Association of maternal genetics with the gut microbiome and eucalypt diet selection in captive koalas.

Background: Koalas, an Australian arboreal marsupial, depend on eucalypt tree leaves for their diet. They selectively consume only a few of the hundreds of available eucalypt species. Since the koala gut microbiome is essential for the digestion and detoxification of eucalypts, their individual differences in the gut microbiome may lead to variations in their eucalypt selection and eucalypt metabolic capacity. However, research focusing on the relationship between the gut microbiome and differences in food preferences is very limited. We aimed to determine whether individual and regional differences exist in the gut microbiome of koalas as well as the mechanism by which these differences influence eucalypt selection. Methods: Foraging data were collected from six koalas and a total of 62 feces were collected from 15 koalas of two zoos in Japan. The mitochondrial phylogenetic analysis was conducted to estimate the mitochondrial maternal origin of each koala. In addition, the 16S-based gut microbiome of 15 koalas was analyzed to determine the composition and diversity of each koala's gut microbiome. We used these data to investigate the relationship among mitochondrial maternal origin, gut microbiome and eucalypt diet selection. Results and Discussion: This research revealed that diversity and composition of the gut microbiome and that eucalypt diet selection of koalas differs among regions. We also revealed that the gut microbiome alpha diversity was correlated with foraging diversity in koalas. These individual and regional differences would result from vertical (maternal) transmission of the gut microbiome and represent an intraspecific variation in koala foraging strategies. Further, we demonstrated that certain gut bacteria were strongly correlated with both mitochondrial maternal origin and eucalypt foraging patterns. Bacteria found to be associated with mitochondrial maternal origin included bacteria involved in fiber digestion and degradation of secondary metabolites, such as the families Rikenellaceae and Synergistaceae. These bacteria may cause differences in metabolic capacity between individual and regional koalas and influence their eucalypt selection. Conclusion: We showed that the characteristics (composition and diversity) of the gut microbiome and eucalypt diet selection of koalas differ by individuals and regional origins as we expected. In addition, some gut bacteria that could influence eucalypt foraging of koalas showed the relationships with both mitochondrial maternal origin and eucalypt foraging pattern. These differences in the gut microbiome between regional origins may make a difference in eucalypt selection. Given the importance of the gut microbiome to koalas foraging on eucalypts and their strong symbiotic relationship, future studies should focus on the symbiotic relationship and coevolution between koalas and the gut microbiome to understand individual and regional differences in eucalypt diet selection by koalas.

Context-dependent modification of PFKFB3 in hematopoietic stem cells promotes anaerobic glycolysis and ensures stress hematopoiesis.

Metabolic pathways are plastic and rapidly change in response to stress or perturbation. Current metabolic profiling techniques require lysis of many cells, complicating the tracking of metabolic changes over time after stress in rare cells such as hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Here, we aimed to identify the key metabolic enzymes that define differences in glycolytic metabolism between steady-state and stress conditions in murine HSCs and elucidate their regulatory mechanisms. Through quantitative 13C metabolic flux analysis of glucose metabolism using high-sensitivity glucose tracing and mathematical modeling, we found that HSCs activate the glycolytic rate-limiting enzyme phosphofructokinase (PFK) during proliferation and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) inhibition. Real-time measurement of ATP levels in single HSCs demonstrated that proliferative stress or OXPHOS inhibition led to accelerated glycolysis via increased activity of PFKFB3, the enzyme regulating an allosteric PFK activator, within seconds to meet ATP requirements. Furthermore, varying stresses differentially activated PFKFB3 via PRMT1-dependent methylation during proliferative stress and via AMPK-dependent phosphorylation during OXPHOS inhibition. Overexpression of Pfkfb3 induced HSC proliferation and promoted differentiated cell production, whereas inhibition or loss of Pfkfb3 suppressed them. This study reveals the flexible and multilayered regulation of HSC glycolytic metabolism to sustain hematopoiesis under stress and provides techniques to better understand the physiological metabolism of rare hematopoietic cells.

