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Inherited bone marrow failure syndromes often result from pathogenic mutations in genes that are important for ribosome function, namely, Diamond-Blackfan anemia, Shwachman-Diamond syndrome, and dyskeratosis congenita. Germline mutations in SAMD9 are a frequent genetic lesion resulting in an inherited bone marrow failure syndrome with monosomy 7; some patients have severe multisystem syndromes that include myelodysplasia. The association of germline SAMD9 mutations and bone marrow failure is clear; however, to date, there is no reliable method to predict whether a novel SAMD9 mutation is pathogenic unless it is accompanied by an obvious family history and/or clinical syndrome. The difficulty with pathogenicity prediction is, in part, due to the incomplete understanding of the biological functions of SAMD9. We used a SAMD9-targeted, inducible CRISPRa system and RNA sequencing to better understand the global transcriptional changes that result from transcriptional manipulation of SAMD9. Supporting recent discoveries that SAMD9 acts as a ACNase specific for phenylalanine tRNA (tRNA-Phe), we confirmed with crosslinking and solid-phase purification that SAMD9 is an RNA binding protein and analyzed how overexpression of tRNA-Phe may reverse transcriptomic changes caused by SAMD9 activation. Our data show that overexpression of SAMD9 from the endogenous locus results in decreased cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, and global protein translation. When SAMD9 contains a gain-of-function mutation (p.E1136Q), these functional phenotypes are exacerbated but only partially rescued with tRNA-Phe overexpression, suggesting additional molecular actions of SAMD9. Additionally, we demonstrate that gene expression pathways important for ribosome biogenesis and MYC signaling are the most significantly impacted by SAMD9 overexpression.
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Lupus nephritis (LN) is a frequent manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus, and fewer than half of patients achieve complete renal response with standard immunosuppressants. Identifying non-invasive, blood-based pathologic immune alterations associated with renal injury could aid therapeutic decisions. Here, we used mass cytometry immunophenotyping of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in 145 patients with biopsy-proven LN and 40 healthy controls to evaluate the heterogeneity of immune activation in patients with LN and to identify correlates of renal parameters and treatment response. Unbiased analysis identified 3 immunologically distinct groups of patients with LN that were associated with different patterns of histopathology, renal cell infiltrates, urine proteomic profiles, and treatment response at one year. Patients with enriched circulating granzyme B+ T cells at baseline showed more severe disease and increased numbers of activated CD8 T cells in the kidney, yet they had the highest likelihood of treatment response. A second group characterized primarily by a high type I interferon signature had a lower likelihood of response to therapy, while a third group appeared immunologically inactive by immunophenotyping at enrollment but with chronic renal injuries. Main immune profiles could be distilled down to 5 simple cytometric parameters that recapitulate several of the associations, highlighting the potential for blood immune profiling to translate to clinically useful non-invasive metrics to assess immune-mediated disease in LN.
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Psoriasis vulgaris is an inflammatory skin disease that affects 2%-3% of the population worldwide. One of the major challenges in discovering novel therapies is the poor translatability of animal models to human disease. Therefore, it is imperative to develop human preclinical models of psoriasis that are amenable to pharmacological intervention. Here, we report a 3-D reconstituted human epidermis (RHE) culture system treated with cytokines commonly associated with psoriasis (TNFα, IL-17A and IL-22) that reproduced some key features of the human disease. The effects on epidermal morphology, gene transcription and cytokine production, which are dysregulated in psoriasis were assessed. Certain morphological features of psoriatic epidermis were evident in cytokine-stimulated RHEs, including hypogranulosis and parakeratosis. In addition, RHEs responded to a cytokine mix in a dose-dependent manner by expressing genes and proteins associated with impaired keratinocyte differentiation (keratin 10/K10, loricrin), innate immune responses (S100A7, DEFB4, elafin) and inflammation (IL-1α, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12/23p40, IL-36γ, GM-CSF and IFNγ) typical of psoriasis. These disease-relevant changes in morphology, gene transcription and cytokine production were robustly attenuated by pharmacologically blocking TNFα/IL-17A-induced NF-κB activation with IKK-2 inhibitor IV. Conversely, inhibition of IL-22-induced JAK1 signalling with ABT-317 strongly attenuated morphological features of the disease but had no effect on NFκB-dependent cytokine production, suggesting distinct mechanisms of action by the cytokines driving psoriasis. These data support the use of cytokine-induced RHE models for identifying and targeting keratinocyte signalling pathways important for disease progression and may provide translational insights into novel keratinocyte mechanisms for novel psoriasis therapies.
