A Role for MOSPD1 in Mesenchymal Stem Cell Proliferation and Differentiation

Skin single-cell transcriptomics reveals a core of sebaceous gland-relevant genes shared by mice and humans

BACKGROUND

Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) has been widely applied to dissect cellular heterogeneity in normal and diseased skin. Sebaceous glands, essential skin components with established functions in maintaining skin integrity and emerging roles in systemic energy metabolism, have been largely neglected in scRNA-seq studies.

METHODS

Departing from mouse and human skin scRNA-seq datasets, we identified gene sets expressed especially in sebaceous glands with the open-source R-package oposSOM.

RESULTS

The identified gene sets included sebaceous gland-typical genes as Scd3, Mgst1, Cidea, Awat2 and KRT7. Surprisingly, however, there was not a single overlap among the 100 highest, exclusively in sebaceous glands expressed transcripts in mouse and human samples. Notably, both species share a common core of only 25 transcripts, including mitochondrial and peroxisomal genes involved in fatty acid, amino acid, and glucose processing, thus highlighting the intense metabolic rate of this gland.

CONCLUSIONS

This study highlights intrinsic differences in sebaceous lipid synthesis between mice and humans, and indicates an important role for peroxisomal processes in this context. Our data also provides attractive starting points for experimentally addressing novel candidates regulating sebaceous gland homeostasis.

Systematic comparison of nonviral gene delivery strategies for efficient co-expression of two transgenes in human mesenchymal stem cells

BACKGROUND

Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) are being researched for cell-based therapies due to a host of unique properties, however, genetic modification of hMSCs, accomplished through nonviral gene delivery, could greatly advance their therapeutic potential. Furthermore, expression of multiple transgenes in hMSCs could greatly advance their clinical significance for treatment of multifaceted diseases, as individual transgenes could be expressed that target separate pathogenic drivers of complex diseases. Expressing multiple transgenes can be accomplished by delivering multiple DNA vectors encoding for each transgene, or by delivering a single poly-cistronic vector that encodes for each transgene and accomplishes expression through either use of multiple promoters, an internal ribosome entry site (IRES), or a 2A peptide sequence. These different transgene expression strategies have been used to express multiple transgenes in various mammalian cells, however, they have not been fully evaluated in difficult-to-transfect primary cells, like hMSCs. This study systematically compared four transgene expression and delivery strategies for expression of two reporter transgenes in four donors of hMSCs from two tissue sources using lipid- and polymer-mediate transfection, as follows: (i) delivery of separate DNA vectors in separate nanoparticles; (ii) delivery of separate DNA vectors combined in the same nanoparticle; (iii) delivery of a bi-cistronic DNA vector with an IRES sequence via nanoparticles; and (iv) delivery of a bi-cistronic DNA vector with a dual 2A peptide sequence via nanoparticles.

RESULTS

Our results indicate that expression of two transgenes in hMSCs, independent of expression or delivery strategy, is inefficient compared to expressing a single transgene. However, delivery of separate DNA vectors complexed in the same nanoparticle, or delivery of a bi-cistronic DNA vector with a dual 2A peptide sequence, significantly increased the number of hMSCs expressing both transgenes compared to other conditions tested.

CONCLUSION

Separate DNA vectors delivered in the same nanoparticle and bi-cistronic DNA vectors with dual 2A peptide sequences are highly efficient at simultaneously expressing two transgenes in multiple donors of hMSCs from different tissue sources. The data presented in this work can guide the development of hMSC transfection systems for delivery of multiple transgenes, with the goal of producing clinically relevant, genetically modified hMSCs.

Identification of candidate novel production variants on the Bos taurus chromosome X

Chromosome X is often excluded from bovine genetic studies due to complications caused by the sex specific nature of the chromosome. As chromosome X is the second largest cattle chromosome and makes up approximately 6% of the female genome, finding ways to include chromosome X in dairy genetic studies is important. Using female animals and treating chromosome X as an autosome, we performed X chromosome inclusive genome-wide association studies in the selective breeding environment of the New Zealand dairy industry, aiming to identify chromosome X variants associated with milk production traits. We report on the findings of these genome-wide association studies and their potential effect within the dairy industry. We identify missense mutations in the MOSPD1 and CCDC160 genes that are associated with decreased milk volume and protein production and increased fat production. Both of these mutations are exonic SNP that are more prevalent in the Jersey breed than in Holstein-Friesians. Of the 2 candidates proposed it is likely that only one is causal, though we have not been able to identify which is more likely.

