ABSTRACT
Emerging evidence indicates a fundamental role for the epigenome in immunity. Here, we mapped the epigenomic and transcriptional landscape of immunity to influenza vaccination in humans at the single-cell level. Vaccination against seasonal influenza induced persistently diminished H3K27ac in monocytes and myeloid dendritic cells (mDCs), which was associated with impaired cytokine responses to Toll-like receptor stimulation. Single-cell ATAC-seq analysis revealed an epigenomically distinct subcluster of monocytes with reduced chromatin accessibility at AP-1-targeted loci after vaccination. Similar effects were observed in response to vaccination with the AS03-adjuvanted H5N1 pandemic influenza vaccine. However, this vaccine also stimulated persistently increased chromatin accessibility at interferon response factor (IRF) loci in monocytes and mDCs. This was associated with elevated expression of antiviral genes and heightened resistance to the unrelated Zika and Dengue viruses. These results demonstrate that vaccination stimulates persistent epigenomic remodeling of the innate immune system and reveal AS03's potential as an epigenetic adjuvant.
Subject(s)
Epigenomics , Immunity/genetics , Influenza Vaccines/genetics , Influenza Vaccines/immunology , Single-Cell Analysis , Transcription, Genetic , Vaccination , Adolescent , Adult , Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology , Antigens, CD34/metabolism , Antiviral Agents/pharmacology , Cellular Reprogramming , Chromatin/metabolism , Cytokines/biosynthesis , Drug Combinations , Female , Gene Expression Regulation , Histones/metabolism , Humans , Immunity, Innate/genetics , Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype/drug effects , Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype/immunology , Interferon Type I/metabolism , Male , Myeloid Cells/metabolism , Polysorbates/pharmacology , Squalene/pharmacology , Toll-Like Receptors/metabolism , Transcription Factor AP-1/metabolism , Transcriptome/genetics , Young Adult , alpha-Tocopherol/pharmacologyABSTRACT
Our previous study using systems vaccinology identified an association between the sterol regulatory binding protein (SREBP) pathway and humoral immune response to vaccination in humans. To investigate the role of SREBP signaling in modulating immune responses, we generated mice with B cell- or CD11c+ antigen-presenting cell (APC)-specific deletion of SCAP, an essential regulator of SREBP signaling. Ablation of SCAP in CD11c+ APCs had no effect on immune responses. In contrast, SREBP signaling in B cells was critical for antibody responses, as well as the generation of germinal centers,memory B cells and bone marrow plasma cells. SREBP signaling was required for metabolic reprogramming in activated B cells. Upon mitogen stimulation, SCAP-deficient B cells could not proliferate and had decreased lipid rafts. Deletion of SCAP in germinal center B cells using AID-Cre decreased lipid raft content and cell cycle progression. These studies provide mechanistic insights coupling sterol metabolism with the quality and longevity of humoral immunity.
Subject(s)
Carrier Proteins , Lymphoma, B-Cell , Sterols , Animals , Humans , Mice , Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins/metabolism , Membrane Proteins/genetics , Membrane Proteins/metabolism , Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Protein 1/metabolism , Sterols/metabolism , Lymphoma, B-Cell/metabolismABSTRACT
Herpes zoster (shingles) causes significant morbidity in immune compromised hosts and older adults. Whereas a vaccine is available for prevention of shingles, its efficacy declines with age. To help to understand the mechanisms driving vaccinal responses, we constructed a multiscale, multifactorial response network (MMRN) of immunity in healthy young and older adults immunized with the live attenuated shingles vaccine Zostavax. Vaccination induces robust antigen-specific antibody, plasmablasts, and CD4+ T cells yet limited CD8+ T cell and antiviral responses. The MMRN reveals striking associations between orthogonal datasets, such as transcriptomic and metabolomics signatures, cell populations, and cytokine levels, and identifies immune and metabolic correlates of vaccine immunity. Networks associated with inositol phosphate, glycerophospholipids, and sterol metabolism are tightly coupled with immunity. Critically, the sterol regulatory binding protein 1 and its targets are key integrators of antibody and T follicular cell responses. Our approach is broadly applicable to study human immunity and can help to identify predictors of efficacy as well as mechanisms controlling immunity to vaccination.
