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Item 77822 PSD95-nNOS interaction alters the basolateral amygdala transcriptome following fear conditioning: implications for molecular mechanisms underlying PTSD(Cambridge University Press, 2021) Patel, Jheel; Haulcomb, Melissa; Li, Liangping; Jiang, Guanglong; Dustrude, Erik; Liu, Yunlong; Lai, Yvonne; Molosh, Andrei; Shekhar, Anantha; Medicine, School of MedicineABSTRACT IMPACT: This research takes a transcriptomic approach to parse genes and molecular pathways that underlie the fear memory circuitry and, in doing so, identifies therapeutic targets that can further be developed into treatments for fear disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder. OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Normal fear learning produces avoidance behavior that promotes survival, but excessive and persistent fear after trauma can lead to development of phobias and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Our goal is to understand the mechanism and identify novel genetic targets underlying fear responses. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Involvement of the basolateral amygdala (BLA) in fear acquisition is well established and requires activation of N-methyl-D-aspartic acid receptors (NMDARs). At a cellular level, NMDAR activation leads to production of nitric oxide (NO) by a process mediated by interaction between postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD95) and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS). To elucidate mechanisms underlying the role of the PSD95-nNOS-NO pathway in conditioned fear, here we use rodent behavioral paradigms, pharmacological treatment with a small molecule PSD95-nNOS inhibitor, RNA-sequencing, and an AAV-mediated knockdown of the nNOS gene in the BLA. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: We show that treatment with ZL006 attenuates rodent cued-fear consolidation. Additionally, with RNA-sequencing, expression of 516 genes was altered in the BLA following fear expression; of these genes, 83 were restored with systemic ZL006 treatment. Network data and gene ontology enrichment analyses further revealed that cGMP effects, insulin-like growth factor binding, and cognition-related pathways were significantly altered. Finally, we show that a BLA-specific knockdown of nNOS attenuates cued fear consolidation, without adverse effects on other memory and motor behaviors. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF FINDINGS: Via a model of NMDAR-mediated fear consolidation, our results reveal novel pathways and genetic targets that underlie plasticity of fear memory circuitry. Importantly, these results will inform future therapeutic strategies for targeting fear related disorders like PTSD.Item Item Association of genetically-predicted placental gene expression with adult blood pressure traits(Wolters Kluwer, 2023) Hellwege, Jacklyn N.; Stallings, Sarah C.; Piekos, Jacqueline A.; Jasper, Elizabeth A.; Aronoff, David M.; Edwards, Todd L.; Velez Edwards, Digna R.; Medicine, School of MedicineObjective: Blood pressure is a complex, polygenic trait, and the need to identify prehypertensive risks and new gene targets for blood pressure control therapies or prevention continues. We hypothesize a developmental origins model of blood pressure traits through the life course where the placenta is a conduit mediating genomic and nongenomic transmission of disease risk. Genetic control of placental gene expression has recently been described through expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) studies which have identified associations with childhood phenotypes. Methods: We conducted a transcriptome-wide gene expression analysis estimating the predicted gene expression of placental tissue in adult individuals with genome-wide association study (GWAS) blood pressure summary statistics. We constructed predicted expression models of 15 154 genes from reference placenta eQTL data and investigated whether genetically-predicted gene expression in placental tissue is associated with blood pressure traits using published GWAS summary statistics. Functional annotation of significant genes was generated using FUMA. Results: We identified 18, 9, and 21 genes where predicted expression in placenta was significantly associated with systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and