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He G, Chen J, Hao W, Hu W. Causal effect of gut microbiota and diabetic nephropathy: a Mendelian randomization study. Diabetol Metab Syndr 2024; 16:89. [PMID: 38658966 PMCID: PMC11044463 DOI: 10.1186/s13098-024-01327-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The interaction of dysbiosis of gut microbiota (GM) with diabetic nephropathy (DN) drew our attention and a better understanding of GM on DN might provide potential therapeutic approaches. However, the exact causal effect of GM on DN remains unknown. METHODS We applied two-sample Mendelian Randomization (MR) analysis, including inverse variance weighted (IVW), MR-Egger methods, etc., to screen the significant bacterial taxa based on the GWAS data. Sensitivity analysis was conducted to assess the robustness of MR results. To identify the most critical factor on DN, Mendelian randomization-Bayesian model averaging (MR-BMA) method was utilized. Then, whether the reverse causality existed was verified by reverse MR analysis. Finally, transcriptome MR analysis was performed to investigate the possible mechanism of GM on DN. RESULTS At locus-wide significance levels, the results of IVW suggested that order Bacteroidales (odds ratio (OR) = 1.412, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.025-1.945, P = 0.035), genus Akkermansia (OR = 1.449, 95% CI: 1.120-1.875, P = 0.005), genus Coprococcus 1 (OR = 1.328, 95% CI: 1.066-1.793, P = 0.015), genus Marvinbryantia (OR = 1.353, 95% CI: 1.037-1.777, P = 0.030) and genus Parasutterella (OR = 1.276, 95% CI: 1.022-1.593, P = 0.032) were risk factors for DN. Reversely, genus Eubacterium ventriosum (OR = 0.756, 95% CI: 0.594-0.963, P = 0.023), genus Ruminococcus gauvreauii (OR = 0.663, 95% CI: 0.506-0.870, P = 0.003) and genus Erysipelotrichaceae (UCG003) (OR = 0.801, 95% CI: 0.644-0.997, P = 0.047) were negatively associated with the risk of DN. Among these taxa, genus Ruminococcus gauvreauii played a crucial role in DN. No significant heterogeneity or pleiotropy in the MR result was found. Mapped genes (FDR < 0.05) related to GM had causal effects on DN, while FCGR2B and VNN2 might be potential therapeutic targets. CONCLUSIONS This work provided new evidence for the causal effect of GM on DN occurrence and potential biomarkers for DN. The significant bacterial taxa in our study provided new insights for the 'gut-kidney' axis, as well as unconventional prevention and treatment strategies for DN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ganyuan He
- Department of Nephrology, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Guangdong Provincial Geriatrics Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jiayi Chen
- Department of Nephrology, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Guangdong Provincial Geriatrics Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wenke Hao
- Department of Nephrology, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Guangdong Provincial Geriatrics Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
| | - Wenxue Hu
- Department of Nephrology, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Guangdong Provincial Geriatrics Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
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2
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Boye C, Kalita CA, Findley AS, Alazizi A, Wei J, Wen X, Pique-Regi R, Luca F. Characterization of caffeine response regulatory variants in vascular endothelial cells. eLife 2024; 13:e85235. [PMID: 38334359 PMCID: PMC10901511 DOI: 10.7554/elife.85235] [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: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Genetic variants in gene regulatory sequences can modify gene expression and mediate the molecular response to environmental stimuli. In addition, genotype-environment interactions (GxE) contribute to complex traits such as cardiovascular disease. Caffeine is the most widely consumed stimulant and is known to produce a vascular response. To investigate GxE for caffeine, we treated vascular endothelial cells with caffeine and used a massively parallel reporter assay to measure allelic effects on gene regulation for over 43,000 genetic variants. We identified 665 variants with allelic effects on gene regulation and 6 variants that regulate the gene expression response to caffeine (GxE, false discovery rate [FDR] < 5%). When overlapping our GxE results with expression quantitative trait loci colocalized with coronary artery disease and hypertension, we dissected their regulatory mechanisms and showed a modulatory role for caffeine. Our results demonstrate that massively parallel reporter assay is a powerful approach to identify and molecularly characterize GxE in the specific context of caffeine consumption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carly Boye
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State UniversityDetroitUnited States
| | - Cynthia A Kalita
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State UniversityDetroitUnited States
| | - Anthony S Findley
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State UniversityDetroitUnited States
| | - Adnan Alazizi
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State UniversityDetroitUnited States
| | - Julong Wei
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State UniversityDetroitUnited States
| | - Xiaoquan Wen
- Department of Biostatistics, University of MichiganAnn ArborUnited States
| | - Roger Pique-Regi
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State UniversityDetroitUnited States
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State UniversityDetroitUnited States
| | - Francesca Luca
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State UniversityDetroitUnited States
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State UniversityDetroitUnited States
- Department of Biology, University of Rome Tor VergataRomeItaly
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3
