Zinc finger protein ZBTB20 promotes Toll-like receptor-triggered innate immune responses by repressing IκBα gene transcription

Liposomes-Loaded miR-9-5p Alleviated Hypoxia-Ischemia-Induced Mitochondrial Oxidative Stress by Targeting ZBTB20 to Inhibiting Nrf2/Keap1 Interaction in Neonatal Mice

Aims: Hypoxia ischemia (HI) is a leading cause of cerebral palsy and long-term neurological sequelae in infants. Given that mitochondrial dysfunction in neurons contributes to HI brain damage, this study aimed to investigate the regulatory role of miR-9-5p in mitochondrial function following HI injury. Results: Overexpression of miR-9-5p in HI mice or H2O2-exposed PC12 cells suppressed neuronal injury, associated with increased mitochondrial copy number, normalizing mitochondrial membrane potential, improved nuclear factor-erythroid factor 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) activation, and downregulation of Keap1. This was mediated, in part, through the ability of this miR-9-5p to bind and regulate the transcriptional activity of zinc finger and BTB domain-containing protein 20 (ZBTB20). Further study suggested that the knockdown of ZBTB20 exerts neuroprotection by inhibiting Nrf2/Keap1 interaction to promote the translocation of Nrf2 from the cytoplasm to the nucleus and the consequent expression of antioxidant proteins. Notably, the protective effects of miR-9-5p overexpression against HI-induced mitochondrial damage were reversed by the Nrf2 inhibitor ML385. Finally, the utilization of liposomes for the delivery of miR-9-5p (miR-9-5p@Lip) presents a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of HI injury. Innovation: miR-9-5p is a potential therapeutic agent for ischemic stroke through its modulation of the ZBTB20/Nrf2/Keap1 signaling pathway, influencing mitochondrial function and antioxidant response. Furthermore, the use of liposomal delivery for miR-9-5p offers a promising therapeutic strategy for HI injury. Conclusion: Overexpression of miR-9-5p protects against cerebral HI injury by modulating mitochondrial function through the ZBTB20/Nrf2/Keap1 signaling pathway. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 42, 512-528. [Figure: see text].

LncRNA FENDRR/ miR-424-5p serves as a diagnostic biomarker for sepsis and its predictive value for clinical outcomes

PURPOSE

This study intends to investigate the relationship between FENDRR and miR-424-5p and their clinical significance in sepsis, aiming to provide new diagnostic markers and prognostic markers for sepsis.

METHODS

136 patients with sepsis and 132 healthy volunteers were included as study subjects. The expression levels of FENDRR and miR-424-5p were detected by qPCR. ROC was applied to evaluate the diagnostic value of FENDRR and miR-424-5p. COX analyzed the independent risk factors for the occurrence of death in sepsis patients. Dual luciferase reporter assay detected the binding of FENDRR and miR-424-5p. The miR-424-5p target genes were predicted and enriched for GO function and KEGG pathway.

RESULTS

FENDRR was up-regulated and miR-424-5p was down-regulated in patients with sepsis. FENDRR can target and bind to miR-424-5p. Both FENDRR and miR-424-5p showed significant diagnostic potential in sepsis and their combination significantly improved the diagnostic efficiency. FENDRR/miR-424-5p were significantly correlated with WBC, CRP, APACH II, and SOFA of sepsis patients. FENDRR and miR-424-5p were independent risk factors for mortality in sepsis patients. Sepsis patients with high FENDRR levels or low miR-424-5p levels had higher mortality. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses revealed that the targets of miR-424-5p were predominantly associated with cell functions and inflammatory signaling pathways.

CONCLUSION

Upregulated FENDRR and downregulated miR-424-5p expression can serve as biomarkers of sepsis with predictive value on the onset and prognostic outcome. FENDRR and miR-424-5p were correlated with the severity of sepsis and FENDRR can play a function in the sepsis progression via targeting miR-424-5p.

Emerging trends and hotspots in intestinal microbiota research in sepsis: bibliometric analysis

Background

The association between the gut microbiota and sepsis has garnered attention in the field of intestinal research in sepsis. This study utilizes bibliometric methods to visualize and analyze the literature on gut microbiota research in sepsis from 2011 to 2024, providing a scientific foundation for research directions and key issues in this domain.

Methods

Original articles and reviews of gut microbiota research in sepsis, which published in English between 2011 and 2024, were obtained from the Web of Science Core Collection on June 21, 2024. Python, VOSviewer, and CiteSpace software were used for the visual analysis of the retrieved data.

Results

A total of 1,031 articles were analyzed, originating from 72 countries or regions, 1,614 research institutions, and 6,541 authors. The articles were published in 434 different journals, covering 89 different research fields. The number of publications and citations in this research area showed a significant growth trend from 2011 to 2024, with China, the United States, and the United Kingdom being the main research forces. Asada Leelahavanichkul from Thailand was identified as the most prolific author, making him the most authoritative expert in this field. "Nutrients" had the highest number of publications, while "Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology," "Frontiers in Immunology" and "the International Journal of Molecular Sciences" have shown increasing attention to this field in the past 2 years. Author keywords appearing more than 100 times included "gut microbiota (GM)," "sepsis" and "microbiota." Finally, this study identified "lipopolysaccharides (LPS)," "short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs)," "probiotics," "fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT)" and "gut-liver axis" as the research hotspots and potential frontier directions in this field.

Conclusion

This bibliometric study summarizes current important perspectives and offers comprehensive guidance between sepsis and intestinal microbiota, which may help researchers choose the most appropriate research directions.

Cystathionine γ-lyase-derived H2S negatively regulates thymic egress via allosteric inhibition of sphingosine-1-phosphate lyase

Thymic egress is a crucial process for thymocyte maturation, strictly regulated by sphingosine-1-phosphate lyase (S1PL). Recently, cystathionine γ-lyase (CSE), one of the enzymes producing hydrogen sulfide (H2S), has emerged as a vital immune process regulator. However, the molecular connection between CSE, H2S and thymic egress remains largely unexplored. In this study, we investigated the regulatory function of CSE in the thymic egress of immune cells. We showed that genetic knockout of CSE or pharmacological inhibition by CSE enzyme inhibitor NSC4056 or D,L-propargylglycine (PAG) significantly enhanced the migration of mature lymphocytes and monocytes from the thymus to the peripheral blood, and this redistribution effect could be reversed by treatment with NaHS, an exogenous donor of H2S. In addition, the CSE-generated H2S significantly increased the levels of S1P in the peripheral blood, thymus and spleen of mice, suppressed the production of proinflammatory cytokines and rescued pathogen-induced sepsis in cells and in vivo. Notably, H2S or polysulfide inhibited S1PL activity in cells and an in vitro purified enzyme assay. We found that this inhibition relied on a newly identified C203XC205 redox motif adjacent to the enzyme's active site, shedding light on the biochemical mechanism of S1PL regulation. In conclusion, this study uncovers a new function and mechanism for CSE-derived H2S in thymic egress and provides a potential drug target for treating S1P-related immune diseases.

