mRNP granule proteins Fmrp and Dcp1a differentially regulate mRNP complexes to contribute to control of muscle stem cell quiescence and activation.

BACKGROUND: During skeletal muscle regeneration, satellite stem cells use distinct pathways to repair damaged myofibers or to self-renew by returning to quiescence. Cellular/mitotic quiescence employs mechanisms that promote a poised or primed state, including altered RNA turnover and translational repression. Here, we investigate the role of mRNP granule proteins Fragile X Mental Retardation Protein (Fmrp) and Decapping protein 1a (Dcp1a) in muscle stem cell quiescence and differentiation. METHODS: Using isolated single muscle fibers from adult mice, we established differential enrichment of mRNP granule proteins including Fmrp and Dcp1a in muscle stem cells vs. myofibers. We investigated muscle tissue homeostasis in adult Fmr1-/- mice, analyzing myofiber cross-sectional area in vivo and satellite cell proliferation ex vivo. We explored the molecular mechanisms of Dcp1a and Fmrp function in quiescence, proliferation and differentiation in a C2C12 culture model. Here, we used polysome profiling, imaging and RNA/protein expression analysis to establish the abundance and assembly status of mRNP granule proteins in different cellular states, and the phenotype of knockdown cells. RESULTS: Quiescent muscle satellite cells are enriched for puncta containing the translational repressor Fmrp, but not the mRNA decay factor Dcp1a. MuSC isolated from Fmr1-/- mice exhibit defective proliferation, and mature myofibers show reduced cross-sectional area, suggesting a role for Fmrp in muscle homeostasis. Expression and organization of Fmrp and Dcp1a varies during primary MuSC activation on myofibers, with Fmrp puncta prominent in quiescence, but Dcp1a puncta appearing during activation/proliferation. This reciprocal expression of Fmrp and Dcp1a puncta is recapitulated in a C2C12 culture model of quiescence and activation: consistent with its role as a translational repressor, Fmrp is enriched in non-translating mRNP complexes abundant in quiescent myoblasts; Dcp1a puncta are lost in quiescence, suggesting stabilized and repressed transcripts. The function of each protein differs during proliferation; whereas Fmrp knockdown led to decreased proliferation and lower cyclin expression, Dcp1a knockdown led to increased cell proliferation and higher cyclin expression. However, knockdown of either Fmrp or Dcp1a led to compromised differentiation. We also observed cross-regulation of decay versus storage mRNP granules; knockdown of Fmrp enhances accumulation of Dcp1a puncta, whereas knockdown of Dcp1a leads to increased Fmrp in puncta. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our results provide evidence that the balance of mRNA turnover versus utilization is specific for distinct cellular states.

Evaluation of a novel liquid biopsy-based ColoScape assay for mutational analysis of colorectal neoplasia and triage of FIT+ patients: a pilot study.

Circulating cell free tumour derived nucleic acids are becoming recognised as clinically significant and extremely useful biomarkers for detection of cancer and for monitoring the progression of targeted drug therapy and immunotherapy. Screening programmes for colorectal cancer in Europe use the Fetal Immunochemical Test (FIT) test as a primary screener. FIT+ patients are referred to immediate colonoscopy and the positive predictive value (PPV) is usually 25%. In this article, we report a study employing the ColoScape assay panel to detect mutations in the APC, KRAS, BRAF and CTNNB1 genes, in order to collect preliminary performance indicators and plan a future, larger population study. The assay was evaluated on 52 prospectively collected whole-blood samples obtained from FIT+ patients enrolled in the CRC screening programme of ASL NAPOLI 3 SUD, using colonoscopy as confirmation. The assay's sensitivity for advanced adenomas was 53.8% and the specificity was 92.3%. The PPV was 70.0% and negative predicitive value (NPV) was 85.7%. Workflow optimisation is essential to maximise sensitivity. Of note, four of the six positive cases missed by ColoScape had a less than suboptimal DNA input (data not shown). Had they been ruled out as inadequate, sensitivity would have increased from 53.8% to 69%. However, as stated previously, this is not a clinical trial, but rather an initial, preliminary technical evaluation. In conclusion this study shows that ColoScape is a promising tool and further studies are warranted in order to validate its use for the triage of FIT+ patients.

A Quantitative Comparison of Antibodies to Programmed Cell Death 1 Ligand 1.

IMPORTANCE: Assessment of PD-L1 (programmed cell death 1 ligand 1) expression by immunohistochemical analysis has been used as a predictive diagnostic test to identify responders and guide treatment in trials of the PD-1 (programmed cell death 1) axis inhibitors. The definition of PD-L1 positive lacks standardization, and prediction of response by immunohistochemical analysis is additionally limited by the subjective nature of this technique. OBJECTIVE: To examine whether PD-L1 antibody reagents are interchangeable by quantitatively comparing the expression of the PD-L1 protein. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: In this immunohistochemistry standardization study, 30 randomly selected cases of lung cancer resected from January 1, 2008, through December 31, 2009, were obtained from Yale Pathology Archives with a range of expression of PD-L1. To test for protein measurement, rather than clinical utility, a PD-L1 index tissue microarray, including cell line and tissue controls, was used. The results were then validated on a commercially available, genetically defined PD-L1 engineered cell line array with a range of controlled protein-expressing cell lines using 6 monoclonal antibodies (SP142, E1L3N, 9A11, SP263, 22c3, and 28-8). Protein levels were measured by quantitative immunofluorescence and quantitative chromogenic assessment. Data analysis was performed from September 2015 through May 2016. RESULTS: Concordance between 4 antibodies revealed regression for tumor tissue cores (R2 = 0.42-0.91) and cell line cores (R2 = 0.83-0.97) by quantitative immunofluorescence in the PD-L1 index tissue microarray. All 6 antibodies had high levels of concordance (R2 = 0.76-0.99) when using chromogenic staining in isogenic cell lines. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Because the antibodies are highly concordant, these results suggest that assays based on the use of these antibodies could yield concordant results. They further suggest that previously described differences in PD-L1 expression in tissue are independent of the antibody used and likely attributable to tumor heterogeneity, assay- or platform-specific variables, or other factors.