Transcriptional network analysis of peripheral blood leukocyte subsets in multiple sclerosis identifies a pathogenic role for a cytotoxicity-associated gene network in myeloid cells.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system affecting predominantly adults. It is a complex disease associated with both environmental and genetic risk factors. Although over 230 risk single-nucleotide polymorphisms have been associated with MS, all are common human variants. The mechanisms by which they increase the risk of MS, however, remain elusive. We hypothesized that a complex genetic phenotype such as MS could be driven by coordinated expression of genes controlled by transcriptional regulatory networks. We, therefore, constructed a gene coexpression network from microarray expression analyses of five purified peripheral blood leukocyte subsets of 76 patients with relapsing remitting MS and 104 healthy controls. These analyses identified a major network (or module) of expressed genes associated with MS that play key roles in cell-mediated cytotoxicity which was downregulated in monocytes of patients with MS. Manipulation of the module gene expression was achieved in vitro through small interfering RNA gene knockdown of identified drivers. In a mouse model, network gene knockdown modulated the autoimmune inflammatory MS model disease-experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. This research implicates a cytotoxicity-associated gene network in myeloid cells in the pathogenesis of MS.

CSL324, a granulocyte colony-stimulating factor receptor antagonist, blocks neutrophil migration markers that are upregulated in hidradenitis suppurativa.

BACKGROUND: Neutrophils have been shown to contribute to the pathophysiology of hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), a chronic, painful and debilitating inflammatory skin disease, yet their exact role remains to be fully defined. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), a major regulator of neutrophil development and survival, can be blocked by the novel, fully human anti-G-CSF receptor (G-CSFR) monoclonal antibody CSL324. OBJECTIVES: We investigated the activation and migration of neutrophils in HS and the impact of blocking G-CSFR with CSL324. METHODS: Biopsy and peripheral blood samples were taken from participants of two studies: 2018.206, a noninterventional research study of systemic and dermal neutrophils and inflammatory markers in patients with neutrophilic skin diseases, and CSL324_1001 (ACTRN12616000846426), a single-dose ascending and repeated dose, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to assess the safety, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of CSL324 in healthy adult subjects. Ex vivo experiments were performed, including neutrophil enumeration and immunophenotyping, migration, receptor occupancy and transcriptome analysis. RESULTS: The number of cells positive for the neutrophil markers myeloperoxidase (MPO) and neutrophil elastase (NE) was significantly higher in HS lesions compared with biopsies from healthy donors (HDs) (P < 0.0001 and P = 0.0223, respectively). In peripheral blood samples, mean neutrophil counts were significantly higher in patients with HS than in HDs (2.98 vs. 1.60 × 109 L-1, respectively; P = 8.8 × 10-4). Neutrophil migration pathways in peripheral blood were increased in patients with HS and their neutrophils demonstrated an increased migration phenotype, with higher mean CXCR1 on the surface of neutrophils in patients with HS (24453.20 vs. 20798.47 for HD; P = 0.03). G-CSF was a key driver of the transcriptomic changes in the peripheral blood of patients with HS and was elevated in serum from patients with HS compared with HDs (mean 6.61 vs. 3.84 pg mL-1, respectively; P = 0.013). Administration of CSL324 inhibited G-CSF-induced transcriptional changes in HDs, similar to those observed in the HS cohort, as highlighted by expression changes in genes related to neutrophil migratory capacity. CONCLUSIONS: Data suggest that neutrophils contribute to HS pathophysiology and that neutrophils are increased in lesions due to an increase in G-CSF-driven migration. CSL324 counteracted G-CSF-induced transcriptomic changes and blocked neutrophil migration by reducing cell-surface levels of chemokine receptors.

Micro Methods for Megafauna: Novel Approaches to Late Quaternary Extinctions and Their Contributions to Faunal Conservation in the Anthropocene.

Drivers of Late Quaternary megafaunal extinctions are relevant to modern conservation policy in a world of growing human population density, climate change, and faunal decline. Traditional debates tend toward global solutions, blaming either dramatic climate change or dispersals of Homo sapiens to new regions. Inherent limitations to archaeological and paleontological data sets often require reliance on scant, poorly resolved lines of evidence. However, recent developments in scientific technologies allow for more local, context-specific approaches. In the present article, we highlight how developments in five such methodologies (radiocarbon approaches, stable isotope analysis, ancient DNA, ancient proteomics, microscopy) have helped drive detailed analysis of specific megafaunal species, their particular ecological settings, and responses to new competitors or predators, climate change, and other external phenomena. The detailed case studies of faunal community composition, extinction chronologies, and demographic trends enabled by these methods examine megafaunal extinctions at scales appropriate for practical understanding of threats against particular species in their habitats today.

