Weight Loss Results in Increased Expression of Anti-Inflammatory Protein CRISPLD2 in Mouse Adipose Tissue

Codonopsis pilosula-derived glycopeptide dCP1 promotes the polarization of tumor-associated macrophage from M2-like to M1 phenotype

The majority of the immune cell population in the tumor microenvironment (TME) consists of tumor-associated macrophages (TAM), which are the main players in coordinating tumor-associated inflammation. TAM has a high plasticity and is divided into two main phenotypes, pro-inflammatory M1 type and anti-inflammatory M2 type, with tumor-suppressive and tumor-promoting functions, respectively. Considering the beneficial effects of M1 macrophages for anti-tumor and the high plasticity of macrophages, the conversion of M2 TAM to M1 TAM is feasible and positive for tumor treatment. This study sought to evaluate whether the glycopeptide derived from simulated digested Codonopsis pilosula extracts could regulate the polarization of M2-like TAM toward the M1 phenotype and the potential regulatory mechanisms. The results showed that after glycopeptide dCP1 treatment, the mRNA relative expression levels of some M2 phenotype marker genes in M2-like TAM in simulated TME were reduced, and the relative expression levels of M1 phenotype marker genes and inflammatory factor genes were increased. Analysis of RNA-Seq of M2-like TAM after glycopeptide dCP1 intervention showed that the gene sets such as glycolysis, which is associated with macrophage polarization in the M1 phenotype, were significantly up-regulated, whereas those of gene sets such as IL-6-JAK-STAT3 pathway, which is associated with polarization in the M2 phenotype, were significantly down-regulated. Moreover, PCA analysis and Pearson's correlation also indicated that M2-like TAM polarized toward the M1 phenotype at the transcriptional level after treatment with the glycopeptide dCP1. Lipid metabolomics was used to further explore the efficacy of the glycopeptide dCP1 in regulating the polarization of M2-like TAM to the M1 phenotype. It was found that the lipid metabolite profiles in dCP1-treated M2-like TAM showed M1 phenotype macrophage lipid metabolism profiles compared with blank M2-like TAM. Analysis of the key differential lipid metabolites revealed that the interconversion between phosphatidylcholine (PC) and diacylglycerol (DG) metabolites may be the central reaction of the glycopeptide dCP1 in regulating the conversion of M2-like TAM to the M1 phenotype. The above results suggest that the glycopeptide dCP1 has the efficacy to regulate the polarization of M2-like TAM to M1 phenotype in simulated TME.

Single-cell RNA sequencing and multiple bioinformatics methods to identify the immunity and ferroptosis-related biomarkers of SARS-CoV-2 infections to ischemic stroke

BACKGROUND

Since December 2019, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) induced by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has resulted in significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. There is an increased risk of ischemic stroke (IS) associated with COVID-19. However, few studies have been reported to explain the potential correlation between COVID-19 and IS.

METHODS

We investigated the relationship and relevant mechanisms between COVID-19 and IS using single-cell RNA sequencing and multiple bioinformatics approaches.

RESULTS

By intersecting differentially expressed genes and WGCNA critical module genes, we obtained 73 COVID-19-related IS genes. According to the KEGG pathway analysis, the COVID-19-related IS disease genes were significantly enriched in the hematopoietic cell lineage pathway, ribosome pathway, COVID-19 pathway and primary immunodeficiency pathway. Finally, three genes associated with immunity (B4GALT5, CRISPLD2, F5) and two genes associated with ferroptosis (ACSL1, CREB5) were identified up-regulated in COVID-19-related IS. Significantly, it was found that all five genes were highly expressed in monocytes by single cell RNA sequencing.

CONCLUSION

We believe these genes (B4GALT5, CRISPLD2, F5, ACSL1, CREB5) may regulate the immune response and ferroptosis of multiple immune cells, mainly including monocytes, which may contribute to the development of COVID-19-related IS. In addition, these genes may be potential targets for the treatment of COVID-19-related IS.

