Browsing by Subject "Mechanisms of disease"

Now showing 1 - 10 of 12
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    A non-coding GWAS variant impacts anthracycline-induced cardiotoxic phenotypes in human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes
    (Springer Nature, 2022-11-22) Wu, Xi; Shen, Fei; Jiang, Guanglong; Xue, Gloria; Philips, Santosh; Gardner, Laura; Cunningham, Geneva; Bales, Casey; Cantor, Erica; Schneider, Bryan Paul; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Anthracyclines, widely used to treat breast cancer, have the potential for cardiotoxicity. We have previously identified and validated a germline single nucleotide polymorphism, rs28714259, associated with an increased risk of anthracycline-induced heart failure. We now provide insights into the mechanism by which rs28714259 might confer increased risk of cardiac damage. Using hiPSC-derived cardiomyocyte cell lines with either intrinsic polymorphism or CRISPR-Cas9-mediated deletion of rs28714259 locus, we demonstrate that glucocorticoid receptor signaling activated by dexamethasone pretreatment prior to doxorubicin exposure preserves cardiomyocyte viability and contractility in cardiomyocytes containing the major allele. Homozygous loss of the rs28714259 major allele diminishes dexamethasone’s protective effect. We further demonstrate that the risk allele of rs28714259 disrupts glucocorticoid receptor and rs28714259 binding affinity. Finally, we highlight the activation of genes and pathways involved in cardiac hypertrophy signaling that are blocked by the risk allele, suggesting a decreased adaptive survival response to doxorubicin-related stress.
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    Age- and sex-dependent role of osteocytic pannexin1 on bone and muscle mass and strength
    (Nature Research, 2019-09-25) Aguilar-Perez, Alexandra; Pacheco-Costa, Rafael; Atkinson, Emily G.; Deosthale, Padmini; Davis, Hannah M.; Essex, Alyson L.; Dilley, Julian E.; Gomez, Leland; Rupert, Joseph E.; Zimmers, Teresa A.; Thompson, Roger J.; Allen, Matthew R.; Plotkin, Lilian I.; Anatomy and Cell Biology, School of Medicine
    Pannexins (Panxs), glycoproteins that oligomerize to form hemichannels on the cell membrane, are topologically similar to connexins, but do not form cell-to-cell gap junction channels. There are 3 members of the family, 1-3, with Panx1 being the most abundant. All Panxs are expressed in bone, but their role in bone cell biology is not completely understood. We now report that osteocytic Panx1 deletion (Panx1Δot) alters bone mass and strength in female mice. Bone mineral density after reaching skeletal maturity is higher in female Panx1Δot mice than in control Panx1fl/fl mice. Further, osteocytic Panx1 deletion partially prevented aging effects on cortical bone structure and mechanical properties. Young 4-month-old female Panx1Δot mice exhibited increased lean body mass, even though pannexin levels in skeletal muscle were not affected; whereas no difference in lean body mass was detected in male mice. Furthermore, female Panx1-deficient mice exhibited increased muscle mass without changes in strength, whereas Panx1Δot males showed unchanged muscle mass and decreased in vivo maximum plantarflexion torque, indicating reduced muscle strength. Our results suggest that osteocytic Panx1 deletion increases bone mass in young and old female mice and muscle mass in young female mice, but has deleterious effects on muscle strength only in males.
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    Biliary NIK promotes ductular reaction and liver injury and fibrosis in mice
    (Springer Nature, 2022-08-30) Zhang, Zhiguo; Zhong, Xiao; Shen, Hong; Sheng, Liang; Liangpunsakul, Suthat; Lok, Anna S.; Omary, M. Bishr; Wang, Shaomeng; Rui, Liangyou; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Excessive cholangiocyte expansion (ductular reaction) promotes liver disease progression, but the underlying mechanism is poorly understood. Here we identify biliary NF-κB-inducing kinase (NIK) as a pivotal regulator of ductular reaction. NIK is known to activate the noncanonical IKKα/NF-κB2 pathway and regulate lymphoid tissue development. We find that cholangiocyte NIK is upregulated in mice with cholestasis induced by bile duct ligation (BDL), 5-diethoxycarbonyl-1,4-dihydrocollidine (DDC), or α-naphtyl-isothiocyanate (ANIT). DDC, ANIT, or BDL induces ductular reaction, liver injury, inflammation, and fibrosis in mice. Cholangiocyte-specific deletion of NIK, but not IKKα, blunts these pathological alterations. NIK inhibitor treatment similarly ameliorates DDC-induced ductular reaction, liver injury, and fibrosis. Biliary NIK directly increases cholangiocyte proliferation while suppressing cholangiocyte death, and it also promotes secretion of cholangiokines from cholangiocytes. Cholangiokines stimulate liver macrophages and hepatic stellate cells, augmenting liver inflammation and fibrosis. These results unveil a NIK/ductular reaction axis and a NIK/cholangiokine axis that promote liver disease progression.
