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Reed JN, Huang J, Li Y, Ma L, Banka D, Wabitsch M, Wang T, Ding W, Björkegren JL, Civelek M. Systems genetics analysis of human body fat distribution genes identifies adipocyte processes. Life Sci Alliance 2024; 7:e202402603. [PMID: 38702075 PMCID: PMC11068934 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202402603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2024] [Revised: 04/19/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Excess abdominal fat is a sexually dimorphic risk factor for cardio-metabolic disease and is approximated by the waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (WHRadjBMI). Whereas this trait is highly heritable, few causal genes are known. We aimed to identify novel drivers of WHRadjBMI using systems genetics. We used two independent cohorts of adipose tissue gene expression and constructed sex- and depot-specific Bayesian networks to model gene-gene interactions from 8,492 genes. Using key driver analysis, we identified genes that, in silico and putatively in vitro, regulate many others. 51-119 key drivers in each network were replicated in both cohorts. In other cell types, 23 of these genes are found in crucial adipocyte pathways: Wnt signaling or mitochondrial function. We overexpressed or down-regulated seven key driver genes in human subcutaneous pre-adipocytes. Key driver genes ANAPC2 and RSPO1 inhibited adipogenesis, whereas PSME3 increased adipogenesis. RSPO1 increased Wnt signaling activity. In differentiated adipocytes, MIGA1 and UBR1 down-regulation led to mitochondrial dysfunction. These five genes regulate adipocyte function, and we hypothesize that they regulate fat distribution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan N Reed
- https://ror.org/0153tk833 Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
- https://ror.org/0153tk833 Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Jiansheng Huang
- Novo Nordisk Research Center China, Novo Nordisk A/S, Beijing, China
| | - Yong Li
- Novo Nordisk Research Center China, Novo Nordisk A/S, Beijing, China
| | - Lijiang Ma
- https://ror.org/04a9tmd77 Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Dhanush Banka
- https://ror.org/0153tk833 Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Martin Wabitsch
- Division of Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Ulm University Medical Centre, Ulm, Germany
| | - Tianfang Wang
- Novo Nordisk Research Center China, Novo Nordisk A/S, Beijing, China
| | - Wen Ding
- Novo Nordisk Research Center China, Novo Nordisk A/S, Beijing, China
| | - Johan Lm Björkegren
- https://ror.org/04a9tmd77 Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mete Civelek
- https://ror.org/0153tk833 Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
- https://ror.org/0153tk833 Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
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2
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Xia W, Veeragandham P, Cao Y, Xu Y, Rhyne TE, Qian J, Hung CW, Zhao P, Jones Y, Gao H, Liddle C, Yu RT, Downes M, Evans RM, Rydén M, Wabitsch M, Wang Z, Hakozaki H, Schöneberg J, Reilly SM, Huang J, Saltiel AR. Obesity causes mitochondrial fragmentation and dysfunction in white adipocytes due to RalA activation. Nat Metab 2024; 6:273-289. [PMID: 38286821 PMCID: PMC10896723 DOI: 10.1038/s42255-024-00978-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 01/31/2024]
Abstract
Mitochondrial dysfunction is a characteristic trait of human and rodent obesity, insulin resistance and fatty liver disease. Here we show that high-fat diet (HFD) feeding causes mitochondrial fragmentation in inguinal white adipocytes from male mice, leading to reduced oxidative capacity by a process dependent on the small GTPase RalA. RalA expression and activity are increased in white adipocytes after HFD. Targeted deletion of RalA in white adipocytes prevents fragmentation of mitochondria and diminishes HFD-induced weight gain by increasing fatty acid oxidation. Mechanistically, RalA increases fission in adipocytes by reversing the inhibitory Ser637 phosphorylation of the fission protein Drp1, leading to more mitochondrial fragmentation. Adipose tissue expression of the human homolog of Drp1, DNM1L, is positively correlated with obesity and insulin resistance. Thus, chronic activation of RalA plays a key role in repressing energy expenditure in obese adipose tissue by shifting the balance of mitochondrial dynamics toward excessive fission, contributing to weight gain and metabolic dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenmin Xia
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Preethi Veeragandham
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Yu Cao
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Yayun Xu
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Torrey E Rhyne
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Jiaxin Qian
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Chao-Wei Hung
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Peng Zhao
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Ying Jones
- Electron Microscopy Core, Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Hui Gao
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Christopher Liddle
- Storr Liver Centre, Westmead Institute for Medical Research and Westmead Hospital, University of Sydney School of Medicine, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Ruth T Yu
- Gene Expression Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Michael Downes
- Gene Expression Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Ronald M Evans
- Gene Expression Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Mikael Rydén
- Department of Medicine (H7), Karolinska Institute (C2-94), Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Martin Wabitsch
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm, Germany
| | - Zichen Wang
- Department of Pharmacology, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Hiroyuki Hakozaki
- Department of Pharmacology, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Johannes Schöneberg
- Department of Pharmacology, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Shannon M Reilly
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
- Weill Center for Metabolic Health, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jianfeng Huang
- Gene Expression Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Alan R Saltiel
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA.
- Department of Pharmacology, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA.
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3
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Mao X, Li Y, Zhong Y, Chen R, Wang K, Huang D, Luo X. Kruppel-like factor 14 ameliorated obesity and related metabolic disorders by promoting adipose tissue browning. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2023; 325:E744-E754. [PMID: 37938176 DOI: 10.1152/ajpendo.00226.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Revised: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/04/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023]
Abstract
Obesity has been identified as a serious and debilitating disease that threatens human health, but the current treatment strategies still have some shortcomings. Exercise and dieting are difficult for many people to adhere to, and a series of surgical risks and pain brought about by volume reduction have made it difficult for the current weight loss effect to meet human expectations. In this study, we first found that mice with overexpression of the transcription factor Kruppel-like factor 14 (KLF14) in subcutaneous adipose tissue gained weight more slowly while consuming a high-fat diet than did control mice, and these mice also showed reduced insulin resistance and liver lipid deposition abnormalities. Mechanistically, the browning of white adipose tissue was promoted in adipose tissue with KLF14 overexpression; therefore, we preliminarily concluded that KLF14 can improve obesity by promoting the browning of white adipose tissue and energy consumption, thus ameliorating obesity and related metabolic disturbances. In summary, our results revealed that KLF14 may promote white adipose tissue browning, thus ameliorating high-fat diet-induced obesity and hepatic steatosis, as well as serum lipid levels and insulin resistance, thereby achieving a positive effect on metabolism.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Our study first explored the role of KLF14 in the development and progression of HFD-induced obesity in male mice. Its beneficial effect on adipose browning and metabolic disorders suggests that KLF14 may provide us a new therapeutic strategy for obesity and related metabolic complications. This health problem is of global concern and needs to be addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoxiang Mao
- Department of Cardiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
- Clinic Center of Human Gene Research, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuanxiang Li
- Department of Oncology, Hubei Cancer Hospital, TongJi Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
| | - Yi Zhong
- Clinic Center of Human Gene Research, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
| | - Ru Chen
- Department of Cardiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
- Clinic Center of Human Gene Research, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
| | - Kun Wang
- Department of Geriatrics, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
| | - Dandan Huang
- Department of Cardiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
- Clinic Center of Human Gene Research, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
| | - Xi Luo
- Department of Cardiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
- Clinic Center of Human Gene Research, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
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4
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Chen F, Sarver DC, Saqib M, Zhou M, Aja S, Seldin MM, Wong GW. CTRP13 ablation improves systemic glucose and lipid metabolism. Mol Metab 2023; 78:101824. [PMID: 37844630 PMCID: PMC10598410 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmet.2023.101824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2023] [Revised: 09/30/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/18/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Tissue crosstalk mediated by secreted hormones underlies the integrative control of metabolism. We previously showed that CTRP13/C1QL3, a secreted protein of the C1q family, can improve glucose metabolism and insulin action in vitro and reduce food intake and body weight in mice when centrally delivered. A role for CTRP13 in regulating insulin secretion in isolated islets has also been demonstrated. It remains unclear, however, whether the effects of CTRP13 on cultured cells and in mice reflect the physiological function of the protein. Here, we use a loss-of-function mouse model to address whether CTRP13 is required for metabolic homeostasis. METHODS WT and Ctrp13 knockout (KO) mice fed a standard chow or a high-fat diet were subjected to comprehensive metabolic phenotyping. Transcriptomic analyses were carried out on visceral and subcutaneous fat, liver, and skeletal muscle to identify pathways altered by CTRP13 deficiency. RNA-seq data was further integrated with the Metabolic Syndrome in Man (METSIM) cohort data. Adjusted regression analysis was used to demonstrate that genetic variation of CTRP13 expression accounts for a significant proportion of variance between differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in adipose tissue and metabolic traits in humans. RESULTS Contrary to expectation, chow-fed Ctrp13-KO male mice had elevated physical activity, lower body weight, and improved lipid handling. On a high-fat diet (HFD), Ctrp13-KO mice of either sex were consistently more active and leaner. Loss of CTRP13 reduced hepatic glucose output and improved glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity, and triglyceride clearance, though with notable sex differences. Consistent with the lean phenotype, transcriptomic analyses revealed a lower inflammatory profile in visceral fat and liver. Reduced hepatic steatosis was correlated with the suppression of lipid synthesis and enhanced lipid catabolism gene expression. Visceral fat had the largest number of DEGs and mediation analyses on the human orthologs of the DEGs suggested the potential causal contribution of CTRP13 to human metabolic syndrome. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that CTRP13 is a negative metabolic regulator, and its deficiency improves systemic metabolic profiles. Our data also suggest the reduction in circulating human CTRP13 levels seen in obesity and diabetes may reflect a compensatory physiologic response to counteract insulin resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fangluo Chen
- Department of Physiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Center for Metabolism and Obesity Research, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Dylan C Sarver
- Department of Physiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Center for Metabolism and Obesity Research, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Muzna Saqib
- Department of Physiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Center for Metabolism and Obesity Research, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Mingqi Zhou
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, USA; Center for Epigenetics and Metabolism, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, USA
| | - Susan Aja
- Center for Metabolism and Obesity Research, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Marcus M Seldin
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, USA; Center for Epigenetics and Metabolism, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, USA
| | - G William Wong
- Department of Physiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Center for Metabolism and Obesity Research, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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5
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Shin J, Toyoda S, Okuno Y, Hayashi R, Nishitani S, Onodera T, Sakamoto H, Ito S, Kobayashi S, Nagao H, Kita S, Otsuki M, Fukuhara A, Nagata K, Shimomura I. HSP47 levels determine the degree of body adiposity. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7319. [PMID: 37951979 PMCID: PMC10640548 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43080-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Adiposity varies among individuals with the influence of diverse physiological, pathological, environmental, hormonal, and genetic factors, but a unified molecular basis remains elusive. Here, we identify HSP47, a collagen-specific chaperone, as a key determinant of body adiposity. HSP47 expression is abundant in adipose tissue; increased with feeding, overeating, and obesity; decreased with fasting, exercise, calorie restriction, bariatric surgery, and cachexia; and correlated with fat mass, BMI, waist, and hip circumferences. Insulin and glucocorticoids, respectively, up- and down-regulate HSP47 expression. In humans, the increase of HSP47 gene expression by its intron or synonymous variants is associated with higher body adiposity traits. In mice, the adipose-specific knockout or pharmacological inhibition of HSP47 leads to lower body adiposity compared to the control. Mechanistically, HSP47 promotes collagen dynamics in the folding, secretion, and interaction with integrin, which activates FAK signaling and preserves PPARγ protein from proteasomal degradation, partly related to MDM2. The study highlights the significance of HSP47 in determining the amount of body fat individually and under various circumstances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jihoon Shin
- Department of Metabolic Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan.
- Department of Diabetes Care Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan.
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Shinichiro Toyoda
- Department of Metabolic Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yosuke Okuno
- Department of Metabolic Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Reiko Hayashi
- Department of Metabolic Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Shigeki Nishitani
- Department of Metabolic Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Toshiharu Onodera
- Department of Metabolic Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
- Touchstone Diabetes Center, Department of Internal Medicine, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, USA
| | - Haruyo Sakamoto
- Department of Metabolic Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Shinya Ito
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Kyoto Sangyo University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Sachiko Kobayashi
- Department of Metabolic Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Hirofumi Nagao
- Department of Metabolic Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Shunbun Kita
- Department of Metabolic Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
- Department of Adipose Management, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Michio Otsuki
- Department of Metabolic Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
- Department of Endocrinology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Atsunori Fukuhara
- Department of Metabolic Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
- Department of Adipose Management, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Kazuhiro Nagata
- Institute for Protein Dynamics, Kyoto Sangyo University, Kyoto, Japan
- JT Biohistory Research Hall, Osaka, Japan
| | - Iichiro Shimomura
- Department of Metabolic Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
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6
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Rengganaten V, Huang CJ, Wang ML, Chien Y, Tsai PH, Lan YT, Ong HT, Chiou SH, Choo KB. Circular RNA ZNF800 (hsa_circ_0082096) regulates cancer stem cell properties and tumor growth in colorectal cancer. BMC Cancer 2023; 23:1088. [PMID: 37950151 PMCID: PMC10636831 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-023-11571-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cancer stem cells form a rare cell population in tumors that contributes to metastasis, recurrence and chemoresistance in cancer patients. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression that sponge targeted microRNA (miRNAs) to affect a multitude of downstream cellular processes. We previously showed in an expression profiling study that circZNF800 (hsa_circ_0082096) was up-regulated in cancer stem cell-enriched spheroids derived from colorectal cancer (CRC) cell lines. METHODS Spheroids were generated in suspension spheroidal culture. The ZNF800 mRNA, pluripotency stem cell markers and circZNF800 levels were determined by quantitative RT-PCR. CircZNF800-miRNA interactions were shown in RNA pulldown assays and the miRNA levels determined by stem-loop qRT-PCR. The effects of circZNF800 on cell proliferation were tested by EdU staining followed by flowcytometry. Expression of stem cell markers CD44/CD133, Lgr5 and SOX9 was demonstrated in immunofluorescence microscopy. To manipulate the cellular levels of circZNF800, circZNF800 over-expression was achieved via transfection of in vitro synthesized and circularized circZNF800, and knockdown attained using a CRISPR-Cas13d-circZNF800 vector system. Xenografted nude mice were used to demonstrate effects of circZNF800 over-expression and knockdown on tumor growth in vivo. RESULTS CircZNF800 was shown to be over-expressed in late-stage tumor tissues of CRC patients. Data showed that circZNF800 impeded expression of miR-140-3p, miR-382-5p and miR-579-3p while promoted the mRNA levels of ALK/ACVR1C, FZD3 and WNT5A targeted by the miRNAs, as supported by alignments of seed sequences between the circZNF800-miRNA, and miRNA-mRNA paired interactions. Analysis in CRC cells and biopsied tissues showed that circZNF800 positively regulated the expression of intestinal stem cell, pluripotency and cancer stem cell markers, and promoted CRC cell proliferation, spheroid and colony formation in vitro, all of which are cancer stem cell properties. In xenografted mice, circZNF800 over-expression promoted tumor growth, while circZNF800 knockdown via administration of CRISPR Cas13d-circZNF800 viral particles at the CRC tumor sites impeded tumor growth. CONCLUSIONS CircZNF800 is an oncogenic factor that regulate cancer stem cell properties to lead colorectal tumorigenesis, and may be used as a predictive marker for tumor progression and the CRISPR Cas13d-circZNF800 knockdown strategy for therapeutic intervention of colorectal cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vimalan Rengganaten
- Centre for Stem Cell Research, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, 43000, Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia
- Postgraduate Program, M. Kandiah Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, 43000, Kajang, Malaysia
- Institute of Pharmacology, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, 11221, Taiwan
| | - Chiu-Jung Huang
- Department of Animal Science & Graduate Institute of Biotechnology, Chinese Culture University, Taipei, 11221, Taiwan
| | - Mong-Lien Wang
- Institute of Pharmacology, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, 11221, Taiwan
- School of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, 11221, Taiwan
- Department of Medical Research, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, 11221, Taiwan
- Institute of Food Safety and Health Risk Assessment, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, 11221, Taiwan
| | - Yueh Chien
- Department of Medical Research, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, 11221, Taiwan
| | - Ping-Hsing Tsai
- Department of Medical Research, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, 11221, Taiwan
| | - Yuan-Tzu Lan
- School of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, 11221, Taiwan
- Division of Colon & Rectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, 11221, Taiwan
| | - Hooi Tin Ong
- Centre for Cancer Research, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, 43000, Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia
- Department of Preclinical Sciences, M. Kandiah Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Sg Long, 43000, Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Shih-Hwa Chiou
- Institute of Pharmacology, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, 11221, Taiwan.
