Mitochondrial carrier homolog 2 is necessary for AML survival.

Through a clustered regularly insterspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) screen to identify mitochondrial genes necessary for the growth of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells, we identified the mitochondrial outer membrane protein mitochondrial carrier homolog 2 (MTCH2). In AML, knockdown of MTCH2 decreased growth, reduced engraftment potential of stem cells, and induced differentiation. Inhibiting MTCH2 in AML cells increased nuclear pyruvate and pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH), which induced histone acetylation and subsequently promoted the differentiation of AML cells. Thus, we have defined a new mechanism by which mitochondria and metabolism regulate AML stem cells and gene expression.

The Mitochondrial Transacylase, Tafazzin, Regulates for AML Stemness by Modulating Intracellular Levels of Phospholipids.

Tafazzin (TAZ) is a mitochondrial transacylase that remodels the mitochondrial cardiolipin into its mature form. Through a CRISPR screen, we identified TAZ as necessary for the growth and viability of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells. Genetic inhibition of TAZ reduced stemness and increased differentiation of AML cells both in vitro and in vivo. In contrast, knockdown of TAZ did not impair normal hematopoiesis under basal conditions. Mechanistically, inhibition of TAZ decreased levels of cardiolipin but also altered global levels of intracellular phospholipids, including phosphatidylserine, which controlled AML stemness and differentiation by modulating toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling.

Evidence for the infiltration of gas bubbles into the arterial circulation and neuronal injury following "yo-yo" dives in pigs.

"Yo-yo" diving may place divers at a greater risk of neurologic decompression illness (DCI). Using a rat model, we previously demonstrated that "yo-yo" diving has a protective effect against DCI. In the current study, we evaluated the risk of neurologic DCI following "yo-yo" dives in a pig model. Pigs were divided into four groups. The Control group (group A) made a square dive, without excursions to the surface ("peeps"). Group B performed two "peeps," group C performed four "peeps," and group D did not dive at all. All dives were conducted on air to 5 atm absolute, for 30-min bottom time. Echocardiography was performed to detect cardiac gas bubbles before the dive, immediately after, and at 90-min postdive. Motor performance was observed during the 5-h postdive period. Symptoms increased dramatically following a dive with four "peeps." Gas bubbles were detected in the right ventricle of all animals except for the sham group and in the left ventricle only after the four-peep dive. Neuronal cell injury was found in the spinal cord in each of the three experimental groups, tending to decrease with an increase in the number of "peeps." A four-peep "yo-yo" dive significantly increased the risk of neurologic DCI in pigs. Following a four-peep dive, we detected a higher incidence of bubbles in the left ventricle, supporting the common concern regarding an increased risk of neurologic DCI, albeit there was no direct correlation with the frequency of "red neurons" in the spinal cord.

The SPANX gene family of cancer/testis-specific antigens: rapid evolution and amplification in African great apes and hominids.

Human sperm protein associated with the nucleus on the X chromosome (SPANX) genes comprise a gene family with five known members (SPANX-A1, -A2, -B, -C, and -D), encoding cancer/testis-specific antigens that are potential targets for cancer immunotherapy. These highly similar paralogous genes cluster on the X chromosome at Xq27. We isolated and sequenced primate genomic clones homologous to human SPANX. Analysis of these clones and search of the human genome sequence revealed an uncharacterized group of genes, SPANX-N, which are present in all primates as well as in mouse and rat. In humans, four SPANX-N genes comprise a series of tandem duplicates at Xq27; a fifth member of this subfamily is located at Xp11. Similarly to SPANX-A/D, human SPANX-N genes are expressed in normal testis and some melanoma cell lines; testis-specific expression of SPANX is also conserved in mouse. Analysis of the taxonomic distribution of the long and short forms of the intron indicates that SPANX-N is the ancestral form, from which the SPANX-A/D subfamily evolved in the common ancestor of the hominoid lineage. Strikingly, the coding sequences of the SPANX genes evolved much faster than the intron and the 5' untranslated region. There is a strong correlation between the rates of evolution of synonymous and nonsynonymous codon positions, both of which are accelerated 2-fold or more compared to the noncoding sequences. Thus, evolution of the SPANX family appears to have involved positive selection that affected not only the protein sequence but also the synonymous sites in the coding sequence.