pulse pressure (PP), respectively. There were 14 gene-tissue associations (13 unique genes) significant only in placenta. Conclusions: In this meta-analysis using S-PrediXcan and GWAS summary statistics, the predicted expression in placenta of 48 genes was statistically significantly associated with blood pressure traits. Notable findings included the association of FGFR1 expression with increased SBP and PP. This evidence of gene expression variation in placenta preceding the onset of adult blood pressure phenotypes is an example of extreme preclinical biological changes which may benefit from intervention.Item Both MisR (CpxR) and MisS (CpxA) Are Required for Neisseria gonorrhoeae Infection in a Murine Model of Lower Genital Tract Infection(American Society for Microbiology, 2017-08-18) Gangaiah, Dharanesh; Raterman, Erica L.; Wu, Hong; Fortney, Kate R.; Gao, Hongyu; Liu, Yunlong; Jerse, Ann E.; Spinola, Stanley M.; Microbiology and Immunology, School of MedicineDuring infection, Neisseria gonorrhoeae senses and responds to stress; such responses may be modulated by MisRS (NGO0177 and NGO0176), a two-component system that is a homolog of CpxRA. In Escherichia coli, CpxRA senses and responds to envelope stress; CpxA is a sensor kinase/phosphatase for CpxR, a response regulator. When a cpxA mutant is grown in medium containing glucose, CpxR is phosphorylated by acetyl phosphate but cannot be dephosphorylated, resulting in constitutive activation. Kandler and coworkers (J. L. Kandler, C. L. Holley, J. L. Reimche, V. Dhulipala, J. T. Balthazar, A. Muszyński, R. W. Carlson, and W. M. Shafer, Antimicrob Agents Chemother 60:4690-4700, 2016, https://doi.org/10.1128/AAC.00823-16) showed that MisR (CpxR) is required for the maintenance of membrane integrity and resistance to antimicrobial peptides, suggesting a role in gonococcal survival in vivo Here, we evaluated the contributions of MisR and MisS (CpxA) to gonococcal infection in a murine model of cervicovaginal colonization and identified MisR-regulated genes using RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq). The deletion of misR or misS severely reduced the capacity of N. gonorrhoeae to colonize mice or maintain infection over a 7-day period and reduced microbial fitness after exposure to heat shock. Compared to the wild type (WT), the inactivation of misR identified 157 differentially regulated genes, most of which encoded putative envelope proteins. The inactivation of misS identified 17 differentially regulated genes compared to the WT and 139 differentially regulated genes compared to the misR mutant, 111 of which overlapped those differentially expressed in the comparison of the WT versus the misR mutant. These data indicate that an intact MisRS system is required for gonococcal infection of mice. Provided the MisR is constitutively phosphorylated in the misS mutant, the data suggest that controlled but not constitutive activation is required for gonococcal infection in mice.Item BRD4 localization to lineage-specific enhancers is associated with a distinct transcription factor repertoire(Oxford University Press, 2017-01-09) Najafova, Zeynab; Tirado-Magallanes, Roberto; Subramaniam, Malayannan; Hossan, Tareq; Schmidt, Geske; Nagarajan, Sankari; Baumgart, Simon J.; Mishra, Vivek Kumar; Bedi, Upasana; Hess, Eric; Knapp, Stefan; Hawse, John R.; Johnsen, Steven A.; Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, IU School of MedicineProper temporal epigenetic regulation of gene expression is essential for cell fate determination and tissue development. The Bromodomain-containing Protein-4 (BRD4) was previously shown to control the transcription of defined subsets of genes in various cell systems. In this study we examined the role of BRD4 in promoting lineage-specific gene expression and show that BRD4 is essential for osteoblast differentiation. Genome-wide analyses demonstrate that BRD4 is recruited to the transcriptional start site of differentiation-induced genes. Unexpectedly, while promoter-proximal BRD4 occupancy correlated with gene expression, genes which displayed moderate expression and promoter-proximal BRD4 occupancy were most highly regulated and sensitive to BRD4 inhibition. Therefore, we examined distal BRD4 occupancy and uncovered a specific co-localization of BRD4 with the transcription factors C/EBPb, TEAD1, FOSL2 and JUND at putative osteoblast-specific enhancers. These