- School of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, 11221, Taiwan.
- Department of Medical Research, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, 11221, Taiwan.
| | - Kong Bung Choo
- Centre for Stem Cell Research, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, 43000, Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia.
- Department of Medical Research, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, 11221, Taiwan.
- Department of Preclinical Sciences, M. Kandiah Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Sg Long, 43000, Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia.
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7
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Brotman SM, Oravilahti A, Rosen JD, Alvarez M, Heinonen S, van der Kolk BW, Fernandes Silva L, Perrin HJ, Vadlamudi S, Pylant C, Deochand S, Basta PV, Valone JM, Narain MN, Stringham HM, Boehnke M, Kuusisto J, Love MI, Pietiläinen KH, Pajukanta P, Laakso M, Mohlke KL. Cell-Type Composition Affects Adipose Gene Expression Associations With Cardiometabolic Traits. Diabetes 2023; 72:1707-1718. [PMID: 37647564 PMCID: PMC10588284 DOI: 10.2337/db23-0365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
Understanding differences in adipose gene expression between individuals with different levels of clinical traits may reveal the genes and mechanisms leading to cardiometabolic diseases. However, adipose is a heterogeneous tissue. To account for cell-type heterogeneity, we estimated cell-type proportions in 859 subcutaneous adipose tissue samples with bulk RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) using a reference single-nuclear RNA-seq data set. Cell-type proportions were associated with cardiometabolic traits; for example, higher macrophage and adipocyte proportions were associated with higher and lower BMI, respectively. We evaluated cell-type proportions and BMI as covariates in tests of association between >25,000 gene expression levels and 22 cardiometabolic traits. For >95% of genes, the optimal, or best-fit, models included BMI as a covariate, and for 79% of associations, the optimal models also included cell type. After adjusting for the optimal covariates, we identified 2,664 significant associations (P ≤ 2e-6) for 1,252 genes and 14 traits. Among genes proposed to affect cardiometabolic traits based on colocalized genome-wide association study and adipose expression quantitative trait locus signals, 25 showed a corresponding association between trait and gene expression levels. Overall, these results suggest the importance of modeling cell-type proportion when identifying gene expression associations with cardiometabolic traits. ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah M. Brotman
- Department of Genetics, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Anniina Oravilahti
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Internal Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Jonathan D. Rosen
- Department of Genetics, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Marcus Alvarez
- Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Sini Heinonen
- Obesity Research Unit, Research Program for Clinical and Molecular Metabolism, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Birgitta W. van der Kolk
- Obesity Research Unit, Research Program for Clinical and Molecular Metabolism, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Lilian Fernandes Silva
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Internal Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Hannah J. Perrin
- Department of Genetics, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
| | | | - Cortney Pylant
- Department of Epidemiology, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Sonia Deochand
- Department of Epidemiology, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Patricia V. Basta
- Department of Epidemiology, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Jordan M. Valone
- Department of Genetics, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
- UNC Neuroscience Center, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Morgan N. Narain
- Department of Genetics, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
- Curriculum of Toxicology and Environmental Medicine, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Heather M. Stringham
- Department of Biostatistics and Center for Statistical Genetics, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
| | - Michael Boehnke
- Department of Biostatistics and Center for Statistical Genetics, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
| | - Johanna Kuusisto
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Internal Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
- Department of Medicine, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Michael I. Love
- Department of Genetics, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
- Department of Biostatistics, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Kirsi H. Pietiläinen
- Obesity Research Unit, Research Program for Clinical and Molecular Metabolism, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- HealthyWeightHub, Endocrinology, Abdominal Center, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Päivi Pajukanta
- Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
- Institute for Precision Health, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Markku Laakso
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Internal Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
- Department of Medicine, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Karen L. Mohlke
- Department of Genetics, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
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8
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Brotman SM, El-Sayed Moustafa JS, Guan L, Broadaway KA, Wang D, Jackson AU, Welch R, Currin KW, Tomlinson M, Vadlamudi S, Stringham HM, Roberts AL, Lakka TA, Oravilahti A, Silva LF, Narisu N, Erdos MR, Yan T, Bonnycastle LL, Raulerson CK, Raza Y, Yan X, Parker SCJ, Kuusisto J, Pajukanta P, Tuomilehto J, Collins FS, Boehnke M, Love MI, Koistinen HA, Laakso M, Mohlke KL, Small KS, Scott LJ. Adipose tissue eQTL meta-analysis reveals the contribution of allelic heterogeneity to gene expression regulation and cardiometabolic traits. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.26.563798. [PMID: 37961277 PMCID: PMC10634839 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.26.563798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
Complete characterization of the genetic effects on gene expression is needed to elucidate tissue biology and the etiology of complex traits. Here, we analyzed 2,344 subcutaneous adipose tissue samples and identified 34K conditionally distinct expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) signals in 18K genes. Over half of eQTL genes exhibited at least two eQTL signals. Compared to primary signals, non-primary signals had lower effect sizes, lower minor allele frequencies, and less promoter enrichment; they corresponded to genes with higher heritability and higher tolerance for loss of function. Colocalization of eQTL with conditionally distinct genome-wide association study signals for 28 cardiometabolic traits identified 3,605 eQTL signals for 1,861 genes. Inclusion of non-primary eQTL signals increased colocalized signals by 46%. Among 30 genes with ≥2 pairs of colocalized signals, 21 showed a mediating gene dosage effect on the trait. Thus, expanded eQTL identification reveals more mechanisms underlying complex traits and improves understanding of the complexity of gene expression regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah M Brotman
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | | | - Li Guan
- Department of Computational Medicine & Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - K Alaine Broadaway
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Dongmeng Wang
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Anne U Jackson
- Department of Biostatistics and Center for Statistical Genetics, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Ryan Welch
- Department of Biostatistics and Center for Statistical Genetics, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Kevin W Currin
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Max Tomlinson
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, King's College London, London, UK
| | | | - Heather M Stringham
- Department of Biostatistics and Center for Statistical Genetics, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Amy L Roberts
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Timo A Lakka
- Institute of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
- Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland
- Foundation for Research in Health Exercise and Nutrition, Kuopio Research Institute of Exercise Medicine, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Anniina Oravilahti
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Kuopio University Hospital, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Lilian Fernandes Silva
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Kuopio University Hospital, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Narisu Narisu
- Center for Precision Health Research, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Michael R Erdos
- Center for Precision Health Research, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Tingfen Yan
- Center for Precision Health Research, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Lori L Bonnycastle
- Center for Precision Health Research, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | | | - Yasrab Raza
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Xinyu Yan
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Stephen C J Parker
- Department of Computational Medicine & Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Johanna Kuusisto
- Department of Medicine and Clinical Research, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Päivi Pajukanta
- Department of Human Genetics and Institute for Precision Health, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jaakko Tuomilehto
- Department of Public Health and Welfare, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Diabetes Research Group, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Francis S Collins
- Center for Precision Health Research, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Michael Boehnke
- Department of Biostatistics and Center for Statistical Genetics, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Michael I Love
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Heikki A Koistinen
- Department of Public Health and Welfare, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland
- University of Helsinki and Department of Medicine, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
- Minerva Foundation Institute for Medical Research, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Markku Laakso
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Kuopio University Hospital, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
- Department of Medicine and Clinical Research, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Karen L Mohlke
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Kerrin S Small
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Laura J Scott
- Department of Biostatistics and Center for Statistical Genetics, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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9
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Huang L, Liu P, Du Y, Pan D, Lee A, Wolfe SA, Wang YX. A brown fat-enriched adipokine, ASRA, is a leptin receptor antagonist that stimulates appetite. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.12.557454. [PMID: 37745491 PMCID: PMC10515849 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.12.557454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
The endocrine control of food intake remains incompletely understood, and whether the leptin receptor-mediated anorexigenic pathway in the hypothalamus is negatively regulated by a humoral factor is unknown. Here we identify an appetite-stimulating factor - ASRA - that acts as a leptin receptor antagonist. ASRA encodes an 8 kD protein that is abundantly and selectively expressed in adipose tissue and to a lesser extent, in liver, and is upregulated during fasting and cold. ASRA protein associates with autophagosomes and its secretion is induced by energy deficiency. Overexpression of ASRA in mice attenuates leptin receptor signaling leading to elevated blood glucose and development of severe hyperphagic obesity, whereas either adipose- or liver-specific ASRA knockout mice display increased leptin sensitivity, improved glucose homeostasis, reduced food intake, and resistance to high fat diet-induced obesity. Furthermore, ASRA is indispensable for cold-evoked feeding response. Recombinant ASRA (rASRA) protein binds to leptin receptor and suppresses leptin receptor signaling in cultured cells. In vivo, rASRA promotes food intake and increases blood glucose in a leptin receptor signaling-dependent manner. Our studies collectively show that ASRA, acting as a peripheral signal of energy deficit, stimulates appetite and regulates glucose metabolism by antagonizing leptin receptor signaling, thus revealing a previously unknown endocrine mechanism that has important implications for our understanding of leptin resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Huang
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
- These authors contributed equally to this work: Lei Huang, Pengpeng Liu, and Yong Du
| | - Pengpeng Liu
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
- Li Weibo Institute for Rare Diseases Research, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
- These authors contributed equally to this work: Lei Huang, Pengpeng Liu, and Yong Du
| | - Yong Du
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
- These authors contributed equally to this work: Lei Huang, Pengpeng Liu, and Yong Du
| | - Dongning Pan
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
- Present address: Key Laboratory of Metabolism and Molecular Medicine, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Fudan University Shanghai Medical College, Shanghai, China
| | - Alexandra Lee
- Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Scot A. Wolfe
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
- Li Weibo Institute for Rare Diseases Research, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Yong-Xu Wang
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
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10
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Reed JN, Huang J, Li Y, Ma L, Banka D, Wabitsch M, Wang T, Ding W, Björkegren JLM, Civelek M. Systems genetics analysis of human body fat distribution genes identifies Wnt signaling and mitochondrial activity in adipocytes. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.06.556534. [PMID: 37732278 PMCID: PMC10508754 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.06.556534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Excess fat in the abdomen is a sexually dimorphic risk factor for cardio-metabolic disease. The relative storage between abdominal and lower-body subcutaneous adipose tissue depots is approximated by the waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (WHRadjBMI). Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) identified 346 loci near 495 genes associated with WHRadjBMI. Most of these genes have unknown roles in fat distribution, but many are expressed and putatively act in adipose tissue. We aimed to identify novel sex- and depot-specific drivers of WHRadjBMI using a systems genetics approach. METHODS We used two independent cohorts of adipose tissue gene expression with 362 - 444 males and 147 - 219 females, primarily of European ancestry. We constructed sex- and depot- specific Bayesian networks to model the gene-gene interactions from 8,492 adipose tissue genes. Key driver analysis identified genes that, in silico and putatively in vitro, regulate many others, including the 495 WHRadjBMI GWAS genes. Key driver gene function was determined by perturbing their expression in human subcutaneous pre-adipocytes using lenti-virus or siRNA. RESULTS 51 - 119 key drivers in each network were replicated in both cohorts. We used single-cell expression data to select replicated key drivers expressed in adipocyte precursors and mature adipocytes, prioritized genes which have not been previously studied in adipose tissue, and used public human and mouse data to nominate 53 novel key driver genes (10 - 21 from each network) that may regulate fat distribution by altering adipocyte function. In other cell types, 23 of these genes are found in crucial adipocyte pathways: Wnt signaling or mitochondrial function. We selected seven genes whose expression is highly correlated with WHRadjBMI to further study their effects on adipogenesis/Wnt signaling (ANAPC2, PSME3, RSPO1, TYRO3) or mitochondrial function (C1QTNF3, MIGA1, PSME3, UBR1).Adipogenesis was inhibited in cells overexpressing ANAPC2 and RSPO1 compared to controls. RSPO1 results are consistent with a positive correlation between gene expression in the subcutaneous depot and WHRadjBMI, therefore lower relative storage in the subcutaneous depot. RSPO1 inhibited adipogenesis by increasing β-catenin activation and Wnt-related transcription, thus repressing PPARG and CEBPA. PSME3 overexpression led to more adipogenesis than controls. In differentiated adipocytes, MIGA1 and UBR1 downregulation led to mitochondrial dysfunction, with lower oxygen consumption than controls; MIGA1 knockdown also lowered UCP1 expression. SUMMARY ANAPC2, MIGA1, PSME3, RSPO1, and UBR1 affect adipocyte function and may drive body fat distribution.