Short-chain fatty acids abrogate Japanese encephalitis virus-induced inflammation in microglial cells via miR-200a-3p/ZBTB20/IKβα axis

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), a member of the Flaviviridae family, is a leading cause of viral encephalitis in humans. Survivors of this infection often develop lifelong neurological sequelae. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) produced in the gut are vital mediators of the gut-brain axis. We aimed to study microRNA-based mechanisms of SCFAs in an in vitro model of JEV infection. N9 microglial cells were pretreated with SCFA cocktail before JEV infection. Cytokine bead analysis, immunoblotting, and PCR were performed to analyze relevant inflammatory markers. microRNA sequencing was performed using Illumina Hiseq, and bioinformatics tools were used for differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). microRNA mimic/inhibitor experiments and luciferase assay were performed to study miRNA-target interaction. A significant reduction in monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP1) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) along with reduced expression of phospho-nuclear factor kappa B (phospho-NF-κB) was observed in SCFA conditions. Significant attenuation of histone deacetylase activity and protein expression was recorded. miRNA sequencing revealed 160 DE miRNAs in SCFA + JEV-treated cells at 6 h post-infection. WGCNA revealed miR-200a-3p, a hub miRNA significantly upregulated in SCFA conditions. Transcription factor ZBTB20 was bioinformatically predicted and validated as a gene target for miR-200a-3p. Further miRNA mimic/inhibitor assay demonstrated that miR-200-3p regulated ZBTB20 along with Iκβα that possibly dampened NF-κB signal activation downstream.

IMPORTANCE

The gut-brain axis plays a pivotal role in the physiological state of an organism. Gut microbiota-derived metabolites are known to play a role in brain disorders including neuroviral infections. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) appear to quench inflammatory markers in Japanese encephalitis virus-infected microglial cells in vitro. Mechanistically, we demonstrate the interaction between miR-200a-3p and ZBTB20 in regulating the canonical nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway via transcriptional regulation of Iκβα. Findings of this study pave the way to a better understanding of SCFA mechanisms that can be used to develop strategies against viral neuroinflammation.

Gene Regulatory Programs that Specify Age-Related Differences during Thymocyte Development

T cell development is fundamental to immune system establishment, yet how this development changes with age remains poorly understood. Here, we construct a transcriptional and epigenetic atlas of T cell developmental programs in neonatal and adult mice, revealing the ontogeny of divergent gene regulatory programs and their link to age-related differences in phenotype and function. Specifically, we identify a gene module that diverges with age from the earliest stages of genesis and includes programs that govern effector response and cell cycle regulation. Moreover, we reveal that neonates possess more accessible chromatin during early thymocyte development, likely establishing poised gene expression programs that manifest later in thymocyte development. Finally, we leverage this atlas, employing a CRISPR-based perturbation approach coupled with single-cell RNA sequencing as a readout to uncover a conserved transcriptional regulator, Zbtb20, that contributes to age-dependent differences in T cell development. Altogether, our study defines transcriptional and epigenetic programs that regulate age-specific differences in T cell development.

Systems genetics uncover new loci containing functional gene candidates in Mycobacterium tuberculosis-infected Diversity Outbred mice

Mycobacterium tuberculosis infects two billion people across the globe, and results in 8-9 million new tuberculosis (TB) cases and 1-1.5 million deaths each year. Most patients have no known genetic basis that predisposes them to disease. Here, we investigate the complex genetic basis of pulmonary TB by modelling human genetic diversity with the Diversity Outbred mouse population. When infected with M. tuberculosis, one-third develop early onset, rapidly progressive, necrotizing granulomas and succumb within 60 days. The remaining develop non-necrotizing granulomas and survive longer than 60 days. Genetic mapping using immune and inflammatory mediators; and clinical, microbiological, and granuloma correlates of disease identified five new loci on mouse chromosomes 1, 2, 4, 16; and three known loci on chromosomes 3 and 17. Further, multiple positively correlated traits shared loci on chromosomes 1, 16, and 17 and had similar patterns of allele effects, suggesting these loci contain critical genetic regulators of inflammatory responses to M. tuberculosis. To narrow the list of candidate genes, we used a machine learning strategy that integrated gene expression signatures from lungs of M. tuberculosis-infected Diversity Outbred mice with gene interaction networks to generate scores representing functional relationships. The scores were used to rank candidates for each mapped trait, resulting in 11 candidate genes: Ncf2, Fam20b, S100a8, S100a9, Itgb5, Fstl1, Zbtb20, Ddr1, Ier3, Vegfa, and Zfp318. Although all candidates have roles in infection, inflammation, cell migration, extracellular matrix remodeling, or intracellular signaling, and all contain single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), SNPs in only four genes (S100a8, Itgb5, Fstl1, Zfp318) are predicted to have deleterious effects on protein functions. We performed methodological and candidate validations to (i) assess biological relevance of predicted allele effects by showing that Diversity Outbred mice carrying PWK/PhJ alleles at the H-2 locus on chromosome 17 QTL have shorter survival; (ii) confirm accuracy of predicted allele effects by quantifying S100A8 protein in inbred founder strains; and (iii) infection of C57BL/6 mice deficient for the S100a8 gene. Overall, this body of work demonstrates that systems genetics using Diversity Outbred mice can identify new (and known) QTLs and functionally relevant gene candidates that may be major regulators of complex host-pathogens interactions contributing to granuloma necrosis and acute inflammation in pulmonary TB.

Zinc Finger and BTB Domain-Containing 20: A Newly Emerging Player in Pathogenesis and Development of Human Cancers

Zinc finger and BTB domain-containing 20 (ZBTB20), which was initially identified in human dendritic cells, belongs to a family of transcription factors (TFs) with an N-terminal BTB domain and one or more C-terminal DNA-binding zinc finger domains. Under physiological conditions, ZBTB20 acts as a transcriptional repressor in cellular development and differentiation, metabolism, and innate immunity. Interestingly, multiple lines of evidence from mice and human systems have revealed the importance of ZBTB20 in the pathogenesis and development of cancers. ZBTB20 is not only a hotspot of genetic variation or fusion in many types of human cancers, but also a key TF or intermediator involving in the dysregulation of cancer cells. Given the diverse functions of ZBTB20 in both health and disease, we herein summarize the structure and physiological roles of ZBTB20, with an emphasis on the latest findings on tumorigenesis and cancer progression.

ZBTB20 mediates stress-induced visceral hypersensitivity via activating the NF-κB/transient receptor potential channel pathway

BACKGROUND

Psychological stress is a major trigger for visceral hypersensitivity (VH) in irritable bowel syndrome. The zinc finger protein ZBTB20 (ZBTB20) is implicated in somatic nociception via modulating transient receptor potential (TRP) channels, but its role in the development of VH is unclear. This study aimed to investigate the role of ZBTB20/TRP channel axis in stress-induced VH.

METHODS

Rats were subjected to water avoidance stress (WAS) for 10 consecutive days. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting ZBTB20 was intrathecally administered. Inhibitors of TRP channels, stress hormone receptors, and nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) were administered. Visceromotor response to colorectal distension was recorded. Dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) were dissected for Western blot, coimmunoprecipitation, and chromatin immunoprecipitation. The DRG-derived neuron cell line was applied for specific research.

