA and CREBB in two identified neurons gate long-term memory formation in Drosophila.

Episodic events are frequently consolidated into labile memory but are not necessarily transferred to persistent long-term memory (LTM). Regulatory mechanisms leading to LTM formation are poorly understood, however, especially at the resolution of identified neurons. Here, we demonstrate enhanced LTM following aversive olfactory conditioning in Drosophila when the transcription factor cyclic AMP response element binding protein A (CREBA) is induced in just two dorsal-anterior-lateral (DAL) neurons. Our experiments show that this process is regulated by protein-gene interactions in DAL neurons: (1) crebA transcription is induced by training and repressed by crebB overexpression, (2) CREBA bidirectionally modulates LTM formation, (3) crebA overexpression enhances training-induced gene transcription, and (4) increasing membrane excitability enhances LTM formation and gene expression. These findings suggest that activity-dependent gene expression in DAL neurons during LTM formation is regulated by CREB proteins.

Whole-exome sequencing reveals common and rare variants in immunologic and neurological genes implicated in achalasia.

Idiopathic achalasia (IA) is a severe motility disorder characterized by neuronal degeneration in the myenteric plexus, but the etiology remains largely unknown. We performed whole-exome sequencing (WES) in 100 IA-affected individuals and 313 non-IA control subjects and validated the results in 230 IA-affected individuals and 1,760 non-IA control subjects. Common missense variants rs1705003 (CUTA, GenBank: NC_000006.11:g.33385953A>G) and rs1126511 (HLA-DPB1, GenBank: NC_000006.11:g.33048466G>T) at 6p21.32 were reproducibly associated with increased risk of IA (rs1126511: OR = 1.83, p = 2.34 × 10-9; rs1705003: OR = 2.37, p = 3.21 × 10-7), meeting exome-wide significance. Both variants can affect the expression of their target genes at the transcript level. An array-based association analysis in 280 affected individuals and 1,121 control subjects determined the same signal at 6p21.32. Further conditional analyses supported that the two missense variants identified in WES-based association study were potential causal variants of IA. For rare variants, the top genes identified by gene-based analysis were significantly enriched in nerve and muscle phenotypic genes in the mouse. Moreover, the functional rare variants in these genes tended to cooccur in IA-affected individuals. In an independent cohort, we successfully validated three rare variants (CREB5, GenBank: NC_000007.13:g.28848865G>T; ESYT3, GenBank: NC_000003.11:g.138183253C>T; and LPIN1, GenBank: NC_000002.11:g.11925128A>G) which heightens the risk of developing IA. Our study identified and validated two common variants and three rare variants associated with IA in immunologic and neurological genes, providing new insight into the etiology of IA.

Gene signatures and potential therapeutic targets of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV)-infected human lung adenocarcinoma epithelial cells.

BACKGROUND: Pathogenic coronaviruses include Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), and SARS-CoV-2. These viruses have induced outbreaks worldwide, and there are currently no effective medications against them. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop potential drugs against coronaviruses. METHODS: High-throughput technology is widely used to explore differences in messenger (m)RNA and micro (mi)RNA expression profiles, especially to investigate protein-protein interactions and search for new therapeutic compounds. We integrated miRNA and mRNA expression profiles in MERS-CoV-infected cells and compared them to mock-infected controls from public databases. RESULTS: Through the bioinformatics analysis, there were 251 upregulated genes and eight highly differentiated miRNAs that overlapped in the two datasets. External validation verified that these genes had high expression in MERS-CoV-infected cells, including RC3H1, NF-κB, CD69, TNFAIP3, LEAP-2, DUSP10, CREB5, CXCL2, etc. We revealed that immune, olfactory or sensory system-related, and signal-transduction networks were discovered from upregulated mRNAs in MERS-CoV-infected cells. In total, 115 genes were predicted to be related to miRNAs, with the intersection of upregulated mRNAs and miRNA-targeting prediction genes such as TCF4, NR3C1, and POU2F2. Through the Connectivity Map (CMap) platform, we suggested potential compounds to use against MERS-CoV infection, including diethylcarbamazine, harpagoside, bumetanide, enalapril, and valproic acid. CONCLUSIONS: The present study illustrates the crucial roles of miRNA-mRNA interacting networks in MERS-CoV-infected cells. The genes we identified are potential targets for treating MERS-CoV infection; however, these could possibly be extended to other coronavirus infections.

Identification of a Novel Genetic Marker for Risk of Degenerative Rotator Cuff Disease Surgery in the UK Biobank.

BACKGROUND: While evidence indicates that familial predisposition influences the risk of developing degenerative rotator cuff disease (RCD), knowledge of specific genetic markers is limited. We conducted a genome-wide association study of RCD surgery using the UK Biobank, a prospective cohort of 500,000 people (40 to 69 years of age at enrollment) with genotype data. METHODS: Cases with surgery for degenerative RCD were identified using linked hospital records. The cases were defined as an International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) code of M75.1 determined by a trauma/orthopaedic specialist and surgery consistent with RCD treatment. Cases were excluded if a diagnosis of traumatic injury had been made during the same hospital visit. For each case, up to 5 controls matched by age, sex, and follow-up time were chosen from the UK Biobank. Analyses were limited to European-ancestry individuals who were not third-degree or closer relations. We used logistic regression to test for genetic association of 674,405 typed and >10 million imputed markers, after adjusting for age, sex, population principal components, and follow-up. RESULTS: We identified 2,917 RCD surgery cases and 14,158 matched controls. We observed 1 genome-wide significant signal (p < 5 × 10-8) for a novel locus tagged by rs2237352 in the CREB5 gene on chromosome 7 (odds ratio [OR] = 1.17, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.11 to 1.24). The single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs2237352 was imputed with a high degree of confidence (info score = 0.9847) and is common, with a minor allele frequency of 47%. After expanding the control sample to include additional unmatched non-cases, rs2237352 and another SNP in the CREB5 gene, rs12700903, were genome-wide significant. We did not detect genome-wide significant signals at loci associated with RCD in previous studies. CONCLUSIONS: We identified a novel association between a variant in the CREB5 gene and RCD surgery. Validation of this finding in studies with imaging data to confirm diagnoses will be an important next step. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Identification of genetic RCD susceptibility markers can guide understanding of biological processes in rotator cuff degeneration and help inform disease risk in the clinical setting. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

LncRNA Gas5 regulates Fn1 deposition via Creb5 in renal fibrosis.

Aim: Although studies on lncRNAs in renal fibrosis have focused on target genes and functions of lncRNAs, a comprehensive interaction analysis of lncRNAs is lacking. Materials & methods: Differentially expressed genes in renal fibrosis were screened, and the interaction between lncRNAs and miRNAs was searched. Results: We constructed a ceRNA network associated with renal fibrosis, by which we found the transcription factor Creb5, a target gene of lncRNA Gas5 that might regulate extracellular Fn1 deposition. Conclusion: Our study not only provides a theoretical basis for the ceRNA regulation mechanism of Gas5 but also provides experimental evidence supporting the use of Gas5 targeting in the treatment of renal fibrosis.