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Yin M, Zhang Y, Li X, Liu S, Huang J, Yu H, Li X. Adverse effects of gestational diabetes mellitus on fetal monocytes revealed by single-cell RNA sequencing. iScience 2024; 27:108637. [PMID: 38188508 PMCID: PMC10770529 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108637] [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: 08/10/2023] [Revised: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), the most prevalent metabolic disorder during pregnancy, has long-term risks of metabolic diseases in offspring. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we analyzed single-cell transcriptional data of cord blood mononuclear cells (CBMCs) from fetuses of healthy and GDM mothers, peripheral blood mononuclear cells from children and adolescents, and coronary plaques myeloid cells from atherosclerosis. Our results demonstrated that monocytes in cord blood were characterized with down-regulated proinflammatory-related pathways and up-regulated proliferation-related pathways. And monocytes in cord blood from GDM mothers were featured with expanded CXCL8+IL1B+ subclusters, enhanced crosstalk with neutrophil granulocytes and augmented adhesive and phagocytic abilities. Interestingly, CXCL8+IL1B+ monocytes influenced by GDM had transcriptome similarity with those of coronary plaques myeloid cells from individuals with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Collectively, our data reveal adverse impact of maternal GDM environment on fetal monocytes and propose potential mechanisms between maternal GDM and offspring atherosclerosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Yin
- National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, Key Laboratory of Diabetes Immunology, Ministry of Education, and Department of Metabolism and Endocrinology, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Yan Zhang
- National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, Key Laboratory of Diabetes Immunology, Ministry of Education, and Department of Metabolism and Endocrinology, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Xinyu Li
- National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, Key Laboratory of Diabetes Immunology, Ministry of Education, and Department of Metabolism and Endocrinology, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Shanshan Liu
- National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, Key Laboratory of Diabetes Immunology, Ministry of Education, and Department of Metabolism and Endocrinology, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Juan Huang
- National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, Key Laboratory of Diabetes Immunology, Ministry of Education, and Department of Metabolism and Endocrinology, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China
- Section of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Haibo Yu
- National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, Key Laboratory of Diabetes Immunology, Ministry of Education, and Department of Metabolism and Endocrinology, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China
- Hunan Engineering Research Center of Cell Therapy for Diabetes, Changsha, China
| | - Xia Li
- National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, Key Laboratory of Diabetes Immunology, Ministry of Education, and Department of Metabolism and Endocrinology, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China
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4
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Song Z, Li S, Shang Z, Lv W, Cheng X, Meng X, Chen R, Zhang S, Zhang R. Integrating multi-omics data to analyze the potential pathogenic mechanism of CTSH gene involved in type 1 diabetes in the exocrine pancreas. Brief Funct Genomics 2023:elad052. [PMID: 38050341 DOI: 10.1093/bfgp/elad052] [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: 06/20/2023] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease caused by the destruction of insulin-producing pancreatic islet beta cells. Despite significant advancements, the precise pathogenesis of the disease remains unknown. This work integrated data from expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) studies with Genome wide association study (GWAS) summary data of T1D and single-cell transcriptome data to investigate the potential pathogenic mechanisms of the CTSH gene involved in T1D in exocrine pancreas. Using the summary data-based Mendelian randomization (SMR) approach, we obtained four potential causative genes associated with T1D: BTN3A2, PGAP3, SMARCE1 and CTSH. To further investigate these genes'roles in T1D development, we validated them using a scRNA-seq dataset from pancreatic tissues of both T1D patients and healthy controls. The analysis showed a significantly high expression of the CTSH gene in T1D acinar cells, whereas the other three genes showed no significant changes in the scRNA-seq data. Moreover, single-cell WGCNA analysis revealed the strongest positive correlation between the module containing CTSH and T1D. In addition, we found cellular ligand-receptor interactions between the acinar cells and different cell types, especially ductal cells. Finally, based on functional enrichment analysis, we hypothesized that the CTSH gene in the exocrine pancreas enhances the antiviral response, leading to the overexpression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and the development of an inflammatory microenvironment. This process promotes β cells injury and ultimately the development of T1D. Our findings offer insights into the underlying pathogenic mechanisms of T1D.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zerun Song
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, 157 Baojian Road, Nangang District, Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, China
| | - Shuai Li
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, 157 Baojian Road, Nangang District, Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, China
| | - Zhenwei Shang
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, 157 Baojian Road, Nangang District, Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, China
| | - Wenhua Lv
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, 157 Baojian Road, Nangang District, Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, China
| | - Xiangshu Cheng
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, 157 Baojian Road, Nangang District, Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, China
| | - Xin Meng
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, 157 Baojian Road, Nangang District, Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, China
| | - Rui Chen
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, 157 Baojian Road, Nangang District, Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, China
| | - Shuhao Zhang
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, 157 Baojian Road, Nangang District, Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, China
| | - Ruijie Zhang
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, 157 Baojian Road, Nangang District, Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, China
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5