Common and Low Frequency Variants in MERTK Are Independently Associated with Multiple Sclerosis Susceptibility with Discordant Association Dependent upon HLA-DRB1*15:01 Status.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system. The risk of developing MS is strongly influenced by genetic predisposition, and over 100 loci have been established as associated with susceptibility. However, the biologically relevant variants underlying disease risk have not been defined for the vast majority of these loci, limiting the power of these genetic studies to define new avenues of research for the development of MS therapeutics. It is therefore crucial that candidate MS susceptibility loci are carefully investigated to identify the biological mechanism linking genetic polymorphism at a given gene to the increased chance of developing MS. MERTK has been established as an MS susceptibility gene and is part of a family of receptor tyrosine kinases known to be involved in the pathogenesis of demyelinating disease. In this study we have refined the association of MERTK with MS risk to independent signals from both common and low frequency variants. One of the associated variants was also found to be linked with increased expression of MERTK in monocytes and higher expression of MERTK was associated with either increased or decreased risk of developing MS, dependent upon HLA-DRB1*15:01 status. This discordant association potentially extended beyond MS susceptibility to alterations in disease course in established MS. This study provides clear evidence that distinct polymorphisms within MERTK are associated with MS susceptibility, one of which has the potential to alter MERTK transcription, which in turn can alter both susceptibility and disease course in MS patients.

The TAM receptor Tyro3 regulates myelination in the central nervous system.

Myelin is an essential component of the mammalian nervous system, facilitating rapid conduction of electrical impulses by axons, as well as providing trophic support to neurons. Within the central nervous system, the oligodendrocyte is the specialized neural cell responsible for producing myelin by a process that is thought to be regulated by both activity dependent and independent mechanisms but in incompletely understood ways. We have previously identified that the protein Gas6, a ligand for a family of tyrosine kinase receptors known as the TAM (Tyro3, Axl, and Mertk) receptors, directly increases oligodendrocyte induced myelination in vitro. Gas6 can bind to and activate all three TAM receptors, but the high level of expression of Tyro3 on oligodendrocytes makes this receptor the principal candidate for transducing the pro-myelinating effect of Gas6. In this study, we establish that in the absence of Tyro3, the pro-myelinating effect of Gas6 is lost, that developmental myelination is delayed and that the myelin produced is thinner than normal. We show that this effect is specific to the myelination process and not due to changes in the proliferation or differentiation of oligodendrocyte precursor cells. We have further demonstrated that the reduction in myelination is due to the loss of Tyro3 on oligodendrocytes, and this effect may be mediated by activation of Erk1. Collectively, our findings indicate the critical importance of Tyro3 in potentiating central nervous system myelination. GLIA 2017 GLIA 2017;65:581-591.

A rare P2X7 variant Arg307Gln with absent pore formation function protects against neuroinflammation in multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic relapsing-remitting inflammatory disease of the central nervous system characterized by oligodendrocyte damage, demyelination and neuronal death. Genetic association studies have shown a 2-fold or greater prevalence of the HLA-DRB1*1501 allele in the MS population compared with normal Caucasians. In discovery cohorts of Australasian patients with MS (total 2941 patients and 3008 controls), we examined the associations of 12 functional polymorphisms of P2X7, a microglial/macrophage receptor with proinflammatory effects when activated by extracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP). In discovery cohorts, rs28360457, coding for Arg307Gln was associated with MS and combined analysis showed a 2-fold lower minor allele frequency compared with controls (1.11% for MS and 2.15% for controls, P = 0.0000071). Replication analysis of four independent European MS case-control cohorts (total 2140 cases and 2634 controls) confirmed this association [odds ratio (OR) = 0.69, P = 0.026]. A meta-analysis of all Australasian and European cohorts indicated that Arg307Gln confers a 1.8-fold protective effect on MS risk (OR = 0.57, P = 0.0000024). Fresh human monocytes heterozygous for Arg307Gln have >85% loss of 'pore' function of the P2X7 receptor measured by ATP-induced ethidium uptake. Analysis shows Arg307Gln always occurred with 270His suggesting a single 307Gln-270His haplotype that confers dominant negative effects on P2X7 function and protection against MS. Modeling based on the homologous zP2X4 receptor showed Arg307 is located in a region rich in basic residues located only 12 Å from the ligand binding site. Our data show the protective effect against MS of a rare genetic variant of P2RX7 with heterozygotes showing near absent proinflammatory 'pore' function.

