Genome-wide effect of pulmonary airway epithelial cell-specific Bmal1 deletion.

Pulmonary airway epithelial cells (AECs) form a critical interface between host and environment. We investigated the role of the circadian clock using mice bearing targeted deletion of the circadian gene brain and muscle ARNT-like 1 (Bmal1) in AECs. Pulmonary neutrophil infiltration, biomechanical function, and responses to influenza infection were all disrupted. A circadian time-series RNA sequencing study of laser-captured AECs revealed widespread disruption in genes of the core circadian clock and output pathways regulating cell metabolism (lipids and xenobiotics), extracellular matrix, and chemokine signaling, but strikingly also the gain of a novel rhythmic transcriptome in Bmal1-targeted cells. Many of the rhythmic components were replicated in primary AECs cultured in air-liquid interface, indicating significant cell autonomy for control of pulmonary circadian physiology. Finally, we found that metabolic cues dictate phasing of the pulmonary clock and circadian responses to immunologic challenges. Thus, the local circadian clock in AECs is vital in lung health by coordinating major cell processes such as metabolism and immunity.-Zhang, Z. Hunter, L., Wu, G., Maidstone, R., Mizoro, Y., Vonslow, R., Fife, M., Hopwood, T., Begley, N., Saer, B., Wang, P., Cunningham, P., Baxter, M., Durrington, H., Blaikley, J. F., Hussell, T., Rattray, M., Hogenesch, J. B., Gibbs, J., Ray, D. W., Loudon, A. S. I. Genome-wide effect of pulmonary airway epithelial cell-specific Bmal1 deletion.

Transcriptional Analysis of Intravenous Immunoglobulin Resistance in Kawasaki Disease Using an Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Disease Model.

BACKGROUND: Approximately 10-20% of Kawasaki disease (KD) patients are resistant to intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) treatment. Further, these patients are at a particularly high risk of having coronary artery abnormalities. The mechanisms of IVIG resistance in KD have been analyzed using patient leukocytes, but not patient vascular endothelial cells (ECs). The present study clarifies the mechanisms of IVIG resistance in KD using an induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) disease model.Methods and Results:Dermal fibroblasts or peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 2 IVIG-resistant and 2 IVIG-responsive KD patients were reprogrammed by the episomal vector-mediated transduction of 6 reprogramming factors. KD patient-derived iPSCs were differentiated into ECs (iPSC-ECs). The gene expression profiles of iPSC-ECs generated from IVIG-resistant and IVIG-responsive KD patients were compared by RNA-sequencing analyses. We found that the expression ofCXCL12was significantly upregulated in iPSC-ECs from IVIG-resistant KD patients. Additionally, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) revealed that gene sets involved in interleukin (IL)-6 signaling were also upregulated. CONCLUSIONS: The first iPSC-based model for KD is reported here. Our mechanistic analyses suggest thatCXCL12, which plays a role in leukocyte transmigration, is a key molecule candidate for IVIG resistance and KD severity. They also indicate that an upregulation of IL-6-related genes may be involved in this pathogenesis.

A light-induced small G-protein gem limits the circadian clock phase-shift magnitude by inhibiting voltage-dependent calcium channels.

Calcium signaling is pivotal to the circadian clockwork in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), particularly in rhythm entrainment to environmental light-dark cycles. Here, we show that a small G-protein Gem, an endogenous inhibitor of high-voltage-activated voltage-dependent calcium channels (VDCCs), is rapidly induced by light in SCN neurons via the calcium (Ca2+)-mediated CREB/CRE transcriptional pathway. Gem attenuates light-induced calcium signaling through its interaction with VDCCs. The phase-shift magnitude of locomotor activity rhythms by light, at night, increases in Gem-deficient (Gem-/-) mice. Similarly, in SCN slices from Gem-/- mice, depolarizing stimuli induce larger phase shifts of clock gene transcription rhythms that are normalized by the application of an L-type VDCC blocker, nifedipine. Voltage-clamp recordings from SCN neurons reveal that Ca2+ currents through L-type channels increase in Gem-/- mice. Our findings suggest that transcriptionally activated Gem feeds back to suppress excessive light-evoked L-type VDCC activation, adjusting the light-induced phase-shift magnitude to an appropriate level in mammals.