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11
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Aygün N, Krupa O, Mory J, Le B, Valone J, Liang D, Love MI, Stein JL. Genetics of cell-type-specific post-transcriptional gene regulation during human neurogenesis. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.30.555019. [PMID: 37693528 PMCID: PMC10491258 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.30.555019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
The function of some genetic variants associated with brain-relevant traits has been explained through colocalization with expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) conducted in bulk post-mortem adult brain tissue. However, many brain-trait associated loci have unknown cellular or molecular function. These genetic variants may exert context-specific function on different molecular phenotypes including post-transcriptional changes. Here, we identified genetic regulation of RNA-editing and alternative polyadenylation (APA), within a cell-type-specific population of human neural progenitors and neurons. More RNA-editing and isoforms utilizing longer polyadenylation sequences were observed in neurons, likely due to higher expression of genes encoding the proteins mediating these post-transcriptional events. We also detected hundreds of cell-type-specific editing quantitative trait loci (edQTLs) and alternative polyadenylation QTLs (apaQTLs). We found colocalizations of a neuron edQTL in CCDC88A with educational attainment and a progenitor apaQTL in EP300 with schizophrenia, suggesting genetically mediated post-transcriptional regulation during brain development lead to differences in brain function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nil Aygün
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- UNC Neuroscience Center University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Oleh Krupa
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- UNC Neuroscience Center University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Jessica Mory
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- UNC Neuroscience Center University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Brandon Le
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- UNC Neuroscience Center University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Jordan Valone
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- UNC Neuroscience Center University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Dan Liang
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- UNC Neuroscience Center University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Michael I. Love
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Jason L. Stein
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- UNC Neuroscience Center University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Lead contact
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12
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Rouskas K, Katsareli EA, Amerikanou C, Dimopoulos AC, Glentis S, Kalantzi A, Skoulakis A, Panousis N, Ongen H, Bielser D, Planchon A, Romano L, Harokopos V, Reczko M, Moulos P, Griniatsos I, Diamantis T, Dermitzakis ET, Ragoussis J, Dedoussis G, Dimas AS. Identifying novel regulatory effects for clinically relevant genes through the study of the Greek population. BMC Genomics 2023; 24:442. [PMID: 37543566 PMCID: PMC10403965 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-023-09532-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) studies provide insights into regulatory mechanisms underlying disease risk. Expanding studies of gene regulation to underexplored populations and to medically relevant tissues offers potential to reveal yet unknown regulatory variants and to better understand disease mechanisms. Here, we performed eQTL mapping in subcutaneous (S) and visceral (V) adipose tissue from 106 Greek individuals (Greek Metabolic study, GM) and compared our findings to those from the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) resource. RESULTS We identified 1,930 and 1,515 eGenes in S and V respectively, over 13% of which are not observed in GTEx adipose tissue, and that do not arise due to different ancestry. We report additional context-specific regulatory effects in genes of clinical interest (e.g. oncogene ST7) and in genes regulating responses to environmental stimuli (e.g. MIR21, SNX33). We suggest that a fraction of the reported differences across populations is due to environmental effects on gene expression, driving context-specific eQTLs, and suggest that environmental effects can determine the penetrance of disease variants thus shaping disease risk. We report that over half of GM eQTLs colocalize with GWAS SNPs and of these colocalizations 41% are not detected in GTEx. We also highlight the clinical relevance of S adipose tissue by revealing that inflammatory processes are upregulated in individuals with obesity, not only in V, but also in S tissue. CONCLUSIONS By focusing on an understudied population, our results provide further candidate genes for investigation regarding their role in adipose tissue biology and their contribution to disease risk and pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstantinos Rouskas
- Institute for Bioinnovation, Biomedical Sciences Research Center 'Alexander Fleming', Vari, Greece
- Institute of Applied Biosciences, Centre for Research & Technology Hellas, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Efthymia A Katsareli
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Science and Education, Harokopio University, Athens, Greece
| | - Charalampia Amerikanou
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Science and Education, Harokopio University, Athens, Greece
| | - Alexandros C Dimopoulos
- Institute for Fundamental Biomedical Science, Biomedical Sciences Research Center 'Alexander Fleming', Vari, Greece
- Hellenic Naval Academy, Hatzikyriakou Avenue, Pireaus, Greece
| | - Stavros Glentis
- Institute for Bioinnovation, Biomedical Sciences Research Center 'Alexander Fleming', Vari, Greece
- Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Unit (POHemU), First Department of Pediatrics, University of Athens, Aghia Sophia Children's Hospital, Athens, Greece
| | - Alexandra Kalantzi
- Institute for Bioinnovation, Biomedical Sciences Research Center 'Alexander Fleming', Vari, Greece
| | - Anargyros Skoulakis
- Institute for Bioinnovation, Biomedical Sciences Research Center 'Alexander Fleming', Vari, Greece
| | | | - Halit Ongen
- Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of Geneva Medical School, Geneva, Switzerland
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Institute of Genetics and Genomics in Geneva, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Deborah Bielser
- Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of Geneva Medical School, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Alexandra Planchon
- Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of Geneva Medical School, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Luciana Romano
- Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of Geneva Medical School, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Vaggelis Harokopos
- Institute for Bioinnovation, Biomedical Sciences Research Center 'Alexander Fleming', Vari, Greece
| | - Martin Reczko
- Institute for Fundamental Biomedical Science, Biomedical Sciences Research Center 'Alexander Fleming', Vari, Greece
| | - Panagiotis Moulos
- Institute for Fundamental Biomedical Science, Biomedical Sciences Research Center 'Alexander Fleming', Vari, Greece
- Center of New Biotechnologies & Precision Medicine, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Ioannis Griniatsos
- First Department of Surgery, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Medical School, Laiko Hospital, Athens, Greece
| | - Theodoros Diamantis
- First Department of Surgery, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Medical School, Laiko Hospital, Athens, Greece
| | - Emmanouil T Dermitzakis
- Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of Geneva Medical School, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Jiannis Ragoussis
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University Genome Centre, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Department of Bioengineering, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - George Dedoussis
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Science and Education, Harokopio University, Athens, Greece
| | - Antigone S Dimas
- Institute for Bioinnovation, Biomedical Sciences Research Center 'Alexander Fleming', Vari, Greece.
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13
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Duan YY, Chen XF, Zhu RJ, Jia YY, Huang XT, Zhang M, Yang N, Dong SS, Zeng M, Feng Z, Zhu DL, Wu H, Jiang F, Shi W, Hu WX, Ke X, Chen H, Liu Y, Jing RH, Guo Y, Li M, Yang TL. High-throughput functional dissection of noncoding SNPs with biased allelic enhancer activity for insulin resistance-relevant phenotypes. Am J Hum Genet 2023; 110:1266-1288. [PMID: 37506691 PMCID: PMC10432149 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2023.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Revised: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Most of the single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with insulin resistance (IR)-relevant phenotypes by genome-wide association studies (GWASs) are located in noncoding regions, complicating their functional interpretation. Here, we utilized an adapted STARR-seq to evaluate the regulatory activities of 5,987 noncoding SNPs associated with IR-relevant phenotypes. We identified 876 SNPs with biased allelic enhancer activity effects (baaSNPs) across 133 loci in three IR-relevant cell lines (HepG2, preadipocyte, and A673), which showed pervasive cell specificity and significant enrichment for cell-specific open chromatin regions or enhancer-indicative markers (H3K4me1, H3K27ac). Further functional characterization suggested several transcription factors (TFs) with preferential allelic binding to baaSNPs. We also incorporated multi-omics data to prioritize 102 candidate regulatory target genes for baaSNPs and revealed prevalent long-range regulatory effects and cell-specific IR-relevant biological functional enrichment on them. Specifically, we experimentally verified the distal regulatory mechanism at IRS1 locus, in which rs952227-A reinforces IRS1 expression by long-range chromatin interaction and preferential binding to the transcription factor HOXC6 to augment the enhancer activity. Finally, based on our STARR-seq screening data, we predicted the enhancer activity of 227,343 noncoding SNPs associated with IR-relevant phenotypes (fasting insulin adjusted for BMI, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides) from the largest available GWAS summary statistics. We further provided an open resource (http://www.bigc.online/fnSNP-IR) for better understanding genetic regulatory mechanisms of IR-relevant phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan-Yuan Duan
- Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Biomedical Informatics & Genomics Center, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, China
| | - Xiao-Feng Chen
- Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Biomedical Informatics & Genomics Center, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, China
| | - Ren-Jie Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Biomedical Informatics & Genomics Center, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, China
| | - Ying-Ying Jia
- Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Biomedical Informatics & Genomics Center, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, China
| | - Xiao-Ting Huang
- Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Biomedical Informatics & Genomics Center, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, China
| | - Meng Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Biomedical Informatics & Genomics Center, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, China
| | - Ning Yang
- Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Biomedical Informatics & Genomics Center, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, China
| | - Shan-Shan Dong
- Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Biomedical Informatics & Genomics Center, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, China
| | - Mengqi Zeng
- Frontier Institute of Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, China
| | - Zhihui Feng
- Frontier Institute of Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, China
| | - Dong-Li Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Biomedical Informatics & Genomics Center, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, China
| | - Hao Wu
- Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Biomedical Informatics & Genomics Center, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, China
| | - Feng Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Biomedical Informatics & Genomics Center, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, China
| | - Wei Shi
- Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Biomedical Informatics & Genomics Center, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, China
| | - Wei-Xin Hu
- Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Biomedical Informatics & Genomics Center, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, China
| | - Xin Ke
- Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Biomedical Informatics & Genomics Center, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, China
| | - Hao Chen
- Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Biomedical Informatics & Genomics Center, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, China
| | - Yunlong Liu
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - Rui-Hua Jing
- Department of Ophthalmology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710000, China
| | - Yan Guo
- Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Biomedical Informatics & Genomics Center, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, China
| | - Meng Li
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, China.
| | - Tie-Lin Yang
- Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Biomedical Informatics & Genomics Center, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, China; Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, China.
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14
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Armendariz DA, Sundarrajan A, Hon GC. Breaking enhancers to gain insights into developmental defects. eLife 2023; 12:e88187. [PMID: 37497775 PMCID: PMC10374278 DOI: 10.7554/elife.88187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite ground-breaking genetic studies that have identified thousands of risk variants for developmental diseases, how these variants lead to molecular and cellular phenotypes remains a gap in knowledge. Many of these variants are non-coding and occur at enhancers, which orchestrate key regulatory programs during development. The prevailing paradigm is that non-coding variants alter the activity of enhancers, impacting gene expression programs, and ultimately contributing to disease risk. A key obstacle to progress is the systematic functional characterization of non-coding variants at scale, especially since enhancer activity is highly specific to cell type and developmental stage. Here, we review the foundational studies of enhancers in developmental disease and current genomic approaches to functionally characterize developmental enhancers and their variants at scale. In the coming decade, we anticipate systematic enhancer perturbation studies to link non-coding variants to molecular mechanisms, changes in cell state, and disease phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel A Armendariz
- Cecil H. and Ida Green Center for Reproductive Biology Sciences, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, United States
| | - Anjana Sundarrajan
- Cecil H. and Ida Green Center for Reproductive Biology Sciences, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, United States
| | - Gary C Hon
- Cecil H. and Ida Green Center for Reproductive Biology Sciences, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, United States
- Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, United States
- Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, United States
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15
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Aberra YT, Ma L, Björkegren JLM, Civelek M. Predicting mechanisms of action at genetic loci associated with discordant effects on type 2 diabetes and abdominal fat accumulation. eLife 2023; 12:e79834. [PMID: 37326626 PMCID: PMC10275637 DOI: 10.7554/elife.79834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Obesity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Excessive accumulation of fat in the abdomen further increases T2D risk. Abdominal obesity is measured by calculating the ratio of waist-to-hip circumference adjusted for the body-mass index (WHRadjBMI), a trait with a significant genetic inheritance. Genetic loci associated with WHRadjBMI identified in genome-wide association studies are predicted to act through adipose tissues, but many of the exact molecular mechanisms underlying fat distribution and its consequences for T2D risk are poorly understood. Further, mechanisms that uncouple the genetic inheritance of abdominal obesity from T2D risk have not yet been described. Here we utilize multi-omic data to predict mechanisms of action at loci associated with discordant effects on abdominal obesity and T2D risk. We find six genetic signals in five loci associated with protection from T2D but also with increased abdominal obesity. We predict the tissues of action at these discordant loci and the likely effector Genes (eGenes) at three discordant loci, from which we predict significant involvement of adipose biology. We then evaluate the relationship between adipose gene expression of eGenes with adipogenesis, obesity, and diabetic physiological phenotypes. By integrating these analyses with prior literature, we propose models that resolve the discordant associations at two of the five loci. While experimental validation is required to validate predictions, these hypotheses provide potential mechanisms underlying T2D risk stratification within abdominal obesity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yonathan Tamrat Aberra
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of VirginiaCharlottesvilleUnited States
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of VirginiaCharlottesvilleUnited States
| | - Lijiang Ma
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkUnited States
| | - Johan LM Björkegren
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkUnited States
- Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, HuddingeStockholmSweden
| | - Mete Civelek
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of VirginiaCharlottesvilleUnited States
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of VirginiaCharlottesvilleUnited States
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16
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Xia W, Veeragandham P, Cao Y, Xu Y, Rhyne T, Qian J, Hung CW, Zhao P, Jones Y, Gao H, Liddle C, Yu R, Downes M, Evans R, Ryden M, Wabitsch M, Reilly S, Huang J, Saltiel A. Obesity-dependent increase in RalA activity disrupts mitochondrial dynamics in white adipocytes. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-2923510. [PMID: 37398165 PMCID: PMC10312969 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2923510/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
Mitochondrial dysfunction is a characteristic trait of human and rodent obesity, insulin resistance, and fatty liver disease. Here we report that mitochondria undergo fragmentation and reduced oxidative capacity specifically in inguinal white adipose tissue after feeding mice high fat diet (HFD) by a process dependent on the small GTPase RalA. RalA expression and activity are increased in white adipocytes from mice fed HFD. Targeted deletion of Rala in white adipocytes prevents the obesity-induced fragmentation of mitochondria and produces mice resistant to HFD-induced weight gain via increased fatty acid oxidation. As a result, these mice also exhibit improved glucose tolerance and liver function. In vitro mechanistic studies revealed that RalA suppresses mitochondrial oxidative function in adipocytes by increasing fission through reversing the protein kinase A-catalyzed inhibitory Ser637phosphorylation of the mitochondrial fission protein Drp1. Active RalA recruits protein phosphatase 2A (PP2Aa) to specifically dephosphorylate this inhibitory site on Drp1, activating the protein, thus increasing mitochondrial fission. Adipose tissue expression of the human homolog of Drp1, DNML1, is positively correlated with obesity and insulin resistance in patients. Thus, chronic activation of RalA plays a key role in repressing energy expenditure in obese adipose tissue by shifting the balance of mitochondrial dynamics towards excessive fission, contributing to weight gain and related metabolic dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Yu Cao
- University of California San Diego
| | - Yayun Xu
- University of California San Diego
| | | | | | | | - Peng Zhao
- University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
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17
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Aygün N, Liang D, Crouse WL, Keele GR, Love MI, Stein JL. Inferring cell-type-specific causal gene regulatory networks during human neurogenesis. Genome Biol 2023; 24:130. [PMID: 37254169 PMCID: PMC10230710 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-023-02959-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Genetic variation influences both chromatin accessibility, assessed in chromatin accessibility quantitative trait loci (caQTL) studies, and gene expression, assessed in expression QTL (eQTL) studies. Genetic variants can impact either nearby genes (cis-eQTLs) or distal genes (trans-eQTLs). Colocalization between caQTL and eQTL, or cis- and trans-eQTLs suggests that they share causal variants. However, pairwise colocalization between these molecular QTLs does not guarantee a causal relationship. Mediation analysis can be applied to assess the evidence supporting causality versus independence between molecular QTLs. Given that the function of QTLs can be cell-type-specific, we performed mediation analyses to find epigenetic and distal regulatory causal pathways for genes within two major cell types of the developing human cortex, progenitors and neurons. RESULTS We find that the expression of 168 and 38 genes is mediated by chromatin accessibility in progenitors and neurons, respectively. We also find that the expression of 11 and 12 downstream genes is mediated by upstream genes in progenitors and neurons. Moreover, we discover that a genetic locus associated with inter-individual differences in brain structure shows evidence for mediation of SLC26A7 through chromatin accessibility, identifying molecular mechanisms of a common variant association to a brain trait. CONCLUSIONS In this study, we identify cell-type-specific causal gene regulatory networks whereby the impacts of variants on gene expression were mediated by chromatin accessibility or distal gene expression. Identification of these causal paths will enable identifying and prioritizing actionable regulatory targets perturbing these key processes during neurodevelopment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nil Aygün
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
- UNC Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Dan Liang
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
- UNC Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Wesley L Crouse
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Gregory R Keele
- The Jackson Laboratory, 600 Main Street, Bar Harbor, ME, 04609, USA
| | - Michael I Love
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
- Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
| | - Jason L Stein
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
- UNC Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
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18
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Jurrjens AW, Seldin MM, Giles C, Meikle PJ, Drew BG, Calkin AC. The potential of integrating human and mouse discovery platforms to advance our understanding of cardiometabolic diseases. eLife 2023; 12:e86139. [PMID: 37000167 PMCID: PMC10065800 DOI: 10.7554/elife.86139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 04/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Cardiometabolic diseases encompass a range of interrelated conditions that arise from underlying metabolic perturbations precipitated by genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors. While obesity, dyslipidaemia, smoking, and insulin resistance are major risk factors for cardiometabolic diseases, individuals still present in the absence of such traditional risk factors, making it difficult to determine those at greatest risk of disease. Thus, it is crucial to elucidate the genetic, environmental, and molecular underpinnings to better understand, diagnose, and treat cardiometabolic diseases. Much of this information can be garnered using systems genetics, which takes population-based approaches to investigate how genetic variance contributes to complex traits. Despite the important advances made by human genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in this space, corroboration of these findings has been hampered by limitations including the inability to control environmental influence, limited access to pertinent metabolic tissues, and often, poor classification of diseases or phenotypes. A complementary approach to human GWAS is the utilisation of model systems such as genetically diverse mouse panels to study natural genetic and phenotypic variation in a controlled environment. Here, we review mouse genetic reference panels and the opportunities they provide for the study of cardiometabolic diseases and related traits. We discuss how the post-GWAS era has prompted a shift in focus from discovery of novel genetic variants to understanding gene function. Finally, we highlight key advantages and challenges of integrating complementary genetic and multi-omics data from human and mouse populations to advance biological discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron W Jurrjens
- Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Australia
- Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Marcus M Seldin
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Center for Epigenetics and Metabolism, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, United States
| | - Corey Giles
- Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Australia
- Baker Department of Cardiometabolic Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
- Baker Department of Cardiovascular Research Translation and Implementation, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia
| | - Peter J Meikle
- Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Australia
- Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
- Baker Department of Cardiometabolic Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
- Baker Department of Cardiovascular Research Translation and Implementation, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia
| | - Brian G Drew
- Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Australia
- Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
- Baker Department of Cardiometabolic Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Anna C Calkin
- Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Australia
- Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
- Baker Department of Cardiometabolic Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
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19
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Abood A, Mesner LD, Jeffery ED, Murali M, Lehe M, Saquing J, Farber CR, Sheynkman GM. Long-read proteogenomics to connect disease-associated sQTLs to the protein isoform effectors of disease. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.17.531557. [PMID: 36993769 PMCID: PMC10055087 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.17.531557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
Abstract
A major fraction of loci identified by genome-wide association studies (GWASs) lead to alterations in alternative splicing, but interpretation of how such alterations impact proteins is hindered by the technical limitations of short-read RNA-seq, which cannot directly link splicing events to full-length transcript or protein isoforms. Long-read RNA-seq represents a powerful tool to define and quantify transcript isoforms, and recently, infer protein isoform existence. Here we present a novel approach that integrates information from GWAS, splicing QTL (sQTL), and PacBio long-read RNA-seq in a disease-relevant model to infer the effects of sQTLs on the ultimate protein isoform products they encode. We demonstrate the utility of our approach using bone mineral density (BMD) GWAS data. We identified 1,863 sQTLs from the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) project in 732 protein-coding genes which colocalized with BMD associations (H 4 PP ≥ 0.75). We generated deep coverage PacBio long-read RNA-seq data (N=∼22 million full-length reads) on human osteoblasts, identifying 68,326 protein-coding isoforms, of which 17,375 (25%) were novel. By casting the colocalized sQTLs directly onto protein isoforms, we connected 809 sQTLs to 2,029 protein isoforms from 441 genes expressed in osteoblasts. Using these data, we created one of the first proteome-scale resources defining full-length isoforms impacted by colocalized sQTLs. Overall, we found that 74 sQTLs influenced isoforms likely impacted by nonsense mediated decay (NMD) and 190 that potentially resulted in the expression of new protein isoforms. Finally, we identified colocalizing sQTLs in TPM2 for splice junctions between two mutually exclusive exons, and two different transcript termination sites, making it impossible to interpret without long-read RNA-seq data. siRNA mediated knockdown in osteoblasts showed two TPM2 isoforms with opposing effects on mineralization. We expect our approach to be widely generalizable across diverse clinical traits and accelerate system-scale analyses of protein isoform activities modulated by GWAS loci.