KEY RESULTS

WAS-induced VH was suppressed by the inhibitor of TRPV1, TRPA1, or TRPM8, with enhanced expression of these channels in L6-S2 DRGs. The inhibitor of glucocorticoid receptor or β2-adrenergic receptor counteracted WAS-induced VH and TRP channel expression. Concurrently, WAS-induced stress hormone-dependent ZBTB20 expression and NF-κB activation in DRGs. Intrathecally injected ZBTB20 siRNA or an NF-κB inhibitor repressed WAS-caused effect. In cultured DRG-derived neurons, stress hormones promoted nuclear translocation of ZBTB20, which preceded p65 nuclear translocation. And, ZBTB20 siRNA suppressed stress hormone-caused NF-κB activation. Finally, WAS enhanced p65 binding to the promoter of TRPV1, TRPA1, or TRPM8 in rat DRGs.

CONCLUSIONS AND INFERENCES

ZBTB20 mediates stress-induced VH via activating NF-κB/TRP channel pathway in nociceptive sensory neurons.

Systems genetics uncover new loci containing functional gene candidates in Mycobacterium tuberculosis-infected Diversity Outbred mice

Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacillus that causes tuberculosis (TB), infects 2 billion people across the globe, and results in 8-9 million new TB cases and 1-1.5 million deaths each year. Most patients have no known genetic basis that predisposes them to disease. We investigated the complex genetic basis of pulmonary TB by modelling human genetic diversity with the Diversity Outbred mouse population. When infected with M. tuberculosis, one-third develop early onset, rapidly progressive, necrotizing granulomas and succumb within 60 days. The remaining develop non-necrotizing granulomas and survive longer than 60 days. Genetic mapping using clinical indicators of disease, granuloma histopathological features, and immune response traits identified five new loci on mouse chromosomes 1, 2, 4, 16 and three previously identified loci on chromosomes 3 and 17. Quantitative trait loci (QTLs) on chromosomes 1, 16, and 17, associated with multiple correlated traits and had similar patterns of allele effects, suggesting these QTLs contain important genetic regulators of responses to M. tuberculosis. To narrow the list of candidate genes in QTLs, we used a machine learning strategy that integrated gene expression signatures from lungs of M. tuberculosis-infected Diversity Outbred mice with gene interaction networks, generating functional scores. The scores were then used to rank candidates for each mapped trait in each locus, resulting in 11 candidates: Ncf2, Fam20b, S100a8, S100a9, Itgb5, Fstl1, Zbtb20, Ddr1, Ier3, Vegfa, and Zfp318. Importantly, all 11 candidates have roles in infection, inflammation, cell migration, extracellular matrix remodeling, or intracellular signaling. Further, all candidates contain single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and some but not all SNPs were predicted to have deleterious consequences on protein functions. Multiple methods were used for validation including (i) a statistical method that showed Diversity Outbred mice carrying PWH/PhJ alleles on chromosome 17 QTL have shorter survival; (ii) quantification of S100A8 protein levels, confirming predicted allele effects; and (iii) infection of C57BL/6 mice deficient for the S100a8 gene. Overall, this work demonstrates that systems genetics using Diversity Outbred mice can identify new (and known) QTLs and new functionally relevant gene candidates that may be major regulators of granuloma necrosis and acute inflammation in pulmonary TB.

BACH1 Loss Exerts Antitumor Effects on Mantle Cell Lymphoma Cells via Inducing a Tumor-Intrinsic Innate Immune Response and Cell-Cycle Arrest

BTB and CNC homology 1 (BACH1) is a transcription repressor that regulates multiple physiological processes, including intracellular heme homeostasis and immune responses. Increasing lines of evidence indicate that BACH1 reshapes metastasis and metabolism of human solid tumors. However, its potential roles in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) remain largely unknown. Here, we found that silencing BACH1 in MCL cells induced markedly cell-cycle arrest and cell apoptosis, whereas overexpression of BACH1 exhibited the opposite patterns. Increased BACH1 levels not only promoted tumor growth and dispersal in xenografts, but also conferred a long-term poor prognosis in patients with MCL. Interestingly, RNA sequencing analysis revealed noncanonical function of BACH1 in regulation of type I interferon (IFNI) response, DNA replication and repair, and cell cycle. Mechanistically, zinc finger and BTB domain containing 20 (ZBTB20) and HMG-box transcription factor 1 (HBP1) were for the first time identified as two novel downstream targets repressed by BACH1 in MCL cells. Further double-knockdown functional assays confirmed that loss of BACH1 induced ZBTB20-mediated IFNα production and HBP1-mediated cell-cycle arrest, indicating that BACH1-centered regulatory network may be a novel targetable vulnerability in MCL cells.

IMPLICATIONS

BACH1 serves as a pleotropic regulator of tumor-intrinsic innate immune response and cell-cycle progression, disruption of which may offer a promising therapeutic strategy for MCL treatment.

RNA-Seq transcriptome analysis of renal tissue from spontaneously hypertensive rats revealed renal protective effects of dapagliflozin, an inhibitor of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2

Hypertensive nephropathy (HTN) is a common complication of hypertension. Although various agents for treatment of hypertension exert significant effects, there is currently no effective treatment for hypertensive nephropathy. Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, such as dapagliflozin (DAPA), are a new class of hypoglycemic agents shown to improve the prognosis of patients with chronic kidney disease and diabetes mellitus. However, the mechanisms underlying the protective effects of DAPA remain unclear. RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq)-based computational analysis was conducted to explore the transcriptomic changes to spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) treated with DAPA for 8 weeks. Differentially expressed genes in SHRs were related to dysregulation of lipid metabolism, oxidation-reduction reaction, immunity and inflammation in HTN. Transcriptome analysis showed that 8 weeks of DAPA therapy exerted protective effects on the renal tissues of SHRs through the lysosomal, phagosomal, and autophagic pathways. VENN diagram analysis identified Zinc finger and BTB domain-containing 20 (Zbtb20) as the potential target of DAPA therapy. Consistent with the RNA-Seq findings, real-time quantitative PCR and immunohistochemical analyses revealed increased expression of Zbtb20 in the renal tissues of SHRs, whereas expression was decreased following 8 weeks of DAPA administration. The results of this study clarified the transcriptome signature of HTN and the beneficial effects of DAPA on renal tissues by alleviating dysregulation of metabolic processes and reducing inflammation.

Transcription Factor Zbtb20 as a Regulator of Malignancy and Its Practical Applications

Zbtb20 (zinc finger and BTB domain-containing protein 20) is a transcription factor with a zinc finger DNA binding domain and a BTB domain responsible for protein-protein interaction. Recently, this TF has received attention because new data showed its pivotal involvement in normal neural development and its regulatory effects on proliferation and differentiation in different tissues. Zbtb20 was shown to increase proliferation and migration and confer resistance to apoptosis in the contexts of many malignant tumors like hepatocellular carcinoma, non-small-cell lung carcinoma, gastric adenocarcinoma, glioblastoma multiforme, breast cancer, and acute myeloid leukemia. The involvement of Zbtb20 in tumor biology is best studied in hepatocellular carcinoma, where it is a promising candidate as an immunohistochemical tumor marker or may be used in patient screening. Here we review the current data connecting Zbtb20 with malignant tumors.