Cryotop vitrification of large batches of pig embryos simultaneously provides excellent postwarming survival rates and minimal interference with gene expression

The most commonly used technique to vitrify pig embryos is the super open pulled straw (SOPS), where a maximum of 6 embryos can be vitrified simultaneously per device without compromising the minimum volume necessary for optimal preservation. Since optimal embryo transfer (ET) demands a transfer of 20-40 embryos per recipient, the customary use of SOPS complicates embryo warming and ET in field conditions. Such complications could be avoided when using the Cryotop® (OC) system, which has been proven to be an effective option for vitrifying at least 20 porcine embryos simultaneously. This study aimed to investigate the changes in the transcriptome of blastocysts caused by vitrification using both systems. In vivo-derived blastocysts were OC- (n = 60; 20 embryos/device) and SOPS- (n = 60; 4-6 embryos/device) vitrified and cultured for 24 h after warming. Nonvitrified blastocysts (n = 60) cultured for 24 h postcollection acted as controls. At the end of culture, 48 viable embryos from each group (6 pools of 8 embryos) were selected for microarray (GeneChip® Porcine Genome Array, P/N 900624, Affymetrix) analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The survival rate of embryos vitrified with the OC and SOPS systems (>97%) was similar to that of the control embryos (100%). Microarray analysis of each vitrification system compared to the control group showed 245 DEGs (89 downregulated and 156 upregulated) for the OC system and 210 (44 downregulated and 166 upregulated) for the SOPS system. Two pathways were enriched for the DEGs specifically altered in each vitrification system compared to the control (glycolysis/gluconeogenesis and carbon metabolism pathways for the OC system and amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism and lysosome pathways in the SOPS group). The OC group showed 31 downregulated and 24 upregulated genes and two enriched pathways (mineral absorption and amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism pathways) when compared to the SOPS group. In summary, vitrification with the OC system altered fewer genes related to apoptosis and activated genes related to cell proliferation. We conclude that vitrification with either the OC or SOPS system has a moderate to low effect on the transcriptome of in vivo-derived porcine blastocysts. Further investigation is needed to elucidate how the differences in the transcriptome of embryos vitrified with these systems affect their subsequent developmental ability after ET.

A Genome-Wide Search for Candidate Genes of Meat Production in Jalgin Merino Considering Known Productivity Genes

In a group of Jalgin merino rams with no significant influence on the dispersion of the phenotypes of known productivity genes (MSTN, MEF2B, FABP4, etc.), a genome-wide search for associations of individual polymorphisms with intravital indicators of meat productivity was performed. Using the Ovine Infinium HD BeadChip 600K, 606,000 genome loci were evaluated. Twenty-three substitutions were found to be significantly associated with external measurements of the body and ultrasonic parameters. This made it possible to describe 14 candidate genes, the structural features of which can cause changes in animal phenotypes. No closely spaced genes were found for two substitutions. The identified polymorphisms were found in the exons, introns, and adjacent regions of the following genes and transcripts: CDCA2, ENSOARG00000014477, C4BPA, RIPOR2, ENSOARG00000007198, ENSOARG00000026965 (LincRNA), ENSOARG00000026436 (LincRNA), ENSOARG00000026782 (LincRNA), TENM3, RTL8A, MOSPD1, RTL8С, RIMS2, and P4HA3. The detected genes affect the metabolic pathways of cell differentiation and proliferation and are associated with the regulation of the immune system. This confirms their possible participation in the formation of the phenotypes of productivity parameters in animals and indicates the need for further study of the structure of candidate genes in order to identify their internal polymorphisms.