Climate change frames debate over the extinction of megafauna in Sahul (Pleistocene Australia-New Guinea).

Around 88 large vertebrate taxa disappeared from Sahul sometime during the Pleistocene, with the majority of losses (54 taxa) clearly taking place within the last 400,000 years. The largest was the 2.8-ton browsing Diprotodon optatum, whereas the ∼100- to 130-kg marsupial lion, Thylacoleo carnifex, the world's most specialized mammalian carnivore, and Varanus priscus, the largest lizard known, were formidable predators. Explanations for these extinctions have centered on climatic change or human activities. Here, we review the evidence and arguments for both. Human involvement in the disappearance of some species remains possible but unproven. Mounting evidence points to the loss of most species before the peopling of Sahul (circa 50-45 ka) and a significant role for climate change in the disappearance of the continent's megafauna.

Resequencing and fine-mapping of the chromosome 12q13-14 locus associated with multiple sclerosis refines the number of implicated genes.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a common chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system. Susceptibility to the disease is affected by both environmental and genetic factors. Genetic factors include haplotypes in the histocompatibility complex (MHC) and over 50 non-MHC loci reported by genome-wide association studies. Amongst these, we previously reported polymorphisms in chromosome 12q13-14 with a protective effect in individuals of European descent. This locus spans 288 kb and contains 17 genes, including several candidate genes which have potentially significant pathogenic and therapeutic implications. In this study, we aimed to fine-map this locus. We have implemented a two-phase study: a variant discovery phase where we have used next-generation sequencing and two target-enrichment strategies [long-range polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Nimblegen's solution phase hybridization capture] in pools of 25 samples; and a genotyping phase where we genotyped 712 variants in 3577 healthy controls and 3269 MS patients. This study confirmed the association (rs2069502, P = 9.9 × 10(-11), OR = 0.787) and narrowed down the locus of association to an 86.5 kb region. Although the study was unable to pinpoint the key-associated variant, we have identified a 42 (genotyped and imputed) single-nucleotide polymorphism haplotype block likely to harbour the causal variant. No evidence of association at previously reported low-frequency variants in CYP27B1 was observed. As part of the study we compared variant discovery performance using two target-enrichment strategies. We concluded that our pools enriched with Nimblegen's solution phase hybridization capture had better sensitivity to detect true variants than the pools enriched with long-range PCR, whilst specificity was better in the long-range PCR-enriched pools compared with solution phase hybridization capture enriched pools; this result has important implications for the design of future fine-mapping studies.

Ceruloplasmin gene-deficient mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis show attenuated early disease evolution.

We conducted a microarray study to identify genes that are differentially regulated in the spinal cords of mice with the inflammatory disease experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) relative to healthy mice. In total 181 genes with at least a two-fold increase in expression were identified, and most of these genes were associated with immune function. Unexpectedly, ceruloplasmin (Cp), a ferroxidase that converts toxic ferrous iron to its nontoxic ferric form and also promotes the efflux of iron from astrocytes in the CNS, was shown to be highly upregulated (13.2-fold increase) in EAE spinal cord. Expression of Cp protein is known to be increased in several neurological conditions, but the role of Cp regulation in CNS autoimmune disease is not known. To investigate this, we induced EAE in Cp gene knockout, heterozygous, and wild-type mice. Cp knockout mice were found to have slower disease evolution than wild-type mice (EAE days 13-17; P = 0.05). Interestingly, Cp knockout mice also exhibited a significant increase in the number of astrocytes with reactive morphology in early EAE compared with wild-type mice at the same stage of disease. CNS iron levels were not increased with EAE in these mice. Based on these observations, we propose that an increase in Cp expression could contribute to tissue damage in early EAE. In addition, endogenous CP either directly or indirectly inhibits astrocyte reactivity during early disease, which could also worsen early disease evolution.

65,000-years of continuous grinding stone use at Madjedbebe, Northern Australia.

Grinding stones and ground stone implements are important technological innovations in later human evolution, allowing the exploitation and use of new plant foods, novel tools (e.g., bone points and edge ground axes) and ground pigments. Excavations at the site of Madjedbebe recovered Australia's (if not one of the world's) largest and longest records of Pleistocene grinding stones, which span the past 65 thousand years (ka). Microscopic and chemical analyses show that the Madjedbebe grinding stone assemblage displays the earliest known evidence for seed grinding and intensive plant use, the earliest known production and use of edge-ground stone hatchets (aka axes), and the earliest intensive use of ground ochre pigments in Sahul (the Pleistocene landmass of Australia and New Guinea). The Madjedbebe grinding stone assemblage reveals economic, technological and symbolic innovations exemplary of the phenotypic plasticity of Homo sapiens dispersing out of Africa and into Sahul.