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Zaied RE, Fadason T, O'Sullivan JM. De novo identification of complex traits associated with asthma. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1231492. [PMID: 37680636 PMCID: PMC10480836 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1231492] [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: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Asthma is a heterogeneous inflammatory disease often associated with other complex phenotypes. Identifying asthma-associated diseases and uncovering the molecular mechanisms mediating their interaction can help detangle the heterogeneity of asthma. Network analysis is a powerful approach for untangling such inter-disease relationships. Methods Here, we integrated information on physical contacts between common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and gene expression with expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) data from the lung and whole blood to construct two tissue-specific spatial gene regulatory networks (GRN). We then located the asthma GRN (level 0) within each tissue-specific GRN by identifying the genes that are functionally affected by asthma-associated spatial eQTLs. Curated protein interaction partners were subsequently identified up to four edges or levels away from the asthma GRN. The eQTLs spatially regulating genes on levels 0-4 were queried against the GWAS Catalog to identify the traits enriched (hypergeometric test; FDR ≤ 0.05) in each level. Results We identified 80 and 82 traits significantly enriched in the lung and blood GRNs, respectively. All identified traits were previously reported to be comorbid or associated (positively or negatively) with asthma (e.g., depressive symptoms and lung cancer), except 8 traits whose association with asthma is yet to be confirmed (e.g., reticulocyte count). Our analysis additionally pinpoints the variants and genes that link asthma to the identified asthma-associated traits, a subset of which was replicated in a comorbidity analysis using health records of 26,781 asthma patients in New Zealand. Discussion Our discovery approach identifies enriched traits in the regulatory space proximal to asthma, in the tissue of interest, without a priori selection of the interacting traits. The predictions it makes expand our understanding of possible shared molecular interactions and therapeutic targets for asthma, where no cure is currently available.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roan E Zaied
- The Liggins Institute, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Tayaza Fadason
- The Liggins Institute, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
- The Maurice Wilkins Centre, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Justin M O'Sullivan
- The Liggins Institute, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
- The Maurice Wilkins Centre, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
- Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Medical Research Council (MRC) Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Agency for Science Technology and Research, Singapore, Singapore
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6
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Resztak JA, Wei J, Zilioli S, Sendler E, Alazizi A, Mair-Meijers HE, Wu P, Wen X, Slatcher RB, Zhou X, Luca F, Pique-Regi R. Genetic control of the dynamic transcriptional response to immune stimuli and glucocorticoids at single-cell resolution. Genome Res 2023; 33:839-856. [PMID: 37442575 PMCID: PMC10519413 DOI: 10.1101/gr.276765.122] [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: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023]
Abstract
Synthetic glucocorticoids, such as dexamethasone, have been used as a treatment for many immune conditions, such as asthma and, more recently, severe COVID-19. Single-cell data can capture more fine-grained details on transcriptional variability and dynamics to gain a better understanding of the molecular underpinnings of inter-individual variation in drug response. Here, we used single-cell RNA-seq to study the dynamics of the transcriptional response to glucocorticoids in activated peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 96 African American children. We used novel statistical approaches to calculate a mean-independent measure of gene expression variability and a measure of transcriptional response pseudotime. Using these approaches, we showed that glucocorticoids reverse the effects of immune stimulation on both gene expression mean and variability. Our novel measure of gene expression response dynamics, based on the diagonal linear discriminant analysis, separated individual cells by response status on the basis of their transcriptional profiles and allowed us to identify different dynamic patterns of gene expression along the response pseudotime. We identified genetic variants regulating gene expression mean and variability, including treatment-specific effects, and showed widespread genetic regulation of the transcriptional dynamics of the gene expression response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justyna A Resztak
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48201, USA
| | - Julong Wei
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48201, USA
| | - Samuele Zilioli
- Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48201, USA
- Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48201, USA
| | - Edward Sendler
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48201, USA
| | - Adnan Alazizi
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48201, USA
| | - Henriette E Mair-Meijers
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48201, USA
| | - Peijun Wu
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - Xiaoquan Wen
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - Richard B Slatcher
- Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA
| | - Xiang Zhou
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - Francesca Luca
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48201, USA;
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48201, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Rome "Tor Vergata," 00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Roger Pique-Regi
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48201, USA;
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48201, USA
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7