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    Cardiomyocyte contractile impairment in heart failure results from reduced BAG3-mediated sarcomeric protein turnover
    (Springer Nature, 2021-05-19) Martin, Thomas G.; Myers, Valerie D.; Dubey, Praveen; Dubey, Shubham; Perez, Edith; Moravec, Christine S.; Willis, Monte S.; Feldman, Arthur M.; Kirk, Jonathan A.; Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine
    The association between reduced myofilament force-generating capacity (Fmax) and heart failure (HF) is clear, however the underlying molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we show impaired Fmax arises from reduced BAG3-mediated sarcomere turnover. Myofilament BAG3 expression decreases in human HF and positively correlates with Fmax. We confirm this relationship using BAG3 haploinsufficient mice, which display reduced Fmax and increased myofilament ubiquitination, suggesting impaired protein turnover. We show cardiac BAG3 operates via chaperone-assisted selective autophagy (CASA), conserved from skeletal muscle, and confirm sarcomeric CASA complex localization is BAG3/proteotoxic stress-dependent. Using mass spectrometry, we characterize the myofilament CASA interactome in the human heart and identify eight clients of BAG3-mediated turnover. To determine if increasing BAG3 expression in HF can restore sarcomere proteostasis/Fmax, HF mice were treated with rAAV9-BAG3. Gene therapy fully rescued Fmax and CASA protein turnover after four weeks. Our findings indicate BAG3-mediated sarcomere turnover is fundamental for myofilament functional maintenance.
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    CHD7 regulates otic lineage specification and hair cell differentiation in human inner ear organoid
    (Springer Nature, 2022-11-17) Nie, Jing; Ueda, Yoshitomo; Solivais, Alexander J.; Hashino, Eri; Otolaryngology -- Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine
    Mutations in CHD7 cause CHARGE syndrome, affecting multiple organs including the inner ear in humans. We investigate how CHD7 mutations affect inner ear development using human pluripotent stem cell-derived organoids as a model system. We find that loss of CHD7 or its chromatin remodeling activity leads to complete absence of hair cells and supporting cells, which can be explained by dysregulation of key otic development-associated genes in mutant otic progenitors. Further analysis of the mutant otic progenitors suggests that CHD7 can regulate otic genes through a chromatin remodeling-independent mechanism. Results from transcriptome profiling of hair cells reveal disruption of deafness gene expression as a potential underlying mechanism of CHARGE-associated sensorineural hearing loss. Notably, co-differentiating CHD7 knockout and wild-type cells in chimeric organoids partially rescues mutant phenotypes by restoring otherwise severely dysregulated otic genes. Taken together, our results suggest that CHD7 plays a critical role in regulating human otic lineage specification and hair cell differentiation.
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    Defective BVES-mediated feedback control of cAMP in muscular dystrophy
    (Springer Nature, 2023-03-30) Li, Haiwen; Wang, Peipei; Zhang, Chen; Zuo, Yuanbojiao; Zhou, Yuan; Han, Renzhi; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    Biological processes incorporate feedback mechanisms to enable positive and/or negative regulation. cAMP is an important second messenger involved in many aspects of muscle biology. However, the feedback mechanisms for the cAMP signaling control in skeletal muscle are largely unknown. Here we show that blood vessel epicardial substance (BVES) is a negative regulator of adenylyl cyclase 9 (ADCY9)-mediated cAMP signaling involved in maintaining muscle mass and function. BVES deletion in mice reduces muscle mass and impairs muscle performance, whereas virally delivered BVES expressed in Bves-deficient skeletal muscle reverses these defects. BVES interacts with and negatively regulates ADCY9’s activity. Disruption of BVES-mediated control of cAMP signaling leads to an increased protein kinase A (PKA) signaling cascade, thereby promoting FoxO-mediated ubiquitin proteasome degradation and autophagy initiation. Our study reveals that BVES functions as a negative feedback regulator of ADCY9-cAMP signaling in skeletal muscle, playing an important role in maintaining muscle homeostasis.
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    Depletion of mitochondrial methionine adenosyltransferase α1 triggers mitochondrial dysfunction in alcohol-associated liver disease
    (Springer Nature, 2022-01-28) Barbier-Torres, Lucía; Murray, Ben; Yang, Jin Won; Wang, Jiaohong; Matsuda, Michitaka; Robinson, Aaron; Binek, Aleksandra; Fan, Wei; Fernández-Ramos, David; Lopitz-Otsoa, Fernando; Luque-Urbano, Maria; Millet, Oscar; Mavila, Nirmala; Peng, Hui; Ramani, Komal; Gottlieb, Roberta; Sun, Zhaoli; Liangpunsakul, Suthat; Seki, Ekihiro; Van Eyk, Jennifer E.; Mato, Jose M.; Lu, Shelly C.; Medicine, School of Medicine
    MATα1 catalyzes the synthesis of S-adenosylmethionine, the principal biological methyl donor. Lower MATα1 activity and mitochondrial dysfunction occur in alcohol-associated liver disease. Besides cytosol and nucleus, MATα1 also targets the mitochondria of hepatocytes to regulate their function. Here, we show that mitochondrial MATα1 is selectively depleted in alcohol-associated liver disease through a mechanism that involves the isomerase PIN1 and the kinase CK2. Alcohol activates CK2, which phosphorylates MATα1 at Ser114 facilitating interaction with PIN1, thereby inhibiting its mitochondrial localization. Blocking PIN1-MATα1 interaction increased mitochondrial MATα1 levels and protected against alcohol-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and fat accumulation. Normally, MATα1 interacts with mitochondrial proteins involved in TCA cycle, oxidative phosphorylation, and fatty acid β-oxidation. Preserving mitochondrial MATα1 content correlates with higher methylation and expression of mitochondrial proteins. Our study demonstrates a role of CK2 and PIN1 in reducing mitochondrial MATα1 content leading to mitochondrial dysfunction in alcohol-associated liver disease.