findings reveal the intricacies of lineage specification and provide new insight into the context-dependent functions of BRD4.Item The Endometriotic Tumor Microenvironment in Ovarian Cancer(MDPI, 2018-08) Wendel, Jillian R. Hufgard; Wang, Xiyin; Hawkins, Shannon M.; Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of MedicineWomen with endometriosis are at increased risk of developing ovarian cancer, specifically ovarian endometrioid, low-grade serous, and clear-cell adenocarcinoma. An important clinical caveat to the association of endometriosis with ovarian cancer is the improved prognosis for women with endometriosis at time of ovarian cancer staging. Whether endometriosis-associated ovarian cancers develop from the molecular transformation of endometriosis or develop because of the endometriotic tumor microenvironment remain unknown. Additionally, how the presence of endometriosis improves prognosis is also undefined, but likely relies on the endometriotic microenvironment. The unique tumor microenvironment of endometriosis is composed of epithelial, stromal, and immune cells, which adapt to survive in hypoxic conditions with high levels of iron, estrogen, and inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. Understanding the unique molecular features of the endometriotic tumor microenvironment may lead to impactful precision therapies and/or modalities for prevention. A challenge to this important study is the rarity of well-characterized clinical samples and the limited model systems. In this review, we will describe the unique molecular features of endometriosis-associated ovarian cancers, the endometriotic tumor microenvironment, and available model systems for endometriosis-associated ovarian cancers. Continued research on these unique ovarian cancers may lead to improved prevention and treatment options.Item Epigenetic Editing of Ascl1 Gene in Neural Stem Cells by Optogenetics(SpringerNature, 2017-02-09) Lo, Chiao-Ling; Choudhury, Samrat Roy; Irudayaraj, Joseph; Zhou, Feng C.; Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, IU School of MedicineEnzymes involved in epigenetic processes such as methyltransferases or demethylases are becoming highly utilized for their persistent DNA or histone modifying efficacy. Herein, we have developed an optogenetic toolbox fused to the catalytic domain (CD) of DNA-methyltransferase3A (DNMT3A-CD) or Ten-Eleven Dioxygenase-1 (TET1-CD) for loci-specific alteration of the methylation state at the promoter of Ascl1 (Mash1), a candidate proneuron gene. Optogenetical protein pairs, CRY2 linked to DNMT3A-CD or TET1-CD and CIB1 fused to a Transcription Activator-Like Element (TALE) locating an Ascl1 promoter region, were designed for site specific epigenetic editing. A differentially methylated region at the Ascl1 promoter, isolated from murine dorsal root ganglion (hypermethylated) and striated cells (hypomethylated), was targeted with these optogenetic-epigenetic constructs. Optimized blue-light illumination triggered the co-localization of TALE constructs with DNMT3A-CD or TET1-CD fusion proteins at the targeted site of the Ascl1 promoter. We found that this spatiotemporal association of the fusion proteins selectively alters the methylation state and also regulates gene activity. This proof of concept developed herein holds immense promise for the ability to regulate gene activity via epigenetic modulation with spatiotemporal precision.Item Fine mapping of bone structure and strength QTLs in heterogeneous stock rat(Elsevier, 2015-12) Alam, Imranul; Koller, Daniel L.; Cañete, Toni; Blázquez, Gloria; Mont-Cardona, Carme; López-Aumatell, Regina; Martínez-Membrives, Esther; Díaz-Morán, Sira; Tobeña, Adolf; Fernández-Teruel, Alberto; Stridh, Pernilla; Diez, Margarita; Olsson, Tomas; Johannesson, Martina; Baud, Amelie; Econs, Michael J.; Foroud, Tatiana; Department of Medicine, IU School of MedicineWe previously demonstrated that skeletal structure and strength phenotypes vary considerably in heterogeneous stock (HS) rats. These phenotypes were found to be strongly heritable, suggesting that the HS rat model represents a unique genetic resource for dissecting the complex genetic etiology underlying bone fragility. The purpose of this study was to identify and localize genes associated with bone structure and strength phenotypes using 1524 adult male and female HS rats between 17 to 20 