Comprehensive genetic profiling reveals frequent alterations of driver genes on the X chromosome in extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma.

Extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTCL) is an Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-related neoplasm with male dominance and a poor prognosis. A better understanding of the genetic alterations and their functional roles in ENKTCL could help improve patient stratification and treatments. Here, we performed comprehensive genetic analysis of 177 ENKTCL cases to delineate the landscape of mutations, copy number alterations (CNAs), and structural variations, identifying 34 driver genes including six previously unappreciated ones, namely HLA-B, HLA-C, ROBO1, CD58, POT1, and MAP2K1. Among them, CD274 (24%) was the most frequently altered, followed by TP53 (20%), CDKN2A (19%), ARID1A (15%), HLA-A (15%), BCOR (14%), and MSN (14%). Chromosome X (chrX) losses were the most common arm-level CNAs in females (~40%), and alterations of four X-linked driver genes (MSN, BCOR, DDX3X, and KDM6A) were more frequent in males and females harboring chrX losses. Among X-linked drivers, MSN was the most recurrently altered, and its expression was lost in approximately one-third of cases using immunohistochemical analysis. Functional studies of human cell lines demonstrated that MSN disruption promoted cell proliferation and NF-κB activation. Moreover, MSN inactivation increased sensitivity to NF-κB inhibition in vitro and in vivo. In addition, recurrent deletions were observed at the origin of replication in the EBV genome (6%). Finally, by integrating the 34 drivers and 19 significant arm-level CNAs, non-negative matrix factorization and consensus clustering identified two molecular groups with different genetic features and prognosis irrespective of clinical prognostic factors. Together, these findings could help improve diagnostic and therapeutic strategies in ENKTCL.

Pan-Cancer Comparative and Integrative Analyses of Driver Alterations Using Japanese and International Genomic Databases.

Using 48,627 samples from the Center for Cancer Genomics and Advanced Therapeutics (C-CAT), we present a pan-cancer landscape of driver alterations and their clinical actionability in Japanese patients. Comparison with White patients in Genomics Evidence Neoplasia Information Exchange (GENIE) demonstrates high TP53 mutation frequencies in Asian patients across multiple cancer types. Integration of C-CAT, GENIE, and The Cancer Genome Atlas data reveals many cooccurring and mutually exclusive relationships between driver mutations. At pathway level, mutations in epigenetic regulators frequently cooccur with PI3K pathway molecules. Furthermore, we found significant cooccurring mutations within the epigenetic pathway. Accumulation of mutations in epigenetic regulators causes increased proliferation-related transcriptomic signatures. Loss-of-function of many epigenetic drivers inhibits cell proliferation in their wild-type cell lines, but this effect is attenuated in those harboring mutations of not only the same but also different epigenetic drivers. Our analyses dissect various genetic properties and provide valuable resources for precision medicine in cancer. SIGNIFICANCE: We present a genetic landscape of 26 principal cancer types/subtypes, including Asian-prevalent ones, in Japanese patients. Multicohort data integration unveils numerous cooccurring and exclusive relationships between driver mutations, identifying cooccurrence of multiple mutations in epigenetic regulators, which coordinately cause transcriptional and phenotypic changes. These findings provide insights into epigenetic regulator-driven oncogenesis. This article is featured in Selected Articles from This Issue, p. 695.

O-Linked N-Acetylglucosamine Transferase Ensures Survival of Mouse Fetal Liver Hematopoietic Progenitors Partly by Regulating Bcl-xL and Oxidative Phosphorylation.