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20
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Gonzalez P, Dos Santos A, Darnaud M, Moniaux N, Rapoud D, Lacoste C, Nguyen TS, Moullé VS, Deshayes A, Amouyal G, Amouyal P, Bréchot C, Cruciani-Guglielmacci C, Andréelli F, Magnan C, Faivre J. Antimicrobial protein REG3A regulates glucose homeostasis and insulin resistance in obese diabetic mice. Commun Biol 2023; 6:269. [PMID: 36918710 PMCID: PMC10015038 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04616-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Innate immune mediators of pathogen clearance, including the secreted C-type lectins REG3 of the antimicrobial peptide (AMP) family, are known to be involved in the regulation of tissue repair and homeostasis. Their role in metabolic homeostasis remains unknown. Here we show that an increase in human REG3A improves glucose and lipid homeostasis in nutritional and genetic mouse models of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Mice overexpressing REG3A in the liver show improved glucose homeostasis, which is reflected in better insulin sensitivity in normal weight and obese states. Delivery of recombinant REG3A protein to leptin-deficient ob/ob mice or wild-type mice on a high-fat diet also improves glucose homeostasis. This is accompanied by reduced oxidative protein damage, increased AMPK phosphorylation and insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in skeletal muscle tissue. Oxidative damage in differentiated C2C12 myotubes is greatly attenuated by REG3A, as is the increase in gp130-mediated AMPK activation. In contrast, Akt-mediated insulin action, which is impaired by oxidative stress, is not restored by REG3A. These data highlight the importance of REG3A in controlling oxidative protein damage involved in energy and metabolic pathways during obesity and diabetes, and provide additional insight into the dual function of host-immune defense and metabolic regulation for AMP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Gonzalez
- INSERM, U1193, Paul-Brousse University Hospital, Hepatobiliary Centre, Villejuif, 94800, France
- Université Paris-Saclay, Faculté de Médecine Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, 94270, France
| | - Alexandre Dos Santos
- INSERM, U1193, Paul-Brousse University Hospital, Hepatobiliary Centre, Villejuif, 94800, France
- Université Paris-Saclay, Faculté de Médecine Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, 94270, France
| | - Marion Darnaud
- INSERM, U1193, Paul-Brousse University Hospital, Hepatobiliary Centre, Villejuif, 94800, France
- Université Paris-Saclay, Faculté de Médecine Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, 94270, France
| | - Nicolas Moniaux
- INSERM, U1193, Paul-Brousse University Hospital, Hepatobiliary Centre, Villejuif, 94800, France
- Université Paris-Saclay, Faculté de Médecine Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, 94270, France
| | - Delphine Rapoud
- INSERM, U1193, Paul-Brousse University Hospital, Hepatobiliary Centre, Villejuif, 94800, France
- Université Paris-Saclay, Faculté de Médecine Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, 94270, France
| | - Claire Lacoste
- INSERM, U1193, Paul-Brousse University Hospital, Hepatobiliary Centre, Villejuif, 94800, France
- Université Paris-Saclay, Faculté de Médecine Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, 94270, France
| | - Tung-Son Nguyen
- INSERM, U1193, Paul-Brousse University Hospital, Hepatobiliary Centre, Villejuif, 94800, France
- Université Paris-Saclay, Faculté de Médecine Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, 94270, France
| | - Valentine S Moullé
- Université of Paris, Unité de Biologie Fonctionnelle et Adaptative, CNRS UMR 8251, Paris, 75013, France
| | - Alice Deshayes
- INSERM, U1193, Paul-Brousse University Hospital, Hepatobiliary Centre, Villejuif, 94800, France
- Université Paris-Saclay, Faculté de Médecine Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, 94270, France
| | | | | | | | | | - Fabrizio Andréelli
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, NutriOmics team, Institute of Cardiometabolism and Nutrition (ICAN), Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Paris, 75013, France
| | - Christophe Magnan
- Université of Paris, Unité de Biologie Fonctionnelle et Adaptative, CNRS UMR 8251, Paris, 75013, France
| | - Jamila Faivre
- INSERM, U1193, Paul-Brousse University Hospital, Hepatobiliary Centre, Villejuif, 94800, France.
- Université Paris-Saclay, Faculté de Médecine Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, 94270, France.
- Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP). Université Paris Saclay, Medical-University Department (DMU) Biology, Genetics, Pharmacy, Paul-Brousse Hospital, Villejuif, 94800, France.
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21
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Aherrahrou R, Lue D, Perry RN, Aberra YT, Khan MD, Soh JY, Örd T, Singha P, Yang Q, Gilani H, Benavente ED, Wong D, Hinkle J, Ma L, Sheynkman GM, den Ruijter HM, Miller CL, Björkegren JLM, Kaikkonen MU, Civelek M. Genetic Regulation of SMC Gene Expression and Splicing Predict Causal CAD Genes. Circ Res 2023; 132:323-338. [PMID: 36597873 PMCID: PMC9898186 DOI: 10.1161/circresaha.122.321586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of death worldwide. Recent meta-analyses of genome-wide association studies have identified over 175 loci associated with CAD. The majority of these loci are in noncoding regions and are predicted to regulate gene expression. Given that vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) play critical roles in the development and progression of CAD, we aimed to identify the subset of the CAD loci associated with the regulation of transcription in distinct SMC phenotypes. METHODS We measured gene expression in SMCs isolated from the ascending aortas of 151 heart transplant donors of various genetic ancestries in quiescent or proliferative conditions and calculated the association of their expression and splicing with ~6.3 million imputed single-nucleotide polymorphism markers across the genome. RESULTS We identified 4910 expression and 4412 splicing quantitative trait loci (sQTLs) representing regions of the genome associated with transcript abundance and splicing. A total of 3660 expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) had not been observed in the publicly available Genotype-Tissue Expression dataset. Further, 29 and 880 eQTLs were SMC-specific and sex-biased, respectively. We made these results available for public query on a user-friendly website. To identify the effector transcript(s) regulated by CAD loci, we used 4 distinct colocalization approaches. We identified 84 eQTL and 164 sQTL that colocalized with CAD loci, highlighting the importance of genetic regulation of mRNA splicing as a molecular mechanism for CAD genetic risk. Notably, 20% and 35% of the eQTLs were unique to quiescent or proliferative SMCs, respectively. One CAD locus colocalized with a sex-specific eQTL (TERF2IP), and another locus colocalized with SMC-specific eQTL (ALKBH8). The most significantly associated CAD locus, 9p21, was an sQTL for the long noncoding RNA CDKN2B-AS1, also known as ANRIL, in proliferative SMCs. CONCLUSIONS Collectively, our results provide evidence for the molecular mechanisms of genetic susceptibility to CAD in distinct SMC phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rédouane Aherrahrou
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Dillon Lue
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
| | - R Noah Perry
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Yonathan Tamrat Aberra
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Mohammad Daud Khan
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Joon Yuhl Soh
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Tiit Örd
- A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Prosanta Singha
- A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Qianyi Yang
- A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Huda Gilani
- A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Ernest Diez Benavente
- Laboratory of Experimental Cardiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
| | - Doris Wong
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Jameson Hinkle
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Lijiang Ma
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States of America
- Icahn Institute of Genomics and Multiscale Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States of America
| | - Gloria M Sheynkman
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
- Cancer Center, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Hester M den Ruijter
- Laboratory of Experimental Cardiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
| | - Clint L Miller
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Johan LM Björkegren
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States of America
- Icahn Institute of Genomics and Multiscale Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States of America
- Integrated Cardio Metabolic Centre, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska Universitetssjukhuset, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Minna U Kaikkonen
- A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Mete Civelek
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
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22
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Akash MSH, Rasheed S, Rehman K, Ibrahim M, Imran M, Assiri MA. Biochemical Activation and Regulatory Functions of Trans-Regulatory KLF14 and Its Association with Genetic Polymorphisms. Metabolites 2023; 13:metabo13020199. [PMID: 36837818 PMCID: PMC9962810 DOI: 10.3390/metabo13020199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2022] [Revised: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Krüpple-Like family of transcription factor-14 (KLF14) is a master trans-regulatory gene that has multiple biological regulatory functions and is involved in many pathological mechanisms. It controls the expressions of several other genes which are involved in multiple regulatory functions. KLF14 plays a significant role in lipid metabolism, glucose regulation and insulin sensitivity. Cell apoptosis, proliferation, and differentiation are regulated by the KLF14 gene, and up-regulation of KLF14 prevents cancer progression. KLF14 has been used as an epigenetic biomarker for the estimation of chronological age due to the presence of different age-related CpG sites on genes that become methylated with age. Different genome-wide association studies have identified several KLF14 variants in adipose tissues. These single nucleotide polymorphisms in KLF14 have been associated with dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, and glucose intolerance. Moreover, the prevalence of genetic polymorphism is different in different populations due to ethnic differences and epigenetic modifications. In addition, environmental and physiological factors such as diet, age, gender, and obesity are also responsible for genetic mutations in KLF14.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Sajid Hamid Akash
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Government College University, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
- Correspondence: (M.S.H.A.); (K.R.)
| | - Sumbal Rasheed
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Government College University, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
| | - Kanwal Rehman
- Department of Pharmacy, The Women University, Multan 60000, Pakistan
- Correspondence: (M.S.H.A.); (K.R.)
| | - Muhammad Ibrahim
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Government College University, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Imran
- Research Center for Advanced Materials Science (RCAMS), King Khalid University, Abha 62413, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, King Khalid University, Abha 62413, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammed A. Assiri
- Research Center for Advanced Materials Science (RCAMS), King Khalid University, Abha 62413, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, King Khalid University, Abha 62413, Saudi Arabia
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Xu P, Wang M, Sharma NK, Comeau ME, Wabitsch M, Langefeld CD, Civelek M, Zhang B, Das SK. Multi-omic integration reveals cell-type-specific regulatory networks of insulin resistance in distinct ancestry populations. Cell Syst 2023; 14:41-57.e8. [PMID: 36630956 PMCID: PMC9852073 DOI: 10.1016/j.cels.2022.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2022] [Revised: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Our knowledge of the cell-type-specific mechanisms of insulin resistance remains limited. To dissect the cell-type-specific molecular signatures of insulin resistance, we performed a multiscale gene network analysis of adipose and muscle tissues in African and European ancestry populations. In adipose tissues, a comparative analysis revealed ethnically conserved cell-type signatures and two adipocyte subtype-enriched modules with opposite insulin sensitivity responses. The modules enriched for adipose stem and progenitor cells as well as immune cells showed negative correlations with insulin sensitivity. In muscle tissues, the modules enriched for stem cells and fibro-adipogenic progenitors responded to insulin sensitivity oppositely. The adipocyte and muscle fiber-enriched modules shared cellular-respiration-related genes but had tissue-specific rearrangements of gene regulations in response to insulin sensitivity. Integration of the gene co-expression and causal networks further pinpointed key drivers of insulin resistance. Together, this study revealed the cell-type-specific transcriptomic networks and signaling maps underlying insulin resistance in major glucose-responsive tissues. A record of this paper's transparent peer review process is included in the supplemental information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Xu
- Department of Genetics & Genomic Sciences, Mount Sinai Center for Transformative Disease Modeling, Icahn Genomics Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Minghui Wang
- Department of Genetics & Genomic Sciences, Mount Sinai Center for Transformative Disease Modeling, Icahn Genomics Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Neeraj K Sharma
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Mary E Comeau
- Department of Biostatistics and Data Science, Division of Public Health Sciences, and Center for Precision Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Martin Wabitsch
- Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, University Medical Center Ulm, Eythstr. 24, D-89075 Ulm, Germany
| | - Carl D Langefeld
- Department of Biostatistics and Data Science, Division of Public Health Sciences, and Center for Precision Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Mete Civelek
- Center for Public Health Genomics, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
| | - Bin Zhang
- Department of Genetics & Genomic Sciences, Mount Sinai Center for Transformative Disease Modeling, Icahn Genomics Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA.
| | - Swapan K Das
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA.