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Interleucina-17 , Psoríase , Animais , Humanos , Interleucina-17/metabolismo , Queratinócitos/metabolismo , NF-kappa B/metabolismo , Psoríase/metabolismo , Pele/metabolismo , Fator de Necrose Tumoral alfa/metabolismo , Fator de Necrose Tumoral alfa/farmacologiaRESUMO
Capping of viral messenger RNAs is essential for efficient translation, for virus replication, and for preventing detection by the host cell innate response system. The SARS-CoV-2 genome encodes the 2'-O-methyltransferase nsp16, which, when bound to the coactivator nsp10, uses S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) as a donor to transfer a methyl group to the first ribonucleotide of the mRNA in the final step of viral mRNA capping. Here, we provide biochemical and structural evidence that this reaction requires divalent cations, preferably Mn2+, and a coronavirus-specific four-residue insert. We determined the x-ray structures of the SARS-CoV-2 2'-O-methyltransferase (the nsp16-nsp10 heterodimer) in complex with its reaction substrates, products, and divalent metal cations. These structural snapshots revealed that metal ions and the insert stabilize interactions between the capped RNA and nsp16, resulting in the precise alignment of the ribonucleotides in the active site. Comparison of available structures of 2'-O-methyltransferases with capped RNAs from different organisms revealed that the four-residue insert unique to coronavirus nsp16 alters the backbone conformation of the capped RNA in the binding groove, thereby promoting catalysis. This insert is highly conserved across coronaviruses, and its absence in mammalian methyltransferases makes this region a promising site for structure-guided drug design of selective coronavirus inhibitors.
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COVID-19/virologia , Capuzes de RNA/metabolismo , RNA Viral/metabolismo , SARS-CoV-2/metabolismo , Proteínas não Estruturais Virais/metabolismo , Sequência de Aminoácidos , Domínio Catalítico , Cristalografia por Raios X , Humanos , Manganês/metabolismo , Metilação , Metiltransferases/química , Metiltransferases/genética , Metiltransferases/metabolismo , Modelos Moleculares , Conformação de Ácido Nucleico , Capuzes de RNA/química , Capuzes de RNA/genética , Estabilidade de RNA , RNA Mensageiro/química , RNA Mensageiro/genética , RNA Mensageiro/metabolismo , RNA Viral/química , RNA Viral/genética , Proteínas Recombinantes/química , Proteínas Recombinantes/genética , Proteínas Recombinantes/metabolismo , S-Adenosilmetionina/química , S-Adenosilmetionina/metabolismo , SARS-CoV-2/genética , Transdução de Sinais , Especificidade por Substrato , Proteínas não Estruturais Virais/química , Proteínas não Estruturais Virais/genéticaRESUMO
Topoisomerases regulate higher-order chromatin structures through the transient breaking and religating of one or both strands of the phosphodiester backbone of duplex DNA. TOP2ß is a type II topoisomerase that induces double-strand DNA breaks at topologically associated domains (TADS) to relieve torsional stress arising during transcription or replication. TADS are anchored by CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) and SMC1 cohesin proteins in complexes with TOP2ß. Upon DNA cleavage, a covalent intermediate DNA-TOP2ß (TOP2ßcc) is transiently generated to allow for strand passage. The tyrosyl-DNA phosphodiesterase TDP2 can resolve TOP2ßcc, but failure to do so quickly can lead to long-lasting DNA breaks. Given the role of CTCF/SMC1 proteins in the human papillomavirus (HPV) life cycle, we investigated whether TOP2ß proteins contribute to HPV pathogenesis. Our studies demonstrated that levels of both TOP2ß and TDP2 were substantially increased in cells with high-risk HPV genomes, and this correlated with large amounts of DNA breaks. Knockdown of TOP2ß with short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) reduced DNA breaks by over 50% as determined through COMET assays. Furthermore, this correlated with substantially reduced formation of repair foci such as phosphorylated H2AX (γH2AX), phosphorylated CHK1 (pCHK1), and phosphorylated SMC1 (pSMC1) indicative of impaired activation of DNA damage repair pathways. Importantly, knockdown of TOP2ß also blocked HPV genome replication. Our previous studies demonstrated that CTCF/SMC1 factors associate with HPV genomes at sites in the late regions of HPV31, and these correspond