Development of [18F]MIPS15692, a radiotracer with in vitro proof-of-concept for the imaging of MER tyrosine kinase (MERTK) in neuroinflammatory disease.

MER tyrosine kinase (MERTK) upregulation is associated with M2 polarization of microglia, which plays a vital role in neuroregeneration following damage induced by neuroinflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Therefore, a radiotracer specific for MERTK could be of great utility in the clinical management of MS, for the detection and differentiation of neuroregenerative and neurodegenerative processes. This study aimed to develop an [18F] ligand with high affinity and selectivity for MERTK as a potential positron emission tomography (PET) radiotracer. MIPS15691 and MIPS15692 were synthesized and kinase assays were utilized to determine potency and selectivity for MERTK. Both compounds were shown to be potent against MERTK, with respective IC50 values of 4.6 nM and 4.0 nM, and were also MERTK-selective. Plasma and brain pharmacokinetics were measured in mice and led to selection of MIPS15692 over MIPS15691. X-ray crystallography was used to visualize how MIPS15692 is recognized by the enzyme. [18F]MIPS15692 was synthesized using an automated iPHASE FlexLab module, with a molar activity (Am) of 49 ± 26 GBq/µmol. The radiochemical purity of [18F]MIPS15692 was >99% and the decay-corrected radiochemical yields (RCYs) were determined as 2.45 ± 0.85%. Brain MERTK protein density was measured by a saturation binding assay in the brain slices of a cuprizone mouse model of MS. High levels of specific binding of [18F]MIPS15692 to MERTK were found, especially in the corpus callosum/hippocampus (CC/HC). The in vivo PET imaging study of [18F]MIPS15692 suggested that its neuroPK is sub-optimal for clinical use. Current efforts are underway to optimize the neuroPK of our next generation PET radiotracers for maximal in vivo utility.

Emergence of a Neolithic in highland New Guinea by 5000 to 4000 years ago.

The emergence of agriculture was one of the most notable behavioral transformations in human history, driving innovations in technologies and settlement globally, referred to as the Neolithic. Wetland agriculture originated in the New Guinea highlands during the mid-Holocene (8000 to 4000 years ago), yet it is unclear if there was associated behavioral change. Here, we report the earliest figurative stone carving and formally manufactured pestles in Oceania, dating to 5050 to 4200 years ago. These discoveries, at the highland site of Waim, occur with the earliest planilateral axe-adzes in New Guinea, the first evidence for fibercraft, and interisland obsidian transfer. The combination of symbolic social systems, complex technologies, and highland agricultural intensification supports an independent emergence of a Neolithic ~1000 years before the arrival of Neolithic migrants (Lapita) from Southeast Asia.

Multiple sclerosis risk variants regulate gene expression in innate and adaptive immune cells.

At least 200 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are associated with multiple sclerosis (MS) risk. A key function that could mediate SNP-encoded MS risk is their regulatory effects on gene expression. We performed microarrays using RNA extracted from purified immune cell types from 73 untreated MS cases and 97 healthy controls and then performed Cis expression quantitative trait loci mapping studies using additive linear models. We describe MS risk expression quantitative trait loci associations for 129 distinct genes. By extending these models to include an interaction term between genotype and phenotype, we identify MS risk SNPs with opposing effects on gene expression in cases compared with controls, namely, rs2256814 MYT1 in CD4 cells (q = 0.05) and rs12087340 RF00136 in monocyte cells (q = 0.04). The rs703842 SNP was also associated with a differential effect size on the expression of the METTL21B gene in CD8 cells of MS cases relative to controls (q = 0.03). Our study provides a detailed map of MS risk loci that function by regulating gene expression in cell types relevant to MS.

Monoclonal antibodies in the treatment of multiple sclerosis: emergence of B-cell-targeted therapies.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the CNS, and one of the most common causes of disability in young adults. Over the last decade, new disease-modifying therapies have emerged, including monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that provide highly targeted therapies with greater efficacy than platform therapies. In particular, monoclonal antibodies directed against CD20-positive B cells have shown remarkable results in recent clinical trials and renewed interest in the mechanism of B cell-depleting therapies to ameliorate relapse activity and progression in MS. Here, we review the mechanisms of action and clinical evidence of approved and emerging mAbs, with a focus on B cell-targeted therapies.

