Effects of pharmaceuticals compounds and calcium on granulation, microbiology, and performance of anaerobic granular sludge systems.

Granular sludge is a promising biotechnology to treat sewage contaminated with pharmaceuticals due to its increased toxicity resistance. In this context, this study evaluated the potential of Ca2+ as a granulation precursor and how pharmaceutical compounds (loratadine, prednisone, fluconazole, fenofibrate, betamethasone, 17α-ethinyl estradiol, and ketoprofen) affect granulation. Continuous and intermittent dosages of Ca2+ in the presence and absence of pharmaceuticals were evaluated. The results showed that intermittent addition of Ca2+ reduces the time for anaerobic sludge granulation, and pharmaceuticals presence did not impair granulation. 10% of the granules presented mean diameters greater than 2.11 mm within 93 days with intermittent Ca2+ dosage in the pharmaceuticals' presence. In contrast, no granules higher than 2.0 mm were observed with no precursor addition. The pharmaceuticals' toxicity may have created a stress condition for the microbial community, contributing to more EPS production and a greater potential for granulation. It was also verified that pharmaceuticals' presence did not decrease organic matter, total alkalinity, and volatile fatty acids removals. The 16S rRNA gene analysis revealed taxa resistance to recalcitrant compounds when pharmaceuticals were added. Besides, the efficiency of a granular sludge bioreactor (EGSB) was evaluated for pharmaceuticals removal, and betamethasone, fenofibrate, and prednisone were effectively removed.

O-Linked N-Acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) Transferase and O-GlcNAcase Interact with Mi2ß Protein at the Aγ-Globin Promoter.

One mode of γ-globin gene silencing involves a GATA-1·FOG-1·Mi2ß repressor complex that binds to the -566 GATA site relative to the (A)γ-globin gene cap site. However, the mechanism of how this repressor complex is assembled at the -566 GATA site is unknown. In this study, we demonstrate that the O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) processing enzymes, O-GlcNAc-transferase (OGT) and O-GlcNAcase (OGA), interact with the (A)γ-globin promoter at the -566 GATA repressor site; however, mutation of the GATA site to GAGA significantly reduces OGT and OGA promoter interactions in ß-globin locus yeast artificial chromosome (ß-YAC) bone marrow cells. When WT ß-YAC bone marrow cells are treated with the OGA inhibitor Thiamet-G, the occupancy of OGT, OGA, and Mi2ß at the (A)γ-globin promoter is increased. In addition, OGT and Mi2ß recruitment is increased at the (A)γ-globin promoter when γ-globin becomes repressed in postconception day E18 human ß-YAC transgenic mouse fetal liver. Furthermore, we show that Mi2ß is modified with O-GlcNAc, and both OGT and OGA interact with Mi2ß, GATA-1, and FOG-1. Taken together, our data suggest that O-GlcNAcylation is a novel mechanism of γ-globin gene regulation mediated by modulating the assembly of the GATA-1·FOG-1·Mi2ß repressor complex at the -566 GATA motif within the promoter.

Original Research: Generation of non-deletional hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin ß-globin locus yeast artificial chromosome transgenic mouse models: -175 Black HPFH and -195 Brazilian HPFH.

Fetal hemoglobin is a major genetic modifier of the phenotypic heterogeneity in patients with sickle cell disease and certain ß-thalassemias. Normal levels of fetal hemoglobin postnatally are approximately 1% of total hemoglobin. Patients who have hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin, characterized by elevated synthesis of γ-globin in adulthood, show reduced disease pathophysiology. Hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin is caused by ß-globin locus deletions (deletional hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin) or γ-globin gene promoter point mutations (non-deletional hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin). Current research has focused on elucidating the pathways involved in the maintenance/reactivation of γ-globin in adult life. To better understand these pathways, we generated new ß-globin locus yeast artificial chromosome transgenic mice bearing the (A)γ-globin -175 T > C or -195 C > G hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin mutations to model naturally occurring hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin. Adult -175 and -195 mutant ß-YAC mice displayed a hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin phenotype, as measured at the mRNA and protein levels. The molecular basis for these phenotypes was examined by chromatin immunoprecipitation of transcription factor/co-factor binding, including YY1, PAX1, TAL1, LMO2, and LDB1. In -175 HPFH versus wild-type samples, the occupancy of LMO2, TAL1 and LDB1 proteins was enriched in HPFH mice (5.8-fold, 5.2-fold and 2.7-fold, respectively), a result that concurs with a recent study in cell lines showing that these proteins form a complex with GATA-1 to mediate long-range interactions between the locus control region and the (A)γ-globin gene. Both hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin mutations result in a gain of (A)γ-globin activation, in contrast to other hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin mutations that result in a loss of repression. The mice provide additional tools to study γ-globin gene expression and may reveal new targets for selectively activating fetal hemoglobin.

A cell-based high-throughput screen for novel chemical inducers of fetal hemoglobin for treatment of hemoglobinopathies.

Decades of research have established that the most effective treatment for sickle cell disease (SCD) is increased fetal hemoglobin (HbF). Identification of a drug specific for inducing γ-globin expression in pediatric and adult patients, with minimal off-target effects, continues to be an elusive goal. One hurdle has been an assay amenable to a high-throughput screen (HTS) of chemicals that displays a robust γ-globin off-on switch to identify potential lead compounds. Assay systems developed in our labs to understand the mechanisms underlying the γ- to ß-globin gene expression switch during development has allowed us to generate a cell-based assay that was adapted for a HTS of 121,035 compounds. Using chemical inducer of dimerization (CID)-dependent bone marrow cells (BMCs) derived from human γ-globin promoter-firefly luciferase ß-globin promoter-Renilla luciferase ß-globin yeast artificial chromosome (γ-luc ß-luc ß-YAC) transgenic mice, we were able to identify 232 lead chemical compounds that induced γ-globin 2-fold or higher, with minimal or no ß-globin induction, minimal cytotoxicity and that did not directly influence the luciferase enzyme. Secondary assays in CID-dependent wild-type ß-YAC BMCs and human primary erythroid progenitor cells confirmed the induction profiles of seven of the 232 hits that were cherry-picked for further analysis.