Characterizing control of memory CD8 T cell differentiation by BTB-ZF transcription factor Zbtb20

Members of the BTB-ZF transcription factor family regulate the immune system. Our laboratory identified that family member Zbtb20 contributes to the differentiation, recall responses, and metabolism of CD8 T cells. Here, we report a characterization of the transcriptional and epigenetic signatures controlled by Zbtb20 at single-cell resolution during the effector and memory phases of the CD8 T cell response. Without Zbtb20, transcriptional programs associated with memory CD8 T cell formation were up-regulated throughout the CD8 T response. A signature of open chromatin was associated with genes controlling T cell activation, consistent with the known impact on differentiation. In addition, memory CD8 T cells lacking Zbtb20 were characterized by open chromatin regions with overrepresentation of AP-1 transcription factor motifs and elevated RNA- and protein-level expressions of the corresponding AP-1 components. Finally, we describe motifs and genomic annotations from the DNA targets of Zbtb20 in CD8 T cells identified by cleavage under targets and release under nuclease (CUT&RUN). Together, these data establish the transcriptional and epigenetic networks contributing to the control of CD8 T cell responses by Zbtb20.

Histone demethylase KDM5B licenses macrophage-mediated inflammatory responses by repressing Nfkbia transcription

Macrophages play a critical role in the immune homeostasis and host defense against invading pathogens. However, uncontrolled activation of inflammatory macrophages leads to tissue injury and even fuels autoimmunity. Hence the molecular mechanisms underlying macrophage activation need to be further elucidated. The effects of epigenetic modifications on the function of immune cells draw increasing attention. Here, we demonstrated that lysine-specific demethylase 5B (KDM5B), a classical transcriptional repressor in stem cell development and cancer, was required for the full activation of NF-κB signaling cascade and pro-inflammatory cytokine production in macrophages. KDM5B deficiency or inhibitor treatment protected mice from immunologic injury in both collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) model and endotoxin shock model. Genome-wide analysis of KDM5B-binding peaks identified that KDM5B was selectively recruited to the promoter of Nfkbia, the gene encoding IκBα, in activated macrophages. KDM5B mediated the H3K4me3 modification erasing and decreased chromatin accessibility of Nfkbia gene locus, coordinating the elaborate suppression of IκBα expression and the enhanced NF-κB-mediated macrophage activation. Our finding identifies the indispensable role of KDM5B in macrophage-mediated inflammatory responses and provides a candidate therapeutic target for autoimmune and inflammatory disorders.

Circular RNA circAKIRIN2 participates in the process of stress-induced immunosuppression affecting immune response to infectious bursal disease virus vaccine in chicken

At present, stress-induced immunosuppression is still a hidden threat that leads to immunization failure and outbreaks of poultry diseases, and causes huge economic losses to the modern poultry industry. However, the molecular mechanisms of stress-induced immunosuppression affecting viral vaccine immunity are still poorly understood. Here, we identified circAKIRIN2 as a conserved circular transcript in chicken, and explored its expression patterns in different immune states by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), then conducted bioinformatics analysis. The results showed that circAKIRIN2 actively participated in the process of stress-induced immunosuppression affecting the immune response to infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) vaccine. The key time points for circAKIRIN2 involving in the process were 2 day post immunization (dpi), 5 dpi, and 28 dpi, especially at the acquired immune stage. The important tissues that responded to the process included the heart, liver, and lung, all of which changed significantly. In addition, circAKIRIN2 as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) sponging zinc finger and BTB domain containing 20 (ZBTB20) was a potential molecular mechanism for regulating immune functions in the process. In conclusion, circAKIRIN2 is a key regulatory factor for stress-induced immunosuppression affecting the IBDV vaccine immune response, and this study can provide a new perspective for exploring the molecular regulatory mechanisms of stress-induced immunosuppression affecting immune response.

Rat and fish peripheral blood leukocytes respond distinctively to Anisakis pegreffii (Nematoda, Anisakidae) crude extract

Infective third-stage larvae (L3) of the marine nematode Anisakis pegreffii cause inflammation and clinical symptoms in humans, their accidental host, that subside and self-resolve in a couple of weeks after L3 die. To characterise the differences in an early immune response of a marine vs. terrestrial host, we stimulated peripheral blood leukocytes (PBLs) of fish (paratenic host) and rat (accidental, human-model host) with A. pegreffii crude extract and analysed PBL transcriptomes 1 and 12 h post-stimulation. Fish and rat PBLs differentially expressed 712 and 493 transcripts, respectively, between 1 and 12 h post-stimulation (false discovery rate, FDR <0.001, logFC >2). While there was a difference in the highest upregulated transcripts between two time-points, the same Gene Ontologies, biological processes (intracellular signal transduction, DNA-dependent transcription, and DNA-regulated regulation of transcription), and molecular functions (ATP and metal ion binding) were enriched in the two hosts, showing an incrementing dynamic between 1 and 12 h. This suggests that the two distinct hosts employ qualitatively different transcript cascades only to achieve the same effect, at least during an early innate immunity response. Activation of later immunity elements and/or a combination of other host's intrinsic conditions may contribute to the death of L3 in the terrestrial host.

Cotton leaf curl Multan virus differentially regulates innate antiviral immunity of whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) vector to promote cryptic species-dependent virus acquisition

Begomoviruses represent the largest group of economically important, highly pathogenic, DNA plant viruses that contribute a substantial amount of global crop disease burden. The exclusive transmission of begomoviruses by whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci) requires them to interact and efficiently manipulate host responses at physiological, biological and molecular scales. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying complex begomovirus-whitefly interactions that consequently substantiate efficient virus transmission largely remain unknown. Previously, we found that whitefly Asia II 7 cryptic species can efficiently transmit cotton leaf curl Multan virus (CLCuMuV) while MEAM1 cryptic species is a poor carrier and incompetent vector of CLCuMuV. To investigate the potential mechanism/s that facilitate the higher acquisition of CLCuMuV by its whitefly vector (Asia II 7) and to identify novel whitefly proteins that putatively interact with CLCuMuV-AV1 (coat protein), we employed yeast two-hybrid system, bioinformatics, bimolecular fluorescence complementation, RNA interference, RT-qPCR and bioassays. We identified a total of 21 Asia II 7 proteins putatively interacting with CLCuMuV-AV1. Further analyses by molecular docking, Y2H and BiFC experiments validated the interaction between a whitefly innate immunity-related protein (BTB/POZ) and viral AV1 (coat protein). Gene transcription analysis showed that the viral infection significantly suppressed the transcription of BTB/POZ and enhanced the accumulation of CLCuMuV in Asia II 7, but not in MEAM1 cryptic species. In contrast to MEAM1, the targeted knock-down of BTB/POZ substantially reduced the ability of Asia II 7 to acquire and accumulate CLCuMuV. Additionally, antiviral immune signaling pathways (Toll, Imd, Jnk and Jak/STAT) were significantly suppressed following viral infection of Asia II 7 whiteflies. Taken together, the begomovirus CLCuMuV potentiates efficient virus accumulation in its vector B. tabaci Asia II 7 by targeting and suppressing the transcription of an innate immunity-related BTB/POZ gene and other antiviral immune responses in a cryptic species-specific manner.

