The matricellular protein SPARC induces inflammatory interferon-response in macrophages during aging.

The risk of chronic diseases caused by aging is reduced by caloric restriction (CR)-induced immunometabolic adaptation. Here, we found that the matricellular protein, secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC), was inhibited by 2 years of 14% sustained CR in humans and elevated by obesity. SPARC converted anti-inflammatory macrophages into a pro-inflammatory phenotype with induction of interferon-stimulated gene (ISG) expression via the transcription factors IRF3/7. Mechanistically, SPARC-induced ISGs were dependent on toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4)-mediated TBK1, IRF3, IFN-ß, and STAT1 signaling without engaging the Myd88 pathway. Metabolically, SPARC dampened mitochondrial respiration, and inhibition of glycolysis abrogated ISG induction by SPARC in macrophages. Furthermore, the N-terminal acidic domain of SPARC was required for ISG induction, while adipocyte-specific deletion of SPARC reduced inflammation and extended health span during aging. Collectively, SPARC, a CR-mimetic adipokine, is an immunometabolic checkpoint of inflammation and interferon response that may be targeted to delay age-related metabolic and functional decline.

Variants of a major DNA satellite discriminate parental subgenomes in a hybrid parthenogenetic lizard Darevskia unisexualis (Darevsky, 1966).

Hybrid parthenogenetic animals are an exceptionally interesting model for studying the mechanisms and evolution of sexual and asexual reproduction. A diploid parthenogenetic lizard Darevskia unisexualis is a result of an ancestral cross between a maternal species Darevskia raddei nairensis and a paternal species Darevskia valentini and presents a unique opportunity for a cytogenetic and computational analysis of a hybrid karyotype. Our previous results demonstrated a significant divergence between the pericentromeric DNA sequences of the parental Darevskia species; however, an in-depth comparative study of their pericentromeres is still lacking. Here, using target sequencing of microdissected pericentromeric regions, we reveal and compare the repertoires of the pericentromeric tandem repeats of the parental Darevskia lizards. We found species-specific sequences of the major pericentromeric tandem repeat CLsat, which allowed computational prediction and experimental validation of fluorescent DNA probes discriminating parental chromosomes within the hybrid karyotype of D. unisexualis. Moreover, we have implemented a generalizable computational method, based on the optimization of the Levenshtein distance between tandem repeat monomers, for finding species-specific fluorescent probes for pericentromere staining. In total, we anticipate that our comparative analysis of Darevskia pericentromeric repeats, the species-specific fluorescent probes that we found and the pipeline that we developed will form a basis for the future detailed cytogenomic studies of a wide range of natural and laboratory hybrids.

Chromatin-contact atlas reveals disorder-mediated protein interactions and moonlighting chromatin-associated RBPs.

RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) play diverse roles in regulating co-transcriptional RNA-processing and chromatin functions, but our knowledge of the repertoire of chromatin-associated RBPs (caRBPs) and their interactions with chromatin remains limited. Here, we developed SPACE (Silica Particle Assisted Chromatin Enrichment) to isolate global and regional chromatin components with high specificity and sensitivity, and SPACEmap to identify the chromatin-contact regions in proteins. Applied to mouse embryonic stem cells, SPACE identified 1459 chromatin-associated proteins, ∼48% of which are annotated as RBPs, indicating their dual roles in chromatin and RNA-binding. Additionally, SPACEmap stringently verified chromatin-binding of 403 RBPs and identified their chromatin-contact regions. Notably, SPACEmap showed that about 40% of the caRBPs bind chromatin by intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs). Studying SPACE and total proteome dynamics from mES cells grown in 2iL and serum medium indicates significant correlation (R = 0.62). One of the most dynamic caRBPs is Dazl, which we find co-localized with PRC2 at transcription start sites of genes that are distinct from Dazl mRNA binding. Dazl and other PRC2-colocalised caRBPs are rich in intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs), which could contribute to the formation and regulation of phase-separated PRC condensates. Together, our approach provides an unprecedented insight into IDR-mediated interactions and caRBPs with moonlighting functions in native chromatin.

Genome-wide sequence analyses of ethnic populations across Russia.

The Russian Federation is the largest and one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world, however no centralized reference database of genetic variation exists to date. Such data are crucial for medical genetics and essential for studying population history. The Genome Russia Project aims at filling this gap by performing whole genome sequencing and analysis of peoples of the Russian Federation. Here we report the characterization of genome-wide variation of 264 healthy adults, including 60 newly sequenced samples. People of Russia carry known and novel genetic variants of adaptive, clinical and functional consequence that in many cases show allele frequency divergence from neighboring populations. Population genetics analyses revealed six phylogeographic partitions among indigenous ethnicities corresponding to their geographic locales. This study presents a characterization of population-specific genomic variation in Russia with results important for medical genetics and for understanding the dynamic population history of the world's largest country.

[WITHDRAWN] Activation of transsulfuration pathway to maintain cysteine is a thermogenic checkpoint for the conservation of energy.

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.

Reduction of SPARC protects mice against NLRP3 inflammasome activation and obesity.

The comprehensive assessment of long-term effects of reducing intake of energy (CALERIE-II; NCT00427193) clinical trial established that caloric restriction (CR) in humans lowers inflammation. The identity and mechanism of endogenous CR-mimetics that can be deployed to control obesity-associated inflammation and diseases are not well understood. Our studies have found that 2 years of 14% sustained CR in humans inhibits the expression of the matricellular protein, secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC), in adipose tissue. In mice, adipose tissue remodeling caused by weight loss through CR and low-protein diet feeding decreased, while high-fat diet-induced (HFD-induced) obesity increased SPARC expression in adipose tissue. Inducible SPARC downregulation in adult mice mimicked CR's effects on lowering adiposity by regulating energy expenditure. Deletion of SPARC in adipocytes was sufficient to protect mice against HFD-induced adiposity, chronic inflammation, and metabolic dysfunction. Mechanistically, SPARC activates the NLRP3 inflammasome at the priming step and downregulation of SPARC lowers macrophage inflammation in adipose tissue, while excess SPARC activated macrophages via JNK signaling. Collectively, reduction of adipocyte-derived SPARC confers CR-like metabolic and antiinflammatory benefits in obesity by serving as an immunometabolic checkpoint of inflammation.