to regions that also bind TOP2ß. This study identifies TOP2ß as responsible for enhanced levels of DNA breaks in HPV-positive cells and as a regulator of viral replication.IMPORTANCE High-risk human papillomaviruses (HPVs) infect epithelial cells and induce viral genome amplification upon differentiation. HPV proteins activate DNA damage repair pathways by inducing high numbers of DNA breaks in both viral and cellular DNAs. This activation is required for HPV genome replication. TOP2ß is a type II topoisomerase that induces double-strand DNA breaks at topologically associated domains (TADS) to relieve torsional stress arising during transcription or replication. Our studies demonstrate that TOP2ß levels are increased in HPV-positive cells and that this is required for HPV replication. Importantly, our studies further show that knockdown of TOP2ß reduces the number of breaks by over 50% in HPV-positive cells and that this correlates with substantially impaired activation of DNA repair pathways. This study identifies a critical mechanism by which HPV replication is regulated by the topoisomerase TOP2ß through DNA break formation.
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Quebras de DNA de Cadeia Dupla , DNA Topoisomerases Tipo II/genética , Regulação da Expressão Gênica , Interações Hospedeiro-Patógeno/genética , Papillomaviridae/fisiologia , Replicação Viral , Células Cultivadas , Prepúcio do Pênis/citologia , Humanos , Queratinócitos/virologia , MasculinoRESUMO
Comprehensive and spatially mapped molecular atlases of organs at a cellular level are a critical resource to gain insights into pathogenic mechanisms and personalized therapies for diseases. The Kidney Precision Medicine Project (KPMP) is an endeavor to generate three-dimensional (3-D) molecular atlases of healthy and diseased kidney biopsies by using multiple state-of-the-art omics and imaging technologies across several institutions. Obtaining rigorous and reproducible results from disparate methods and at different sites to interrogate biomolecules at a single-cell level or in 3-D space is a significant challenge that can be a futile exercise if not well controlled. We describe a "follow the tissue" pipeline for generating a reliable and authentic single-cell/region 3-D molecular atlas of human adult kidney. Our approach emphasizes quality assurance, quality control, validation, and harmonization across different omics and imaging technologies from sample procurement, processing, storage, shipping to data generation, analysis, and sharing. We established benchmarks for quality control, rigor, reproducibility, and feasibility across multiple technologies through a pilot experiment using common source tissue that was processed and analyzed at different institutions and different technologies. A peer review system was established to critically review quality control measures and the reproducibility of data generated by each technology before their being approved to interrogate clinical biopsy specimens. The process established economizes the use of valuable biopsy tissue for multiomics and imaging analysis with stringent quality control to ensure rigor and reproducibility of results and serves as a model for precision medicine projects across laboratories, institutions and consortia.
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Guias como Assunto , Rim/patologia , Medicina de Precisão , Biópsia , Humanos , Reprodutibilidade dos TestesRESUMO
The mechanisms regulating viral pathogenesis of human papillomavirus (HPV) associated oropharyngeal squamous cell cancers (OPSCC) are not well understood. In the cervix, activation of DNA damage repair pathways is critical for viral replication but little is known about their role in OPSCC. APOBEC factors have been shown to be increased in OPSCC but the significance of this is unclear. We therefore examined activation of DNA damage and APOBEC factors in HPV-induced OPSCC. Our studies show significantly increased levels of pCHK1, FANCD2, BRCA1, RAD51, pSMC1 and γH2AX foci in HPV-positive samples as compared to HPV-negative while the ATM effector kinase, pCHK2, was not increased. Similar differences were observed when the levels of proteins were examined in OPSCC cell lines. In contrast, the levels of APOBEC3B and 3A were found to be similar in both HPV-positive and -negative OPSCC. Our studies suggest members of ATR pathway and FANCD2 may be important in HPV-induced OPSCC.