Subject(s)
Herpes Zoster Vaccine/immunology , Adaptive Immunity , Adult , Aged , Aging , Antibody Formation , CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology , Female , Flow Cytometry , Gene Expression Profiling , Gene Regulatory Networks , Humans , Inositol Phosphates/immunology , Longitudinal Studies , Male , Metabolomics , Middle Aged , Sex Characteristics , Sterols/metabolism , Viral LoadABSTRACT
Inflammation and macrophage foam cells are characteristic features of atherosclerotic lesions, but the mechanisms linking cholesterol accumulation to inflammation and LXR-dependent response pathways are poorly understood. To investigate this relationship, we utilized lipidomic and transcriptomic methods to evaluate the effect of diet and LDL receptor genotype on macrophage foam cell formation within the peritoneal cavities of mice. Foam cell formation was associated with significant changes in hundreds of lipid species and unexpected suppression, rather than activation, of inflammatory gene expression. We provide evidence that regulated accumulation of desmosterol underlies many of the homeostatic responses, including activation of LXR target genes, inhibition of SREBP target genes, selective reprogramming of fatty acid metabolism, and suppression of inflammatory-response genes, observed in macrophage foam cells. These observations suggest that macrophage activation in atherosclerotic lesions results from extrinsic, proinflammatory signals generated within the artery wall that suppress homeostatic and anti-inflammatory functions of desmosterol.
Subject(s)
Atherosclerosis/immunology , Cholesterol/biosynthesis , Desmosterol/metabolism , Foam Cells/metabolism , Lipid Metabolism , Transcriptome , Animals , Atherosclerosis/metabolism , Cholesterol/analogs & derivatives , Cholesterol/metabolism , Fatty Acids/metabolism , Foam Cells/immunology , Gene Knockdown Techniques , Leukocytes, Mononuclear/metabolism , Male , Mice , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Receptors, LDL/genetics , Receptors, LDL/metabolism , Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Proteins/metabolismABSTRACT
The development of a portfolio of COVID-19 vaccines to vaccinate the global population remains an urgent public health imperative1. Here we demonstrate the capacity of a subunit vaccine, comprising the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein receptor-binding domain displayed on an I53-50 protein nanoparticle scaffold (hereafter designated RBD-NP), to stimulate robust and durable neutralizing-antibody responses and protection against SARS-CoV-2 in rhesus macaques. We evaluated five adjuvants including Essai O/W 1849101, a squalene-in-water emulsion; AS03, an α-tocopherol-containing oil-in-water emulsion; AS37, a Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) agonist adsorbed to alum; CpG1018-alum, a TLR9 agonist formulated in alum; and alum. RBD-NP immunization with AS03, CpG1018-alum, AS37 or alum induced substantial neutralizing-antibody and CD4 T cell responses, and conferred protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection in the pharynges, nares and bronchoalveolar lavage. The neutralizing-antibody response to live virus was maintained up to 180 days after vaccination with RBD-NP in AS03 (RBD-NP-AS03), and correlated with protection from infection. RBD-NP immunization cross-neutralized the B.1.1.7 SARS-CoV-2 variant efficiently but showed a reduced response against the B.1.351 variant. RBD-NP-AS03 produced a 4.5-fold reduction in neutralization of B.1.351 whereas the group immunized with RBD-NP-AS37 produced a 16-fold reduction in neutralization of B.1.351, suggesting differences in the breadth of the neutralizing-antibody response induced by these adjuvants. Furthermore, RBD-NP-AS03 was as immunogenic as a prefusion-stabilized spike immunogen (HexaPro) with AS03 adjuvant. These data highlight the efficacy of the adjuvanted RBD-NP vaccine in promoting protective immunity against SARS-CoV-2 and have led to phase I/II clinical trials of this vaccine (NCT04742738 and NCT04750343).