SMRT and NCoR1 fine-tune inflammatory versus tolerogenic balance in dendritic cells by differentially regulating STAT3 signaling

Dendritic cell (DC) fine-tunes inflammatory versus tolerogenic responses to protect from immune-pathology. However, the role of co-regulators in maintaining this balance is unexplored. NCoR1-mediated repression of DC immune-tolerance has been recently reported. Here we found that depletion of NCoR1 paralog SMRT (NCoR2) enhanced cDC1 activation and expression of IL-6, IL-12 and IL-23 while concomitantly decreasing IL-10 expression/secretion. Consequently, co-cultured CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells depicted enhanced Th1/Th17 frequency and cytotoxicity, respectively. Comparative genomic and transcriptomic analysis demonstrated differential regulation of IL-10 by SMRT and NCoR1. SMRT depletion represses mTOR-STAT3-IL10 signaling in cDC1 by down-regulating NR4A1. Besides, Nfkbia and Socs3 were down-regulated in Ncor2 (Smrt) depleted cDC1, supporting increased production of inflammatory cytokines. Moreover, studies in mice showed, adoptive transfer of SMRT depleted cDC1 in OVA-DTH induced footpad inflammation led to increased Th1/Th17 and reduced tumor burden after B16 melanoma injection by enhancing oncolytic CD8+ T-cell frequency, respectively. We also depicted decreased Ncor2 expression in Rheumatoid Arthritis, a Th1/Th17 disease.

ZBTB20 regulates cardiac allograft rejection through NFкB-mediated inflammation in mouse heart transplantation

Allograft rejection is a major obstacle for the long-term survival of heart transplantation (Htx) patients. The cardiac allograft rejection requires the activation of macrophages and effector T cells. In this study, we explored the role of zinc-finger and BTB domain containing protein 20 (ZBTB20) in the regulation of heart allograft rejection. Flow cytometry analysis of the spleen cells from mice undergoing an acute cardiac rejection revealed that the ZBTB20 protein expression was upregulated in both T and B cells(n = 4，P < 0.01). In addition, ZBTB20 gene knockdown significantly prolonged the survival of heart allografts in mice(n = 4，P < 0.01). Lack of ZBTB20 increased the expression of Foxp3 and limited the response of T helper 1 (Th1) cells(n = 4，P < 0.01). The ZBTB20-related regulation occurred through the activation of the NFкB pathway. In conclusion, our data suggest that ZBTB20 is involved in the regulation of T cells involved in acute heart allograft rejection. Hence, downregulation of ZBTB20 expression may inhibit T cells to prolong heart transplant survival.

Zbtb20 identifies and controls a thymus-derived population of regulatory T cells that play a role in intestinal homeostasis

The expression of BTB-ZF transcription factors such as ThPOK in CD4⁺ T cells, Bcl6 in T follicular helper cells, and PLZF in natural killer T cells defines the fundamental nature and characteristics of these cells. Screening for lineage-defining BTB-ZF genes led to the discovery of a subset of T cells that expressed Zbtb20. About half of Zbtb20⁺ T cells expressed FoxP3, the lineage-defining transcription factor for regulatory T cells (T_regs). Zbtb20⁺ T_regs were phenotypically and genetically distinct from the larger conventional T_reg population. Zbtb20⁺ T_regs constitutively expressed mRNA for interleukin-10 and produced high levels of the cytokine upon primary activation. Zbtb20⁺ T_regs were enriched in the intestine and specifically expanded when inflammation was induced by the use of dextran sodium sulfate. Conditional deletion of Zbtb20 in T cells resulted in a loss of intestinal epithelial barrier integrity. Consequently, knockout (KO) mice were acutely sensitive to colitis and often died because of the disease. Adoptive transfer of Zbtb20⁺ T_regs protected the Zbtb20 conditional KO mice from severe colitis and death, whereas non-Zbtb20 T_regs did not. Zbtb20 was detected in CD24^hi double-positive and CD62L^lo CD4 single-positive thymocytes, suggesting that expression of the transcription factor and the phenotype of these cells were induced during thymic development. However, Zbtb20 expression was not induced in "conventional" T_regs by activation in vitro or in vivo. Thus, Zbtb20 expression identified and controlled the function of a distinct subset of T_regs that are involved in intestinal homeostasis.

Aberrant Fluid Shear Stress Contributes to Articular Cartilage Pathogenesis via Epigenetic Regulation of ZBTB20 by H3K4me3

Purpose

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common disease for human beings, characterized by severe inflammation, cartilage degradation, and subchondral bone destruction. However, current therapies are limited to relieving pain or joint replacement and no effective treatment methods have been discovered to improve degenerative changes. Currently, a variety of evidences have indicated that aberrant mechanical stimuli is closely associated with articular joint pathogenesis, while the detailed underlying mechanism remains unelucidated. In the present study, we determined to investigate the impact of excessive high fluid shear stress (FSS) on primary chondrocytes and the underlying epigenetic mechanisms.

Materials and Methods

Phalloidin staining and EdU staining were used to evaluate cell morphology and viability. The mRNA level and protein level of genes were determined by qPCR, Western blot assay, and immunofluorescence staining. Mechanistic investigation was performed through RNA-sequencing and CUT&Tag sequencing. In vivo, we adopted unilateral anterior crossbites (UAC) mice model to investigate the expression of H3K4me3 and ZBTB20 in aberrant force-related cartilage pathogenesis.

Results

The results demonstrated that FSS greatly disrupts cell morphology and significantly decreased chondrocyte viability. Aberrant FSS induces remarkable inflammatory mediators production, leading to cartilage degeneration and degradation. In depth mechanistic study showed that FSS results in more than 10-fold upregulation of H3K4me3, and the modulatory effect of H3K4me3 on cartilage was obtained by directly targeting ZBTB20. Furthermore, Wnt signaling was strongly activated in high FSS-induced OA pathogenesis, and the negative impact of ZBTB20 on chondrocytes was also achieved through activating Wnt signaling pathway. Moreover, pharmacological inhibition of H3K4me3 activation by MM-102 or treatment with Wnt pathway inhibitor LF3 could effectively alleviate the destructive effect of FSS on chondrocytes. In vivo UAC mice model validated the dysregulation of H3K4me3 and ZBTB20 in aberrant force-induced cartilage pathogenesis.

Conclusion

Through the combination of in vitro FSS model and in vivo UAC model, KMT2B-H3K4me3-ZBTB20 axis was first identified in aberrant FSS-induced cartilage pathogenesis, which may provide evidences for epigenetic-based therapy in the future.