weeks of age. Structure measures included femur length, neck width, head width; femur and lumbar spine (L3-5) areas obtained by DXA; and cross-sectional areas (CSA) at the midshaft, distal femur and femoral neck, and the 5th lumbar vertebra measured by CT. In addition, measures of strength of the whole femur and femoral neck were obtained. Approximately 70,000 polymorphic SNPs distributed throughout the rat genome were selected for genotyping, with a mean linkage disequilibrium coefficient between neighboring SNPs of 0.95. Haplotypes were estimated across the entire genome for each rat using a multipoint haplotype reconstruction method, which calculates the probability of descent at each locus from each of the 8 HS founder strains. The haplotypes were then tested for association with each structure and strength phenotype via a mixed model with covariate adjustment. We identified quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for structure phenotypes on chromosomes 3, 8, 10, 12, 17 and 20, and QTLs for strength phenotypes on chromosomes 5, 10 and 11 that met a conservative genome-wide empiric significance threshold (FDR=5%; P<3×10(-6)). Importantly, most QTLs were localized to very narrow genomic regions (as small as 0.3 Mb and up to 3 Mb), each harboring a small set of candidate genes, both novel and previously shown to have roles in skeletal development and homeostasis.Item Forensic applications of associating human scalp hair morphology and pigmentation analysis at the microscopic and molecular level(2017-08) Stubbs, Wesli Kay; Walsh, Susan; Picard, Christine; Berbari, NicholasCriminal investigation and the science behind evidence analysis is an ever- growing niche, and forensic DNA phenotyping (FDP) is no exception. For years the only information given to authorities regarding DNA found at a crime scene was STR analysis and matching to a comparative DNA sample from a known source. However, what happens when there is no suspect to compare DNA profiles, or the case involves a missing person where the only available piece of evidence is a biological sample found at the scene? Before FDP, not much could be done with the DNA sample and the investigation would be stalled. Now it is becoming possible to statistically predict an individual’s visual characteristics using FDP. Currently, with the use of Irisplex, HIrisplex, and HIrisplex-S, statistical analyses and predictions can be done for categorical eye, hair, and skin color by looking at specific genes and their associative SNPs, such as HERC2 and OCA2. The more that is understood about trait-determining genes and their functional significance with regards to our physical traits, the more phenotypes can be added to these prediction tools. In an effort to discover additional genes associated with human phenotypes, this study looked at thirty-two pigmentation-associated candidate genes, and eleven hair structure and morphology associated genes in owl monkey pelage samples. Although the samples were not of human origin, it is important to point out the high conservation between humans and their non-human primate relatives. The owl monkeys used in this study were helpful for tracking expression levels of genes controlling differentpigmentation and hair structure types, because each monkey had intra-individual variation in thickness and in coat color which allowed the generation of potential candidate genes for human investigation. Of the 43 total candidate genes analyzed, 36 had successful amplification, and 28 showed a significant difference in expression when comparing the different samples. The second part of this study was to compare quantitative characteristics of human hair in physical samples and two-dimensional (2D) photos. A test set of 45 individuals had 3-5 hairs from the vertex of their head plucked and analyzed, and a 2D photograph was taken of their scalp hair. The idea was to be able to make quantitative phenotypes in hair (such as hair width, amount of curl) from 2D imagery, when physical samples are not available for analysis. This is due to the fact that the majority of genotype-phenotype databases consist solely of photographic imagery, and seldom have hairs that can be microscopically prepared for analysis. Defining measurable phenotypes from 2D photos that strongly correlate with their physical counterparts allow for the generation of a more accurate phenotype for future