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24
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Chen Q, Huang L, Pan D, Hu K, Li R, Friedline RH, Kim JK, Zhu LJ, Guertin DA, Wang YX. A brown fat-enriched adipokine Adissp controls adipose thermogenesis and glucose homeostasis. Nat Commun 2022; 13:7633. [PMID: 36496438 PMCID: PMC9741603 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35335-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The signaling mechanisms underlying adipose thermogenesis have not been fully elucidated. Particularly, the involvement of adipokines that are selectively expressed in brown adipose tissue (BAT) and beige adipocytes remains to be investigated. Here we show that a previously uncharacterized adipokine (UPF0687 protein / human C20orf27 homolog) we named as Adissp (Adipose-secreted signaling protein) is a key regulator for white adipose tissue (WAT) thermogenesis and glucose homeostasis. Adissp expression is adipose-specific and highly BAT-enriched, and its secretion is stimulated by β3-adrenergic activation. Gain-of-functional studies collectively showed that secreted Adissp promotes WAT thermogenesis, improves glucose homeostasis, and protects against obesity. Adipose-specific Adissp knockout mice are defective in WAT browning, and are susceptible to high fat diet-induced obesity and hyperglycemia. Mechanistically, Adissp binds to a putative receptor on adipocyte surface and activates protein kinase A independently of β-adrenergic signaling. These results establish BAT-enriched Adissp as a major upstream signaling component in thermogenesis and offer a potential avenue for the treatment of obesity and diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingbo Chen
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Lei Huang
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Dongning Pan
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
- Key Laboratory of Metabolism and Molecular Medicine, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Fudan University Shanghai Medical College, Shanghai, China
| | - Kai Hu
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Rui Li
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Randall H Friedline
- Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Jason K Kim
- Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Lihua Julie Zhu
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - David A Guertin
- Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Yong-Xu Wang
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA.
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25
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Loh NY, Wang W, Noordam R, Christodoulides C. Obesity, Fat Distribution and Risk of Cancer in Women and Men: A Mendelian Randomisation Study. Nutrients 2022; 14:5259. [PMID: 36558416 PMCID: PMC9784937 DOI: 10.3390/nu14245259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2022] [Revised: 12/04/2022] [Accepted: 12/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Obesity and upper-body fat distribution are independent, cardiometabolic risk factors but whether they also display comparable associations with cancer risk is unknown. We investigated the causal relationships between body mass index (BMI) and BMI-adjusted waist-to-hip ratio (WHRadjBMI) and cancer risk and searched for potential drivers linking these traits to carcinogenesis using two-sample and multivariable Mendelian randomisation. In women, genetically instrumented higher BMI was associated with lower breast (OR = 0.87, 95% CI 0.81-0.93) and higher endometrial (OR = 1.75, 95% CI 1.55-1.96) cancer risk whilst WHRadjBMI was associated with higher colon cancer risk (OR = 1.22, 95% CI 1.07-1.42). In men, elevated BMI was associated with lower prostate cancer risk (OR = 0.91, 95% CI 0.85-0.98). Mechanistically, testosterone and insulin mediated 21% and 35%, respectively of the total, genetically determined association of BMI with endometrial cancer risk whilst HDL cholesterol and IGF-1 mediated 40% and 22%, respectively of the association between BMI and breast cancer risk. In men, testosterone mediated 21% of the association between BMI and prostate cancer risk. Colon cancer aside, the total amount of body fat might be more important than its location in modulating cancer susceptibility due to differential effects of obesity and fat distribution on adiposity-associated cancer drivers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nellie Y. Loh
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7LE, UK
| | - Wenyi Wang
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Raymond Noordam
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Leiden University Medical Center, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Constantinos Christodoulides
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7LE, UK
- NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, OUH Foundation Trust, Oxford OX3 7LE, UK
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26
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Lineage-selective super enhancers mediate core regulatory circuitry during adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells. Cell Death Dis 2022; 13:866. [PMID: 36224171 PMCID: PMC9556616 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-022-05309-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Revised: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) can be differentiated into osteoblasts and adipocytes. During these processes, super enhancers (SEs) play important roles. Here, we performed comprehensive characterization of the SEs changes associated with adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation of hMSCs, and revealed that SEs changed more dramatically compared with typical enhancers. We identified a set of lineage-selective SEs, whose target genes were enriched with cell type-specific functions. Functional experiments in lineage-selective SEs demonstrated their specific roles in directed differentiation of hMSCs. We also found that some key transcription factors regulated by lineage-selective SEs could form core regulatory circuitry (CRC) to regulate each other's expression and control the hMSCs fate determination. In addition, we found that GWAS SNPs of osteoporosis and obesity were significantly enriched in osteoblasts-selective SEs or adipocytes-selective SEs, respectively. Taken together, our studies unveiled important roles of lineage-selective SEs in hMSCs differentiation into osteoblasts and adipocytes.
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27
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El-Sayed Moustafa JS, Jackson AU, Brotman SM, Guan L, Villicaña S, Roberts AL, Zito A, Bonnycastle L, Erdos MR, Narisu N, Stringham HM, Welch R, Yan T, Lakka T, Parker S, Tuomilehto J, Seow J, Graham C, Huettner I, Acors S, Kouphou N, Wadge S, Duncan EL, Steves CJ, Doores KJ, Malim MH, Collins FS, Pajukanta P, Boehnke M, Koistinen HA, Laakso M, Falchi M, Bell JT, Scott LJ, Mohlke KL, Small KS. ACE2 expression in adipose tissue is associated with cardio-metabolic risk factors and cell type composition-implications for COVID-19. Int J Obes (Lond) 2022; 46:1478-1486. [PMID: 35589964 PMCID: PMC9119844 DOI: 10.1038/s41366-022-01136-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2021] [Revised: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND COVID-19 severity varies widely. Although some demographic and cardio-metabolic factors, including age and obesity, are associated with increasing risk of severe illness, the underlying mechanism(s) are uncertain. SUBJECTS/METHODS In a meta-analysis of three independent studies of 1471 participants in total, we investigated phenotypic and genetic factors associated with subcutaneous adipose tissue expression of Angiotensin I Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2), measured by RNA-Seq, which acts as a receptor for SARS-CoV-2 cellular entry. RESULTS Lower adipose tissue ACE2 expression was associated with multiple adverse cardio-metabolic health indices, including type 2 diabetes (T2D) (P = 9.14 × 10-6), obesity status (P = 4.81 × 10-5), higher serum fasting insulin (P = 5.32 × 10-4), BMI (P = 3.94 × 10-4), and lower serum HDL levels (P = 1.92 × 10-7). ACE2 expression was also associated with estimated proportions of cell types in adipose tissue: lower expression was associated with a lower proportion of microvascular endothelial cells (P = 4.25 × 10-4) and higher proportion of macrophages (P = 2.74 × 10-5). Despite an estimated heritability of 32%, we did not identify any proximal or distal expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) associated with adipose tissue ACE2 expression. CONCLUSIONS Our results demonstrate that individuals with cardio-metabolic features known to increase risk of severe COVID-19 have lower background ACE2 levels in this highly relevant tissue. Reduced adipose tissue ACE2 expression may contribute to the pathophysiology of cardio-metabolic diseases, as well as the associated increased risk of severe COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anne U Jackson
- Department of Biostatistics and Center for Statistical Genetics, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Sarah M Brotman
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Li Guan
- Department of Computational Medicine & Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Sergio Villicaña
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Amy L Roberts
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Antonino Zito
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
- Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Lori Bonnycastle
- National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Michael R Erdos
- National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Narisu Narisu
- National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Heather M Stringham
- Department of Biostatistics and Center for Statistical Genetics, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Ryan Welch
- Department of Biostatistics and Center for Statistical Genetics, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Tingfen Yan
- National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Timo Lakka
- Institute of Biomedicine/Physiology, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
- Kuopio Research Institute of Exercise Medicine, Kuopio, Finland
- Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, Kuopio University Hospital, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Stephen Parker
- Department of Computational Medicine & Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Jaakko Tuomilehto
- University of Helsinki and Department of Medicine, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Diabetes Research Group, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Jeffrey Seow
- Department of Infectious Diseases, School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Carl Graham
- Department of Infectious Diseases, School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Isabella Huettner
- Department of Infectious Diseases, School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Sam Acors
- Department of Infectious Diseases, School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Neophytos Kouphou
- Department of Infectious Diseases, School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Samuel Wadge
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Emma L Duncan
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Claire J Steves
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Katie J Doores
- Department of Infectious Diseases, School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Michael H Malim
- Department of Infectious Diseases, School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Francis S Collins
- National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Päivi Pajukanta
- Department of Human Genetics and Institute for Precision Health, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Michael Boehnke
- Department of Biostatistics and Center for Statistical Genetics, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Heikki A Koistinen
- University of Helsinki and Department of Medicine, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Public Health and Welfare, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland
- Minerva Foundation Institute for Medical Research, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Markku Laakso
- Department of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
- Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Mario Falchi
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Jordana T Bell
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Laura J Scott
- Department of Biostatistics and Center for Statistical Genetics, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Karen L Mohlke
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Kerrin S Small
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK.
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28
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Large-scale analysis of circulating glutamate and adipose gene expression in relation to abdominal obesity. Amino Acids 2022; 54:1287-1294. [PMID: 35809202 DOI: 10.1007/s00726-022-03181-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2021] [Accepted: 06/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
Circulating levels of the amino acid glutamate are associated with central fat accumulation, yet the pathophysiology of this relationship remains unknown. We aimed to (i) refine and validate the association between circulating glutamate and abdominal obesity in a large twin cohort, and (ii) investigate whether transcriptomic profiles in adipose tissue could provide insight into the biological mechanisms underlying the association. First, in a cohort of 4665 individuals from the TwinsUK resource, we identified individuals with abdominal obesity and compared prevalence of the latter across circulating glutamate quintiles. Second, we used transcriptomic signatures generated from adipose tissue, both subcutaneous and visceral, to investigate associations with circulating glutamate levels. Individuals in the top circulating glutamate quintile had a sevenfold higher prevalence of abdominal obesity compared to those in the bottom quintile. The adipose tissue transcriptomic analyses identified GLUL, encoding Glutamate-Ammonia Ligase, as being associated with circulating glutamate and abdominal obesity, with pronounced signatures in the visceral depot. In conclusion, circulating glutamate is positively associated with the prevalence of abdominal obesity which relates to dysregulated GLUL expression specifically in visceral adipose tissue.
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29
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Lifestyle and metabolic factors for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: Mendelian randomization study. Eur J Epidemiol 2022; 37:723-733. [PMID: 35488966 PMCID: PMC9329390 DOI: 10.1007/s10654-022-00868-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The risk factors for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) have not been clearly identified. We conducted a Mendelian randomization (MR) study to explore this. Independent genetic variants strongly associated with 5 lifestyle and 9 metabolic factors were selected as instrumental variables from corresponding genome-wide association studies (GWASs). Summary-level data for NAFLD were obtained from a GWAS meta-analysis of 8434 cases and 770,180 non-cases (discovery dataset) and another GWAS meta-analysis of 1483 cases and 17,781 non-cases (replication dataset). Univariable and multivariable MR analyses were performed. There were associations with NAFLD for lifetime smoking index (odds ratio (OR) 1.59, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.31–1.93 per SD-increase), body mass index (BMI, OR 1.33, 95% CI 1.23–1.43 per SD-increase), waist circumference (OR 1.82; 95% CI 1.48–2.24 per SD-increase), type 2 diabetes (OR 1.21, 95% CI 1.15–1.27 per unit increase in log-transformed odds), systolic blood pressure (OR 1.17; 95% CI 1.07–1.26 per 10 mmHg increase), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (OR 0.84, 95% CI 0.77–0.90 per SD-increase), and triglycerides (OR 1.23, 95% CI 1.15–1.33 per SD-increase). The associations for type 2 diabetes, systolic blood pressure, triglycerides, but not for high-density lipoprotein cholesterol remained strong after adjusting for genetically-predicted BMI. Genetic liability to type 2 diabetes mediated 51.4% (95% CI 13.4–89.3%) of the BMI-effects on NAFLD risk. There were suggestive inverse associations of genetically-predicted alcohol, coffee, and caffeine consumption, and vigorous physical activity with NAFLD risk. This study identified several lifestyle and metabolic factors that may be causally implicated in NAFLD.
