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Francis HS, Harold CL, Beagrie RA, King AJ, Gosden ME, Blayney JW, Jeziorska DM, Babbs C, Higgs DR, Kassouf MT. Scalable in vitro production of defined mouse erythroblasts. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0261950. [PMID: 34995303 PMCID: PMC8741028 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0261950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) can be manipulated in vitro to recapitulate the process of erythropoiesis, during which multipotent cells undergo lineage specification, differentiation and maturation to produce erythroid cells. Although useful for identifying specific progenitors and precursors, this system has not been fully exploited as a source of cells to analyse erythropoiesis. Here, we establish a protocol in which characterised erythroblasts can be isolated in a scalable manner from differentiated embryoid bodies (EBs). Using transcriptional and epigenetic analysis, we demonstrate that this system faithfully recapitulates normal primitive erythropoiesis and fully reproduces the effects of natural and engineered mutations seen in primary cells obtained from mouse models. We anticipate this system to be of great value in reducing the time and costs of generating and maintaining mouse lines in a number of research scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helena S. Francis
- MRC Molecular Haematology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Caroline L. Harold
- MRC Molecular Haematology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Robert A. Beagrie
- MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew J. King
- MRC Molecular Haematology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew E. Gosden
- MRC Molecular Haematology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Joseph W. Blayney
- MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Danuta M. Jeziorska
- MRC Molecular Haematology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Christian Babbs
- MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Douglas R. Higgs
- MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Mira T. Kassouf
- MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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2
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Higashi M, Ikehara T, Nakagawa T, Yoneda M, Hattori N, Ikeda M, Ito T. Long noncoding RNAs transcribed downstream of the human β-globin locus regulate β-globin gene expression. J Biochem 2021; 171:287-294. [PMID: 34878533 DOI: 10.1093/jb/mvab130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The five β-like globin genes (ε, Gγ, Aγ, δ, and β) at the human β-globin gene locus are known to be expressed at specific developmental stages, although details of the underlying mechanism remain to be uncovered. Here we used an in vitro transcription assay to clarify the mechanisms that control this gene expression. We first tested nuclear RNA from HeLa cells using RT-qPCR and discovered a long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) within a 5.2-kb region beginning 4.4 kb downstream of the β-globin gene coding region. We investigated nuclear RNA from K562 cells using a primer-extension assay and determined the transcription start sites (TSSs) of these lncRNAs. To clarify their functional role, we performed knockdown (KD) of these lncRNAs in K562 cells. Hydroxyurea, which induces differentiation of K562 cells, increased hemoglobin peptide production, and the effect was enhanced by KD of these lncRNAs, which also enhanced upregulation of the γ-globin expression induced by hydroxyurea. To confirm these results, we performed an in vitro transcription assay. Noncoding single-stranded RNAs inhibited β-globin expression, which was upregulated by GATA1. Furthermore, lncRNAs interacted with GATA1 without sequence specificity and inhibited its binding to its target DNA response element in vitro. Our results suggest that lncRNAs downstream of the β-globin gene locus are key factors regulating globin gene ex pression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miki Higashi
- Department of Biochemistry, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan.,Department of Physiology, Saitama Medical University, Saitama, Japan
| | - Tsuyoshi Ikehara
- Department of Biochemistry, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan.,Department of Food Science and Technology, National Fisheries University, Yamaguchi, Japan
| | - Takeya Nakagawa
- Department of Biochemistry, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Mitsuhiro Yoneda
- Department of Biochemistry, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Naoko Hattori
- Department of Biochemistry, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Masaaki Ikeda
- Department of Physiology, Saitama Medical University, Saitama, Japan
| | - Takashi Ito
- Department of Biochemistry, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan
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Tak YE, Horng JE, Perry NT, Schultz HT, Iyer S, Yao Q, Zou LS, Aryee MJ, Pinello L, Joung JK. Augmenting and directing long-range CRISPR-mediated activation in human cells. Nat Methods 2021; 18:1075-1081. [PMID: 34354266 PMCID: PMC8446310 DOI: 10.1038/s41592-021-01224-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2020] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Epigenetic editing is an emerging technology that uses artificial transcription factors (aTFs) to regulate expression of a target gene. Although human genes can be robustly upregulated by targeting aTFs to promoters, the activation induced by directing aTFs to distal transcriptional enhancers is substantially less robust and consistent. Here we show that long-range activation using CRISPR-based aTFs in human cells can be made more efficient and reliable by concurrently targeting an aTF to the target gene promoter. We used this strategy to direct target gene choice for enhancers capable of regulating more than one promoter and to achieve allele-selective activation of human genes by targeting aTFs to single-nucleotide polymorphisms embedded in distally located sequences. Our results broaden the potential applications of the epigenetic editing toolbox for research and therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y. Esther Tak
- Molecular Pathology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA,Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA,Center for Computational and Integrative Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA,Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Joy E. Horng
- Molecular Pathology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA,Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA,Center for Computational and Integrative Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA,These authors contributed equally
| | - Nicholas T. Perry
- Molecular Pathology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA,Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA,Center for Computational and Integrative Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA,These authors contributed equally
| | - Hayley T. Schultz
- Molecular Pathology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA,Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA,Center for Computational and Integrative Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Sowmya Iyer
- Molecular Pathology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Qiuming Yao
- Molecular Pathology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA,Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA,Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA,Cell Circuits and Epigenomics Program, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Luli S. Zou
- Cell Circuits and Epigenomics Program, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA,Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Martin J. Aryee
- Molecular Pathology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA,Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA,Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA,Cell Circuits and Epigenomics Program, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA,Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Luca Pinello
- Molecular Pathology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA,Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA,Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA,Cell Circuits and Epigenomics Program, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - J. Keith Joung
- Molecular Pathology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA,Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA,Center for Computational and Integrative Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA,Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA,Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to J. Keith Joung.