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    HUNK phosphorylates EGFR to regulate breast cancer metastasis
    (Springer Nature, 2019-10-09) Williams, Carly B.; Phelps-Polirer, Kendall; Dingle, Ivan P.; Williams, Christina J.; Rhett, Matthew J.; Eblen, Scott T.; Armeson, Kent; Hill, Elizabeth G.; Yeh, Elizabeth S.; Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Medicine
    Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is commonly over-expressed in metastatic breast cancer yet metastatic breast cancer is generally resistant to anti-EGFR therapies, and the mechanism for resistance to EGFR inhibitors in this setting is not fully understood. Hormonally up-regulated neu-associated kinase (HUNK) kinase is up-regulated in aggressive breast cancers and is thought to play a role in breast cancer metastasis. However, no studies have been conducted to examine a relationship between EGFR and HUNK in breast cancer metastasis. We performed a kinase substrate screen and identified that EGFR is phosphorylated by HUNK. Our studies show that HUNK phosphorylates EGFR at T654, enhancing receptor stability and downstream signaling. We found that increased phosphorylation of T654 EGFR correlates with increased epithelial to mesenchymal, migration and invasion, and metastasis. In addition, we found that HUNK expression correlates with overall survival and distant metastasis free survival. This study shows that HUNK directly phosphorylates EGFR at T654 to promote metastasis and is the first study to show that the phosphorylation of this site in EGFR regulates metastasis.
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    Kidney intercalated cells are phagocytic and acidify internalized uropathogenic Escherichia coli
    (Springer Nature, 2021-04-23) Saxena, Vijay; Gao, Hongyu; Arregui, Samuel; Zollman, Amy; Kamocka, Malgorzata Maria; Xuei, Xiaoling; McGuire, Patrick; Hutchens, Michael; Hato, Takashi; Hains, David S.; Schwaderer, Andrew L.; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    Kidney intercalated cells are involved in acid-base homeostasis via vacuolar ATPase expression. Here we report six human intercalated cell subtypes, including hybrid principal-intercalated cells identified from single cell transcriptomics. Phagosome maturation is a biological process that increases in biological pathway analysis rank following exposure to uropathogenic Escherichia coli in two of the intercalated cell subtypes. Real time confocal microscopy visualization of murine renal tubules perfused with green fluorescent protein expressing Escherichia coli or pHrodo Green E. coli BioParticles demonstrates that intercalated cells actively phagocytose bacteria then acidify phagolysosomes. Additionally, intercalated cells have increased vacuolar ATPase expression following in vivo experimental UTI. Taken together, intercalated cells exhibit a transcriptional response conducive to the kidney’s defense, engulf bacteria and acidify the internalized bacteria. Intercalated cells represent an epithelial cell with characteristics of professional phagocytes like macrophages.
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    Myogenesis defects in a patient-derived iPSC model of hereditary GNE myopathy
    (Springer Nature, 2022-09-09) Schmitt, Rebecca E.; Smith, Douglas Y., IV.; Cho, Dong Seong; Kirkeby, Lindsey A.; Resch, Zachary T.; Liewluck, Teerin; Niu, Zhiyv; Milone, Margherita; Doles, Jason D.; Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiology, School of Medicine
    Hereditary muscle diseases are disabling disorders lacking effective treatments. UDP-N-acetylglucosamine-2-epimerase/N-acetylmannosamine kinase (GNE) myopathy (GNEM) is an autosomal recessive distal myopathy with rimmed vacuoles typically manifesting in late adolescence/early adulthood. GNE encodes the rate-limiting enzyme in sialic acid biosynthesis, which is necessary for the proper function of numerous biological processes. Outside of the causative gene, very little is known about the mechanisms contributing to the development of GNE myopathy. In the present study, we aimed to address this knowledge gap by querying the underlying mechanisms of GNE myopathy using a patient-derived induced pluripotent stem-cell (iPSC) model. Control and patient-specific iPSCs were differentiated down a skeletal muscle lineage, whereby patient-derived GNEM iPSC clones were able to recapitulate key characteristics of the human pathology and further demonstrated defects in myogenic progression. Single-cell RNA sequencing time course studies revealed clear differences between control and GNEM iPSC-derived muscle precursor cells (iMPCs), while pathway studies implicated altered stress and autophagy signaling in GNEM iMPCs. Treatment of GNEM patient-derived iMPCs with an autophagy activator improved myogenic differentiation. In summary, we report an in vitro, iPSC-based model of GNE myopathy and implicate defective myogenesis as a contributing mechanism to the etiology of GNE myopathy.