Genetic characterization of a missense mutation in the X-linked TAF7L gene identified in an oligozoospermic man†.

Although hundreds of knockout mice show infertility as a major phenotype, the causative genic mutations of male infertility in humans remain rather limited. Here, we report the identification of a missense mutation (D136G) in the X-linked TAF7L gene as a potential cause of oligozoospermia in men. The human aspartate (D136) is evolutionally conserved across species, and its change to glycine (G) is predicted to be detrimental. Genetic complementation experiments in budding yeast demonstrate that the conserved aspartate or its analogous asparagine (N) residue in yeast TAF7 is essential for cell viability and thus its mutation to G is lethal. Although the corresponding D144G substitution in the mouse Taf7l gene does not affect male fertility, RNA-seq analyses reveal alterations in transcriptomic profiles in the Taf7l (D144G) mutant testes. These results support TAF7L mutation as a risk factor for oligozoospermia in humans.

Distinct Responses of Stem Cells to Telomere Uncapping-A Potential Strategy to Improve the Safety of Cell Therapy.

In most human somatic cells, the lack of telomerase activity results in progressive telomere shortening during each cell division. Eventually, DNA damage responses triggered by critically short telomeres induce an irreversible cell cycle arrest termed replicative senescence. However, the cellular responses of human pluripotent stem cells to telomere uncapping remain unknown. We generated telomerase knockout human embryonic stem (ES) cells through gene targeting. Telomerase inactivation in ES cells results in progressive telomere shortening. Telomere DNA damage in ES cells and neural progenitor cells induces rapid apoptosis when telomeres are uncapped, in contrast to fibroblast cells that enter a state of replicative senescence. Significantly, telomerase inactivation limits the proliferation capacity of human ES cells without affecting their pluripotency. By targeting telomerase activity, we can functionally separate the two unique properties of human pluripotent stem cells, namely unlimited self-renewal and pluripotency. We show that the potential of ES cells to form teratomas in vivo is dictated by their telomere length. By controlling telomere length of ES cells through telomerase inactivation, we can inhibit teratoma formation and potentially improve the safety of cell therapies involving terminally differentiated cells as well as specific progenitor cells that do not require sustained cellular proliferation in vivo, and thus sustained telomerase activity. Stem Cells 2016;34:2471-2484.

Differential pulmonary transcriptomic profiles in murine lungs infected with low and highly virulent influenza H3N2 viruses reveal dysregulation of TREM1 signaling, cytokines, and chemokines.

Investigating the relationships between critical influenza viral mutations contributing to increased virulence and host expression factors will shed light on the process of severe pathogenesis from the systems biology perspective. We previously generated a mouse-adapted, highly virulent influenza (HVI) virus through serial lung-to-lung passaging of a human influenza H3N2 virus strain that causes low virulent influenza (LVI) in murine lungs. This HVI virus is characterized by enhanced replication kinetics, severe lung injury, and systemic spread to major organs. Our gene microarray investigations compared the host transcriptomic responses of murine lungs to LVI virus and its HVI descendant at 12, 48, and 96 h following infection. More intense expression of genes associated with cytokine activity, type 1 interferon response, and apoptosis was evident in HVI at all time-points. We highlighted dysregulation of the TREM1 signaling pathway (an amplifier of cytokine production) that is likely to be upregulated in infiltrating neutrophils in HVI-infected lungs. The cytokine gene expression changes were corroborated by elevated levels of multiple cytokine and chemokine proteins in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of infected mice, especially at 12 h post-infection. Concomitantly, the downregulation of genes that mediate proliferative, developmental, and metabolic processes likely contributed to the lethality of HVI as well as lack of lung repair. Overall, our comparative transcriptomic study provided insights into key host factors that influence the dynamics, pathogenesis, and outcome of severe influenza.

HoxC5 and miR-615-3p target newly evolved genomic regions to repress hTERT and inhibit tumorigenesis.

The repression of telomerase activity during cellular differentiation promotes replicative aging and functions as a physiological barrier for tumorigenesis in long-lived mammals, including humans. However, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unclear. Here we describe how miR-615-3p represses hTERT expression. mir-615-3p is located in an intron of the HOXC5 gene, a member of the highly conserved homeobox family of transcription factors controlling embryogenesis and development. Unexpectedly, we found that HoxC5 also represses hTERT expression by disrupting the long-range interaction between hTERT promoter and its distal enhancer. The 3'UTR of hTERT and its upstream enhancer region are well conserved in long-lived primates. Both mir-615-3p and HOXC5 are activated upon differentiation, which constitute a feed-forward loop that coordinates transcriptional and post-transcriptional repression of hTERT during cellular differentiation. Deregulation of HOXC5 and mir-615-3p expression may contribute to the activation of hTERT in human cancers.

Integrative analysis of head and neck cancer identifies two biologically distinct HPV and three non-HPV subtypes.

PURPOSE: Current classification of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) based on anatomic site and stage fails to capture biologic heterogeneity or adequately inform treatment. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Here, we use gene expression-based consensus clustering, copy number profiling, and human papillomavirus (HPV) status on a clinically homogenous cohort of 134 locoregionally advanced HNSCCs with 44% HPV(+) tumors together with additional cohorts, which in total comprise 938 tumors, to identify HNSCC subtypes and discover several subtype-specific, translationally relevant characteristics. RESULTS: We identified five subtypes of HNSCC, including two biologically distinct HPV subtypes. One HPV(+) and one HPV(-) subtype show a prominent immune and mesenchymal phenotype. Prominent tumor infiltration with CD8(+) lymphocytes characterizes this inflamed/mesenchymal subtype, independent of HPV status. Compared with other subtypes, the two HPV subtypes show low expression and no copy number events for EGFR/HER ligands. In contrast, the basal subtype is uniquely characterized by a prominent EGFR/HER signaling phenotype, negative HPV-status, as well as strong hypoxic differentiation not seen in other subtypes. CONCLUSION: Our five-subtype classification provides a comprehensive overview of HPV(+) as well as HPV(-) HNSCC biology with significant translational implications for biomarker development and personalized care for patients with HNSCC.