Subject(s)
Adjuvants, Immunologic , Antibodies, Neutralizing/immunology , COVID-19 Vaccines/immunology , COVID-19/immunology , COVID-19/prevention & control , SARS-CoV-2/immunology , Vaccines, Subunit/immunology , Alum Compounds , Animals , Antibodies, Viral/immunology , CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/cytology , CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology , COVID-19/virology , Clinical Trials, Phase I as Topic , Clinical Trials, Phase II as Topic , Disease Models, Animal , Immunity, Cellular , Immunity, Humoral , Macaca mulatta/immunology , Male , Oligodeoxyribonucleotides , Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/chemistry , Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/immunology , SqualeneABSTRACT
Flow patterns exert significant effects on vascular endothelial cells (ECs) to lead to the focal nature of atherosclerosis. Using a step flow chamber to investigate the effects of disturbed shear (DS) and pulsatile shear (PS) on ECs in the same flow channel, we conducted single-cell RNA sequencing analyses to explore the distinct transcriptomic profiles regulated by DS vs. PS. Integrated analysis identified eight cell clusters and demonstrated that DS induces EC transition from atheroprotective to proatherogenic phenotypes. Using an automated cell type annotation algorithm (SingleR), we showed that DS promoted endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) by inducing the transcriptional phenotypes for inflammation, hypoxia responses, transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-ß) signaling, glycolysis, and fatty acid synthesis. Enolase 1 (ENO1), a key gene in glycolysis, was one of the top-ranked genes in the DS-induced EndMT cluster. Pseudotime trajectory analysis revealed that the kinetic expression of ENO1 was significantly associated with EndMT and that ENO1 silencing repressed the DS- and TGF-ß-induced EC inflammation and EndMT. Consistent with these findings, ENO1 was highly expressed in ECs at the inner curvature of the mouse aortic arch (which is exposed to DS) and atherosclerotic lesions, suggesting its proatherogenic role in vivo. In summary, we present a comprehensive single-cell atlas of ECs in response to different flow patterns within the same flow channel. Among the DS-regulated genes, ENO1 plays an important role in DS-induced EC inflammation and EndMT. These results provide insights into how hemodynamic forces regulate vascular endothelium in health and disease.
Subject(s)
Atherosclerosis , Endothelial Cells , Animals , Mice , Gene Expression Profiling , Inflammation , Sequence Analysis, RNA , Transforming Growth Factor betaABSTRACT
LIPID MAPS (LIPID Metabolites and Pathways Strategy), www.lipidmaps.org, provides a systematic and standardized approach to organizing lipid structural and biochemical data. Founded 20 years ago, the LIPID MAPS nomenclature and classification has become the accepted community standard. LIPID MAPS provides databases for cataloging and identifying lipids at varying levels of characterization in addition to numerous software tools and educational resources, and became an ELIXIR-UK data resource in 2020. This paper describes the expansion of existing databases in LIPID MAPS, including richer metadata with literature provenance, taxonomic data and improved interoperability to facilitate FAIR compliance. A joint project funded by ELIXIR-UK, in collaboration with WikiPathways, curates and hosts pathway data, and annotates lipids in the context of their biochemical pathways. Updated features of the search infrastructure are described along with implementation of programmatic access via API and SPARQL. New lipid-specific databases have been developed and provision of lipidomics tools to the community has been updated. Training and engagement have been expanded with webinars, podcasts and an online training school.
Subject(s)
Databases, Factual , Lipidomics , Lipids , Lipid Metabolism , Lipids/chemistry , SoftwareABSTRACT
Quantitative understanding of cellular processes, such as cell cycle and differentiation, is impeded by various forms of complexity ranging from myriad molecular players and their multilevel regulatory interactions, cellular evolution with multiple intermediate stages, lack of elucidation of cause-effect relationships among the many system players, and the computational complexity associated with the profusion of variables and parameters. In this paper, we present a modeling framework based on the cybernetic concept that biological regulation is inspired by objectives embedding rational strategies for dimension reduction, process stage specification through the system dynamics, and innovative causal association of regulatory events with the ability to predict the evolution of the dynamical system. The elementary step of the modeling strategy involves stage-specific objective functions that are computationally determined from experiments, augmented with dynamical network computations involving endpoint objective functions, mutual information, change-point detection, and maximal clique centrality. We demonstrate the power of the method through application to the mammalian cell cycle, which involves thousands of biomolecules engaged in signaling, transcription, and regulation. Starting with a fine-grained transcriptional description obtained from RNA sequencing measurements, we develop an initial model, which is then dynamically modeled using the cybernetic-inspired method, based on the strategies described above. The cybernetic-inspired method is able to distill the most significant interactions from a multitude of possibilities. In addition to capturing the complexity of regulatory processes in a mechanistically causal and stage-specific manner, we identify the functional network modules, including novel cell cycle stages. Our model is able to predict future cell cycles consistent with experimental measurements. We posit that this innovative framework has the promise to extend to the dynamics of other biological processes, with a potential to provide novel mechanistic insights.