Decreased CRISPLD2 expression impairs osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells during in vitro expansion

Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) are the cornerstone of regenerative medicine; large quantities of hMSCs are required via in vitro expansion to meet therapeutic purposes. However, hMSCs quickly lose their osteogenic differentiation potential during in vitro expansion, which is a major roadblock to their clinical applications. In this study, we found that the osteogenic differentiation potential of human bone marrow stem cells (hBMSCs), dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs), and adipose stem cells (hASCs) was severely impaired after in vitro expansion. To clarify the molecular mechanism underlying this in vitro expansion-related loss of osteogenic capacity in hMSCs, the transcriptome changes following in vitro expansion of these hMSCs were compared. Cysteine-rich secretory protein LCCL domain-containing 2 (CRISPLD2) was identified as the most downregulated gene shared by late passage hBMSCs, hDPSCs, and hASCs. Both the secreted and non-secreted CRISPLD2 proteins progressively declined in hMSCs during in vitro expansion when the cells gradually lost their osteogenic potential. We thus hypothesized that the expression of CRISPLD2 is critical for hMSCs to maintain their osteogenic differentiation potential during in vitro expansion. Our studies showed that the knockdown of CRISPLD2 in early passage hBMSCs inhibited the cells' osteogenic differentiation in a siRNA dose-dependent manner. Transcriptome analysis and immunoblotting indicated that the CRISPLD2 knockdown-induced osteogenesis suppression might be attributed to the downregulation of matrix metallopeptidase 1 (MMP1) and forkhead box Q1 (FOXQ1). Furthermore, adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated CRISPLD2 overexpression could somewhat rescue the impaired osteogenic differentiation of hBMSCs during in vitro expansion. These results revealed that the downregulation of CRISPLD2 contributes to the impaired osteogenic differentiation of hMSCs during in vitro expansion. Our findings shed light on understanding the loss of osteogenic differentiation in hMSCs and provide a potential therapeutic target gene for bone-related diseases.

Genome-Wide Association Study of Body Weight Traits in Inner Mongolia Cashmere Goats

Objective: Body weight is an important economic trait for a goat, which greatly affects animal growth and survival. The purpose of this study was to identify genes associated with birth weight (BW), weaning weight (WW), and yearling weight (YW).

Materials and Methods: In this study, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of BW, WW, and YW was determined using the GGP_Goat_70K single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chip in 1,920 Inner Mongolia cashmere goats.

Results: We discovered that 21 SNPs were significantly associated with BW on the genome-wide levels. These SNPs were located in 10 genes, e.g., Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3 (MAPK3), LIM domain binding 2 (LDB2), and low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1B (LRP1B), which may be related to muscle growth and development in Inner Mongolia Cashmere goats. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis revealed that these genes were significantly enriched in the regulation of actin cytoskeleton and phospholipase D signaling pathway etc.

Conclusion: In summary, this study will improve the marker-assisted breeding of Inner Mongolia cashmere goats and the molecular mechanisms of important economic traits.

Single-cell transcriptome atlas of human mesenchymal stem cells exploring cellular heterogeneity

BACKGROUND

The heterogeneity of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is poorly understood, thus limiting clinical application and basic research reproducibility. Advanced single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) is a robust tool used to analyse for dissecting cellular heterogeneity. However, the comprehensive single-cell atlas for human MSCs has not been achieved.

METHODS

This study used massive parallel multiplexing scRNA-seq to construct an atlas of > 130 000 single-MSC transcriptomes across multiple tissues and donors to assess their heterogeneity. The most widely clinically utilised tissue resources for MSCs were collected, including normal bone marrow (n = 3), adipose (n = 3), umbilical cord (n = 2), and dermis (n = 3).

RESULTS

Seven tissue-specific and five conserved MSC subpopulations with distinct gene-expression signatures were identified from multiple tissue origins based on the high-quality data, which has not been achieved previously. This study showed that extracellular matrix (ECM) highly contributes to MSC heterogeneity. Notably, tissue-specific MSC subpopulations were substantially heterogeneous on ECM-associated immune regulation, antigen processing/presentation, and senescence, thus promoting inter-donor and intra-tissue heterogeneity. The variable dynamics of ECM-associated genes had discrete trajectory patterns across multiple tissues. Additionally, the conserved and tissue-specific transcriptomic-regulons and protein-protein interactions were identified, potentially representing common or tissue-specific MSC functional roles. Furthermore, the umbilical-cord-specific subpopulation possessed advantages in immunosuppressive properties.

CONCLUSION

In summary, this work provides timely and great insights into MSC heterogeneity at multiple levels. This MSC atlas taxonomy also provides a comprehensive understanding of cellular heterogeneity, thus revealing the potential improvements in MSC-based therapeutic efficacy.