Exosomal hsa_circRNA_104484 and hsa_circRNA_104670 may serve as potential novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets for sepsis

In order to explore the role of exosomal circRNAs in the occurrence and development of sepsis, we looked for potential diagnostic markers to accurately identify sepsis and to lay a molecular basis for precise treatment. Ultracentrifugation was used to extract exosomes from the serum of patients with sepsis and healthy individuals. Then, changes in circRNA expression in exosomes were studied by circRNA microarray analysis. Gene ontology (GO) analysis and Kyoto City Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis were used to annotate the biological functions and pathways of genes, and a circRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory network was constructed. In the microarray analysis, 132 circRNAs were significantly differentially expressed, including 80 and 52 that were upregulated and downregulated, respectively. RT-qPCR verified the results of microarray analysis: hsa_circRNA_104484 and hsa_circRNA_104670 were upregulated in sepsis serum exosomes. ROC analysis showed that hsa_circRNA_104484 and hsa_circRNA_104670 in serum exosomes have the potential to be used as diagnostic markers for sepsis. The circRNA-miRNA-mRNA network predicted the potential regulatory pathways of differentially expressed circRNAs. There are differences in the expression of circRNA in serum exosomes between patients with sepsis and healthy individuals, which may be involved in the occurrence and development of the disease. Among them, elevations in hsa_circRNA_104484 and hsa_circRNA_104670 could be used as novel diagnostic biomarkers and molecular therapeutic targets.

Identification of VIMP as a gene inhibiting cytokine production in human CD4+ effector T cells

Many players regulating the CD4+ T cell-mediated inflammatory response have already been identified. However, the critical nodes that constitute the regulatory and signaling networks underlying CD4 T cell responses are still missing. Using a correlation-network-guided approach, here we identified VIMP (VCP-interacting membrane protein), one of the 25 genes encoding selenoproteins in humans, as a gene regulating the effector functions of human CD4 T cells, especially production of several cytokines including IL2 and CSF2. We identified VIMP as an endogenous inhibitor of cytokine production in CD4 effector T cells via both the E2F5 transcription regulatory pathway and the Ca2+/NFATC2 signaling pathway. Our work not only indicates that VIMP might be a promising therapeutic target for various inflammation-associated diseases but also shows that our network-guided approach can significantly aid in predicting new functions of the genes of interest.

Ribosome-Profiling Reveals Restricted Post Transcriptional Expression of Antiviral Cytokines and Transcription Factors during SARS-CoV-2 Infection

The global COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has resulted in over 2.2 million deaths. Disease outcomes range from asymptomatic to severe with, so far, minimal genotypic change to the virus so understanding the host response is paramount. Transcriptomics has become incredibly important in understanding host-pathogen interactions; however, post-transcriptional regulation plays an important role in infection and immunity through translation and mRNA stability, allowing tight control over potent host responses by both the host and the invading virus. Here, we apply ribosome profiling to assess post-transcriptional regulation of host genes during SARS-CoV-2 infection of a human lung epithelial cell line (Calu-3). We have identified numerous transcription factors (JUN, ZBTB20, ATF3, HIVEP2 and EGR1) as well as select antiviral cytokine genes, namely IFNB1, IFNL1,2 and 3, IL-6 and CCL5, that are restricted at the post-transcriptional level by SARS-CoV-2 infection and discuss the impact this would have on the host response to infection. This early phase restriction of antiviral transcripts in the lungs may allow high viral load and consequent immune dysregulation typically seen in SARS-CoV-2 infection.

ZBTB20 Positively Regulates Oxidative Stress, Mitochondrial Fission, and Inflammatory Responses of ox-LDL-Induced Macrophages in Atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis (AS) is one of the most serious and common cardiovascular diseases affecting human health. AS is featured by the accumulation of plaques in vessel walls. The pathophysiology of AS is relevant in the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) uptake by macrophages, as well as the conversion of macrophages to foam cells. However, the mechanisms about how macrophages regulate AS have not been fully elucidated. In this study, we aimed to illuminate the roles of ZBTB20 and to excavate the underlying regulative mechanisms of ZBTB20 in AS. The microarray analysis revealed that ZBTB20 was a hub gene in the oxidative stress and inflammatory responses induced by oxidized LDL (ox-LDL) in AS. Correspondingly, our validation studies showed that ZBTB20 increased in either the human atherosclerotic lesion or the ox-LDL-stimulated macrophages. Moreover, the knockdown of ZBTB20 decreased M1 polarization, suppressed the proinflammatory factors, inhibited mitochondrial fission, and reduced the oxidative stress level of macrophages induced by ox-LDL. The mechanistic studies revealed that the ZBTB20 knockdown suppressed NF-κB/MAPK activation and attenuated the mitochondrial fission possibly via regulating the nucleus translocation of NRF2, a pivotal transcription factor on redox homeostasis. Our in vivo studies showed that the sh-ZBTB20 adenovirus injection could reduce the progression of AS in apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE^−/−) mice. All in all, these results suggested that ZBTB20 positively regulated the oxidative stress level, mitochondrial fission, and inflammatory responses of macrophages induced by ox-LDL, and the knockdown of ZBTB20 could attenuate the development of AS in ApoE^−/− mice.

Zbtb10 transcription factor is crucial for murine cDC1 activation and cytokine secretion

Dendritic cell (DC) activation and cytokine production is tightly regulated. In this study, we found that Zbtb10 expression is activation dependent and it is essential for the immunogenic function of cDC1. Zbtb10 knockdown (KD) significantly reduced the expression of co-stimulatory genes CD80 and CD86 along with cytokines including IL-12, IL-6, and IL-10, in activated cDC1 Mutu-DC line. Consequently, the clonal expansion of CD44⁺ effector T cells in co-cultured CD4⁺ T cells was drastically reduced owing to significantly reduced IL-2. At the same time, these CD44⁺ effector T cells were unable to differentiate toward Tbet⁺ IFNγ⁺ Th1 subtype. Instead, an increased frequency of Th2 cells expressing GATA3⁺ and IL-13⁺ was observed. Interestingly, in Zbtb10 KD condition the co-cultured T cells depicted increased expression of PD1 and LAG3, the T-cell anergic markers. Moreover, the global transcriptome analysis identified that Zbtb10 is pertinent for DC activation and its depletion in cDC1 completely shuts down their immune responses. Mechanistic analysis revealed that Zbtb10 KD enhanced the expression of NKRF (NF-κB repressing factor) leading to drastic suppression of NF-κB related genes. Zbtb10 KD abrogated p65 and RelB nuclear translocation, thereby controlling the activation and maturation of cDC1 and the ensuing adaptive T cell responses.

Insights into the Gryllus bimaculatus Immune-Related Transcriptomic Profiling to Combat Naturally Invading Pathogens

Natural pathogen pressure is an important factor that shapes the host immune defense mechanism. The current study primarily aimed to explore the molecular basis of the natural immune defense mechanism of a sporadic pest, Gryllus bimaculatus, during swarming by constructing cDNA libraries of the female mid-gut, male mid-gut, testes, and ovaries. The Illumina HiSeq platform generated an average of 7.9 G, 11.77 G, 10.07 G, and 10.07 G bases of outputs from the male mid-gut, female mid-gut, testes, and ovaries and libraries, respectively. The transcriptome of two-spotted field crickets was assembled into 233,172 UniGenes, which yielded approximately 163.58 million reads. On the other hand, there were 43,055 genes in common that were shared among all the biological samples. Gene Ontology analysis successfully annotated 492 immune-related genes, which comprised mainly Pattern Recognition Receptors (62 genes), Signal modulators (57 genes), Signal transduction (214 genes), Effectors (36 genes), and another immune-related 123 genes. In summary, the identified wide range of immune-related genes from G. bimaculatus indicates the existence of a sophisticated and specialized broad spectrum immune mechanism against invading pathogens, which provides, for the first time, insights into the molecular mechanism of disease resistance among two-spotted field crickets.