Subject(s)
Cybernetics , Gene Expression Regulation , Animals , Cell Cycle/genetics , Cell Division , Cell Differentiation/genetics , Models, Biological , MammalsABSTRACT
System-wide measurements of gene expression by DNA microarray and, more recently, RNA-sequencing strategies have become de facto tools of modern biology and have led to deep understanding of biological mechanisms and pathways. However, analyses of the measurements have often ignored statistically robust methods that account for variance, resulting in misleading biological interpretations.
Subject(s)
Analysis of Variance , Gene Expression , Animals , Humans , Models, Immunological , Sequence Analysis, RNAABSTRACT
Systems approaches have been used to describe molecular signatures driving immunity to influenza vaccination in humans. Whether such signatures are similar across multiple seasons and in diverse populations is unknown. We applied systems approaches to study immune responses in young, elderly, and diabetic subjects vaccinated with the seasonal influenza vaccine across five consecutive seasons. Signatures of innate immunity and plasmablasts correlated with and predicted influenza antibody titers at 1 month after vaccination with >80% accuracy across multiple seasons but were not associated with the longevity of the response. Baseline signatures of lymphocyte and monocyte inflammation were positively and negatively correlated, respectively, with antibody responses at 1 month. Finally, integrative analysis of microRNAs and transcriptomic profiling revealed potential regulators of vaccine immunity. These results identify shared vaccine-induced signatures across multiple seasons and in diverse populations and might help guide the development of next-generation vaccines that provide persistent immunity against influenza.
Subject(s)
Antibodies, Viral/genetics , Influenza Vaccines/immunology , Influenza, Human/prevention & control , Transcriptome/immunology , Adult , Aged , Antibodies, Viral/blood , Female , Flow Cytometry , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis , Seasons , Systems AnalysisABSTRACT
The two main blood flow patterns, namely, pulsatile shear (PS) prevalent in straight segments of arteries and oscillatory shear (OS) observed at branch points, are associated with atheroprotective (healthy) and atheroprone (unhealthy) vascular phenotypes, respectively. The effects of blood flow-induced shear stress on endothelial cells (ECs) and vascular health have generally been studied using human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). While there are a few studies comparing the differential roles of PS and OS across different types of ECs at a single time point, there is a paucity of studies comparing the temporal responses between different EC types. In the current study, we measured OS and PS transcriptomic responses in human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs) over 24 h and compared these temporal responses of HAECs with our previous findings on HUVECs. The measurements were made at 1, 4, and 24 h in order to capture the responses at early, mid, and late time points after shearing. The results indicate that the responses of HAECs and HUVECs are qualitatively similar for endothelial function-relevant genes and several important pathways with a few exceptions, thus demonstrating that HUVECs can be used as a model to investigate the effects of shear on arterial ECs, with consideration of the differences. Our findings show that HAECs exhibit an earlier response or faster kinetics as compared to HUVECs. The comparative analysis of HAECs and HUVECs presented here offers insights into the mechanisms of common and disparate shear stress responses across these two major endothelial cell types.
