Trans regulation of an odorant binding protein by a proto-Y chromosome affects male courtship in house fly.

The male-limited inheritance of Y chromosomes favors alleles that increase male fitness, often at the expense of female fitness. Determining the mechanisms underlying these sexually antagonistic effects is challenging because it can require studying Y-linked alleles while they still segregate as polymorphisms. We used a Y chromosome polymorphism in the house fly, Musca domestica, to address this challenge. Two male determining Y chromosomes (YM and IIIM) segregate as stable polymorphisms in natural populations, and they differentially affect multiple traits, including male courtship performance. We identified differentially expressed genes encoding odorant binding proteins (in the Obp56h family) as candidate agents for the courtship differences. Through network analysis and allele-specific expression measurements, we identified multiple genes on the house fly IIIM chromosome that could serve as trans regulators of Obp56h gene expression. One of those genes is homologous to Drosophila melanogaster CG2120, which encodes a transcription factor that binds near Obp56h. Upregulation of CG2120 in D. melanogaster nervous tissues reduces copulation latency, consistent with this transcription factor acting as a negative regulator of Obp56h expression. The transcription factor gene, which we name speed date, demonstrates a molecular mechanism by which a Y-linked gene can evolve male-beneficial effects.

Reduced pro-inflammatory dendritic cell phenotypes are a potential indicator of successful peanut oral immunotherapy.

Dendritic cells are important mediators in the early presentation of antigen and regulation of the differentiation of T cells. Peanut oral immunotherapy (POIT) results in desensitization in most peanut allergic individuals (responders), but not in others due to allergic reactions (non-responders). Delineation of early immunologic changes contributing to desensitization would help clarify the POIT mechanism of action. We analyzed dendritic cells in 15 pediatric subjects (5-12 years) undergoing a phase 1 single-center POIT study. We examined dendritic cells at baseline, 6-, 12-, 18- and 24-weeks after initiation of POIT and responders of therapy were compared to non-responders and healthy controls. The distribution frequency of myeloid DCs (mDCs) and plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) from peripheral blood samples were measured in vitro. A general linear mixed model was used, and included fixed effects for cohort (responder, non-responder, or healthy control), time (0-, 6-, 12-, 18-, and 24-weeks), and the cohort-time interaction term. P-values were adjusted for multiple hypothesis testing using Tukey's method. We observed that POIT responders had reduced TNFa producing myeloid dendritic cells (mDCs) compared to non-responders. Additionally, non-responders had increased OX40L expressing mDCs at 18-weeks compared to responders. In conclusion, our findings suggest that a reduced pro-inflammatory phenotype in DCs could potentially serve as a predictor of early outcome and success of POIT desensitization.

Thermal tolerance and preference are both consistent with the clinal distribution of house fly proto-Y chromosomes.

Selection pressures can vary within localized areas and across massive geographical scales. Temperature is one of the best studied ecologically variable abiotic factors that can affect selection pressures across multiple spatial scales. Organisms rely on physiological (thermal tolerance) and behavioral (thermal preference) mechanisms to thermoregulate in response to environmental temperature. In addition, spatial heterogeneity in temperatures can select for local adaptation in thermal tolerance, thermal preference, or both. However, the concordance between thermal tolerance and preference across genotypes and sexes within species and across populations is greatly understudied. The house fly, Musca domestica, is a well-suited system to examine how genotype and environment interact to affect thermal tolerance and preference. Across multiple continents, house fly males from higher latitudes tend to carry the male-determining gene on the Y chromosome, whereas those from lower latitudes usually have the male determiner on the third chromosome. We tested whether these two male-determining chromosomes differentially affect thermal tolerance and preference as predicted by their geographical distributions. We identify effects of genotype and developmental temperature on male thermal tolerance and preference that are concordant with the natural distributions of the chromosomes, suggesting that temperature variation across the species range contributes to the maintenance of the polymorphism. In contrast, female thermal preference is bimodal and largely independent of congener male genotypes. These sexually dimorphic thermal preferences suggest that temperature-dependent mating dynamics within populations could further affect the distribution of the two chromosomes. Together, the differences in thermal tolerance and preference across sexes and male genotypes suggest that different selection pressures may affect the frequencies of the male-determining chromosomes across different spatial scales.

Memory and naïve gamma delta regulatory T-cell gene expression in the first 24-weeks of peanut oral immunotherapy.

BACKGROUND: Peanut oral immunotherapy (POIT) has provided desensitization to peanut allergic individuals. Limited immunological evaluation exists during the first 24-weeks of POIT. OBJECTIVE: Regulatory T-cells (Tregs) are antigen induced immunosuppressive T-cells important in establishing tolerance. Delineation of early immunologic changes contributing to the development of peanut desensitization would help clarify the mechanism of action in POIT. We performed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) on Tregs in pediatric subjects undergoing POIT during the first 24-weeks of therapy to evaluate early immunological changes induced by POIT. METHODS: PBMC samples from peanut allergic subjects between 5 and 12 years of age enrolled in a Phase 1/2a POIT study were collected and analyzed at 0, 6, and 24-weeks after POIT initiation and samples were compared to healthy non-peanut allergic controls. Tregs were enriched from PBMCs and scRNAseq analysis performed. Cell Ranger 3.1.0 (10× Genomics) was utilized to identify cell clusters and differentially expressed genes, and results were analyzed with Seurat suite version 3.0.0. RESULTS: Gene analysis revealed 10 major clusters corresponding to different cell types observed to change during POIT when compared to the healthy, non-peanut-allergic state. scRNAseq analysis of Tregs revealed strong CD3G expression correlating with gdTregs. scRNAseq analysis of gdTregs revealed dynamic changes occurring within the first 6-weeks of treatment and cell frequencies of naïve and memory gdTregs at 24-weeks of treatment reducing to levels similar to healthy controls. Analysis of transcriptomic cell identity analysis using SingleR showed gene expression in gdTregs similar to healthy control after 24-weeks of POIT treatment. scRNAseq analysis revealed alterations in gene expression for memory and naïve gdTregs during this timeframe. Specifically, expression of OX40R (TNFRSF4), GITR (TNFRSF18), TGFB1, CTLA4, ISG20, CD69 were upregulated in memory gdTregs compared to naive gdTregs by 24-weeks of POIT, while IL7R and SELL were downregulated in memory gdTregs compared to naïve gdTregs. CONCLUSIONS: There are specific expression profiles of peripheral naïve and mature gdTreg cells in peanut allergic patients undergoing POIT in the first 24-weeks of treatment implicating pathways involved in maintenance of immune homeostasis. gdTreg cells may contribute to the tolerogenic effect of POIT within the first 24-weeks of POIT treatment. These findings suggest that gdTregs cells may be an early marker of desensitization in subjects undergoing POIT.