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Neoplasias de Células Escamosas/metabolismo , Neoplasias Orofaríngeas/metabolismo , Papillomaviridae/fisiologia , Infecções por Papillomavirus/metabolismo , ATPases Associadas a Diversas Atividades Celulares/genética , ATPases Associadas a Diversas Atividades Celulares/metabolismo , Hidrolases Anidrido Ácido/genética , Hidrolases Anidrido Ácido/metabolismo , Quinase 1 do Ponto de Checagem/genética , Quinase 1 do Ponto de Checagem/metabolismo , Citidina Desaminase/genética , Citidina Desaminase/metabolismo , Reparo do DNA , Proteínas de Ligação a DNA/genética , Proteínas de Ligação a DNA/metabolismo , Proteína do Grupo de Complementação D2 da Anemia de Fanconi/genética , Proteína do Grupo de Complementação D2 da Anemia de Fanconi/metabolismo , Humanos , Antígenos de Histocompatibilidade Menor/genética , Antígenos de Histocompatibilidade Menor/metabolismo , Neoplasias de Células Escamosas/genética , Neoplasias de Células Escamosas/virologia , Neoplasias Orofaríngeas/genética , Neoplasias Orofaríngeas/virologia , Papillomaviridae/genética , Infecções por Papillomavirus/genética , Infecções por Papillomavirus/virologiaRESUMO
To define cellular mechanisms underlying kidney function and failure, the KPMP analyzes biopsy tissue in a multicenter research network to build cell-level process maps of the kidney. This study aimed to establish a single cell RNA sequencing strategy to use cell-level transcriptional profiles from kidney biopsies in KPMP to define molecular subtypes in glomerular diseases. Using multiple sources of adult human kidney reference tissue samples, 22,268 single cell profiles passed KPMP quality control parameters. Unbiased clustering resulted in 31 distinct cell clusters that were linked to kidney and immune cell types using specific cell markers. Focusing on endothelial cell phenotypes, in silico and in situ hybridization methods assigned 3 discrete endothelial cell clusters to distinct renal vascular beds. Transcripts defining glomerular endothelial cells (GEC) were evaluated in biopsies from patients with 10 different glomerular diseases in the NEPTUNE and European Renal cDNA Bank (ERCB) cohort studies. Highest GEC scores were observed in patients with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). Molecular endothelial signatures suggested 2 distinct FSGS patient subgroups with α-2 macroglobulin (A2M) as a key downstream mediator of the endothelial cell phenotype. Finally, glomerular A2M transcript levels associated with lower proteinuria remission rates, linking endothelial function with long-term outcome in FSGS.
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Células Endoteliais/patologia , Perfilação da Expressão Gênica/métodos , Glomerulosclerose Segmentar e Focal/patologia , Biomarcadores/análise , HumanosRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy (IFTA) and vascular injury are frequent histologic features of lupus nephritis renal biopsies, but their clinical correlates and prognostic value are not well understood. This cohort study investigated demographic, clinical and laboratory characteristics, and outcomes, associated with IFTA and vascular injury in lupus nephritis. METHODS: Reports of all renal biopsies performed at an academic medical center (1990-2017) with WHO/ISN/RPS Class II-V lupus nephritis were reviewed. Demographics, clinical variables and labs at biopsy, treatment, and date of death were collected. Additional data from the U.S. Renal Data System (USRDS) provided dates of ESRD and death after ESRD. Multivariable regression analyses identified demographic and clinical factors associated with each histologic finding. Cumulative incidence functions and multivariable Cox proportional hazard models estimated the risk of progression to ESRD and death. RESULTS: Within 202 initial biopsies, IFTA was associated with the patient's SLICC/ACR damage index (without renal domain) and serum creatinine, and vascular injury was associated with serum creatinine in multivariable models. In Cox regression models adjusting for age, sex, race, serum creatinine, calendar year, and biopsy class, moderate/severe IFTA was associated with elevated ESRD (HRSD 5.18, 95% CI 2.53, 10.59) and death (HR 4.19, 95%CI 1.27, 13.81). After adjustment for age, sex and race, moderate/severe vascular injury was associated with ESRD (HRSD 2.13, 95% CI 1.21, 3.75) and but this relationship was not significant after adjustment for serum creatinine and calendar year. CONCLUSIONS: IFTA is a strong predictor of ESRD and death, even in proliferative nephritis, and a risk factor for poor outcomes independent of class. Vascular injury is a strong predictor of prognosis, but not independent of serum creatinine and class. The prognostic value of these lesions calls for consideration when determining treatment for lupus nephritis.