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Zhong C, Wu C, Lin Y, Lin D. Refined expression quantitative trait locus analysis on adenocarcinoma at the gastroesophageal junction reveals susceptibility and prognostic markers. Front Genet 2023; 14:1180500. [PMID: 37265963 PMCID: PMC10230079 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1180500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Objectives: This study aimed to explore cell type level expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) in adenocarcinoma at the gastroesophageal junction (ACGEJ) and identify susceptibility and prognosis markers. Methods: Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was performed on 120 paired samples from Chinese ACGEJ patients. Germline mutations were detected by GATK tools. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data on ACGEJ samples were taken from our previous studies. Public single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data were used to produce the proportion of epithelial cells. Matrix eQTL and a linear mixed model were used to identify condition-specific cis-eQTLs. The R package coloc was used to perform co-localization analysis with the public data of genome-wide association studies (GWASs). Log-rank and Cox regression tests were used to identify survival-associated eQTL and genes. Functions of candidate risk loci were explored by experimental validation. Results: Refined eQTL analyses of paired ACGEJ samples were performed and 2,036 potential ACGEJ-specific eQTLs with East Asian specificity were identified in total. ACGEJ-gain eQTLs were enriched at promoter regions more than ACGEJ-loss eQTLs. rs658524 was identified as the top eQTL close to the transcription start site of its paired gene (CTSW). rs2240191-RASAL1, rs4236599-FOXP2, rs4947311-PSORS1C1, rs13134812-LOC391674, and rs17508585-CDK13-DT were identified as ACGEJ-specific susceptibility eQTLs. rs309483-LINC01355 was associated with the overall survival of ACGEJ patients. We explored functions of candidate eQTLs such as rs658524, rs309483, rs2240191, and rs4947311 by experimental validation. Conclusion: This study provides new risk loci for ACGEJ susceptibility and effective disease prognosis biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ce Zhong
- Department of Etiology and Carcinogenesis, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Chen Wu
- Department of Etiology and Carcinogenesis, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Yuan Lin
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics (ICG), Biomedical Pioneering Innovation Center (BIOPIC), Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Dongxin Lin
- Department of Etiology and Carcinogenesis, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
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8
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Liang Z, Myers ZA, Petrella D, Engelhorn J, Hartwig T, Springer NM. Mapping responsive genomic elements to heat stress in a maize diversity panel. Genome Biol 2022; 23:234. [PMID: 36345007 PMCID: PMC9639295 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-022-02807-7] [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: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Many plant species exhibit genetic variation for coping with environmental stress. However, there are still limited approaches to effectively uncover the genomic region that regulates distinct responsive patterns of the gene across multiple varieties within the same species under abiotic stress. RESULTS By analyzing the transcriptomes of more than 100 maize inbreds, we reveal many cis- and trans-acting eQTLs that influence the expression response to heat stress. The cis-acting eQTLs in response to heat stress are identified in genes with differential responses to heat stress between genotypes as well as genes that are only expressed under heat stress. The cis-acting variants for heat stress-responsive expression likely result from distinct promoter activities, and the differential heat responses of the alleles are confirmed for selected genes using transient expression assays. Global footprinting of transcription factor binding is performed in control and heat stress conditions to document regions with heat-enriched transcription factor binding occupancies. CONCLUSIONS Footprints enriched near proximal regions of characterized heat-responsive genes in a large association panel can be utilized for prioritizing functional genomic regions that regulate genotype-specific responses under heat stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhikai Liang
- grid.17635.360000000419368657Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN 55108 USA
| | - Zachary A. Myers
- grid.17635.360000000419368657Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN 55108 USA
| | - Dominic Petrella
- grid.17635.360000000419368657Department of Horticulture, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN 55108 USA ,grid.261331.40000 0001 2285 7943Present address: Agricultural Technical Institute, The Ohio State University, Wooster, OH 44691 USA
| | - Julia Engelhorn
- grid.419498.90000 0001 0660 6765Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, 50829 Cologne, Germany ,grid.411327.20000 0001 2176 9917Heinrich-Heine University, 40225 Dusseldorf, Germany
| | - Thomas Hartwig
- grid.419498.90000 0001 0660 6765Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, 50829 Cologne, Germany ,grid.411327.20000 0001 2176 9917Heinrich-Heine University, 40225 Dusseldorf, Germany
| | - Nathan M. Springer
- grid.17635.360000000419368657Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN 55108 USA
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9
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Mikkelsen H, Landt EM, Benn M, Nordestgaard BG, Dahl M. Causal risk factors for asthma in Mendelian randomization studies: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clin Transl Allergy 2022; 12:e12207. [PMID: 36434743 PMCID: PMC9640961 DOI: 10.1002/clt2.12207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Revised: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Several risk factors for asthma have been proposed; however, the causality of these associations is sometimes unclear. Mendelian randomization is a powerful epidemiological approach that can help elucidate the causality of risk factors. The aim of the present study was to identify causal risk factors for asthma through Mendelian Randomization studies. METHODS A systematic search of PubMed and EMBASE was conducted, to identify studies investigating risk factors for asthma or respiratory allergies through Mendelian Randomization. When two or more studies investigated the same risk factor a meta-analysis was conducted. Of 239 studies initially identified, 41 were included. RESULTS A causal association between adiposity and adult asthma risk was found in 10 out of 12 studies with a summary risk ratio of 1.05 per kg/m2 increase in BMI (95% CI: 1.03-1.07). Puberty timing (n = 3), alcohol (n = 2), and linoleic acid (n = 1) had causal effects on asthma risk, while vitamins/minerals (n = 6) showed no consistent effect on asthma. The effect of smoking on adult asthma conflicted between studies. Several of the significant associations of asthma with immune related proteins (n = 5) and depression (n = 2) investigated through multiple traits analyses could generally benefit from replications in independent datasets. CONCLUSION This systematic review and meta-analysis found evidence for causal effects of adiposity, puberty timing, linoleic acid, alcohol, immune related proteins, and depression on risk of asthma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidi Mikkelsen