Analysis of genetic and clinical factors associated with buprenorphine response

BACKGROUND

Buprenorphine, approved for treating opioid use disorder (OUD), is not equally efficacious for all patients. Candidate gene studies have shown limited success in identifying genetic moderators of buprenorphine treatment response.

METHODS

We studied 1616 European-ancestry individuals enrolled in the Million Veteran Program, of whom 1609 had an ICD-9/10 code consistent with OUD, a 180-day buprenorphine treatment exposure, and genome-wide genotype data. We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of buprenorphine treatment response [defined as having no opioid-positive urine drug screens (UDS) following the first prescription]. We also examined correlates of buprenorphine treatment response in multivariable analyses.

RESULTS

Although no variants reached genome-wide significance, 6 loci were nominally significant (p < 1 × 10^-5), four of which were located near previously characterized genes: rs756770 (ADAMTSL2), rs11782370 (SLC25A37), rs7205113 (CRISPLD2), and rs13169373 (LINC01947). A higher maximum daily buprenorphine dosage (aOR = 0.98; 95 %CI: 0.97, 0.995), greater number of UDS (aOR = 0.97; 95 %CI: 0.96, 0.99), and history of hepatitis C (HCV) infection (aOR = 0.71; 95 %CI: 0.57, 0.88) were associated with a reduced odds of buprenorphine response. Older age (aOR: 1.01; 95 %CI: 1.000, 1.02) was associated with increased odds of buprenorphine response.

CONCLUSIONS

This study had limited statistical power to detect genetic variants associated with a complex human phenotype like buprenorphine treatment response. Meta-analysis of multiple data sets is needed to ensure adequate statistical power for a GWAS of buprenorphine treatment response. The most robust phenotypic predictor of buprenorphine treatment response was intravenous drug use, a proxy for which was HCV infection.

CRISPLD2 attenuates pro-inflammatory cytokines production in HMGB1-stimulated monocytes and septic mice

HMGB1 has been identified as a pro-inflammatory mediator which leads to sepsis lethality. Previous studies suggested that CRISPLD2 had anti-inflammatory property and might severe as a therapeutic agent in sepsis. In the present study, we first conducted bioinformatic analysis to explore the expression profile of HMGB1 in septic survivors and non-survivors. We found that the serum HMGB1 level of septic non-survivors was significantly higher than that of septic survivors, and there was a positive correlation between CRISPLD2 and HMGB1 in mRNA expression in most of the cancer and normal tissue types, revealing a co-expression or dependency relationship between the two genes. In vitro, using cultured THP-1 cells, we confirmed that HMGB1 can induce the expression of CRISPLD2 in a time dependent manner through TLR4-dependent pathway. Given that CRISPLD2 and HMGB1 shared a wide range of time scales in gene expression and the anti-inflammatory property of CRISPLD2, we further verified that HMGB1 induced cytokines production might be partially reversed by CRISPLD2. In vivo, intravenously treatment of CRISPLD2 failed to rescue septic mice, although the serum levels of inflammatory cytokines were decreased. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that HMGB1 can act as stimuli to up-regulate the expression of CRISPLD2 in THP-1 cells, and in turn, increased CRISPLD2 can curtail HMGB1 induced pro-inflammatory cytokines production. Unfortunately, the anti-inflammatory effects of CRISPLD2 did not translate into survival benefit in mice with sepsis.

Modeling Diet-Induced Metabolic Syndrome in Rodents

Standardized animal models represent one of the most valuable tools available to understand the mechanism underlying the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and to seek for new therapeutic strategies. However, there is considerable variability in the studies conducted with this essential purpose. This review presents an updated discussion of the most recent studies using diverse experimental conditions to induce MetS in rodents with unbalanced diets, discusses the key findings in metabolic outcomes, and critically evaluates what we have been learned from them and how to advance in the field. The study includes scientific reports sourced from the Web of Science and PubMed databases, published between January 2013 and June 2020, which used hypercaloric diets to induce metabolic disorders, and address the impact of the diet on metabolic parameters. The collected data are used as support to discuss variables such as sex, species, and age of the animals, the most favorable type of diet, and the ideal diet length to generate metabolic changes. The experimental characteristics propose herein improve the performance of a preclinical model that resembles the human MetS and will guide researchers to investigate new therapeutic alternatives with confidence and higher translational validity.