Enhanced epigenetic profiling of classical human monocytes reveals a specific signature of healthy aging in the DNA methylome.

The impact of healthy aging on molecular programming of immune cells is poorly understood. Here, we report comprehensive characterization of healthy aging in human classical monocytes, with a focus on epigenomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic alterations, as well as the corresponding proteomic and metabolomic data for plasma, using healthy cohorts of 20 young and 20 older males (~27 and ~64 years old on average). For each individual, we performed eRRBS-based DNA methylation profiling, which allowed us to identify a set of age-associated differentially methylated regions (DMRs) - a novel, cell-type specific signature of aging in DNA methylome. Hypermethylation events were associated with H3K27me3 in the CpG islands near promoters of lowly-expressed genes, while hypomethylated DMRs were enriched in H3K4me1 marked regions and associated with age-related increase of expression of the corresponding genes, providing a link between DNA methylation and age-associated transcriptional changes in primary human cells.

Ketogenesis activates metabolically protective γδ T cells in visceral adipose tissue.

Ketone bodies are essential alternative fuels that allow humans to survive periods of glucose scarcity induced by starvation and prolonged exercise. A widely used ketogenic diet (KD), which is extremely high in fat with very low carbohydrates, drives the host into using ß-hydroxybutyrate for the production of ATP and lowers NLRP3-mediated inflammation. However, the extremely high fat composition of KD raises the question of how ketogenesis affects adipose tissue to control inflammation and energy homeostasis. Here, by using single-cell RNA sequencing of adipose-tissue-resident immune cells, we show that KD expands metabolically protective γδ T cells that restrain inflammation. Notably, long-term ad libitum KD feeding in mice causes obesity, impairs metabolic health and depletes the adipose-resident γδ T cells. In addition, mice lacking γδ T cells have impaired glucose homeostasis. Our results suggest that γδ T cells are mediators of protective immunometabolic responses that link fatty acid-driven fuel use to reduced adipose tissue inflammation.

Ketogenic diet activates protective γδ T cell responses against influenza virus infection.

Influenza A virus (IAV) infection-associated morbidity and mortality are a key global health care concern, necessitating the identification of new therapies capable of reducing the severity of IAV infections. In this study, we show that the consumption of a low-carbohydrate, high-fat ketogenic diet (KD) protects mice from lethal IAV infection and disease. KD feeding resulted in an expansion of γδ T cells in the lung that improved barrier functions, thereby enhancing antiviral resistance. Expansion of these protective γδ T cells required metabolic adaptation to a ketogenic diet because neither feeding mice a high-fat, high-carbohydrate diet nor providing chemical ketone body substrate that bypasses hepatic ketogenesis protected against infection. Therefore, KD-mediated immune-metabolic integration represents a viable avenue toward preventing or alleviating influenza disease.

Loss of Nucleobindin-2 Causes Insulin Resistance in Obesity without Impacting Satiety or Adiposity.

Inducers of satiety are drug targets for weight loss to mitigate obesity-associated diseases. Nucleobindin-2 (Nucb2) is thought to be post-translationally processed into bioactive nesfatin-1 peptide, which reportedly induces satiety, causes weight loss, and thus improves insulin sensitivity. Here, we show that deletion of Nucb2 did not affect food intake or adiposity and, instead, caused insulin resistance in mice fed a high-fat diet. In addition, ablation of Nucb2 in orexigenic hypothalamic Agrp neurons did not affect food intake, and nesfatin-1 was detectable in serum, despite global deletion of Nucb2 protein. Upon high-fat diet feeding, the loss of Nucb2 exacerbated metabolic inflammation in adipose tissue macrophages in an NFκB-dependent manner without inducing classical M1 or alternative M2-like macrophage polarization. Furthermore, the loss of Nucb2 in myeloid cells but not in adipocytes mediated the insulin resistance in response to a high-fat diet. Our study reveals that Nucb2 links metabolic inflammation to insulin resistance without affecting weight gain and food intake.

Analytical "bake-off" of whole genome sequencing quality for the Genome Russia project using a small cohort for autoimmune hepatitis.

A comparative analysis of whole genome sequencing (WGS) and genotype calling was initiated for ten human genome samples sequenced by St. Petersburg State University Peterhof Sequencing Center and by three commercial sequencing centers outside of Russia. The sequence quality, efficiency of DNA variant and genotype calling were compared with each other and with DNA microarrays for each of ten study subjects. We assessed calling of SNPs, indels, copy number variation, and the speed of WGS throughput promised. Twenty separate QC analyses showed high similarities among the sequence quality and called genotypes. The ten genomes tested by the centers included eight American patients afflicted with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), plus one case's unaffected parents, in a prelude to discovering genetic influences in this rare disease of unknown etiology. The detailed internal replication and parallel analyses allowed the observation of two of eight AIH cases carrying a rare allele genotype for a previously described AIH-associated gene (FTCD), plus multiple occurrences of known HLA-DRB1 alleles associated with AIH (HLA-DRB1-03:01:01, 13:01:01 and 7:01:01). We also list putative SNVs in other genes as suggestive in AIH influence.