- Department of Clinical BiochemistryZealand University HospitalKøgeDenmark,Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical SciencesUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Eskild Morten Landt
- Department of Clinical BiochemistryZealand University HospitalKøgeDenmark,Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical SciencesUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Marianne Benn
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical SciencesUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark,Department of Clinical BiochemistryRigshospitaletCopenhagen University HospitalCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Børge Grønne Nordestgaard
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical SciencesUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark,Department of Clinical BiochemistryHerlev and Gentofte HospitalCopenhagen University HospitalHerlevDenmark
| | - Morten Dahl
- Department of Clinical BiochemistryZealand University HospitalKøgeDenmark,Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical SciencesUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
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10
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Lin Y, Zhou H, Li S. BTN3A2 Expression Is Connected With Favorable Prognosis and High Infiltrating Immune in Lung Adenocarcinoma. Front Genet 2022; 13:848476. [PMID: 35873496 PMCID: PMC9298880 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.848476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Butyrophilin subfamily 3 member A2 (BTN3A2) is an important mediator in immune activation, and it is reported to be linked to many cancer progresses. However, the relation with infiltrating immune and prognosis of BTN3A2 in lung adenocarcinoma are not clear. Methods: In our study, we checked the mRNA expression and protein expression profile of BTN3A2 in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and its relation to clinical outcomes using TIMER and UALCAN databases. In addition, we analyzed the survival of BTN3A2 in LUAD using the Kaplan–Meier Plotter database and PrognoScan database. Moreover, we analyzed gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) of the BTN3A2. Next, we explored the relation of BTN3A2 expression with the immune infiltration by TIMER. At last, in order to enrich the regulatory mechanism of BTN3A2, we used miRarbase, starbase, and miRDB databases to look for miRNA targets of BTN3A2. Results: The mRNA along with the protein expression of BTN3A2 in the LUAD group was lower than that in the normal group. In addition, high BTN3A2 expression was connected with good first progression (FP) and overall survival (OS) in LUAD. Then, the GSEA analysis demonstrated that T-cell receptor signaling cascade, B-cell receptor signaling cascade, natural killer cell–mediated cytotoxicity, immune receptor activity, immunological synapse, and T-cell activation were enriched differentially in the BTN3A2 high expression phenotype of LUAD. Moreover, BTN3A2 expression is a remarkable positive correlation with invading levels of tumor purity, B cells, neutrophils, CD4+ T cells, dendritic cells, macrophages, and CD8+ T cells in LUAD, and B cells and dendritic cells were linked with a good prognosis of LUAD. To further enrich the possible regulatory mechanisms of BTN3A2, we analyzed the miRNA targets. The results showed that hsa-miR-17-5p may be miRNA targets of BTN3A2. Conclusion: Taking together, we provide evidence of BTN3A2 as possible prognosis biomarkers of LUAD. In addition, high BTN3A2 expression in LUAD may influence the prognosis because of immune invasion. Moreover, our findings provide a potential mechanism that hsa-miR-17-5p may be miRNA targets of BTN3A2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuansheng Lin
- Suzhou Science and Technology Town Hospital, Gusu School, Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, China
| | - Hao Zhou
- Suzhou Science and Technology Town Hospital, Gusu School, Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, China
| | - Shengjun Li
- Suzhou Science and Technology Town Hospital, Gusu School, Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, China
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11
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Schmiedel BJ, Gonzalez-Colin C, Fajardo V, Rocha J, Madrigal A, Ramírez-Suástegui C, Bhattacharyya S, Simon H, Greenbaum JA, Peters B, Seumois G, Ay F, Chandra V, Vijayanand P. Single-cell eQTL analysis of activated T cell subsets reveals activation and cell type-dependent effects of disease-risk variants. Sci Immunol 2022; 7:eabm2508. [PMID: 35213211 DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.abm2508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The impact of genetic variants on cells challenged in biologically relevant contexts has not been fully explored. Here, we activated CD4+ T cells from 89 healthy donors and performed a single-cell RNA sequencing assay with >1 million cells to examine cell type-specific and activation-dependent effects of genetic variants. Single-cell expression quantitative trait loci (sc-eQTL) analysis of 19 distinct CD4+ T cell subsets showed that the expression of over 4000 genes is significantly associated with common genetic polymorphisms and that most of these genes show their most prominent effects in specific cell types. These genes included many that encode for molecules important for activation, differentiation, and effector functions of T cells. We also found new gene associations for disease-risk variants identified from genome-wide association studies and highlighted the cell types in which their effects are most prominent. We found that biological sex has a major influence on activation-dependent gene expression in CD4+ T cell subsets. Sex-biased transcripts were significantly enriched in several pathways that are essential for the initiation and execution of effector functions by CD4+ T cells like TCR signaling, cytokines, cytokine receptors, costimulatory, apoptosis, and cell-cell adhesion pathways. Overall, this DICE (Database of Immune Cell Expression, eQTLs, and Epigenomics) subproject highlights the power of sc-eQTL studies for simultaneously exploring the activation and cell type-dependent effects of common genetic variants on gene expression (https://dice-database.org).