O-linked N-acetylglucosamine transferase (OGT) critically regulates wide variety of biological processes such as gene expression, metabolism, stress response, signaling and proteostasis. In adult hematopoiesis, OGT is crucial for differentiation of B and T cells and the maintenance of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). However, a role for OGT in fetal liver (FL) hematopoiesis remains unknown. To investigate a role for OGT in FL hematopoiesis, we conditionally disrupted OGT in hematopoietic cells in developing FLs. Hematopoietic specific disruption of OGT resulted in embryonic lethality in late stage of gestation due to severe anemia and growth retardation. OGT loss led to profound reduction of differentiating erythroid cells and erythroid progenitors in FLs due to massive apoptosis. In addition, clonogenic capacity of FL cells was severely impaired by OGT loss. Interestingly, expression of BCL-XL, a well-known inhibitor of apoptosis in FL cells, dramatically decreased, and the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were increased in OGT-deficient FL cells. Overexpression of Bcl-xL and reduction of ROS significantly restored the colony formation of OGT-deficient FL cells. This study revealed a novel role for OGT during embryogenesis, which ensures survival of FL hematopoietic cells partly by regulating Bcl-xL and oxidative phosphorylation.

Acute peritonitis caused by the acute pancreatitis of an ectopic pancreas in a jejunal duplication, in an adult with intestinal malrotation: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Intestinal duplication and ectopic pancreas are two rare independent congenital anomalies. Few reports describe cases of patients with ectopic pancreas in an intestinal duplication causing acute peritonitis. CASE PRESENTATION: A 31-year-old man was admitted to the hospital for epigastric pain. The patient was diagnosed with acute peritonitis caused by the acute pancreatitis of an ectopic pancreas in a jejunal duplication, with intestinal malrotation. The patient underwent the partial resection of the jejunum and Ladd's procedure. The histopathological findings indicated ectopic pancreatitis in the jejunal duplication. CONCLUSIONS: We presented the case of acute peritonitis caused by the acute pancreatitis of an ectopic pancreas in a jejunal duplication in an adult with intestinal malrotation. Surgery is the primary treatment and is necessary for a definitive diagnosis.

Invasive Haemophilus influenzae disease among adults in Japan during 2014-2018.

PURPOSE: We describe the epidemiology of invasive Haemophilus influenzae disease (IHD) among adults in Japan. METHODS: Data for 200 adult IHD patients in 2014-2018 were analyzed. The capsular type of H. influenzae was determined by bacterial agglutination and polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) was identified by PCR. RESULTS: The annual incidence of IHD (cases per 100,000 population) was 0.12 for age 15-64 years and 0.88 for age ≥ 65 years in 2018. The median age was 77 years, and 73.5% were aged ≥ 65 years. About one-fourth of patients were associated with immunocompromising condition. The major presentations were pneumonia, followed by bacteremia, meningitis and other than pneumonia or meningitis (other diseases). The case fatality rate (CFR) was 21.2% for all cases, and was significantly higher in the ≥ 65-year group (26.1%) than in the 15-64-year group (7.5%) (p = 0.013). The percentage of cases with pneumonia was significantly higher in the ≥ 65-year group than in the 15-64-year group (p < 0.001). The percentage of cases with bacteremia was significantly higher in the 15-64-year group than in the ≥ 65-year group (p = 0.027). Of 200 isolates, 190 (95.0%) were NTHi strains, and the other strains were encapsulated strains. 71 (35.5%) were resistant to ampicillin, but all were susceptible to ceftriaxone. CONCLUSION: The clinical presentations of adult IHD patients varied widely; about three-fourths of patients were age ≥ 65 years and their CFR was high. Our findings support preventing strategies for IHD among older adults, including the development of NTHi vaccine.

ABCG2, CD44 and SOX9 are increased with the acquisition of drug resistance and involved in cancer stem cell activities in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cells.