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Biópsia/métodos , Túbulos Renais/patologia , Nefrite Lúpica/patologia , Artéria Renal/patologia , Adulto , Atrofia/patologia , Progressão da Doença , Feminino , Fibrose/patologia , Humanos , Masculino , Estudos Retrospectivos , Fatores de RiscoRESUMO
Lupus nephritis is a potentially fatal autoimmune disease for which the current treatment is ineffective and often toxic. To develop mechanistic hypotheses of disease, we analyzed kidney samples from patients with lupus nephritis and from healthy control subjects using single-cell RNA sequencing. Our analysis revealed 21 subsets of leukocytes active in disease, including multiple populations of myeloid cells, T cells, natural killer cells and B cells that demonstrated both pro-inflammatory responses and inflammation-resolving responses. We found evidence of local activation of B cells correlated with an age-associated B-cell signature and evidence of progressive stages of monocyte differentiation within the kidney. A clear interferon response was observed in most cells. Two chemokine receptors, CXCR4 and CX3CR1, were broadly expressed, implying a potentially central role in cell trafficking. Gene expression of immune cells in urine and kidney was highly correlated, which would suggest that urine might serve as a surrogate for kidney biopsies.
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Rim/imunologia , Nefrite Lúpica/imunologia , Biomarcadores , Biópsia , Análise por Conglomerados , Biologia Computacional/métodos , Células Epiteliais/metabolismo , Citometria de Fluxo , Perfilação da Expressão Gênica , Regulação da Expressão Gênica , Humanos , Imunofenotipagem , Interferons/metabolismo , Rim/metabolismo , Rim/patologia , Leucócitos/imunologia , Leucócitos/metabolismo , Nefrite Lúpica/genética , Nefrite Lúpica/metabolismo , Nefrite Lúpica/patologia , Linfócitos/imunologia , Linfócitos/metabolismo , Anotação de Sequência Molecular , Células Mieloides/imunologia , Células Mieloides/metabolismo , Análise de Célula Única , TranscriptomaRESUMO
Specialized immune cell subsets are involved in autoimmune disease, cancer immunity, and infectious disease through a diverse range of functions mediated by overlapping pathways and signals. However, subset-specific responses may not be detectable in analyses of whole blood samples, and no efficient approach for profiling cell subsets at high throughput from small samples is available. We present a low-input microfluidic system for sorting immune cells into subsets and profiling their gene expression. We validate the system's technical performance against standard subset isolation and library construction protocols and demonstrate the importance of subset-specific profiling through in vitro stimulation experiments. We show the ability of this integrated platform to identify subset-specific disease signatures by profiling four immune cell subsets in blood from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and matched control subjects. The platform has the potential to make multiplexed subset-specific analysis routine in many research laboratories and clinical settings.