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Cristian Gonzalez-Colin
- La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA, USA.,Center for Genomic Sciences, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
| | | | - Job Rocha
- La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA, USA.,Center for Genomic Sciences, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
| | | | | | | | - Hayley Simon
- La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | | | - Bjoern Peters
- La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | | | - Ferhat Ay
- La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Vivek Chandra
- La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Pandurangan Vijayanand
- La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA, USA.,Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.,Liverpool Head and Neck Centre, Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
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12
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Schmiedel BJ, Rocha J, Gonzalez-Colin C, Bhattacharyya S, Madrigal A, Ottensmeier CH, Ay F, Chandra V, Vijayanand P. COVID-19 genetic risk variants are associated with expression of multiple genes in diverse immune cell types. Nat Commun 2021; 12:6760. [PMID: 34799557 PMCID: PMC8604964 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-26888-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Common genetic polymorphisms associated with COVID-19 illness can be utilized for discovering molecular pathways and cell types driving disease pathogenesis. Given the importance of immune cells in the pathogenesis of COVID-19 illness, here we assessed the effects of COVID-19-risk variants on gene expression in a wide range of immune cell types. Transcriptome-wide association study and colocalization analysis revealed putative causal genes and the specific immune cell types where gene expression is most influenced by COVID-19-risk variants. Notable examples include OAS1 in non-classical monocytes, DTX1 in B cells, IL10RB in NK cells, CXCR6 in follicular helper T cells, CCR9 in regulatory T cells and ARL17A in TH2 cells. By analysis of transposase accessible chromatin and H3K27ac-based chromatin-interaction maps of immune cell types, we prioritized potentially functional COVID-19-risk variants. Our study highlights the potential of COVID-19 genetic risk variants to impact the function of diverse immune cell types and influence severe disease manifestations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Job Rocha
- La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Center for Genomic Sciences, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
| | - Cristian Gonzalez-Colin
- La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Center for Genomic Sciences, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
| | | | | | - Christian H Ottensmeier
- La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Liverpool Head and Neck Centre, Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Ferhat Ay
- La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Vivek Chandra
- La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Pandurangan Vijayanand
- La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA, USA.
- Liverpool Head and Neck Centre, Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
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13
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Resztak JA, Wei J, Zilioli S, Sendler E, Alazizi A, Mair-meijers HE, Wu P, Slatcher RB, Zhou X, Luca F, Pique-regi R. Genetic control of the dynamic transcriptional response to immune stimuli and glucocorticoids at single cell resolution.. [PMID: 35313584 PMCID: PMC8936121 DOI: 10.1101/2021.09.30.462672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Synthetic glucocorticoids, such as dexamethasone, have been used as treatment for many immune conditions, such as asthma and more recently severe COVID-19. Single cell data can capture more fine-grained details on transcriptional variability and dynamics to gain a better understanding of the molecular underpinnings of inter-individual variation in drug response. Here, we used single cell RNA-seq to study the dynamics of the transcriptional response to glucocorticoids in activated Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells from 96 African American children. We employed novel statistical approaches to calculate a mean-independent measure of gene expression variability and a measure of transcriptional response pseudotime. Using these approaches, we demonstrated that glucocorticoids reverse the effects of immune stimulation on both gene expression mean and variability. Our novel measure of gene expression response dynamics, based on the diagonal linear discriminant analysis, separated individual cells by response status on the basis of their transcriptional profiles and allowed us to identify different dynamic patterns of gene expression along the response pseudotime. We identified genetic variants regulating gene expression mean and variability, including treatment-specific effects, and demonstrated widespread genetic regulation of the transcriptional dynamics of the gene expression response.