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30
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Picarda E, Galbo PM, Zong H, Rajan MR, Wallenius V, Zheng D, Börgeson E, Singh R, Pessin J, Zang X. The immune checkpoint B7-H3 (CD276) regulates adipocyte progenitor metabolism and obesity development. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabm7012. [PMID: 35476450 PMCID: PMC9045715 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abm7012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
The immune checkpoint B7-H3 (CD276) is a member of the B7 family that has been studied in the tumor microenvironment and immunotherapy, but its potential role in metabolism remains largely unknown. Here, we show that B7-H3 is highly expressed in mouse and human adipose tissue at steady state, with the highest levels in adipocyte progenitor cells. B7-H3 is rapidly down-regulated upon the initiation of adipocyte differentiation. Combined RNA sequencing and metabolic studies reveal that B7-H3 stimulates glycolytic and mitochondrial activity of adipocyte progenitors. Loss of B7-H3 in progenitors results in impaired oxidative metabolism program and increased lipid accumulation in derived adipocytes. Consistent with these observations, mice knocked out for B7-H3 develop spontaneous obesity, metabolic dysfunction, and adipose tissue inflammation. Our results reveal an unexpected metabolic role for B7-H3 in adipose tissue and open potential new avenues for the treatment of metabolic diseases by targeting the B7-H3 pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elodie Picarda
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Phillip M. Galbo
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Haihong Zong
- Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Meenu Rohini Rajan
- Institute of Medicine, Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine, The Wallenberg Laboratory and Wallenberg Centre for Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Ville Wallenius
- Department of Gastrosurgical Research and Education, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Deyou Zheng
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
- Departments of Neurology and Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Emma Börgeson
- Institute of Medicine, Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine, The Wallenberg Laboratory and Wallenberg Centre for Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of Clinical Physiology, Region Vaestra Goetaland, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Rajat Singh
- Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
- Einstein-Mount Sinai Diabetes Research Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Jeffrey Pessin
- Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
- Einstein-Mount Sinai Diabetes Research Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Xingxing Zang
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
- Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
- Einstein-Mount Sinai Diabetes Research Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
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31
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Crouse WL, Das SK, Le T, Keele G, Holl K, Seshie O, Craddock A, Sharma NK, Comeau ME, Langefeld C, Hawkins GA, Mott R, Valdar W, Solberg Woods LC. Transcriptome-wide analyses of adipose tissue in outbred rats reveal genetic regulatory mechanisms relevant for human obesity. Physiol Genomics 2022; 54:206-219. [PMID: 35467982 DOI: 10.1152/physiolgenomics.00172.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcriptomic analysis in metabolically active tissues allows a systems genetics approach to identify causal genes and networks involved in metabolic disease. Outbred heterogeneous stock (HS) rats are used for genetic mapping of complex traits, but to-date, a systems genetics analysis of metabolic tissues has not been done. We investigated whether adiposity-associated genes and gene co-expression networks in outbred heterogeneous stock (HS) rats overlap those found in humans. We analyzed RNAseq data from adipose tissue of 415 male HS rats, correlated these transcripts with body weight (BW) and compared transcriptome signatures to two human cohorts: the "African American Genetics of Metabolism and Expression" and "Metabolic Syndrome in Men". We used weighted gene co-expression network analysis to identify adiposity-associated gene networks and mediation analysis to identify genes under genetic control whose expression drives adiposity. We identified 554 orthologous "consensus genes" whose expression correlates with BW in the rat and with body mass index (BMI) in both human cohorts. Consensus genes fell within eight co-expressed networks and were enriched for genes involved in immune system function, cell growth, extracellular matrix organization and lipid metabolic processes. We identified 19 consensus genes for which genetic variation may influence BW via their expression, including those involved in lipolysis (e.g., Hcar1), inflammation (e.g., Rgs1), adipogenesis (e.g., Tmem120b) or no previously known role in obesity (e.g., St14, Msa4a6). Strong concordance between HS rat and human BW/BMI associated transcripts demonstrates translational utility of the rat model, while identification of novel genes expands our knowledge of the genetics underlying obesity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wesley L Crouse
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Genetics, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Swapan Kumar Das
- Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Winston Salem, NC, United States
| | - Thu Le
- University College London, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Division of Biosciences, London, United Kingdom
| | - Gregory Keele
- Jackson Laboratories, Roux Center for Genomics and Computational Biology, Bar Harbor, ME, United States
| | - Katie Holl
- Medical College of Wisconsin, Department of Pediatrics, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Osborne Seshie
- Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Winston Salem, NC, United States
| | - Ann Craddock
- Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry, Winston Salem, NC, United States
| | - Neeraj Kumar Sharma
- Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Winston Salem, NC, United States
| | - Mary Elizabeth Comeau
- Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Department of Biostatistics and Data Sciences, Winston Salem, NC, United States
| | - Carl Langefeld
- Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Department of Biostatistics and Data Sciences, Winston Salem, NC, United States
| | - Gregory A Hawkins
- Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry, Winston Salem, NC, United States
| | - Richard Mott
- University College London, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Division of Biosciences, London, United Kingdom
| | - William Valdar
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Genetics, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Leah C Solberg Woods
- Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Winston Salem, NC, United States
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32
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Wu S, Hsu LA, Teng MS, Chou HH, Ko YL. Differential Genetic and Epigenetic Effects of the KLF14 Gene on Body Shape Indices and Metabolic Traits. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23084165. [PMID: 35456983 PMCID: PMC9032945 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23084165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Revised: 04/03/2022] [Accepted: 04/06/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The KLF14 gene is a key metabolic transcriptional transregulator with monoallelic maternal expression. KLF14 variants are only associated with adipose tissue gene expression, and KLF14 promoter methylation is strongly associated with age. This study investigated whether age, sex, and obesity mediate the effects of KLF14 variants and DNA methylation status on body shape indices and metabolic traits. In total, the data of 78,742 and 1636 participants from the Taiwan Biobank were included in the regional plot association analysis for KLF14 variants and KLF14 methylation, respectively. Regional plot association studies revealed that the KLF14 rs4731702 variant and the nearby strong linkage disequilibrium polymorphisms were the lead variants for lipid profiles, blood pressure status, insulin resistance surrogate markers, and metabolic syndrome mainly in female participants and for body shape indices mainly in obese women. Significant age-dependent associations between KLF14 promoter methylation levels and body shape indices, and metabolic traits were also noted predominantly in female participants. KLF14 variants and KLF14 hypermethylation status were associated with metabolically healthy and unhealthy phenotypes, respectively, in obese individuals, and only the KLF14 variants demonstrated a significant association with both higher adiposity and lower cardiometabolic risk in the same allele, revealing uncoupled excessive adiposity from its cardiometabolic comorbidities, especially in obese women. Variations of KLF14 are associated with body shape indices, metabolic traits, insulin resistance, and metabolically healthy status. Differential genetic and epigenetic effects of KLF14 are age-, sex- and obesity-dependent. These results provided a personalized reference for the management of cardiometabolic diseases in precision medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Semon Wu
- Department of Life Science, Chinese Culture University, Taipei 11114, Taiwan;
| | - Lung-An Hsu
- The First Cardiovascular Division, Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan 33305, Taiwan;
| | - Ming-Sheng Teng
- Department of Research, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, New Taipei City 23142, Taiwan;
| | - Hsin-Hua Chou
- The Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Center, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, New Taipei City 23142, Taiwan;
- School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 97004, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Lin Ko
- Department of Research, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, New Taipei City 23142, Taiwan;
- The Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Center, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, New Taipei City 23142, Taiwan;
- School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 97004, Taiwan
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +886-2-6628-9779 (ext. 5355); Fax: +886-2-6628-9009
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Yang Q, Hinkle J, Reed JN, Aherrahrou R, Xu Z, Harris TE, Stephenson EJ, Musunuru K, Keller SR, Civelek M. Adipocyte-Specific Modulation of KLF14 Expression in Mice Leads to Sex-Dependent Impacts on Adiposity and Lipid Metabolism. Diabetes 2022; 71:677-693. [PMID: 35081256 PMCID: PMC8965685 DOI: 10.2337/db21-0674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Genome-wide association studies identified single nucleotide polymorphisms on chromosome 7 upstream of KLF14 to be associated with metabolic syndrome traits and increased risk for type 2 diabetes (T2D). The associations were more significant in women than in men. The risk allele carriers expressed lower levels of the transcription factor KLF14 in adipose tissues than nonrisk allele carriers. To investigate how adipocyte KLF14 regulates metabolic traits in a sex-dependent manner, we characterized high-fat diet-fed male and female mice with adipocyte-specific Klf14 deletion or overexpression. Klf14 deletion resulted in increased fat mass in female mice and decreased fat mass in male mice. Female Klf14-deficient mice had overall smaller adipocytes in subcutaneous fat depots but larger adipocytes in parametrial depots, indicating a shift in lipid storage from subcutaneous to visceral fat depots. They had reduced metabolic rates and increased respiratory exchange ratios consistent with increased use of carbohydrates as an energy source. Fasting- and isoproterenol-induced adipocyte lipolysis was defective in female Klf14-deficient mice, and concomitantly, adipocyte triglycerides lipase mRNA levels were downregulated. Female Klf14-deficient mice cleared blood triglyceride and nonesterified fatty acid less efficiently than wild-type. Finally, adipocyte-specific overexpression of Klf14 resulted in lower total body fat in female but not male mice. Taken together, consistent with human studies, adipocyte KLF14 deficiency in female but not in male mice causes increased adiposity and redistribution of lipid storage from subcutaneous to visceral adipose tissues. Increasing KLF14 abundance in adipocytes of females with obesity and T2D may provide a novel treatment option to alleviate metabolic abnormalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qianyi Yang
- Center for Public Health Genomics, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
- Corresponding authors: Qianyi Yang, , and Mete Civelek,
| | - Jameson Hinkle
- Center for Public Health Genomics, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
| | - Jordan N. Reed
- Center for Public Health Genomics, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
| | - Redouane Aherrahrou
- Center for Public Health Genomics, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
| | - Zhiwen Xu
- Department of Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
| | - Thurl E. Harris
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
| | - Erin J. Stephenson
- Department of Anatomy, College of Graduate Studies & Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, Midwestern University, Downers Grove, IL
| | - Kiran Musunuru
- Cardiovascular Institute, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
- Department of Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Susanna R. Keller
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
| | - Mete Civelek
- Center for Public Health Genomics, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
- Corresponding authors: Qianyi Yang, , and Mete Civelek,
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Pathak GA, Singh K, Wendt FR, Fleming TW, Overstreet C, Koller D, Tylee DS, De Angelis F, Cabrera Mendoza B, Levey DF, Koenen KC, Krystal JH, Pietrzak RH, O' Donell C, Gaziano JM, Falcone G, Stein MB, Gelernter J, Pasaniuc B, Mancuso N, Davis LK, Polimanti R. Genetically regulated multi-omics study for symptom clusters of posttraumatic stress disorder highlights pleiotropy with hematologic and cardio-metabolic traits. Mol Psychiatry 2022; 27:1394-1404. [PMID: 35241783 PMCID: PMC9210390 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01488-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2021] [Revised: 02/03/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that may arise in response to severe traumatic event and is diagnosed based on three main symptom clusters (reexperiencing, avoidance, and hyperarousal) per the Diagnostic Manual of Mental Disorders (version DSM-IV-TR). In this study, we characterized the biological heterogeneity of PTSD symptom clusters by performing a multi-omics investigation integrating genetically regulated gene, splicing, and protein expression in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex tissue within a sample of US veterans enrolled in the Million Veteran Program (N total = 186,689). We identified 30 genes in 19 regions across the three PTSD symptom clusters. We found nine genes to have cell-type specific expression, and over-representation of miRNA-families - miR-148, 30, and 8. Gene-drug target prioritization approach highlighted cyclooxygenase and acetylcholine compounds. Next, we tested molecular-profile based phenome-wide impact of identified genes with respect to 1678 phenotypes derived from the Electronic Health Records of the Vanderbilt University biorepository (N = 70,439). Lastly, we tested for local genetic correlation across PTSD symptom clusters which highlighted metabolic (e.g., obesity, diabetes, vascular health) and laboratory traits (e.g., neutrophil, eosinophil, tau protein, creatinine kinase). Overall, this study finds comprehensive genomic evidence including clinical and regulatory profiles between PTSD, hematologic and cardiometabolic traits, that support comorbidities observed in epidemiologic studies of PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gita A Pathak
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
- VA CT Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
| | - Kritika Singh
- Division of Genetic Medicine, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Frank R Wendt
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
- VA CT Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
| | - Tyne W Fleming
- Division of Genetic Medicine, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Cassie Overstreet
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
- VA CT Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
| | - Dora Koller
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
- VA CT Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
| | - Daniel S Tylee
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
- VA CT Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
| | - Flavio De Angelis
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
- VA CT Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
- Division of Genetic Medicine, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Brenda Cabrera Mendoza
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
- VA CT Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
| | - Daniel F Levey
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
- VA CT Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
| | - Karestan C Koenen
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - John H Krystal
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
- VA CT Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
- Clinical Neurosciences Division, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Robert H Pietrzak
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
- Clinical Neurosciences Division, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Christopher O' Donell
- Cardiology Section, Department of Medicine, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - J Michael Gaziano
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Massachusetts Veterans Epidemiology Research and Information Center (MAVERIC), VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Guido Falcone
- Division of Neurocritical Care and Emergency Neurology, Department of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine, 15 York Street, LLCI 1004D, Box 208018, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Murray B Stein
- VA San Diego Healthcare System, Psychiatry Service, San Diego, CA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Joel Gelernter
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
- VA CT Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
| | - Bogdan Pasaniuc
- Departments of Computational Medicine, Human Genetics, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Nicholas Mancuso
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Lea K Davis
- Division of Genetic Medicine, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Renato Polimanti
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA.
- VA CT Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA.
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35
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Loh NY, Humphreys E, Karpe F, Tomlinson JW, Noordam R, Christodoulides C. Sex hormones, adiposity, and metabolic traits in men and women: a Mendelian randomisation study. Eur J Endocrinol 2022; 186:407-416. [PMID: 35049520 PMCID: PMC8859921 DOI: 10.1530/eje-21-0703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Epidemiological and clinical studies have highlighted important roles for sex hormones in the regulation of fat distribution and systemic metabolism. We investigated the bidirectional associations between bioavailable serum testosterone (BioT) in both sexes and oestradiol (E2) in men and adiposity and metabolic traits using Mendelian randomisation (MR). DESIGN AND METHODS As genetic instruments for sex hormones, we selected all the genome-wide significant, independent signals from a genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in up to 425 097 European ancestry UK Biobank participants. European population-specific, summary-level data for adiposity, metabolic, and blood pressure traits were obtained from the largest publicly available GWAS. Sex-specific, two-sample MR analyses were used to estimate the associations of sex hormones with these traits and vice versa. RESULTS In women, higher BioT was associated with obesity, upper-body fat distribution, and low HDL-cholesterol although, based on analyses modelling the sex hormone-binding globulin-independent effects of BioT, the last two associations might be indirect. Conversely, obesity and android fat distribution were associated with elevated serum BioT. In men, higher BioT was associated with lower hip circumference and lower fasting glucose. Reciprocally, obesity was associated with lower BioT and higher E2, while upper-body fat distribution and raised triglycerides were associated with lower E2. CONCLUSIONS Adipose tissue and metabolic dysfunction are associated with deranged sex hormone levels in both sexes. In women, elevated BioT might be a cause of obesity. Conversely, in men, higher BioT appears to have beneficial effects on adiposity and glucose metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nellie Y Loh
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Edward Humphreys
- Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Fredrik Karpe
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, OUH Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
| | - Jeremy W Tomlinson
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, OUH Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
| | - Raymond Noordam
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Constantinos Christodoulides
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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36
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Reifeis SA, Hudgens MG. On Variance of the Treatment Effect in the Treated When Estimated by Inverse Probability Weighting. Am J Epidemiol 2022; 191:1092-1097. [PMID: 35106534 PMCID: PMC9271225 DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwac014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2021] [Revised: 01/09/2022] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
In the analysis of observational studies, inverse probability weighting (IPW) is commonly used to consistently estimate the average treatment effect (ATE) or the average treatment effect in the treated (ATT). The variance of the IPW ATE estimator is often estimated by assuming that the weights are known and then using the so-called "robust" (Huber-White) sandwich estimator, which results in conservative standard errors (SEs). Here we show that using such an approach when estimating the variance of the IPW ATT estimator does not necessarily result in conservative SE estimates. That is, assuming the weights are known, the robust sandwich estimator may be either conservative or anticonservative. Thus, confidence intervals for the ATT using the robust SE estimate will not be valid, in general. Instead, stacked estimating equations which account for the weight estimation can be used to compute a consistent, closed-form variance estimator for the IPW ATT estimator. The 2 variance estimators are compared via simulation studies and in a data analysis of the association between smoking and gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah A Reifeis
- Correspondence to Dr. Sarah A. Reifeis, Eli Lilly and Company Corporate Center, 893 Delaware Street, Indianapolis, IN 46225 (e-mail: )
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37
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Valentine JM, Ahmadian M, Keinan O, Abu-Odeh M, Zhao P, Zhou X, Keller MP, Gao H, Yu RT, Liddle C, Downes M, Zhang J, Lusis AJ, Attie AD, Evans RM, Rydén M, Saltiel AR. β3-Adrenergic receptor downregulation leads to adipocyte catecholamine resistance in obesity. J Clin Invest 2022; 132:e153357. [PMID: 34847077 PMCID: PMC8759781 DOI: 10.1172/jci153357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The dysregulation of energy homeostasis in obesity involves multihormone resistance. Although leptin and insulin resistance have been well characterized, catecholamine resistance remains largely unexplored. Murine β3-adrenergic receptor expression in adipocytes is orders of magnitude higher compared with that of other isoforms. While resistant to classical desensitization pathways, its mRNA (Adrb3) and protein expression are dramatically downregulated after ligand exposure (homologous desensitization). β3-Adrenergic receptor downregulation also occurs after high-fat diet feeding, concurrent with catecholamine resistance and elevated inflammation. This downregulation is recapitulated in vitro by TNF-α treatment (heterologous desensitization). Both homologous and heterologous desensitization of Adrb3 were triggered by induction of the pseudokinase TRIB1 downstream of the EPAC/RAP2A/PI-PLC pathway. TRIB1 in turn degraded the primary transcriptional activator of Adrb3, CEBPα. EPAC/RAP inhibition enhanced catecholamine-stimulated lipolysis and energy expenditure in obese mice. Moreover, adipose tissue expression of genes in this pathway correlated with body weight extremes in a cohort of genetically diverse mice and with BMI in 2 independent cohorts of humans. These data implicate a signaling axis that may explain reduced hormone-stimulated lipolysis in obesity and resistance to therapeutic interventions with β3-adrenergic receptor agonists.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Xin Zhou
- Department of Pharmacology, Bioengineering, Chemistry, and Biochemistry, UCSD, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Mark P. Keller
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Hui Gao
- Department of Medicine (H7), Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ruth T. Yu
- Gene Expression Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Sciences, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Christopher Liddle
- Storr Liver Centre, Westmead Institute for Medical Research and Sydney School of Medicine, University of Sydney, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Michael Downes
- Gene Expression Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Sciences, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Jin Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology, Bioengineering, Chemistry, and Biochemistry, UCSD, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Aldons J. Lusis
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, Department of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Alan D. Attie
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Ronald M. Evans
- Gene Expression Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Sciences, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Mikael Rydén
- Department of Medicine (H7), Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Alan R. Saltiel
- Department of Medicine and
- Department of Pharmacology, Bioengineering, Chemistry, and Biochemistry, UCSD, San Diego, California, USA
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Timmons JA, Anighoro A, Brogan RJ, Stahl J, Wahlestedt C, Farquhar DG, Taylor-King J, Volmar CH, Kraus WE, Phillips SM. A human-based multi-gene signature enables quantitative drug repurposing for metabolic disease. eLife 2022; 11:68832. [PMID: 35037854 PMCID: PMC8763401 DOI: 10.7554/elife.68832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 11/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Insulin resistance (IR) contributes to the pathophysiology of diabetes, dementia, viral infection, and cardiovascular disease. Drug repurposing (DR) may identify treatments for IR; however, barriers include uncertainty whether in vitro transcriptomic assays yield quantitative pharmacological data, or how to optimise assay design to best reflect in vivo human disease. We developed a clinical-based human tissue IR signature by combining lifestyle-mediated treatment responses (>500 human adipose and muscle biopsies) with biomarkers of disease status (fasting IR from >1200 biopsies). The assay identified a chemically diverse set of >130 positively acting compounds, highly enriched in true positives, that targeted 73 proteins regulating IR pathways. Our multi-gene RNA assay score reflected the quantitative pharmacological properties of a set of epidermal growth factor receptor-related tyrosine kinase inhibitors, providing insight into drug target specificity; an observation supported by deep learning-based genome-wide predicted pharmacology. Several drugs identified are suitable for evaluation in patients, particularly those with either acute or severe chronic IR.