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Citometria de Fluxo/métodos , Lúpus Eritematoso Sistêmico/genética , Linfócitos , Microfluídica/instrumentação , Microfluídica/métodos , Monócitos , Análise de Célula Única/métodos , Humanos , Receptores de Lipopolissacarídeos/metabolismo , Lúpus Eritematoso Sistêmico/sangue , RNA-Seq/métodos , TranscriptomaRESUMO
High-risk human papillomaviruses (HPVs) constitutively activate ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) and ataxia telangiectasia- and Rad3-related (ATR) DNA damage repair pathways for viral genome amplification. HPVs activate these pathways through the immune regulator STAT-5. For the ATR pathway, STAT-5 increases expression of the topoisomerase IIß-binding protein 1 (TopBP1), a scaffold protein that binds ATR and recruits it to sites of DNA damage. TopBP1 also acts as a transcriptional regulator, and we investigated how this activity influenced the HPV life cycle. We determined that TopBP1 levels are increased in cervical intraepithelial neoplasias as well as cervical carcinomas, consistent with studies in HPV-positive cell lines. Suppression of TopBP1 by shRNAs impairs HPV genome amplification and activation of the ATR pathway but does not affect the total levels of ATR and CHK1. In contrast, knockdown reduces the expression of other DNA damage factors such as RAD51 and Mre11 but not BRCA2 or NBS1. Interestingly, TopBP1 positively regulates the expression of E2F1, a TopBP1-binding partner, and p73 in HPV-positive cells in contrast to its effects in other cell types. TopBP1 transcriptional activity is regulated by AKT, and treatment with AKT inhibitors suppresses expression of E2F1 and p73 without interfering with ATR signaling. Importantly, the levels of p73 are elevated in HPV-positive cells and its knockdown impairs HPV genome amplification. This demonstrates that p73, like p63 and p53, is an important regulator of the HPV life cycle that is controlled by the transcriptional activating properties of the multifunctional TopBP1 protein.
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Proteínas de Transporte/genética , Diferenciação Celular/genética , Proteínas de Ligação a DNA/genética , Fator de Transcrição E2F1/genética , Células Epiteliais/patologia , Amplificação de Genes/genética , Proteínas Nucleares/genética , Infecções por Papillomavirus/genética , Proteína Tumoral p73/genética , Animais , Proteínas Mutadas de Ataxia Telangiectasia/genética , Linhagem Celular , Quinase 1 do Ponto de Checagem/genética , Dano ao DNA/genética , Feminino , Regulação da Expressão Gênica/genética , Humanos , Proteína Homóloga a MRE11/genética , Camundongos , Células NIH 3T3 , Papillomaviridae/patogenicidade , Rad51 Recombinase/genética , Fator de Transcrição STAT5/genética , Transdução de Sinais/genética , Transcrição Gênica/genética , Neoplasias do Colo do Útero/genética , Neoplasias do Colo do Útero/virologia , Displasia do Colo do Útero/genética , Displasia do Colo do Útero/virologiaRESUMO
Treatment of cancer has been revolutionized by immune checkpoint blockade therapies. Despite the high rate of response in advanced melanoma, the majority of patients succumb to disease. To identify factors associated with success or failure of checkpoint therapy, we profiled transcriptomes of 16,291 individual immune cells from 48 tumor samples of melanoma patients treated with checkpoint inhibitors. Two distinct states of CD8+ T cells were defined by clustering and associated with patient tumor regression or progression. A single transcription factor, TCF7, was visualized within CD8+ T cells in fixed tumor samples and predicted positive clinical outcome in an independent cohort of checkpoint-treated patients. We delineated the epigenetic landscape and clonality of these T cell states and demonstrated enhanced antitumor immunity by targeting novel combinations of factors in exhausted cells. Our study of immune cell transcriptomes from tumors demonstrates a strategy for identifying predictors, mechanisms, and targets for enhancing checkpoint immunotherapy.