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14
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Findley AS, Zhang X, Boye C, Lin YL, Kalita CA, Barreiro L, Lohmueller KE, Pique-Regi R, Luca F. A signature of Neanderthal introgression on molecular mechanisms of environmental responses. PLoS Genet 2021; 17:e1009493. [PMID: 34570765 PMCID: PMC8509894 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1009493] [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: 03/18/2021] [Revised: 10/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Ancient human migrations led to the settlement of population groups in varied environmental contexts worldwide. The extent to which adaptation to local environments has shaped human genetic diversity is a longstanding question in human evolution. Recent studies have suggested that introgression of archaic alleles in the genome of modern humans may have contributed to adaptation to environmental pressures such as pathogen exposure. Functional genomic studies have demonstrated that variation in gene expression across individuals and in response to environmental perturbations is a main mechanism underlying complex trait variation. We considered gene expression response to in vitro treatments as a molecular phenotype to identify genes and regulatory variants that may have played an important role in adaptations to local environments. We investigated if Neanderthal introgression in the human genome may contribute to the transcriptional response to environmental perturbations. To this end we used eQTLs for genes differentially expressed in a panel of 52 cellular environments, resulting from 5 cell types and 26 treatments, including hormones, vitamins, drugs, and environmental contaminants. We found that SNPs with introgressed Neanderthal alleles (N-SNPs) disrupt binding of transcription factors important for environmental responses, including ionizing radiation and hypoxia, and for glucose metabolism. We identified an enrichment for N-SNPs among eQTLs for genes differentially expressed in response to 8 treatments, including glucocorticoids, caffeine, and vitamin D. Using Massively Parallel Reporter Assays (MPRA) data, we validated the regulatory function of 21 introgressed Neanderthal variants in the human genome, corresponding to 8 eQTLs regulating 15 genes that respond to environmental perturbations. These findings expand the set of environments where archaic introgression may have contributed to adaptations to local environments in modern humans and provide experimental validation for the regulatory function of introgressed variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony S. Findley
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Xinjun Zhang
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UCLA, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Carly Boye
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Yen Lung Lin
- Genetics Section, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Cynthia A. Kalita
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Luis Barreiro
- Genetics Section, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Kirk E. Lohmueller
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UCLA, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
- Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Roger Pique-Regi
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, United States of America
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Francesca Luca
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, United States of America
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, United States of America
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15
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Findley AS, Monziani A, Richards AL, Rhodes K, Ward MC, Kalita CA, Alazizi A, Pazokitoroudi A, Sankararaman S, Wen X, Lanfear DE, Pique-Regi R, Gilad Y, Luca F. Functional dynamic genetic effects on gene regulation are specific to particular cell types and environmental conditions. eLife 2021; 10:e67077. [PMID: 33988505 PMCID: PMC8248987 DOI: 10.7554/elife.67077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic effects on gene expression and splicing can be modulated by cellular and environmental factors; yet interactions between genotypes, cell type, and treatment have not been comprehensively studied together. We used an induced pluripotent stem cell system to study multiple cell types derived from the same individuals and exposed them to a large panel of treatments. Cellular responses involved different genes and pathways for gene expression and splicing and were highly variable across contexts. For thousands of genes, we identified variable allelic expression across contexts and characterized different types of gene-environment interactions, many of which are associated with complex traits. Promoter functional and evolutionary features distinguished genes with elevated allelic imbalance mean and variance. On average, half of the genes with dynamic regulatory interactions were missed by large eQTL mapping studies, indicating the importance of exploring multiple treatments to reveal previously unrecognized regulatory loci that may be important for disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony S Findley
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State UniversityDetroitUnited States
| | - Alan Monziani
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State UniversityDetroitUnited States
| | - Allison L Richards
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State UniversityDetroitUnited States
| | - Katherine Rhodes
- Department of Human Genetics, University of ChicagoChicagoUnited States
| | - Michelle C Ward
- Department of Medicine, University of ChicagoChicagoUnited States
| | - Cynthia A Kalita
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State UniversityDetroitUnited States
| | - Adnan Alazizi
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State UniversityDetroitUnited States
| | | | - Sriram Sankararaman
- Department of Computer Science, UCLALos AngelesUnited States
- Department of Human Genetics, UCLALos AngelesUnited States
- Department of Computational Medicine, UCLALos AngelesUnited States
| | - Xiaoquan Wen
- Department of Biostatistics, University of MichiganAnn ArborUnited States
| | - David E Lanfear
- Center for Individualized and Genomic Medicine Research, Henry Ford HospitalDetroitUnited States
| | - Roger Pique-Regi
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State UniversityDetroitUnited States
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State UniversityDetroitUnited States
| | - Yoav Gilad
- Department of Human Genetics, University of ChicagoChicagoUnited States
- Department of Medicine, University of ChicagoChicagoUnited States
| | - Francesca Luca
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State UniversityDetroitUnited States
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State UniversityDetroitUnited States
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16