Subject(s)
Cell Cycle/genetics , Endothelial Cells/metabolism , Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells/metabolism , Metabolic Networks and Pathways/genetics , Proteome/genetics , Stress, Mechanical , Transcription Factors/genetics , Aorta/cytology , Aorta/metabolism , Atherosclerosis/genetics , Atherosclerosis/metabolism , Atherosclerosis/pathology , Cell Line , Cell Proliferation , Endothelial Cells/cytology , Gene Expression Profiling , Gene Expression Regulation , Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells/cytology , Humans , Models, Biological , Organ Specificity , Phenotype , Proteome/metabolism , Signal Transduction , Systems Biology/methods , Transcription Factors/metabolismABSTRACT
BACKGROUND & AIMS: Biliary atresia (BA) is poorly understood and leads to liver transplantation (LT), with the requirement for and associated risks of lifelong immunosuppression, in most children. We performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) to determine the genetic basis of BA. METHODS: We performed a GWAS in 811 European BA cases treated with LT in US, Canadian and UK centers, and 4,654 genetically matched controls. Whole-genome sequencing of 100 cases evaluated synthetic association with rare variants. Functional studies included whole liver transcriptome analysis of 64 BA cases and perturbations in experimental models. RESULTS: A GWAS of common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), i.e. allele frequencies >1%, identified intronic SNPs rs6446628 in AFAP1 with genome-wide significance (p = 3.93E-8) and rs34599046 in TUSC3 at sub-threshold genome-wide significance (p = 1.34E-7), both supported by credible peaks of neighboring SNPs. Like other previously reported BA-associated genes, AFAP1 and TUSC3 are ciliogenesis and planar polarity effectors (CPLANE). In gene-set-based GWAS, BA was associated with 6,005 SNPs in 102 CPLANE genes (p = 5.84E-15). Compared with non-CPLANE genes, more CPLANE genes harbored rare variants (allele frequency <1%) that were assigned Human Phenotype Ontology terms related to hepatobiliary anomalies by predictive algorithms, 87% vs. 40%, p <0.0001. Rare variants were present in multiple genes distinct from those with BA-associated common variants in most BA cases. AFAP1 and TUSC3 knockdown blocked ciliogenesis in mouse tracheal cells. Inhibition of ciliogenesis caused biliary dysgenesis in zebrafish. AFAP1 and TUSC3 were expressed in fetal liver organoids, as well as fetal and BA livers, but not in normal or disease-control livers. Integrative analysis of BA-associated variants and liver transcripts revealed abnormal vasculogenesis and epithelial tube formation, explaining portal vein anomalies that co-exist with BA. CONCLUSIONS: BA is associated with polygenic susceptibility in CPLANE genes. Rare variants contribute to polygenic risk in vulnerable pathways via unique genes. IMPACT AND IMPLICATIONS: Liver transplantation is needed to cure most children born with biliary atresia, a poorly understood rare disease. Transplant immunosuppression increases the likelihood of life-threatening infections and cancers. To improve care by preventing this disease and its progression to transplantation, we examined its genetic basis. We find that this disease is associated with both common and rare mutations in highly specialized genes which maintain normal communication and movement of cells, and their organization into bile ducts and blood vessels during early development of the human embryo. Because defects in these genes also cause other birth defects, our findings could lead to preventive strategies to lower the incidence of biliary atresia and potentially other birth defects.
Subject(s)
Biliary Atresia , Child , Animals , Mice , Humans , Biliary Atresia/genetics , Genome-Wide Association Study , Genetic Predisposition to Disease , Zebrafish/genetics , CanadaABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: While mechanisms contributing to the progression and metastasis of colorectal cancer (CRC) are well studied, cancer stage-specific mechanisms have been less comprehensively explored. This is the focus of this manuscript. METHODS: Using previously published data for CRC (Gene Expression Omnibus ID GSE21510), we identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) across four stages of the disease. We then generated unweighted and weighted correlation networks for each of the stages. Communities within these networks were detected using the Louvain algorithm and topologically and functionally compared across stages using the normalized mutual information (NMI) metric and pathway enrichment analysis, respectively. We also used Short Time-series Expression Miner (STEM) algorithm to detect potential biomarkers having a role in CRC. RESULTS: Sixteen Thousand Sixty Two DEGs were identified between various stages (p-value ≤ 0.05). Comparing communities of different stages revealed that neighboring stages were more similar to each other than non-neighboring stages, at both topological and functional levels. A functional analysis of 24 cancer-related pathways indicated that several signaling pathways were enriched across all stages. However, the stage-unique networks were distinctly enriched only for a subset of these 24 pathways (e.g., MAPK signaling pathway in stages I-III and Notch signaling pathway in stages III and IV). We identified potential biomarkers, including HOXB8 and WNT2 with increasing, and MTUS1 and SFRP2 with decreasing trends from stages I to IV. Extracting subnetworks of 10 cancer-relevant genes and their interacting first neighbors (162 genes in total) revealed that the connectivity patterns for these genes were different across stages. For example, BRAF and CDK4, members of the Ser/Thr kinase, up-regulated in cancer, displayed changing connectivity patterns from stages I to IV. CONCLUSIONS: Here, we report molecular and modular networks for various stages of CRC, providing a pseudo-temporal view of the mechanistic changes associated with the disease. Our analysis highlighted similarities at both functional and topological levels, across stages. We further identified stage-specific mechanisms and biomarkers potentially contributing to the progression of CRC.