Cancer stem cells are a sub-population of cancer cells with self-renewal activity that play key roles in tumor resistance to chemotherapy and radiation. Several cancer stem cell markers have been identified to correlate with clinical prognosis. However, which marker is associated with which cancer stem cell characteristic is unclear. The present study aimed to clarify the relationship between cancer stem cell markers associated with drug resistance acquisition and the characteristics of cancer stem cells. We generated cisplatin-resistant head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cells by culturing cells in increasing concentrations of cisplatin. The cisplatin-resistant head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cells also acquired multidrug resistance and were named resistant HSC-3 (R HSC-3) cells. R HSC-3 showed no differences in cell proliferation or cell cycle distributions compared with parental cells. R HSC-3 cells showed increased drug excretion ability and elevated expression of ATP-binding cassette subfamily G member 2 (ABCG2), a drug excretion pump. R HSC-3 cells also highly expressed CD44, a cancer stem cell marker, and exhibited enhanced cell invasion and spheroid formation abilities. Furthermore, the stem cell-related factor SRY-box transcription factor 9 (SOX9) was identified as increased in R HSC-3 cells by microarray analysis. Knockdown experiments showed that SOX9 and ABCG2 were involved in the drug excretion ability of R HSC3 cells and ABCG2 was involved in the spheroid formation ability of R HSC-3 cells. These results indicate that CD44, SOX9 and ABCG2 expression levels were enhanced in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cells that acquired multidrug resistance and that these molecules are important for maintaining cancer stem cell characteristics. Overall, regulating CD44, SOX9 and ABCG2 may be a strategy to inhibit cancer stem cells.

Molecular Evolution of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa DNA Gyrase gyrA Gene.

DNA gyrase plays important roles in genome replication in various bacteria, including Pseudomonasaeruginosa. The gyrA gene encodes the gyrase subunit A protein (GyrA). Mutations in GyrA are associated with resistance to quinolone-based antibiotics. We performed a detailed molecular evolutionary analyses of the gyrA gene and associated resistance to the quinolone drug, ciprofloxacin, using bioinformatics techniques. We produced an evolutionary phylogenetic tree using the Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method. This tree indicated that a common ancestor of the gene was present over 760 years ago, and the offspring formed multiple clusters. Quinolone drug-resistance-associated amino-acid substitutions in GyrA, including T83I and D87N, emerged after the drug was used clinically. These substitutions appeared to be positive selection sites. The molecular affinity between ciprofloxacin and the GyrA protein containing T83I and/or D87N decreased significantly compared to that between the drug and GyrA protein, with no substitutions. The rate of evolution of the gene before quinolone drugs were first used in the clinic, in 1962, was significantly lower than that after the drug was used. These results suggest that the gyrA gene evolved to permit the bacterium to overcome quinolone treatment.

Development of a Flexible MEMS Sensor for Subsonic Flow.

Detection and control of flow separation is a key to improving the efficiency of fluid machinery. In this study, we developed a flexible MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) sensor for measuring the wall shear stress and flow angle in subsonic airflow. The developed sensor is made of a flexible polyimide film and a microheater surrounded by three temperature sensor pairs. The sensor measures the wall shear stress from the heater output and the flow angle from the temperature gradient around the heater. The geometry and design of the heater and temperature sensors were determined based on numerical simulations. To evaluate the validity of the sensor, we conducted an experiment to measure the wall shear stress and the flow angle in a wind tunnel in different velocities ranging from 30 m/s to 170 m/s, equivalent to Mach numbers from 0.1 to 0.5. The heater output was proportional to one-third power of the wall shear stress. Additionally, the bridge output correlating the temperature difference between two opposing temperature sensors showed sinusoidal variation depending on the flow angle. Consequently, we have clarified that the developed sensor can measure both the wall shear stress and flow direction in subsonic flow.

Single-cell transcriptomes underscore genetically distinct tumor characteristics and microenvironment for hereditary kidney cancers.