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Zhu A, Matoba N, Wilson EP, Tapia AL, Li Y, Ibrahim JG, Stein JL, Love MI. MRLocus: Identifying causal genes mediating a trait through Bayesian estimation of allelic heterogeneity. PLoS Genet 2021; 17:e1009455. [PMID: 33872308 PMCID: PMC8084342 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1009455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2020] [Revised: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 02/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) studies are used to understand the regulatory function of non-coding genome-wide association study (GWAS) risk loci, but colocalization alone does not demonstrate a causal relationship of gene expression affecting a trait. Evidence for mediation, that perturbation of gene expression in a given tissue or developmental context will induce a change in the downstream GWAS trait, can be provided by two-sample Mendelian Randomization (MR). Here, we introduce a new statistical method, MRLocus, for Bayesian estimation of the gene-to-trait effect from eQTL and GWAS summary data for loci with evidence of allelic heterogeneity, that is, containing multiple causal variants. MRLocus makes use of a colocalization step applied to each nearly-LD-independent eQTL, followed by an MR analysis step across eQTLs. Additionally, our method involves estimation of the extent of allelic heterogeneity through a dispersion parameter, indicating variable mediation effects from each individual eQTL on the downstream trait. Our method is evaluated against other state-of-the-art methods for estimation of the gene-to-trait mediation effect, using an existing simulation framework. In simulation, MRLocus often has the highest accuracy among competing methods, and in each case provides more accurate estimation of uncertainty as assessed through interval coverage. MRLocus is then applied to five candidate causal genes for mediation of particular GWAS traits, where gene-to-trait effects are concordant with those previously reported. We find that MRLocus's estimation of the causal effect across eQTLs within a locus provides useful information for determining how perturbation of gene expression or individual regulatory elements will affect downstream traits. The MRLocus method is implemented as an R package available at https://mikelove.github.io/mrlocus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anqi Zhu
- Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Nana Matoba
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
- UNC Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Emma P. Wilson
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Amanda L. Tapia
- Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Yun Li
- Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
- Department of Computer Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Joseph G. Ibrahim
- Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Jason L. Stein
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
- UNC Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Michael I. Love
- Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
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17
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Khaw YM, Majid D, Oh S, Kang E, Inoue M. Early-life-trauma triggers interferon-β resistance and neurodegeneration in a multiple sclerosis model via downregulated β1-adrenergic signaling. Nat Commun 2021; 12:105. [PMID: 33397973 PMCID: PMC7782805 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20302-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2020] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Environmental triggers have important functions in multiple sclerosis (MS) susceptibility, phenotype, and trajectory. Exposure to early life trauma (ELT) has been associated with higher relapse rates in MS patients; however, the underlying mechanisms are not well-defined. Here we show ELT induces mechanistic and phenotypical alterations during experimental autoimmune encephalitis (EAE). ELT sustains downregulation of immune cell adrenergic receptors, which can be attributed to chronic norepinephrine circulation. ELT-subjected mice exhibit interferon-β resistance and neurodegeneration driven by lymphotoxin and CXCR2 involvement. These phenotypic changes are observed in control EAE mice treated with β1 adrenergic receptor antagonist. Conversely, β1 adrenergic receptor agonist treatment to ELT mice abrogates phenotype changes via restoration of immune cell β1 adrenergic receptor function. Our results indicate that ELT alters EAE phenotype via downregulation of β1 adrenergic signaling in immune cells. These results have implications for the effect of environmental factors in provoking disease heterogeneity and might enable prediction of long-term outcomes in MS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yee Ming Khaw
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Department of Comparative Biosciences, 2001 South Lincoln Avenue, Urbana, IL, 61802, USA
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Neuroscience Program, 405 North Matthews Avenue, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| | - Danish Majid
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Department of Comparative Biosciences, 2001 South Lincoln Avenue, Urbana, IL, 61802, USA
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign School of Molecular and Cell Biology, 407 South Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| | - Sungjong Oh
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Department of Comparative Biosciences, 2001 South Lincoln Avenue, Urbana, IL, 61802, USA
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign School of Molecular and Cell Biology, 407 South Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| | - Eunjoo Kang
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Department of Comparative Biosciences, 2001 South Lincoln Avenue, Urbana, IL, 61802, USA
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Neuroscience Program, 405 North Matthews Avenue, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| | - Makoto Inoue
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Department of Comparative Biosciences, 2001 South Lincoln Avenue, Urbana, IL, 61802, USA.
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Neuroscience Program, 405 North Matthews Avenue, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.
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18
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Predicting Long-Term Respiratory Outcomes in Premature Infants: Is It Time to Move beyond Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia? CHILDREN-BASEL 2020; 7:children7120283. [PMID: 33321724 PMCID: PMC7763238 DOI: 10.3390/children7120283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2020] [Revised: 12/07/2020] [Accepted: 12/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Premature birth has been shown to be associated with adverse respiratory health in children and adults; children diagnosed with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in infancy are at particularly high risk. Since its first description by Northway et al. about half a century ago, the definition of BPD has gone through several iterations reflecting the changes in the patient population, advancements in knowledge of lung development and injury, and improvements in perinatal care practices. One of the key benchmarks for optimally defining BPD has been the ability to predict long-term respiratory and health outcomes. This definition is needed by multiple stakeholders for hosts of reasons including: providing parents with some expectations for the future, to guide clinicians for developing longer term follow-up practices, to assist policy makers to allocate resources, and to support researchers involved in developing preventive or therapeutic strategies and designing studies with meaningful outcome measures. Long-term respiratory outcomes in preterm infants with BPD have shown variable results reflecting not only limitations of the current definition of BPD, but also potentially the impact of other prenatal, postnatal and childhood factors on the respiratory health. In this manuscript, we present an overview of the long-term respiratory outcomes in infants with BPD and discuss the role of other modifiable or non-modifiable factors affecting respiratory health in preterm infants. We will also discuss the limitations of using BPD as a predictor of respiratory morbidities and some of the recent advances in delineating the causes and severity of respiratory insufficiency in infants diagnosed with BPD.
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