Induction of Fetal Hemoglobin In Vivo Mediated by a Synthetic γ-Globin Zinc Finger Activator.

Sickle cell disease (SCD) and ß-thalassemia patients are phenotypically normal if they carry compensatory hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin (HPFH) mutations that result in increased levels of fetal hemoglobin (HbF, γ-globin chains) in adulthood. Thus, research has focused on manipulating the reactivation of γ-globin gene expression during adult definitive erythropoiesis as the most promising therapy to treat these hemoglobinopathies. Artificial transcription factors (ATFs) are synthetic proteins designed to bind at a specific DNA sequence and modulate gene expression. The artificial zinc finger gg1-VP64 was designed to target the -117 region of the (A)γ-globin gene proximal promoter and activate expression of this gene. Previous studies demonstrated that HbF levels were increased in murine chemical inducer of dimerization (CID)-dependent bone marrow cells carrying a human ß-globin locus yeast artificial chromosome (ß-YAC) transgene and in CD34(+) erythroid progenitor cells from normal donors and ß-thalassemia patients. Herein, we report that gg1-VP64 increased γ-globin gene expression in vivo, in peripheral blood samples from gg1-VP64 ß-YAC double-transgenic (bigenic) mice. Our results demonstrate that ATFs function in an animal model to increase gene expression. Thus, this class of reagent may be an effective gene therapy for treatment of some inherited diseases.

Mi2ß is required for γ-globin gene silencing: temporal assembly of a GATA-1-FOG-1-Mi2 repressor complex in ß-YAC transgenic mice.

Activation of γ-globin gene expression in adults is known to be therapeutic for sickle cell disease. Thus, it follows that the converse, alleviation of repression, would be equally effective, since the net result would be the same: an increase in fetal hemoglobin. A GATA-1-FOG-1-Mi2 repressor complex was recently demonstrated to be recruited to the -566 GATA motif of the (A)γ-globin gene. We show that Mi2ß is essential for γ-globin gene silencing using Mi2ß conditional knockout ß-YAC transgenic mice. In addition, increased expression of (A)γ-globin was detected in adult blood from ß-YAC transgenic mice containing a T>G HPFH point mutation at the -566 GATA silencer site. ChIP experiments demonstrated that GATA-1 is recruited to this silencer at day E16, followed by recruitment of FOG-1 and Mi2 at day E17 in wild-type ß-YAC transgenic mice. Recruitment of the GATA-1-mediated repressor complex was disrupted by the -566 HPFH mutation at developmental stages when it normally binds. Our data suggest that a temporal repression mechanism is operative in the silencing of γ-globin gene expression and that either a trans-acting Mi2ß knockout deletion mutation or the cis-acting -566 (A)γ-globin HPFH point mutation disrupts establishment of repression, resulting in continued γ-globin gene transcription during adult definitive erythropoiesis.

Systematic documentation and analysis of human genetic variation in hemoglobinopathies using the microattribution approach.

We developed a series of interrelated locus-specific databases to store all published and unpublished genetic variation related to hemoglobinopathies and thalassemia and implemented microattribution to encourage submission of unpublished observations of genetic variation to these public repositories. A total of 1,941 unique genetic variants in 37 genes, encoding globins and other erythroid proteins, are currently documented in these databases, with reciprocal attribution of microcitations to data contributors. Our project provides the first example of implementing microattribution to incentivise submission of all known genetic variation in a defined system. It has demonstrably increased the reporting of human variants, leading to a comprehensive online resource for systematically describing human genetic variation in the globin genes and other genes contributing to hemoglobinopathies and thalassemias. The principles established here will serve as a model for other systems and for the analysis of other common and/or complex human genetic diseases.

Silencing of Agamma-globin gene expression during adult definitive erythropoiesis mediated by GATA-1-FOG-1-Mi2 complex binding at the -566 GATA site.

Autonomous silencing of gamma-globin transcription is an important developmental regulatory mechanism controlling globin gene switching. An adult stage-specific silencer of the (A)gamma-globin gene was identified between -730 and -378 relative to the mRNA start site. A marked copy of the (A)gamma-globin gene inserted between locus control region 5' DNase I-hypersensitive site 1 and the epsilon-globin gene was transcriptionally silenced in adult beta-globin locus yeast artificial chromosome (beta-YAC) transgenic mice, but deletion of the 352-bp region restored expression. This fragment reduced reporter gene expression in K562 cells, and GATA-1 was shown to bind within this sequence at the -566 GATA site. Further, the Mi2 protein, a component of the NuRD complex, was observed in erythroid cells with low gamma-globin levels, whereas only a weak signal was detected when gamma-globin was expressed. Chromatin immunoprecipitation of fetal liver tissue from beta-YAC transgenic mice demonstrated that GATA-1, FOG-1, and Mi2 were recruited to the (A)gamma-globin -566 or (G)gamma-globin -567 GATA site when gamma-globin expression was low (day 18) but not when gamma-globin was expressed (day 12). These data suggest that during definitive erythropoiesis, gamma-globin gene expression is silenced, in part, by binding a protein complex containing GATA-1, FOG-1, and Mi2 at the -566/-567 GATA sites of the proximal gamma-globin promoters.