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Linfócitos T CD8-Positivos/imunologia , Imunoterapia/métodos , Melanoma/imunologia , Transcriptoma , Animais , Anticorpos Monoclonais Humanizados/imunologia , Anticorpos Monoclonais Humanizados/farmacologia , Antígenos CD/imunologia , Antineoplásicos Imunológicos/imunologia , Antineoplásicos Imunológicos/farmacologia , Apirase/antagonistas & inibidores , Apirase/imunologia , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Humanos , Antígenos Comuns de Leucócito/antagonistas & inibidores , Antígenos Comuns de Leucócito/imunologia , Melanoma/terapia , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos BALB C , Camundongos Endogâmicos C57BL , Fator 1 de Transcrição de Linfócitos T/metabolismoAssuntos
Desmogleína 1/metabolismo , Epiderme/patologia , Hospedeiro Imunocomprometido , Imunossupressores/efeitos adversos , Transplante de Rim/efeitos adversos , Adolescente , Adulto , Idoso , Biópsia , Inibidores de Calcineurina/efeitos adversos , Diferenciação Celular/efeitos dos fármacos , Proliferação de Células/efeitos dos fármacos , Células Epidérmicas , Epiderme/efeitos dos fármacos , Feminino , Rejeição de Enxerto/prevenção & controle , Humanos , Queratinócitos/patologia , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Ácido Micofenólico/efeitos adversos , Análise Serial de Tecidos , TransplantadosRESUMO
Scleroderma is a progressive autoimmune disease affecting multiple organs. Fibrosis, the hallmark of scleroderma, represents transformation of self-limited wound healing into a deregulated self-sustaining process. The factors responsible for maintaining persistent fibroblast activation in scleroderma and other conditions with chronic fibrosis are not well understood. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and its damage-associated endogenous ligands are implicated in immune and fibrotic responses. We now show that fibronectin extra domain A (Fn(EDA)) is an endogenous TLR4 ligand markedly elevated in the circulation and lesional skin biopsies from patients with scleroderma, as well as in mice with experimentally induced cutaneous fibrosis. Synthesis of Fn(EDA) was preferentially stimulated by transforming growth factor-ß in normal fibroblasts and was constitutively up-regulated in scleroderma fibroblasts. Exogenous Fn(EDA) was a potent stimulus for collagen production, myofibroblast differentiation, and wound healing in vitro and increased the mechanical stiffness of human organotypic skin equivalents. Each of these profibrotic Fn(EDA) responses was abrogated by genetic, RNA interference, or pharmacological disruption of TLR4 signaling. Moreover, either genetic loss of Fn(EDA) or TLR4 blockade using a small molecule mitigated experimentally induced cutaneous fibrosis in mice. These observations implicate the Fn(EDA)-TLR4 axis in cutaneous fibrosis and suggest a paradigm in which aberrant Fn(EDA) accumulation in the fibrotic milieu drives sustained fibroblast activation via TLR4. This model explains how a damage-associated endogenous TLR4 ligand might contribute to converting self-limited tissue repair responses into intractable fibrogenesis in chronic conditions such as scleroderma. Disrupting sustained TLR4 signaling therefore represents a potential strategy for the treatment of fibrosis in scleroderma.
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Fibronectinas/metabolismo , Esclerodermia Localizada/patologia , Transdução de Sinais , Receptor 4 Toll-Like/metabolismo , Adulto , Animais , Biópsia , Bleomicina , Diferenciação Celular/efeitos dos fármacos , Doença Crônica , Colágeno/biossíntese , Feminino , Fibronectinas/sangue , Fibronectinas/deficiência , Fibrose , Imunofluorescência , Humanos , Ligantes , Masculino , Camundongos Endogâmicos C57BL , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Miofibroblastos/efeitos dos fármacos , Miofibroblastos/metabolismo , Miofibroblastos/patologia , Esclerodermia Localizada/sangue , Transdução de Sinais/efeitos dos fármacos , Pele/efeitos dos fármacos , Pele/patologia , Fator de Crescimento Transformador beta/farmacologiaRESUMO
EphA2 is a receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) that triggers keratinocyte differentiation upon activation and subsequent downregulation by ephrin-A1 ligand. The objective of this study was to determine whether the EphA2/ephrin-A1 signaling axis was altered in psoriasis, an inflammatory skin condition in which keratinocyte differentiation is abnormal. Microarray analysis of skin biopsies from psoriasis patients revealed increased mRNA transcripts for several members of this RTK family in plaques, including the EphA1, EphA2, and EphA4 subtypes prominently expressed by keratinocytes. Of these, EphA2 showed the greatest upregulation, a finding that was confirmed by quantitative reverse-transcriptase-PCR, immunohistochemistry (IHC), and ELISA. In contrast, psoriatic lesions exhibited reduced ephrin-A ligand immunoreactivity. Exposure of primary keratinocytes induced to differentiate in high calcium or a three-dimensional (3D) raft culture of human epidermis to a combination of growth factors and cytokines elevated in psoriasis increased EphA2 mRNA and protein expression while inducing S100A7 and disrupting differentiation. Pharmacological delivery of a soluble ephrin-A1 peptidomimetic ligand led to a reduction in EphA2 expression and ameliorated proliferation and differentiation in raft cultures exposed to EGF and IL-1α. These findings suggest that ephrin-A1-mediated downregulation of EphA2 supports keratinocyte differentiation in the context of cytokine perturbation.