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Affiliation(s)
- James A Timmons
- William Harvey Research Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom.,Augur Precision Medicine LTD, Stirling, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Jack Stahl
- Center for Therapeutic Innovation, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, United States
| | - Claes Wahlestedt
- Center for Therapeutic Innovation, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, United States
| | | | | | - Claude-Henry Volmar
- Center for Therapeutic Innovation, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, United States
| | | | - Stuart M Phillips
- Faculty of Science, Kinesiology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
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39
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Brotman SM, Raulerson CK, Vadlamudi S, Currin KW, Shen Q, Parsons VA, Iyengar AK, Roman TS, Furey TS, Kuusisto J, Collins FS, Boehnke M, Laakso M, Pajukanta P, Mohlke KL. Subcutaneous adipose tissue splice quantitative trait loci reveal differences in isoform usage associated with cardiometabolic traits. Am J Hum Genet 2022; 109:66-80. [PMID: 34995504 PMCID: PMC8764203 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2021.11.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Alternate splicing events can create isoforms that alter gene function, and genetic variants associated with alternate gene isoforms may reveal molecular mechanisms of disease. We used subcutaneous adipose tissue of 426 Finnish men from the METSIM study and identified splice junction quantitative trait loci (sQTLs) for 6,077 splice junctions (FDR < 1%). In the same individuals, we detected expression QTLs (eQTLs) for 59,443 exons and 15,397 genes (FDR < 1%). We identified 595 genes with an sQTL and exon eQTL but no gene eQTL, which could indicate potential isoform differences. Of the significant sQTL signals, 2,114 (39.8%) included at least one proxy variant (linkage disequilibrium r2 > 0.8) located within an intron spanned by the splice junction. We identified 203 sQTLs that colocalized with 141 genome-wide association study (GWAS) signals for cardiometabolic traits, including 25 signals for lipid traits, 24 signals for body mass index (BMI), and 12 signals for waist-hip ratio adjusted for BMI. Among all 141 GWAS signals colocalized with an sQTL, we detected 26 that also colocalized with an exon eQTL for an exon skipped by the sQTL splice junction. At a GWAS signal for high-density lipoprotein cholesterol colocalized with an NR1H3 sQTL splice junction, we show that the alternative splice product encodes an NR1H3 transcription factor that lacks a DNA binding domain and fails to activate transcription. Together, these results detect splicing events and candidate mechanisms that may contribute to gene function at GWAS loci.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah M Brotman
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Chelsea K Raulerson
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | | | - Kevin W Currin
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Qiujin Shen
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Victoria A Parsons
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Apoorva K Iyengar
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Tamara S Roman
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Terrence S Furey
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Johanna Kuusisto
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Kuopio University Hospital, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio 70210, Finland
| | - Francis S Collins
- National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Michael Boehnke
- Department of Biostatistics and Center for Statistical Genetics, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Markku Laakso
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Kuopio University Hospital, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio 70210, Finland
| | - Päivi Pajukanta
- Institute for Precision Health, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Karen L Mohlke
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
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40
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Mušo M, Bentley L, Vizor L, Yon M, Burling K, Barker P, Zolkiewski LAK, Cox RD, Dumbell R. A Wars2 mutant mouse shows a sex and diet specific change in fat distribution, reduced food intake and depot-specific upregulation of WAT browning. Front Physiol 2022; 13:953199. [PMID: 36091365 PMCID: PMC9452902 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.953199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Increased waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) is associated with increased mortality and risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The TBX15-WARS2 locus has consistently been associated with increased WHR. Previous study of the hypomorphic Wars2 V117L/V117L mouse model found phenotypes including severely reduced fat mass, and white adipose tissue (WAT) browning, suggesting Wars2 could be a potential modulator of fat distribution and WAT browning. Methods: To test for differences in browning induction across different adipose depots of Wars2 V117L/V117L mice, we measured multiple browning markers of a 4-month old chow-fed cohort in subcutaneous and visceral WAT and brown adipose tissue (BAT). To explain previously observed fat mass loss, we also tested for the upregulation of plasma mitokines FGF21 and GDF15 and for differences in food intake in the same cohort. Finally, to test for diet-associated differences in fat distribution, we placed Wars2 V117L/V117L mice on low-fat or high-fat diet (LFD, HFD) and assessed their body composition by Echo-MRI and compared terminal adipose depot weights at 6 months of age. Results: The chow-fed Wars2 V117L/V117L mice showed more changes in WAT browning marker gene expression in the subcutaneous inguinal WAT depot (iWAT) than in the visceral gonadal WAT depot (gWAT). These mice also demonstrated reduced food intake and elevated plasma FGF21 and GDF15, and mRNA from heart and BAT. When exposed to HFD, the Wars2 V117L/V117L mice showed resistance to diet-induced obesity and a male and HFD-specific reduction of gWAT: iWAT ratio. Conclusion: Severe reduction of Wars2 gene function causes a systemic phenotype which leads to upregulation of FGF21 and GDF15, resulting in reduced food intake and depot-specific changes in browning and fat mass.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milan Mušo
- Mammalian Genetics Unit, MRC Harwell Institute, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
| | - Liz Bentley
- Mammalian Genetics Unit, MRC Harwell Institute, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom.,Mary Lyon Centre at MRC Harwell, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
| | - Lucie Vizor
- Mary Lyon Centre at MRC Harwell, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
| | - Marianne Yon
- Mary Lyon Centre at MRC Harwell, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
| | - Keith Burling
- MRC Metabolic Diseases Unit, Mouse Biochemistry Laboratory, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Peter Barker
- MRC Metabolic Diseases Unit, Mouse Biochemistry Laboratory, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | | | - Roger D Cox
- Mammalian Genetics Unit, MRC Harwell Institute, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
| | - Rebecca Dumbell
- Mammalian Genetics Unit, MRC Harwell Institute, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom.,Department of Biosciences, School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, United Kingdom
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Clark KC, Kwitek AE. Multi-Omic Approaches to Identify Genetic Factors in Metabolic Syndrome. Compr Physiol 2021; 12:3045-3084. [PMID: 34964118 PMCID: PMC9373910 DOI: 10.1002/cphy.c210010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a highly heritable disease and a major public health burden worldwide. MetS diagnosis criteria are met by the simultaneous presence of any three of the following: high triglycerides, low HDL/high LDL cholesterol, insulin resistance, hypertension, and central obesity. These diseases act synergistically in people suffering from MetS and dramatically increase risk of morbidity and mortality due to stroke and cardiovascular disease, as well as certain cancers. Each of these component features is itself a complex disease, as is MetS. As a genetically complex disease, genetic risk factors for MetS are numerous, but not very powerful individually, often requiring specific environmental stressors for the disease to manifest. When taken together, all sequence variants that contribute to MetS disease risk explain only a fraction of the heritable variance, suggesting additional, novel loci have yet to be discovered. In this article, we will give a brief overview on the genetic concepts needed to interpret genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and quantitative trait locus (QTL) data, summarize the state of the field of MetS physiological genomics, and to introduce tools and resources that can be used by the physiologist to integrate genomics into their own research on MetS and any of its component features. There is a wealth of phenotypic and molecular data in animal models and humans that can be leveraged as outlined in this article. Integrating these multi-omic QTL data for complex diseases such as MetS provides a means to unravel the pathways and mechanisms leading to complex disease and promise for novel treatments. © 2022 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 12:1-40, 2022.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen C Clark
- Department of Physiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Anne E Kwitek
- Department of Physiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
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Hoskins JW, Chung CC, O’Brien A, Zhong J, Connelly K, Collins I, Shi J, Amundadottir LT. Inferred expression regulator activities suggest genes mediating cardiometabolic genetic signals. PLoS Comput Biol 2021; 17:e1009563. [PMID: 34793442 PMCID: PMC8639061 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Revised: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Expression QTL (eQTL) analyses have suggested many genes mediating genome-wide association study (GWAS) signals but most GWAS signals still lack compelling explanatory genes. We have leveraged an adipose-specific gene regulatory network to infer expression regulator activities and phenotypic master regulators (MRs), which were used to detect activity QTLs (aQTLs) at cardiometabolic trait GWAS loci. Regulator activities were inferred with the VIPER algorithm that integrates enrichment of expected expression changes among a regulator's target genes with confidence in their regulator-target network interactions and target overlap between different regulators (i.e., pleiotropy). Phenotypic MRs were identified as those regulators whose activities were most important in predicting their respective phenotypes using random forest modeling. While eQTLs were typically more significant than aQTLs in cis, the opposite was true among candidate MRs in trans. Several GWAS loci colocalized with MR trans-eQTLs/aQTLs in the absence of colocalized cis-QTLs. Intriguingly, at the 1p36.1 BMI GWAS locus the EPHB2 cis-aQTL was stronger than its cis-eQTL and colocalized with the GWAS signal and 35 BMI MR trans-aQTLs, suggesting the GWAS signal may be mediated by effects on EPHB2 activity and its downstream effects on a network of BMI MRs. These MR and aQTL analyses represent systems genetic methods that may be broadly applied to supplement standard eQTL analyses for suggesting molecular effects mediating GWAS signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason W. Hoskins
- Laboratory of Translational Genomics, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
- * E-mail: (JWH); (LTA)
| | - Charles C. Chung
- Laboratory of Translational Genomics, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
- Cancer Genome Research Laboratory, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Aidan O’Brien
- Laboratory of Translational Genomics, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Jun Zhong
- Laboratory of Translational Genomics, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Katelyn Connelly
- Laboratory of Translational Genomics, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Irene Collins
- Laboratory of Translational Genomics, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Jianxin Shi
- Biostatistics Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Laufey T. Amundadottir
- Laboratory of Translational Genomics, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
- * E-mail: (JWH); (LTA)
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Huang X, Maguire OA, Walker JM, Jiang CS, Carroll TS, Luo JD, Tonorezos E, Friedman DN, Cohen P. Therapeutic radiation exposure of the abdomen during childhood induces chronic adipose tissue dysfunction. JCI Insight 2021; 6:153586. [PMID: 34554929 PMCID: PMC8663557 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.153586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUNDChildhood cancer survivors who received abdominal radiotherapy (RT) or total body irradiation (TBI) are at increased risk for cardiometabolic disease, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. We hypothesize that RT-induced adipose tissue dysfunction contributes to the development of cardiometabolic disease in the expanding population of childhood cancer survivors.METHODSWe performed clinical metabolic profiling of adult childhood cancer survivors previously exposed to TBI, abdominal RT, or chemotherapy alone, alongside a group of healthy controls. Study participants underwent abdominal s.c. adipose biopsies to obtain tissue for bulk RNA sequencing. Transcriptional signatures were analyzed using pathway and network analyses and cellular deconvolution.RESULTSIrradiated adipose tissue is characterized by a gene expression signature indicative of a complex macrophage expansion. This signature includes activation of the TREM2-TYROBP network, a pathway described in diseases of chronic tissue injury. Radiation exposure of adipose is further associated with dysregulated adipokine secretion, specifically a decrease in insulin-sensitizing adiponectin and an increase in insulin resistance-promoting plasminogen activator inhibitor-1. Accordingly, survivors exhibiting these changes have early signs of clinical metabolic derangement, such as increased fasting glucose and hemoglobin A1c.CONCLUSIONChildhood cancer survivors exposed to abdominal RT or TBI during treatment exhibit signs of chronic s.c. adipose tissue dysfunction, manifested as dysregulated adipokine secretion that may negatively impact their systemic metabolic health.FUNDINGThis study was supported by Rockefeller University Hospital; National Institute of General Medical Sciences (T32GM007739); National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (UL1 TR001866); National Cancer Institute (P30CA008748); American Cancer Society (133831-CSDG-19-117-01-CPHPS); American Diabetes Association (1-17-ACE-17); and an anonymous donor (MSKCC).
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojing Huang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), New York, New York, USA.,Laboratory of Molecular Metabolism, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Olivia A Maguire
- Laboratory of Molecular Metabolism, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, USA.,Weill Cornell/Rockefeller/Sloan Kettering Tri-institutional MD-PhD Program, New York, New York, USA
| | | | | | - Thomas S Carroll
- Bioinformatics Resource Center, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Ji-Dung Luo
- Bioinformatics Resource Center, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Emily Tonorezos
- Office of Cancer Survivorship, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Maryland, USA
| | | | - Paul Cohen
- Laboratory of Molecular Metabolism, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, USA
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Glycogen metabolism links glucose homeostasis to thermogenesis in adipocytes. Nature 2021; 599:296-301. [PMID: 34707293 PMCID: PMC9186421 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-04019-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2020] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Adipocytes increase energy expenditure in response to prolonged sympathetic activation via persistent expression of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1)1,2. Here we report that the regulation of glycogen metabolism by catecholamines is critical for UCP1 expression. Chronic β-adrenergic activation leads to increased glycogen accumulation in adipocytes expressing UCP1. Adipocyte-specific deletion of a scaffolding protein, protein targeting to glycogen (PTG), reduces glycogen levels in beige adipocytes, attenuating UCP1 expression and responsiveness to cold or β-adrenergic receptor-stimulated weight loss in obese mice. Unexpectedly, we observed that glycogen synthesis and degradation are increased in response to catecholamines, and that glycogen turnover is required to produce reactive oxygen species leading to the activation of p38 MAPK, which drives UCP1 expression. Thus, glycogen has a key regulatory role in adipocytes, linking glucose metabolism to thermogenesis.