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Cortabarria ASDV, Makhoul L, Strouboulis J, Lombardi G, Oteng-Ntim E, Shangaris P. In utero Therapy for the Treatment of Sickle Cell Disease: Taking Advantage of the Fetal Immune System. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 8:624477. [PMID: 33553164 PMCID: PMC7862553 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.624477] [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: 10/31/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is an autosomal recessive disorder resulting from a β-globin gene missense mutation and is among the most prevalent severe monogenic disorders worldwide. Haematopoietic stem cell transplantation remains the only curative option for the disease, as most management options focus solely on symptom control. Progress in prenatal diagnosis and fetal therapeutic intervention raises the possibility of in utero treatment. SCD can be diagnosed prenatally in high-risk patients using chorionic villus sampling. Among the possible prenatal treatments, in utero stem cell transplantation (IUSCT) shows the most promise. IUSCT is a non-myeloablative, non-immunosuppressive alternative conferring various unique advantages and may also offer safer postnatal management. Fetal immunologic immaturity could allow engraftment of allogeneic cells before fetal immune system maturation, donor-specific tolerance and lifelong chimerism. In this review, we will discuss SCD, screening and current treatments. We will present the therapeutic rationale for IUSCT, examine the early experimental work and initial human experience, as well as consider primary barriers of clinically implementing IUSCT and the promising approaches to address them.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Laura Makhoul
- GKT School of Medical Education, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - John Strouboulis
- School of Cancer & Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kings College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Giovanna Lombardi
- School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Eugene Oteng-Ntim
- School of Life Course Sciences, Kings College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Panicos Shangaris
- School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
- School of Life Course Sciences, Kings College London, London, United Kingdom
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5
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Paulson RF, Hariharan S, Little JA. Stress erythropoiesis: definitions and models for its study. Exp Hematol 2020; 89:43-54.e2. [PMID: 32750404 DOI: 10.1016/j.exphem.2020.07.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2020] [Revised: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 07/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Steady-state erythropoiesis generates new erythrocytes at a constant rate, and it has enormous productive capacity. This production is balanced by the removal of senescent erythrocytes by macrophages in the spleen and liver. Erythroid homeostasis is highly regulated to maintain sufficient erythrocytes for efficient oxygen delivery to the tissues, while avoiding viscosity problems associated with overproduction. However, there are times when this constant production of erythrocytes is inhibited or is inadequate; at these times, erythroid output is increased to compensate for the loss of production. In some cases, increased steady-state erythropoiesis can offset the loss of erythrocytes but, in response to inflammation caused by infection or tissue damage, steady-state erythropoiesis is inhibited. To maintain homeostasis under these conditions, an alternative stress erythropoiesis pathway is activated. Emerging data suggest that the bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4)-dependent stress erythropoiesis pathway is integrated into the inflammatory response and generates a bolus of new erythrocytes that maintain homeostasis until steady-state erythropoiesis can resume. In this perspective, we define the mechanisms that generate new erythrocytes when steady-state erythropoiesis is impaired and discuss experimental models to study human stress erythropoiesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert F Paulson
- Center for Molecular Immunology and Infectious Disease and the Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Penn State University, University Park, PA; Intercollege Graduate Program in Genetics, Penn State University, University Park, PA.
| | - Sneha Hariharan
- Intercollege Graduate Program in Genetics, Penn State University, University Park, PA
| | - Jane A Little
- Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina Comprehensive Sickle Cell Disease Program, Chapel Hill, NC
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