Our understanding of how each hereditary kidney cancer adapts to its tissue microenvironment is incomplete. Here, we present single-cell transcriptomes of 108,342 cells from patient specimens including from six hereditary kidney cancers. The transcriptomes displayed distinct characteristics of the cell of origin and unique tissue microenvironment for each hereditary kidney cancer. Of note, hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell carcinoma (HLRCC)-associated kidney cancer retained some characteristics of proximal tubules, which were completely lost in lymph node metastases and present as an avascular tumor with suppressed T cells and TREM2-high macrophages, leading to immune tolerance. Birt-Hogg-Dubé (BHD)-associated kidney cancer exhibited transcriptomic intratumor heterogeneity (tITH) with increased characteristics of intercalated cells of the collecting duct and upregulation of FOXI1-driven genes, a critical transcription factor for collecting duct differentiation. These findings facilitate our understanding of how hereditary kidney cancers adapt to their tissue microenvironment.

MDS cells impair osteolineage differentiation of MSCs via extracellular vesicles to suppress normal hematopoiesis.

Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is a clonal disorder of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), characterized by ineffective hematopoiesis and frequent progression to leukemia. It has long remained unresolved how MDS cells, which are less proliferative, inhibit normal hematopoiesis and eventually dominate the bone marrow space. Despite several studies implicating mesenchymal stromal or stem cells (MSCs), a principal component of the HSC niche, in the inhibition of normal hematopoiesis, the molecular mechanisms underlying this process remain unclear. Here, we demonstrate that both human and mouse MDS cells perturb bone metabolism by suppressing the osteolineage differentiation of MSCs, which impairs the ability of MSCs to support normal HSCs. Enforced MSC differentiation rescues the suppressed normal hematopoiesis in both in vivo and in vitro MDS models. Intriguingly, the suppression effect is reversible and mediated by extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from MDS cells. These findings shed light on the novel MDS EV-MSC axis in ineffective hematopoiesis.

High-power laser irradiation for high-temperature in situ transmission electron microscopy.

We developed high temperature in situ transmission electron microscopy using a high-density laser irradiation device (nominal maximum laser density ~9.4 GW/m2) and a corresponding heat shielding sample mount device. The spatial line resolution of the microscope was maintained to be 0.14 nm at ambient temperatures after the installation of the laser irradiation device. The system was applied to the investigation of high temperature structural variation in tungsten plates. When the laser power was increased up to irradiation densities of approximately 61-280 MW/m2 (laser source output: 130-590 mW) to degrade tungsten plates, the microscope was undamaged. The surface dynamics was observed in situ by lattice imaging at irradiation densities of approximately 61-75 MW/m2 (laser source output: 130-160 mW); the spatial line resolution of the microscope was maintained to be 0.23 nm at high temperatures. It was expected that high temperature observation is realized using this heating system, which can be applied to the investigation of various advanced heat-resistant materials. We found using this heating system that degradation in tungsten plates started from surfaces and progressed through the preferential generation of characteristic defects, such as atomistic and nanometer holes and rods, and their subsequent evolution in thinner regions during the heating. It was demonstrated that the holes and rod were truncated with {110} sidewalls, i.e., these surfaces were stable in tungsten at high temperatures.

Diversification of Escherichia albertii H-Antigens and Development of H-Genotyping PCR.

Escherichia albertii is a recently recognized human enteropathogen that is closely related to Escherichia coli. As E. albertii sometimes causes outbreaks of gastroenteritis, rapid strain typing systems, such as the O- and H-serotyping systems widely used for E. coli, will be useful for outbreak investigation and surveillance. Although an O-genotyping system has recently been developed, the diversity of E. albertii H-antigens (flagellins) encoded by fliC genes remains to be systematically investigated, and no H-serotyping or genotyping system is currently available. Here, we analyzed the fliC genes of 243 genome-sequenced E. albertii strains and identified 73 sequence types, which were grouped into four clearly distinguishable types designated E. albertii H-genotypes 1-4 (EAHg1-EAHg4). Although there was a clear sign of intraspecies transfer of fliC genes in E. albertii, none of the four E. albertii H-genotypes (EAHgs) were closely related to any of the 53 known E. coli H-antigens, indicating the absence or rare occurrence of interspecies transfer of fliC genes between the two species. Although the analysis of more E. albertii strains will be required to confirm the low level of variation in their fliC genes, this finding suggests that E. albertii may exist in limited natural hosts or environments and/or that the flagella of E. albertii may function in a limited stage(s) in their life cycle. Based on the fliC sequences of the four EAHgs, we developed a multiplex PCR-based H-genotyping system for E. albertii (EAH-genotyping PCR), which will be useful for epidemiological studies of E. albertii infections.