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Perrin HJ, Currin KW, Vadlamudi S, Pandey GK, Ng KK, Wabitsch M, Laakso M, Love MI, Mohlke KL. Chromatin accessibility and gene expression during adipocyte differentiation identify context-dependent effects at cardiometabolic GWAS loci. PLoS Genet 2021; 17:e1009865. [PMID: 34699533 PMCID: PMC8570510 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1009865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2021] [Revised: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Chromatin accessibility and gene expression in relevant cell contexts can guide identification of regulatory elements and mechanisms at genome-wide association study (GWAS) loci. To identify regulatory elements that display differential activity across adipocyte differentiation, we performed ATAC-seq and RNA-seq in a human cell model of preadipocytes and adipocytes at days 4 and 14 of differentiation. For comparison, we created a consensus map of ATAC-seq peaks in 11 human subcutaneous adipose tissue samples. We identified 58,387 context-dependent chromatin accessibility peaks and 3,090 context-dependent genes between all timepoint comparisons (log2 fold change>1, FDR<5%) with 15,919 adipocyte- and 18,244 preadipocyte-dependent peaks. Adipocyte-dependent peaks showed increased overlap (60.1%) with Roadmap Epigenomics adipocyte nuclei enhancers compared to preadipocyte-dependent peaks (11.5%). We linked context-dependent peaks to genes based on adipocyte promoter capture Hi-C data, overlap with adipose eQTL variants, and context-dependent gene expression. Of 16,167 context-dependent peaks linked to a gene, 5,145 were linked by two or more strategies to 1,670 genes. Among GWAS loci for cardiometabolic traits, adipocyte-dependent peaks, but not preadipocyte-dependent peaks, showed significant enrichment (LD score regression P<0.005) for waist-to-hip ratio and modest enrichment (P < 0.05) for HDL-cholesterol. We identified 659 peaks linked to 503 genes by two or more approaches and overlapping a GWAS signal, suggesting a regulatory mechanism at these loci. To identify variants that may alter chromatin accessibility between timepoints, we identified 582 variants in 454 context-dependent peaks that demonstrated allelic imbalance in accessibility (FDR<5%), of which 55 peaks also overlapped GWAS variants. At one GWAS locus for palmitoleic acid, rs603424 was located in an adipocyte-dependent peak linked to SCD and exhibited allelic differences in transcriptional activity in adipocytes (P = 0.003) but not preadipocytes (P = 0.09). These results demonstrate that context-dependent peaks and genes can guide discovery of regulatory variants at GWAS loci and aid identification of regulatory mechanisms. Cardiovascular and metabolic diseases are widespread, and an increased understanding of genetic mechanisms behind these diseases could improve treatment. Chromatin accessibility and gene expression in relevant cell contexts can guide identification of regulatory elements and genetic mechanisms for disease traits. A relevant context for cardiovascular and metabolic disease traits is adipocyte differentiation. To identify regulatory elements and genes that display differences in activity during adipocyte differentiation, we profiled chromatin accessibility and gene expression in a human cell model of preadipocytes and adipocytes. We identified chromatin regions that change accessibility during differentiation and predicted genes they may affect. We also linked these chromatin regions to genetic variants associated with risk of disease. At one genomic region linked to fatty acids, a chromatin region more accessible in adipocytes linked to a fatty acid synthesis gene and exhibited allelic differences in transcriptional activity in adipocytes but not preadipocytes. These results demonstrate that chromatin regions and genes that change during cell context can guide discovery of regulatory variants and aid identification of disease mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah J. Perrin
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Kevin W. Currin
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Swarooparani Vadlamudi
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Gautam K. Pandey
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Kenneth K. Ng
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Martin Wabitsch
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Ulm University Hospital, Ulm, Germany
| | - Markku Laakso
- Department of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland and Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Michael I. Love
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
- Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Karen L. Mohlke
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Ke W, Reed JN, Yang C, Higgason N, Rayyan L, Wählby C, Carpenter AE, Civelek M, O’Rourke EJ. Genes in human obesity loci are causal obesity genes in C. elegans. PLoS Genet 2021; 17:e1009736. [PMID: 34492009 PMCID: PMC8462697 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1009736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Revised: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 07/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Obesity and its associated metabolic syndrome are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Given the disease's heavy burden on patients and the healthcare system, there has been increased interest in identifying pharmacological targets for the treatment and prevention of obesity. Towards this end, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified hundreds of human genetic variants associated with obesity. The next challenge is to experimentally define which of these variants are causally linked to obesity, and could therefore become targets for the treatment or prevention of obesity. Here we employ high-throughput in vivo RNAi screening to test for causality 293 C. elegans orthologs of human obesity-candidate genes reported in GWAS. We RNAi screened these 293 genes in C. elegans subject to two different feeding regimens: (1) regular diet, and (2) high-fructose diet, which we developed and present here as an invertebrate model of diet-induced obesity (DIO). We report 14 genes that promote obesity and 3 genes that prevent DIO when silenced in C. elegans. Further, we show that knock-down of the 3 DIO genes not only prevents excessive fat accumulation in primary and ectopic fat depots but also improves the health and extends the lifespan of C. elegans overconsuming fructose. Importantly, the direction of the association between expression variants in these loci and obesity in mice and humans matches the phenotypic outcome of the loss-of-function of the C. elegans ortholog genes, supporting the notion that some of these genes would be causally linked to obesity across phylogeny. Therefore, in addition to defining causality for several genes so far merely correlated with obesity, this study demonstrates the value of model systems compatible with in vivo high-throughput genetic screening to causally link GWAS gene candidates to human diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenfan Ke
- Department of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Jordan N. Reed
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Chenyu Yang
- Department of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Noel Higgason
- Department of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Leila Rayyan
- Department of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Carolina Wählby
- Department of Information Technology and SciLifeLab, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Anne E. Carpenter
- Imaging Platform, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Mete Civelek
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
- Center for Public Health Genomics, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Eyleen J. O’Rourke
- Department of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
- Department of Cell Biology, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Aygün N, Elwell AL, Liang D, Lafferty MJ, Cheek KE, Courtney KP, Mory J, Hadden-Ford E, Krupa O, de la Torre-Ubieta L, Geschwind DH, Love MI, Stein JL. Brain-trait-associated variants impact cell-type-specific gene regulation during neurogenesis. Am J Hum Genet 2021; 108:1647-1668. [PMID: 34416157 PMCID: PMC8456186 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2021.07.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2020] [Accepted: 07/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Interpretation of the function of non-coding risk loci for neuropsychiatric disorders and brain-relevant traits via gene expression and alternative splicing quantitative trait locus (e/sQTL) analyses is generally performed in bulk post-mortem adult tissue. However, genetic risk loci are enriched in regulatory elements active during neocortical differentiation, and regulatory effects of risk variants may be masked by heterogeneity in bulk tissue. Here, we map e/sQTLs, and allele-specific expression in cultured cells representing two major developmental stages, primary human neural progenitors (n = 85) and their sorted neuronal progeny (n = 74), identifying numerous loci not detected in either bulk developing cortical wall or adult cortex. Using colocalization and genetic imputation via transcriptome-wide association, we uncover cell-type-specific regulatory mechanisms underlying risk for brain-relevant traits that are active during neocortical differentiation. Specifically, we identified a progenitor-specific eQTL for CENPW co-localized with common variant associations for cortical surface area and educational attainment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nil Aygün
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; UNC Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Angela L Elwell
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; UNC Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Dan Liang
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; UNC Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Michael J Lafferty
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; UNC Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Kerry E Cheek
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; UNC Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Kenan P Courtney
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; UNC Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Jessica Mory
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; UNC Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Ellie Hadden-Ford
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; UNC Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Oleh Krupa
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; UNC Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Luis de la Torre-Ubieta
- Neurogenetics Program, Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Center for Autism Research and Treatment, Semel Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Daniel H Geschwind
- Neurogenetics Program, Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Center for Autism Research and Treatment, Semel Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Michael I Love
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Jason L Stein
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; UNC Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
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Azarova I, Klyosova E, Polonikov A. The Link between Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and the Polymorphisms of Glutathione-Metabolizing Genes Suggests a New Hypothesis Explaining Disease Initiation and Progression. Life (Basel) 2021; 11:life11090886. [PMID: 34575035 PMCID: PMC8466482 DOI: 10.3390/life11090886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2021] [Revised: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 08/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The present study investigated whether type 2 diabetes (T2D) is associated with polymorphisms of genes encoding glutathione-metabolizing enzymes such as glutathione synthetase (GSS) and gamma-glutamyl transferase 7 (GGT7). A total of 3198 unrelated Russian subjects including 1572 T2D patients and 1626 healthy subjects were enrolled. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the GSS and GGT7 genes were genotyped using the MassArray-4 system. We found that the GSS and GGT7 gene polymorphisms alone and in combinations are associated with T2D risk regardless of sex, age, and body mass index, as well as correlated with plasma glutathione, hydrogen peroxide, and fasting blood glucose levels. Polymorphisms of GSS (rs13041792) and GGT7 (rs6119534 and rs11546155) genes were associated with the tissue-specific expression of genes involved in unfolded protein response and the regulation of proteostasis. Transcriptome-wide association analysis has shown that the pancreatic expression of some of these genes such as EDEM2, MYH7B, MAP1LC3A, and CPNE1 is linked to the genetic risk of T2D. A comprehensive analysis of the data allowed proposing a new hypothesis for the etiology of type 2 diabetes that endogenous glutathione deficiency might be a key condition responsible for the impaired folding of proinsulin which triggered an unfolded protein response, ultimately leading to beta-cell apoptosis and disease development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iuliia Azarova
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Kursk State Medical University, 3 Karl Marx Street, 305041 Kursk, Russia;
- Laboratory of Biochemical Genetics and Metabolomics, Research Institute for Genetic and Molecular Epidemiology, Kursk State Medical University, 18 Yamskaya St., 305041 Kursk, Russia;
| | - Elena Klyosova
- Laboratory of Biochemical Genetics and Metabolomics, Research Institute for Genetic and Molecular Epidemiology, Kursk State Medical University, 18 Yamskaya St., 305041 Kursk, Russia;
| | - Alexey Polonikov
- Laboratory of Statistical Genetics and Bioinformatics, Research Institute for Genetic and Molecular Epidemiology, Kursk State Medical University, 18 Yamskaya St., 305041 Kursk, Russia
- Department of Biology, Medical Genetics and Ecology, Kursk State Medical University, 3 Karl Marx Street, 305041 Kursk, Russia
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +7-471-258-8147
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Clemente-Olivo MP, Habibe JJ, Vos M, Ottenhoff R, Jongejan A, Herrema H, Zelcer N, Kooijman S, Rensen PCN, van Raalte DH, Nieuwdorp M, Eringa EC, de Vries CJ. Four-and-a-half LIM domain protein 2 (FHL2) deficiency protects mice from diet-induced obesity and high FHL2 expression marks human obesity. Metabolism 2021; 121:154815. [PMID: 34119536 DOI: 10.1016/j.metabol.2021.154815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Revised: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Four-and-a-Half-LIM-domain-protein 2 (FHL2) modulates multiple signal transduction pathways but has not been implicated in obesity or energy metabolism. In humans, methylation and expression of the FHL2 gene increases with age, and high FHL2 expression is associated with increased body weight in humans and mice. This led us to hypothesize that FHL2 is a determinant of diet-induced obesity. METHODS FHL2-deficient (FHL2-/-) and wild type male mice were fed a high-fat diet. Metabolic phenotyping of these mice, as well as transcriptional analysis of key metabolic tissues was performed. Correlation of the expression of FHL2 and relevant genes was assessed in datasets from white adipose tissue of individuals with and without obesity. RESULTS FHL2 Deficiency protects mice from high-fat diet-induced weight gain, whereas glucose handling is normal. We observed enhanced energy expenditure, which may be explained by a combination of changes in multiple tissues; mild activation of brown adipose tissue with increased fatty acid uptake, increased cardiac glucose uptake and browning of white adipose tissue. Corroborating our findings in mice, expression of FHL2 in human white adipose tissue positively correlates with obesity and negatively with expression of browning-associated genes. CONCLUSION Our results position FHL2 as a novel regulator of obesity and energy expenditure in mice and human. Given that FHL2 expression increases during aging, we now show that low FHL2 expression associates with a healthy metabolic state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria P Clemente-Olivo
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, and Amsterdam Gastroenterology, Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1105 AZ, the Netherlands
| | - Jayron J Habibe
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, and Amsterdam Gastroenterology, Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1105 AZ, the Netherlands; Department of Physiology, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, location VUmc, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Mariska Vos
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, and Amsterdam Gastroenterology, Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1105 AZ, the Netherlands
| | - Roelof Ottenhoff
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, and Amsterdam Gastroenterology, Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1105 AZ, the Netherlands
| | - Aldo Jongejan
- Department of Bioinformatics, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Hilde Herrema
- Department of Experimental Vascular Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Noam Zelcer
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, and Amsterdam Gastroenterology, Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1105 AZ, the Netherlands
| | - Sander Kooijman
- Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Einthoven Laboratory for Experimental Vascular Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Patrick C N Rensen
- Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Einthoven Laboratory for Experimental Vascular Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Daniël H van Raalte
- Department of Internal Medicine, Diabetes Center, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Max Nieuwdorp
- Department of Experimental Vascular Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Etto C Eringa
- Department of Physiology, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, location VUmc, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Carlie J de Vries
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, and Amsterdam Gastroenterology, Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1105 AZ, the Netherlands.
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Que E, James KL, Coffey AR, Smallwood TL, Albright J, Huda MN, Pomp D, Sethupathy P, Bennett BJ. Genetic architecture modulates diet-induced hepatic mRNA and miRNA expression profiles in Diversity Outbred mice. Genetics 2021; 218:6321522. [PMID: 34849860 PMCID: PMC8757298 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyab068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2019] [Accepted: 07/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic approaches in model organisms have consistently demonstrated that molecular traits such as gene expression are under genetic regulation, similar to clinical traits. The resulting expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) have revolutionized our understanding of genetic regulation and identified numerous candidate genes for clinically relevant traits. More recently, these analyses have been extended to other molecular traits such as protein abundance, metabolite levels, and miRNA expression. Here, we performed global hepatic eQTL and microRNA expression quantitative trait loci (mirQTL) analysis in a population of Diversity Outbred mice fed two different diets. We identified several key features of eQTL and mirQTL, namely differences in the mode of genetic regulation (cis or trans) between mRNA and miRNA. Approximately 50% of mirQTL are regulated by a trans-acting factor, compared to ∼25% of eQTL. We note differences in the heritability of mRNA and miRNA expression and variance explained by each eQTL or mirQTL. In general, cis-acting variants affecting mRNA or miRNA expression explain more phenotypic variance than trans-acting variants. Finally, we investigated the effect of diet on the genetic architecture of eQTL and mirQTL, highlighting the critical effects of environment on both eQTL and mirQTL. Overall, these data underscore the complex genetic regulation of two well-characterized RNA classes (mRNA and miRNA) that have critical roles in the regulation of clinical traits and disease susceptibility
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Affiliation(s)
- Excel Que
- Western Human Nutrition Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Davis, CA 95616, USA.,Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Kristen L James
- Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Alisha R Coffey
- Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 28081, USA
| | - Tangi L Smallwood
- Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 28081, USA
| | - Jody Albright
- Nutrition Research Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Kannapolis, NC 28081, USA
| | - M Nazmul Huda
- Western Human Nutrition Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Davis, CA 95616, USA.,Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Daniel Pomp
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Praveen Sethupathy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Brian J Bennett
- Western Human Nutrition Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Davis, CA 95616, USA.,Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
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