Zinc Finger Protein ZBTB20 protects against cardiac remodelling post-myocardial infarction via ROS-TNFα/ASK1/JNK pathway regulation

This study aims to determine the efficacy of Zinc finger protein ZBTB20 in treatment of post‐infarction cardiac remodelling. For this purpose, left anterior descending (LAD) ligation was operated on mice to induce myocardial infarction (MI) with sham control group as contrast and adeno‐associated virus (AAV9) system was used to deliver ZBTB20 to mouse heart by myocardial injection with vehicle‐injected control group as contrast two weeks before MI surgery. Then four weeks after MI, vehicle‐treated mice with left ventricular (LV) remodelling underwent deterioration of cardiac function, with symptoms of hypertrophy, interstitial fibrosis, inflammation and apoptosis. The vehicle‐injected mice also showed increase of infarct size and decrease of survival rate. Meanwhile, the ZBTB20‐overexpressed mice displayed improvement after MI. Moreover, the anti‐apoptosis effect of ZBTB20 was further confirmed in H9c2 cells subjected to hypoxia in vitro. Further study suggested that ZBTB20 exerts cardioprotection by inhibiting tumour necrosis factor α/apoptosis signal‐regulating kinase 1 (ASK1)/c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase 1/2 (JNK1/2) signalling, which was confirmed by shRNA‐JNK adenoviruses transfection or a JNK activator in vitro as well as ASK1 overexpression in vivo. In summary, our data suggest that ZBTB20 could alleviate cardiac remodelling post‐MI. Thus, administration of ZBTB20 can be considered as a promising treatment strategy for heart failure post‐MI.

Significance Statement: ZBTB20 could alleviate cardiac remodelling post‐MI via inhibition of ASK1/JNK1/2 signalling.

Prediction of gastric cancer risk: association between ZBTB20 genetic variance and gastric cancer risk in Chinese Han population

Background: Gastric cancer (GC) is a complex multifactorial disease. Previous studies have revealed genetic variations associated with the risk of gastric cancer. The purpose of the present study was to determine the correlation between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of ZBTB20 and the risk of gastric cancer in Chinese Han population.

Methods: We conducted a ‘case–control’ study involving 509 GC patients and 507 healthy individuals. We selected four SNPs of ZBTB20 (10934270 T/C, rs9288999 G/A, rs9841504 G/C and rs73230612 C/T), and used logistic regression to analyze the relationship between those SNPs and GC risk under different genetic models; multi-factor dimensionality reduction (MDR) was used to analyze the interaction of “SNP–SNP” in gastric cancer risk; ANOVA and univariate analysis were used to analyze the differences in clinical characteristics among different genotypes.

Results: Our results showed that ZBTB20 rs9288999 is a protective factor for the risk of gastric cancer in multiple genetic models, of which the homozygous model is the most significant (OR = 0.48, P=0.0003); we also found that rs9288999 showed a significant correlation with reducing the risk of gastric cancer in different subgroups (BMI; age; gender; smoking or drinking status; adenocarcinoma); rs9841504 is associated with increased GC risk in the participants with BMI>24 kg/m²; rs9841504 and rs73230612 are certainly associated with clinical characteristics of platelet and carbohydrate antigen 242, respectively.

Conclusion: Our results suggest that ZBTB20 rs9288999 may be important for reducing the risk of GC in the Chinese Han population.

Zbtb20 deficiency causes cardiac contractile dysfunction in mice

The zinc-finger protein ZBTB20 regulates development and metabolism in multiple systems, and is essential for postnatal survival in mice. However, its potential role in the cardiovascular system remains undefined. Here, we demonstrate that ZBTB20 is critically involved in the regulation of cardiac contractility and blood pressure in mice. At the age of 16 days, the relatively healthy Zbtb20-null mice exhibited hypotension without obvious change of heart rate or other evidence for heart failure. Moreover, Zbtb20 deletion led to a marked reduction in heart size, left ventricular wall thickness, and cell size of cardiomyocytes, which was largely proportional to the decreased body growth. Notably, echocardiographic and hemodynamic analyses showed that cardiac contractility was greatly impaired in the absence of ZBTB20. Mechanistically, ZBTB20 deficiency decreased cardiac ATP contents, and compromised the enzyme activity of mitochondrial complex I in heart as well as L-type calcium current density in cardiomyocytes. Furthermore, the developmental activation of some mitochondrial function-related genes was significantly attenuated in Zbtb20-null myocardium, which included Hspb8, Ckmt2, Cox7a1, Tfrc, and Ogdhl. Put together, these results suggest that ZBTB20 plays a crucial role in the regulation of heart development, energy metabolism, and contractility.

IFN-I Independent Antiviral Immune Response to Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Challenge in Mouse Brain

Type I interferon (IFN-I) plays a pivotal role during viral infection response in the central nervous system (CNS). The IFN-I can orchestrate and regulate most of the innate immune gene expression and myeloid cell dynamics following a noncytopathic virus infection. However, the role of IFN-I in the CNS against viral encephalitis is not entirely clear. Here we have implemented the combination of global differential gene expression profiling followed by bioinformatics analysis to decipher the CNS immune response in the presence and absence of the IFN-I signaling. We observed that vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) infection induced 281 gene changes in wild-type (WT) mice primarily associated with IFN-I signaling. This was accompanied by an increase in antiviral response through leukocyte vascular patrolling and leukocyte influx along with the expression of potent antiviral factors. Surprisingly, in the absence of the IFN-I signaling (IFNAR^−/− mice), a significantly higher (1357) number of genes showed differential expression compared to the WT mice. Critical candidates such as IFN-γ, CCL5, CXCL10, and IRF1, which are responsible for the recruitment of the patrolling leukocytes, are also upregulated in the absence of IFN-I signaling. The computational network analysis suggests the presence of the IFN-I independent pathway that compensates for the lack of IFN-I signaling in the brain. The analysis shows that TNF-α is connected maximally to the networked candidates, thus emerging as a key regulator of gene expression and recruitment of myeloid cells to mount antiviral action. This pathway could potentiate IFN-γ release; thereby, synergistically activating IRF1-dependent ISG expression and antiviral response.