genome wide association studies (GWAS) within and outside this laboratory that study hair thickness and hair curl. Three different quantitative phenotypes were compared between the microscopic and 2D photo- analysis.Item Genetically predicted circulating concentrations of micronutrients and risk of colorectal cancer among individuals of European descent: a Mendelian randomization study(Elsevier, 2021) Tsilidis, Konstantinos K.; Papadimitriou, Nikos; Dimou, Niki; Gill, Dipender; Lewis, Sarah J.; Martin, Richard M.; Murphy, Neil; Markozannes, Georgios; Zuber, Verena; Cross, Amanda J.; Burrows, Kimberley; Lopez, David S.; Key, Timothy J.; Travis, Ruth C.; Perez-Cornago, Aurora; Hunter, David J.; van Duijnhoven, Fränzel J. B.; Albanes, Demetrius; Arndt, Volker; Berndt, Sonja I.; Bézieau, Stéphane; Bishop, D. Timothy; Boehm, Juergen; Brenner, Hermann; Burnett-Hartman, Andrea; Campbell, Peter T.; Casey, Graham; Castellví-Bel, Sergi; Chan, Andrew T.; Chang-Claude, Jenny; de la Chapelle, Albert; Figueiredo, Jane C.; Gallinger, Steven J.; Giles, Graham G.; Goodman, Phyllis J.; Gsur, Andrea; Hampe, Jochen; Hampel, Heather; Hoffmeister, Michael; Jenkins, Mark A.; Keku, Temitope O.; Kweon, Sun-Seog; Larsson, Susanna C.; Le Marchand, Loic; Li, Christopher I.; Li, Li; Lindblom, Annika; Martín, Vicente; Milne, Roger L.; Moreno, Victor; Nan, Hongmei; Nassir, Rami; Newcomb, Polly A.; Offit, Kenneth; Pharoah, Paul D. P.; Platz, Elizabeth A.; Potter, John D.; Qi, Lihong; Rennert, Gad; Sakoda, Lori C.; Schafmayer, Clemens; Slattery, Martha L.; Snetselaar, Linda; Schenk, Jeanette; Thibodeau, Stephen N.; Ulrich, Cornelia M.; Van Guelpen, Bethany; Harlid, Sophia; Visvanathan, Kala; Vodickova, Ludmila; Wang, Hansong; White, Emily; Wolk, Alicja; Woods, Michael O.; Wu, Anna H.; Zheng, Wei; Bueno-de-Mesquita, Bas; Boutron-Ruault, Marie-Christine; Hughes, David J.; Jakszyn, Paula; Kühn, Tilman; Palli, Domenico; Riboli, Elio; Giovannucci, Edward L.; Banbury, Barbara L.; Gruber, Stephen B.; Peters, Ulrike; Gunter, Marc J.; Epidemiology, School of Public HealthBackground: The literature on associations of circulating concentrations of minerals and vitamins with risk of colorectal cancer is limited and inconsistent. Evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to support the efficacy of dietary modification or nutrient supplementation for colorectal cancer prevention is also limited. Objectives: To complement observational and RCT findings, we investigated associations of genetically predicted concentrations of 11 micronutrients (β-carotene, calcium, copper, folate, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, selenium, vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12, and zinc) with colorectal cancer risk using Mendelian randomization (MR). Methods: Two-sample MR was conducted using 58,221 individuals with colorectal cancer and 67,694 controls from the Genetics and Epidemiology of Colorectal Cancer Consortium, Colorectal Cancer Transdisciplinary Study, and Colon Cancer Family Registry. Inverse variance-weighted MR analyses were performed with sensitivity analyses to assess the impact of potential violations of MR assumptions. Results: Nominally significant associations were noted for genetically predicted iron concentration and higher risk of colon cancer [ORs per SD (ORSD): 1.08; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.17; P value = 0.05] and similarly for proximal colon cancer, and for vitamin B-12 concentration and higher risk of colorectal cancer (ORSD: 1.12; 95% CI: 1.03, 1.21; P value = 0.01) and similarly for colon cancer. A nominally significant association was also noted for genetically predicted selenium concentration and lower risk of colon cancer (ORSD: 0.98; 95% CI: 0.96, 1.00; P value = 0.05) and similarly for distal colon cancer. These associations were robust to sensitivity analyses. Nominally significant inverse associations were observed for zinc and risk of colorectal and distal colon cancers, but sensitivity analyses could not be performed. None of these findings survived correction for multiple testing. Genetically predicted concentrations of β-carotene, calcium, copper, folate, magnesium, phosphorus, and vitamin B-6 were not associated with disease risk. Conclusions: These results suggest possible causal associations of circulating iron and vitamin B-12 (positively) and selenium (inversely) with risk of colon cancer.