Immunologic Profiling of the Atlantic Salmon Gill by Single Nuclei Transcriptomics.

Anadromous salmonids begin life adapted to the freshwater environments of their natal streams before a developmental transition, known as smoltification, transforms them into marine-adapted fish. In the wild, smoltification is a photoperiod-regulated process, involving radical remodeling of gill function to cope with the profound osmotic and immunological challenges of seawater (SW) migration. While prior work has highlighted the role of specialized "mitochondrion-rich" cells (MRCs) and accessory cells (ACs) in delivering this phenotype, recent RNA profiling experiments suggest that remodeling is far more extensive than previously appreciated. Here, we use single-nuclei RNAseq to characterize the extent of cytological changes in the gill of Atlantic salmon during smoltification and SW transfer. We identify 20 distinct cell clusters, including known, but also novel gill cell types. These data allow us to isolate cluster-specific, smoltification-associated changes in gene expression and to describe how the cellular make-up of the gill changes through smoltification. As expected, we noted an increase in the proportion of seawater mitochondrion-rich cells, however, we also identify previously unknown reduction of several immune-related cell types. Overall, our results provide fresh detail of the cellular complexity in the gill and suggest that smoltification triggers unexpected immune reprogramming.

Generation of TCR-Expressing Innate Lymphoid-like Helper Cells that Induce Cytotoxic T Cell-Mediated Anti-leukemic Cell Response.

CD4+ T helper (Th) cell activation is essential for inducing cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses against malignancy. We reprogrammed a Th clone specific for chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML)-derived b3a2 peptide to pluripotency and re-differentiated the cells into original TCR-expressing T-lineage cells (iPS-T cells) with gene expression patterns resembling those of group 1 innate lymphoid cells. CD4 gene transduction into iPS-T cells enhanced b3a2 peptide-specific responses via b3a2 peptide-specific TCR. iPS-T cells upregulated CD40 ligand (CD40L) expression in response to interleukin-2 and interleukin-15. In the presence of Wilms tumor 1 (WT1) peptide, antigen-specific dendritic cells (DCs) conditioned by CD4-modified CD40Lhigh iPS-T cells stimulated WT1-specific CTL priming, which eliminated WT1 peptide-expressing CML cells in vitro and in vivo. Thus, CD4 modification of CD40Lhigh iPS-T cells generates innate lymphoid helper-like cells inducing bcr-abl-specific TCR signaling that mediates effectiveanti-leukemic CTL responses via DC maturation, showing potential for adjuvant immunotherapy against leukemia.

Cellular Adjuvant Properties, Direct Cytotoxicity of Re-differentiated Vα24 Invariant NKT-like Cells from Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells.

Vα24 invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells are a subset of T lymphocytes implicated in the regulation of broad immune responses. They recognize lipid antigens presented by CD1d on antigen-presenting cells and induce both innate and adaptive immune responses, which enhance effective immunity against cancer. Conversely, reduced iNKT cell numbers and function have been observed in many patients with cancer. To recover these numbers, we reprogrammed human iNKT cells to pluripotency and then re-differentiated them into regenerated iNKT cells in vitro through an IL-7/IL-15-based optimized cytokine combination. The re-differentiated iNKT cells showed proliferation and IFN-γ production in response to α-galactosylceramide, induced dendritic cell maturation and downstream activation of both cytotoxic T lymphocytes and NK cells, and exhibited NKG2D- and DNAM-1-mediated NK cell-like cytotoxicity against cancer cell lines. The immunological features of re-differentiated iNKT cells and their unlimited availability from induced pluripotent stem cells offer a potentially effective immunotherapy against cancer.

Mice genetically deficient in vasopressin V1a and V1b receptors are resistant to jet lag.