Placental DNA methylation changes and the early prediction of autism in full-term newborns

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is associated with abnormal brain development during fetal life. Overall, increasing evidence indicates an important role of epigenetic dysfunction in ASD. The placenta is critical to and produces neurotransmitters that regulate fetal brain development. We hypothesized that placental DNA methylation changes are a feature of the fetal development of the autistic brain and importantly could help to elucidate the early pathogenesis and prediction of these disorders. Genome-wide methylation using placental tissue from the full-term autistic disorder subtype was performed using the Illumina 450K array. The study consisted of 14 cases and 10 control subjects. Significantly epigenetically altered CpG loci (FDR p-value <0.05) in autism were identified. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) was further used to identify molecular pathways that were over-represented (epigenetically dysregulated) in autism. Six Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms including Deep Learning (DL) to determine the predictive accuracy of CpG markers for autism detection. We identified 9655 CpGs differentially methylated in autism. Among them, 2802 CpGs were inter- or non-genic and 6853 intragenic. The latter involved 4129 genes. AI analysis of differentially methylated loci appeared highly accurate for autism detection. DL yielded an AUC (95% CI) of 1.00 (1.00-1.00) for autism detection using intra- or intergenic markers by themselves or combined. The biological functional enrichment showed, four significant functions that were affected in autism: quantity of synapse, microtubule dynamics, neuritogenesis, and abnormal morphology of neurons. In this preliminary study, significant placental DNA methylation changes. AI had high accuracy for the prediction of subsequent autism development in newborns. Finally, biologically functional relevant gene pathways were identified that may play a significant role in early fetal neurodevelopmental influences on later cognition and social behavior.

RNA sequencing revealed the abnormal transcriptional profile in cloned bovine embryos

Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) has potential applications in agriculture and biomedicine, but the efficiency of cloning is still low. In this study, the transcriptional profiles in cloned and fertilized embryos were measured and compared by RNA sequencing. The 2-cell embryos were detected to identify the earliest transcriptional differences between embryos derived through IVF and SCNT. As a result, 364 genes showed decreased expression in cloned 2-cell embryos and were enriched in "intracellular protein transport" and "ubiquitin mediated proteolysis". In blastocysts, 593 genes showed decreased expression in cloned blastocysts and were enriched in "RNA binding", "nucleotide binding", "embryo development", and "adherens junction". We identified 14 development related genes that were not activated in the cloned embryos. Then, 68 and 245 long non-coding RNAs were recognized abnormally expressed in cloned 2-cell embryos and cloned blastocysts, respectively. Furthermore, we found that incomplete RNA-editing occurred in cloned embryos and might be caused by decreased ADAR expression. In conclusion, our study revealed the abnormal transcripts and deficient RNA-editing sites in cloned embryos and provided new data for further mechanistic studies of somatic nuclear reprogramming.

Comparison of Human Tissue Microarray to Human Pericyte Transcriptome Yields Novel Perivascular Cell Markers

Human perivascular progenitor cells, including pericytes, are well-described multipotent mesenchymal cells giving rise to mesenchymal stem cells in culture. Despite the unique location of pericytes, specific antigens to distinguish human pericytes from other cell types are few. Here, we employed a human tissue microarray (Human Protein Atlas) to identify proteins that are strongly and specifically expressed in a pericytic location within human adipose tissue. Next, these results were cross-referenced with RNA sequencing data from human adipose tissue pericytes, as defined as a fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) purified CD146⁺CD34^-CD31^-CD45^- cell population. Results showed that from 105,532 core biopsies of soft tissue, 229 proteins showed strong and specific perivascular immunoreactivity, the majority of which (155) were present in the tunica intima. Next, cross-referencing with the transcriptome of FACS-derived CD146⁺ pericytes yielded 25 consistently expressed genes/proteins, including 18 novel antigens. A majority of these transcripts showed maintained expression after culture propagation (56% of genes). Interestingly, many novel antigens within pericytes are regulators of osteogenic differentiation. In sum, our study demonstrates the existence of novel pericyte markers, some of which are conserved in culture that may be useful for future efforts to typify, isolate, and characterize human pericytes.