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Efrina-A1/metabolismo , Epiderme/metabolismo , Psoríase/metabolismo , Receptor EphA2/metabolismo , Transdução de Sinais/fisiologia , Biópsia , Estudos de Casos e Controles , Diferenciação Celular/efeitos dos fármacos , Proliferação de Células/efeitos dos fármacos , Células Cultivadas , Citocinas/farmacologia , Fator de Crescimento Epidérmico/farmacologia , Epiderme/patologia , Epiderme/fisiopatologia , Humanos , Queratinócitos/efeitos dos fármacos , Queratinócitos/metabolismo , Queratinócitos/patologia , Psoríase/patologia , Psoríase/fisiopatologiaRESUMO
Store-operated Ca(2+) channels activated by the depletion of Ca(2+) from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) are a major Ca(2+) entry pathway in nonexcitable cells and are essential for T cell activation and adaptive immunity. After store depletion, the ER Ca(2+) sensor STIM1 and the CRAC channel protein Orai1 redistribute to ER-plasma membrane (PM) junctions, but the fundamental issue of how STIM1 activates the CRAC channel at these sites is unresolved. Here, we identify a minimal, highly conserved 107-aa CRAC activation domain (CAD) of STIM1 that binds directly to the N and C termini of Orai1 to open the CRAC channel. Purified CAD forms a tetramer that clusters CRAC channels, but analysis of STIM1 mutants reveals that channel clustering is not sufficient for channel activation. These studies establish a molecular mechanism for store-operated Ca(2+) entry in which the direct binding of STIM1 to Orai1 drives the accumulation and the activation of CRAC channels at ER-PM junctions.
Assuntos
Canais de Cálcio/metabolismo , Sinalização do Cálcio , Proteínas de Membrana/metabolismo , Proteínas de Neoplasias/metabolismo , Canais de Cálcio/química , Linhagem Celular , Membrana Celular/metabolismo , Retículo Endoplasmático/metabolismo , Humanos , Proteína ORAI1 , Estrutura Terciária de Proteína , Molécula 1 de Interação EstromalRESUMO
Biallelic inactivation of the von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor gene (VHL) is linked to the development of hereditary and sporadic renal cell carcinoma (RCC). In the absence of VHL, the alpha subunits of heterodimeric hypoxia-inducible transcription factors (HIF-1alpha and HIF-2alpha) are stabilized. Reactive oxygen species, generated by NAD(P)H oxidases, are involved in signaling cascades of malignant growth. We show that in VHL-deficient cells p22phox, Nox4 protein levels and NADPH-dependent superoxide generation are increased. Reintroduction of VHL into the VHL-deficient cells down-regulates the expression of p22phox and NADPH-dependent superoxide generation. Inhibition of the 26 S proteasome in VHL-expressing cells increased p22phox protein levels, which correlated with an increase of NADPH-dependent superoxide generation. We also show that p22phox co-immunoprecipitates with VHL in vivo. Moreover, p22phox is a target of ubiquitination. Importantly, in VHL-deficient cells, diphenyleneiodonium chloride (DPI), an inhibitor of Nox oxidases, decreased the expression of HIF-2alpha. Down-regulation of Nox1, Nox4, and p22phox expression by small interfering RNA also decreased HIF-2alpha protein expression and inhibited Akt and 4E-BP1 phosphorylation, suggesting that a translational mechanism is involved in maintaining HIF-2alpha in VHL-deficient cells. Colony formation by RCC 786-O in soft agar was markedly inhibited by DPI. Moreover, DPI significantly inhibited RCC 786-O tumor formation in athymic mice. Collectively, the data demonstrate that VHL protein exerts its tumor suppressor action, at least partially, via inhibition of p22phox-based Nox4/Nox1 NADPH oxidase-dependent reactive oxygen species generation.