Gene therapy strategies towards immune tolerance to treat the autoimmune diseases.

Autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis pose a significant health burden on our society. As a whole, autoimmune diseases affect approximately 6% of the population and are the third largest disease burden after heart disease and cancer. Such pathologic manifestations arise by way of damaging reactions of B-cell derived antibodies and/or T-cells to self-antigens and are triggered by genetic and environmental factors. Currently there is no known cure, with treatment restricted to toxic, long-term immunosuppressive regimes, replacement therapy and in intractable cases, transplantation of autologous or allogeneic haematopoietic stem cells. In experimental models of autoimmunity, gene therapeutic approaches have demonstrated promise in treating the autoimmune diseases. These include delivery of anti-inflammatory cytokines and exploitation of regulatory T cells. However, none of these approaches provide lasting, long-term benefit. We hypothesise that therapeutically transduced haematopoietic stem cells followed by transplantation is an alternative strategy to establish permanent immune tolerance that can not only prevent autoimmunity but also cure these diseases. Our approach is focused on directing autoimmune disease-specific autoantigen expression in the thymus by genetic manipulation of haematopoietic stem cells to establish molecular chimeras. Our hypothesis originates from experimental studies with a mouse model of experimental autoimmune gastritis (EAG) and more recently with the non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse model for type 1 diabetes (T1D).

Reversing the autoimmune condition: experience with experimental autoimmune gastritis.

Autoimmune diseases remain a significant health problem in our society, despite the best efforts to understand and treat these conditions. Current clinical treatments are aimed at alleviating the consequences of these diseases, with limited prospects for cure. Our studies with the experimental model of autoimmune gastritis have led us to explore potential curative strategies that can reverse the autoimmune condition. Using mouse models, we have shown that expression of the known gastric autoantigen in the thymus results in immunological tolerance and resistance to the induction of autoimmune gastritis. Also, induced tolerance in donor mice can be transferred to syngeneic recipient mice by bone marrow cells. Strategies based on these observations could lead to reversal of established disease. Transfer of ensuing knowledge to the cure of serious human autoimmune diseases is our ultimate goal.

Earliest Pottery on New Guinea Mainland Reveals Austronesian Influences in Highland Environments 3000 Years Ago.

Austronesian speaking peoples left Southeast Asia and entered the Western Pacific c.4000-3000 years ago, continuing on to colonise Remote Oceania for the first time, where they became the ancestral populations of Polynesians. Understanding the impact of these peoples on the mainland of New Guinea before they entered Remote Oceania has eluded archaeologists. New research from the archaeological site of Wañelek in the New Guinea Highlands has broken this silence. Petrographic and geochemical data from pottery and new radiocarbon dating demonstrates that Austronesian influences penetrated into the highland interior by 3000 years ago. One potsherd was manufactured along the northeast coast of New Guinea, whereas others were manufactured from inland materials. These findings represent the oldest securely dated pottery from an archaeological context on the island of New Guinea. Additionally, the pottery comes from the interior, suggesting the movements of people and technological practices, as well as objects at this time. The antiquity of the Wañelek pottery is coincident with the expansion of Lapita pottery in the Western Pacific. Such occupation also occurs at the same time that changes have been identified in subsistence strategies in the archaeological record at Kuk Swamp suggesting a possible link between the two.

Association of plasma levels of Protein S with disease severity in multiple sclerosis.

BACKGROUND: The TAM family of receptor tyrosine kinases (TYRO3, AXL and MERTK) play important roles in modulating innate immune responses and central demyelination. The TAM receptor ligand Protein S (PROS) has also been shown to modulate innate immune cell responses. OBJECTIVES: We assessed whether plasma levels of PROS are changed in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and whether changes are associated with disease severity. METHODS: Plasma levels of total and free PROS were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in a discovery cohort (MS: 65, control: 14) and an independent replication cohort (MS: 29, control: 29). The Multiple Sclerosis Severity Score (MSSS) was used to evaluate associations between plasma PROS levels and disease severity. RESULTS: We found plasma levels of total, but not free PROS, were decreased in MS patients compared with controls. In female MS patients, we observed decreases in total and free PROS levels compared with controls. In addition, we also observed higher MSSS in patients with very low levels of plasma free PROS. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest PROS may represent a potential marker of disease severity in MS.