Subject(s)
Colorectal Neoplasms , Gene Expression Profiling , Biomarkers, Tumor/genetics , Biomarkers, Tumor/metabolism , Colorectal Neoplasms/pathology , Computational Biology , Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic , Gene Regulatory Networks , Humans , Neoplasm Staging , Signal Transduction/genetics , Tumor Suppressor Proteins/geneticsABSTRACT
The drying of a wet cake consisting of an active pharmaceutical ingredient and solvent in an agitated filter-dryer is a critical and challenging unit operation in the pharmaceutical industry. The complexity of this operation is attributed to the constraints on product quality in terms of its physical properties in addition to the residual solvent content. In this manuscript, a better understanding of the drying mechanism is gained by integrating insights from three-dimensional analytical solutions and computational fluid dynamics simulations into a zero-dimensional model to explain experimental data. The approach provides the time evolution of the mass flow rate of solvent from the wet cake and the center-point temperature of the cake with good accuracy. Further investigation of the zero-dimensional model reveals important parameters such as the mass transfer rate number that predicts whether the process is convection-controlled or diffusion-controlled, and the thermal load of vaporization that estimates the fraction of solvent vaporized per unit time. These parameters can be useful in devising a drying protocol for agitated-filter dryers.
Subject(s)
Desiccation , Hot Temperature , Freeze Drying/methods , Pharmaceutical Preparations , Solvents , Technology, Pharmaceutical/methods , TemperatureABSTRACT
While amyloid-ß (Aß) plaques are considered a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, clinical trials focused on targeting gamma secretase, an enzyme involved in aberrant Aß peptide production, have not led to amelioration of AD symptoms or synaptic dysregulation. Screening strategies based on mechanistic, multi-omics approaches that go beyond pathological readouts can aid in the evaluation of therapeutics. Using early-onset Alzheimer's (EOFAD) disease patient lineage PSEN1A246E iPSC-derived neurons, we performed RNA-seq to characterize AD-associated endotypes, which are in turn used as a screening evaluation metric for two gamma secretase drugs, the inhibitor Semagacestat and the modulator BPN-15606. We demonstrate that drug treatment partially restores the neuronal state while concomitantly inhibiting cell cycle re-entry and dedifferentiation endotypes to different degrees depending on the mechanism of gamma secretase engagement. Our endotype-centric screening approach offers a new paradigm by which candidate AD therapeutics can be evaluated for their overall ability to reverse disease endotypes.
Subject(s)
Alzheimer Disease , Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells , Humans , Alzheimer Disease/drug therapy , Alzheimer Disease/genetics , Alzheimer Disease/metabolism , Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases/metabolism , Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor/metabolism , Amyloid beta-Peptides/metabolism , Plaque, Amyloid/pathology , Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells/metabolismABSTRACT
Preeclampsia is a pregnancy-specific syndrome characterized by hypertension and proteinuria after 20 weeks of gestation. However, it is not well understood what lipids are involved in the development of this condition, and even less is known how these lipids mediate its formation. To reveal the relationship between lipids and preeclampsia, we conducted lipidomic profiling of maternal sera of 44 severe preeclamptic and 20 healthy pregnant women from a multiethnic cohort in Hawaii. Correlation network analysis showed that oxidized phospholipids have increased intercorrelations and connections in preeclampsia, whereas other lipids, including triacylglycerols, have reduced network correlations and connections. A total of 10 lipid species demonstrate significant changes uniquely associated with preeclampsia but not any other clinical confounders. These species are from the lipid classes of lysophosphatidylcholines, phosphatidylcholines (PCs), cholesteryl esters, phosphatidylethanolamines, lysophosphatidylethanolamines, and ceramides. A random forest classifier built on these lipids shows highly accurate and specific prediction (F1 statistic = 0.94; balanced accuracy = 0.88) of severe preeclampsia, demonstrating their potential as biomarkers for this condition. These lipid species are enriched in dysregulated biological pathways, including insulin signaling, immune response, and phospholipid metabolism. Moreover, causality inference shows that various PCs and lysophosphatidylcholines mediate severe preeclampsia through PC 35:1e. Our results suggest that the lipidome may play a role in the pathogenesis and serve as biomarkers of severe preeclampsia.