Compromised anti-tumor-immune features of myeloid cell components in chronic myeloid leukemia patients.

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a form of myeloproliferative neoplasm caused by the oncogenic tyrosine kinase BCR-ABL. Although tyrosine kinase inhibitors have dramatically improved the prognosis of patients with CML, several problems such as resistance and recurrence still exist. Immunological control may contribute to solving these problems, and it is important to understand why CML patients fail to spontaneously develop anti-tumor immunity. Here, we show that differentiation of conventional dendritic cells (cDCs), which are vital for anti-tumor immunity, is restricted from an early stage of hematopoiesis in CML. In addition, we found that monocytes and basophils, which are increased in CML patients, express high levels of PD-L1, an immune checkpoint molecule that inhibits T cell responses. Moreover, RNA-sequencing analysis revealed that basophils express genes related to poor prognosis in CML. Our data suggest that BCR-ABL not only disrupts the "accelerator" (i.e., cDCs) but also applies the "brake" (i.e., monocytes and basophils) of anti-tumor immunity, compromising the defense against CML cells.

Whole Genome Analysis Detects the Emergence of a Single Salmonella enterica Serovar Chester Clone in Japan's Kanto Region.

In Japan's Kanto region, the number of Salmonella enterica serovar Chester infections increased temporarily between 2014 and 2016. Concurrently with this temporal increase in the Kanto region, S. Chester isolates belonging to one clonal group were causing repetitive outbreaks in Europe. A recent study reported that the European outbreaks were associated with travelers who had been exposed to contaminated food in Morocco, possibly seafood. Because Japan imports a large amount of seafood from Morocco, we aimed to establish whether the temporal increase in S. Chester infections in the Kanto region was associated with imported Moroccan seafood. Short sequence reads from the whole-genome sequencing of 47 S. Chester isolates from people in the Kanto region (2014-2016), and the additional genome sequences from 58 isolates from the European outbreaks, were analyzed. The reads were compared with the complete genome sequence from a S. Chester reference strain, and 347 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified. These SNPs were used in this study. Cluster and Bayesian cluster analyses showed that the Japanese and European isolates fell into two different clusters. Therefore, Φ PT and I A S values were calculated to evaluate genetic differences between these clusters. The results revealed that the Japanese and European isolates were genetically distinct populations. Our root-to-tip analysis showed that the Japanese isolates originating from one clone had accumulated mutations, suggesting that an emergence of this organism occurred. A minimum spanning tree analysis demonstrated no correlation between genetic and geographical distances in the Japanese isolates, suggesting that the emergence of the serovar in the Kanto region did not involve person-to-person contact; rather, it occurred through food consumption. The d N /d S ratio indicated that the Japanese strain has evolved under positive selection pressure. Generally, a population of bacterial clones in a reservoir faces negative selection pressure. Therefore, the Japanese strain must have existed outside of any reservoir during its emergence. In conclusion, S. Chester isolates originating from one clone probably emerged in the Kanto region via the consumption of contaminated foods other than imported Moroccan seafood. The emerging strain may have not established a reservoir for survival in the food supply chain resulting in its disappearance after 2017.

Transmission of extended-spectrum cephalosporin-resistant Salmonella harboring a blaCMY-2-carrying IncA/C2 plasmid chromosomally integrated by ISEcp1 or IS26 in layer breeding chains in Japan.