Jet-lag symptoms arise from temporal misalignment between the internal circadian clock and external solar time. We found that circadian rhythms of behavior (locomotor activity), clock gene expression, and body temperature immediately reentrained to phase-shifted light-dark cycles in mice lacking vasopressin receptors V1a and V1b (V1a(-/-)V1b(-/-)). Nevertheless, the behavior of V1a(-/-)V1b(-/-) mice was still coupled to the internal clock, which oscillated normally under standard conditions. Experiments with suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) slices in culture suggested that interneuronal communication mediated by V1a and V1b confers on the SCN an intrinsic resistance to external perturbation. Pharmacological blockade of V1a and V1b in the SCN of wild-type mice resulted in accelerated recovery from jet lag, which highlights the potential of vasopressin signaling as a therapeutic target for management of circadian rhythm misalignment, such as jet lag and shift work.

Transportin 1 in the mouse brain: appearance in regions of neurogenesis, cerebrospinal fluid production/sensing, and circadian clock.

Transportin1 (Tnpo1) is a carrier protein belonging to the importin-ß family, which transports substrates between the cytoplasm and the nucleus. To gain insight into the role of Tnpo1 gene in the brain, we investigated the localization of Tnpo1-, Tnpo2-, and Tnpo3-expressing cells by in situ hybridization histochemistry. Tnpo1 mRNA-positive cells were distributed throughout the brain from the olfactory bulb to the medulla oblongata. The cells in the subventricular zone of the lateral ventricle, where neurogenesis occurs even in the adult, and its progeny neurons in the granular cells of the olfactory bulb and the islands of Calleja were strongly labeled. It is also noteworthy that cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-generating epithelial cells in the choroid plexus and CSF-contacting and -sensing circumventricular organs, including organum vasculosum lamina terminalis, subfornical organ, and subcommissural organ, expressed high amounts of Tnpo1. The strongest signals were found in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), where the biological clock resides, which prompted us to examine the circadian characteristics of Tnpo1. Under constant-dark conditions, the circadian expression profiles of Tnpo1 mRNA in the SCN showed a peak in the subjective night and a trough in the subjective day. Tnpo2 and Tnpo3 showed similar patterns of expression, except in the choroids plexus, the subventricular zone, and the SCN, where the expression was notably weaker. These findings suggest that Tnpo1 is involved in a variety of functions in the adult brain, including neurogenesis, CSF production and sensing, and circadian rhythms.

Activation of AMPA receptors in the suprachiasmatic nucleus phase-shifts the mouse circadian clock in vivo and in vitro.

The glutamatergic neurotransmission in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) plays a central role in the entrainment of the circadian rhythms to environmental light-dark cycles. Although the glutamatergic effect operating via NMDAR (N-methyl D-aspartate receptor) is well elucidated, much less is known about a role of AMPAR (alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid receptor) in circadian entrainment. Here we show that, in the mouse SCN, GluR2 and GluR4 AMPAR subtypes are abundantly expressed in the retinorecipient area. In vivo microinjection of AMPA in the SCN during the early subjective night phase-delays the behavioral rhythm. In the organotypic SCN slice culture, AMPA application induces phase-dependent phase-shifts of core-clock gene transcription rhythms. These data demonstrate that activation of AMPAR is capable of phase-shifting the circadian clock both in vivo and in vitro, and are consistent with the hypothesis that activation of AMPA receptors is a critical step in the transmission of photic information to the SCN.

Circadian characteristics of mice depleted with GPR7.

GPR7, now known as a receptor of neuropeptide B and neuropeptide W, is expressed in neurons of the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), the mammalian circadian center. By the quantitative in situ hybridization, we demonstrated that GPR7 mRNA showed a significant circadian rhythm in the SCN showing a peak at early subjective night in both light-dark and constant dark. We characterized the circadian feature of GPR7-knockout mice, but the period length and the phase-dependent phase shift to light exposure were not disordered in GPR7-knockout mice. Moreover, the food-anticipatory behavior in restricted feeding schedule was observed in this gene-deleted mouse similar to wild-type. These results indicate that the role of GPR7 may be subtle or limited in relation to the circadian clock despite its robust expression in the SCN.