Subject(s)
Lipidomics , Lipids/blood , Pre-Eclampsia/blood , Adult , Cohort Studies , Female , Humans , Pregnancy , Severity of Illness IndexABSTRACT
We report the development of a spectral knowledgebase named ADAP-KDB for tracking and prioritizing unknown gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) spectra in the NIH's Metabolomics Data Repository-a national and international repository for metabolomics data. ADAP-KDB consists of two parts. One part is a computational workflow that preprocesses raw mass spectrometry data and derives consensus mass spectra. The other part is a web portal for users to browse the consensus spectra and match query spectra against them. For each consensus spectrum, the Gini-Simpson diversity index and the p-value from χ2 goodness-of-fit test are calculated to measure its statistical significance, which enables prioritization of unknown mass spectra for subsequent costly compound identification.
Subject(s)
Metabolomics , Software , Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry , Knowledge Bases , Mass SpectrometryABSTRACT
A growing number of software tools have been developed for metabolomics data processing and analysis. Many new tools are contributed by metabolomics practitioners who have limited prior experience with software development, and the tools are subsequently implemented by users with expertise that ranges from basic point-and-click data analysis to advanced coding. This Perspective is intended to introduce metabolomics software users and developers to important considerations that determine the overall impact of a publicly available tool within the scientific community. The recommendations reflect the collective experience of an NIH-sponsored Metabolomics Consortium working group that was formed with the goal of researching guidelines and best practices for metabolomics tool development. The recommendations are aimed at metabolomics researchers with little formal background in programming and are organized into three stages: (i) preparation, (ii) tool development, and (iii) distribution and maintenance.
Subject(s)
Cloud Computing , Metabolomics/methods , SoftwareABSTRACT
Shiitake mushrooms are one of the most popular and highly consumed mushrooms worldwide both in fresh and dry forms. However, it rapidly starts losing its quality immediately after harvest which necessitates processing and/or proper storage before being distributed. However, the processes used for preserving other mushrooms (e.g., Agaricus) become unviable for shiitake due to its uniqueness (higher respiration rate, varied biochemicals, growth, etc.) which demands individual studies on shiitake. This review starts by listing the factors and their interdependence leading to a quality decline in shiitake after harvest. Understanding well about these factors, numerous post-harvest operations preserve shiitake as fresh form for a shorter period and as dried forms for a longer shelf-life. These processes also affect the intrinsic quality and nutrients of shiitake. This review comprehensively summarizes and discusses the effects of chemical processing (washing, fumigation, coating, and ozone), modified atmosphere packaging (including irradiation) on the quality of fresh shiitake while discussing their efficiency in extending their shelf-life by inhibiting microbial spoilage and deterioration in quality including texture, appearance, nutrients, and favor. It also reviews the impact of thermal dehydration on the quality of dried shiitake mushrooms, especially the acquired unique textural, nutritional, and aromatic properties along with their merits and limitations. Since shiitake are preferred to be low-cost consumer products, the applicability of freeze-drying and sophisticated novel methodologies, which prove to be expensive and/or complex, are discussed. The review also outlines the challenges and proposes the subsequent future directives, which either retains/enhances the desirable quality in shiitake mushrooms.
Subject(s)
Agaricales , Shiitake Mushrooms , Atmosphere , Dehydration , Fumigation , HumansABSTRACT
A comprehensive and standardized system to report lipid structures analyzed by MS is essential for the communication and storage of lipidomics data. Herein, an update on both the LIPID MAPS classification system and shorthand notation of lipid structures is presented for lipid categories Fatty Acyls (FA), Glycerolipids (GL), Glycerophospholipids (GP), Sphingolipids (SP), and Sterols (ST). With its major changes, i.e., annotation of ring double bond equivalents and number of oxygens, the updated shorthand notation facilitates reporting of newly delineated oxygenated lipid species as well. For standardized reporting in lipidomics, the hierarchical architecture of shorthand notation reflects the diverse structural resolution powers provided by mass spectrometric assays. Moreover, shorthand notation is expanded beyond mammalian phyla to lipids from plant and yeast phyla. Finally, annotation of atoms is included for the use of stable isotope-labeled compounds in metabolic labeling experiments or as internal standards. This update on lipid classification, nomenclature, and shorthand annotation for lipid mass spectra is considered a standard for lipid data presentation.