Dissemination of extended-spectrum cephalosporin (ESC)-resistant Salmonella is a public health concern in the egg production industry. ESC-resistant Salmonella often acquires the bla gene via insertion sequences (ISs). Therefore, this study aimed to assess antimicrobial resistance in Salmonella from Japanese layer breeding chains and egg processing chains, and determine the genetic profiles of IS-like elements in ESC-resistant Salmonella. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed on 224 isolates from 49 facilities involving layer breeder farms, hatcheries, pullet-rearing farms, and layer farms in breeding chains along with egg processing chains. ESC-resistant Salmonella strains were whole-genome sequenced. Among them, 40 (17.9%) were resistant to at least streptomycin, tetracycline, ampicillin, chloramphenicol, cefpodoxime, nalidixic acid, ciprofloxacin, and/or kanamycin despite lacking resistance to azithromycin and meropenem. Moreover, 15 were ESC-resistant Salmonella harboring blaCMY-2 (Salmonella enterica serovar Ohio, n=12; S. Braenderup, n=1; untypeable with O7:b:-, n=1) and blaCTX-M-14 (S. Cerro, n=1). IncA/C2 plasmids containing ISEcp1, IS26, and multiple antimicrobial resistance genes (including blaCMY-2) were identified in S. Ohio isolates from pullet-rearing and layer farms belonging to the same company. Chromosomal integration of partial or whole IncA/C2 plasmids was seen with two S. Ohio isolates via ISEcp1 or IS26, respectively. Antimicrobial resistance genes such as blaCMY-2 might be transmitted among the upper and the lower levels of layer breeding chains via the replicon type IncA/C2 plasmids containing ISEcp1 and IS26.

O-GlcNAcylation: Implications in normal and malignant hematopoiesis.

Posttranslational protein modification through addition of the O-linked ß-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (O-GlcNAc) moiety to serine or threonine residues, termed O-GlcNAcylation, is a highly dynamic process conserved throughout eukaryotes. O-GlcNAcylation is reversibly catalyzed by a single pair of enzymes, O-GlcNAc transferase and O-GlcNAcase, and it acts as a fundamental regulator for a wide variety of biological processes including gene expression, cell cycle regulation, metabolism, stress response, cellular signaling, epigenetics, and proteostasis. O-GlcNAcylation is regulated by various intracellular or extracellular cues such as metabolic status, nutrient availability, and stress. Studies over decades have unveiled the profound biological significance of this unique protein modification in normal physiology and pathologic processes of diverse cell types or tissues. In hematopoiesis, recent studies have indicated the essential and pleiotropic roles of O-GlcNAcylation in differentiation, proliferation, and function of hematopoietic cells including T cells, B cells, myeloid progenitors, and hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. Moreover, aberrant O-GlcNAcylation is implicated in the development of hematologic malignancies with dysregulated epigenetics, metabolism, and gene transcription. Thus, it is now recognized that O-GlcNAcylation is one of the key regulators of normal and malignant hematopoiesis.

A RUNX-CBFß-driven enhancer directs the Irf8 dose-dependent lineage choice between DCs and monocytes.

The transcription factor IRF8 is essential for the development of monocytes and dendritic cells (DCs), whereas it inhibits neutrophilic differentiation. It is unclear how Irf8 expression is regulated and how this single transcription factor supports the generation of both monocytes and DCs. Here, we identified a RUNX-CBFß-driven enhancer 56 kb downstream of the Irf8 transcription start site. Deletion of this enhancer in vivo significantly decreased Irf8 expression throughout the myeloid lineage from the progenitor stages, thus resulting in loss of common DC progenitors and overproduction of Ly6C+ monocytes. We demonstrated that high, low or null expression of IRF8 in hematopoietic progenitor cells promotes differentiation toward type 1 conventional DCs, Ly6C+ monocytes or neutrophils, respectively, via epigenetic regulation of distinct sets of enhancers in cooperation with other transcription factors. Our results illustrate the mechanism through which IRF8 controls the lineage choice in a dose-dependent manner within the myeloid cell system.