ZBTB20-mediated titanium particle-induced peri-implant osteolysis by promoting macrophage inflammatory responses

Aseptic loosening (AL) caused by wear particles released from implant surfaces is one of the main causes for the failure of artificial joints, which is initiated by macrophage inflammatory responses. Emerging evidence suggests that the member of a broad-complex, tramtrack, bric-a-brac/poxvirus and zinc finger (BTB/POZ) family as well as zinc finger and BTB domain-containing protein 20 (ZBTB20) can inhibit IκBα gene transcription, promote NF-κB activation, and initiate innate immune responses. The molecular mechanism(s) by which ZBTB20 contributes to titanium particle (TiP)-induced macrophage inflammatory responses and osteolysis has not been fully elucidated. Here, we showed that ZBTB20 increased either in the AL group's synovial membranes or in TiP-stimulated bone-marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) as compared to that in the control groups. Moreover, the knockdown of ZBTB20 led to the inhibition of proinflammatory factors induced by TiPs in BMDMs, such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interferon-β (IFN-β). Here, we also reported that the knockdown of ZBTB20 suppressed TiP-induced NF-κB activation and M1 polarization as well as stabilized the trans Golgi network (TGN) in BMDMs. The dual-luciferase reporter assay identified the binding between the IκBα promoter and ZBTB20, and IκBα knockdown could rescue the antiinflammatory effects induced by the ZBTB20 knockdown in BMDMs. Finally, we found that sh-ZBTB20 lentivirus injection could reduce TiP-induced osteolysis in mouse calvaria, inhibiting TiP-induced proinflammatory factors and loss of bone volume/total volume (BV/TV) as well as bone mineral density (BMD). These results suggest that ZBTB20 positively regulated NF-κB activation and M1 polarization as well as the production of TGN-derived tubular carriers in BMDMs, playing a positive role in macrophage activation and mouse cranial osteolysis induced by TiPs. It may be a potential therapeutic target for the prevention of aseptic loosening of prostheses.

A comprehensive mechanistic review insight into the effects of micronutrients on toll-like receptors functions

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are the special proteins receptors for recognition of molecules related to the pathogens. In this way, TLRs and secreted cytokines as a result of TLRs activation are involved in the inflammation pathways. So far, in vivo and in vitro studies have demonstrated that micronutrients (vitamins & minerals) with a broad range of effects on body health, can regulate TLRs signaling pathways. Current review aimed at determining the possible mechanisms of micronutrient effects on TLRs functions. In the aspect of gene expression, micronutrients have inconsistent effects on mRNA level of TLRs which are dependent on time, dose and type of studied TLR. Also, some micronutrients affect gene expression of TLRs signaling mediators namely TLRs adaptors like Myeloid differentiation primary response 88 (MyD88). In the aspect of TLRs signaling pathways, nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) is an important mediator which is regulated by micronutrients. Also, the regulatory effects of micronutrients on phosphorylation reactions may be effective in the activation/inactivation of TLRs signaling mediators. In addition, zinc can regulate TLRs signaling indirectly via the zinc finger proteins which have contradictory effects on TLRs cascade. In conclusion, the relationship between micronutrients and TLRs signaling is complicated and depends on some known internal, external and genetic factors like form of studied micronutrient, cell type, TLR agonist, dose and time of exposure, inflammation, apoptosis, cell cycle, and environmental factors. Some unknown factors may be effective in TLRs response and as a result additional mechanistic studies are needed to elucidate exact effect of micronutrients on TLRs signaling.

A Functional Polymorphism-Mediated Disruption of EGR1/ADAM10 Pathway Confers the Risk of Sepsis Progression

Increasing evidence has indicated that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are related to the susceptibility of sepsis and might provide potential evidence for the mechanisms of sepsis. Our recent preliminary study showed that the ADAM10 genetic polymorphism was clinically associated with the development of sepsis, and little is known about the underlying mechanism. The aim of this study was to confirm the association between the ADAM10 promoter rs653765 G→A polymorphism and the progression of sepsis and to discover the underlying mechanism. Clinical data showed that the rs653765 G→A polymorphism was positively correlated with the development of sepsis, as evidenced by a multiple-center case-control association study with a large sample size, and showed that EGR1 and ADAM10 levels were associated well with the different subtypes of sepsis patients. In vitro results demonstrated that the rs653765 G→A variants could functionally modulate ADAM10 promoter activity by altering the binding of the EGR1 transcription factor (TF) to the ADAM10 promoter, affecting the transcription and translation of the ADAM10 gene. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) followed by chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay indicated the direct interaction. Functional studies further identified that the EGR1/ADAM10 pathway is important for the inflammatory response. EGR1 intervention in vivo decreased host proinflammatory cytokine secretion and rescued the survival and tissue injury of the mouse endotoxemia model.IMPORTANCE Sepsis is characterized as life-threatening organ dysfunction, with unacceptably high mortality. Evidence has indicated that functional SNPs within inflammatory genes are associated with susceptibility, progression, and prognosis of sepsis. These mechanisms on which these susceptible sites depended often suggest the key pathogenesis and potential targets in sepsis. In the present study, we confirmed that a functional variant acts as an important genetic factor that confers the progression of sepsis in a large sample size and in multiple centers and revealed that the variants modulate the EGR1/ADAM10 pathway and influence the severity of sepsis. We believe that we provide an important insight into this new pathway involving the regulation of inflammatory process of sepsis based on the clinical genetic evidence, which will enhance the understanding of nosogenesis of sepsis and provide the potential target for inflammation-related diseases.

Candidate genes associated with the heritable humoral response to Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis in dairy cows have factors in common with gastrointestinal diseases in humans

Infection of cattle with bovine paratuberculosis (i.e., Johne's disease) is caused by Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis (MAP) and results in a chronic incurable gastroenteritis. This disease, which has economic ramifications for the cattle industry, is increasing in detected prevalence globally; subclinically infected animals can silently shed the bacterium into the environment for years, exposing contemporaries and hampering disease-control programs. The objective of the present study was to first quantify the genetic parameters for humoral response to MAP in dairy cattle. This was followed by a genome-based association analysis and subsequent downstream bioinformatic analyses from imputed whole genome sequence SNP data. After edits, ELISA test records were available on 136,767 cows; analyses were also undertaken on a subset of 33,818 of these animals from herds with at least 5 MAP ELISA-positive cows, with at least 1 of those positive cows being homebred. Variance components were estimated using univariate animal and sire linear mixed models. The heritability calculated from the animal model for humoral response to MAP using alternative phenotype definitions varied from 0.02 (standard error = 0.003) to 0.05 (standard error = 0.008). The genome-based associations were undertaken within a mixed model framework using weighted deregressed estimated breeding values as a dependent variable on 1,883 phenotyped animals that were ≥87.5% Holstein-Friesian. Putative susceptibility quantitative trait loci (QTL) were identified on Bos taurus autosome 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 18, 21, 23, 25, 26, 27, and 29; mapping the most significant SNP to genes within and overlapping these QTL revealed that the most significant associations were with the 10 functional candidate genes KALRN, ZBTB20, LPP, SLA2, FI3A1, LRCH3, DNAJC6, ZDHHC14, SNX1, and HAS2. Pathway analysis failed to reveal significantly enriched biological pathways, when both bovine-specific pathway data and human ortholog data were taken into account. The existence of genetic variation for MAP susceptibility in a large data set of dairy cows signifies the potential of breeding programs for reducing MAP susceptibility. Furthermore, the identification of susceptible QTL facilitates greater biological understanding of bovine paratuberculosis and potential therapeutic targets for future investigation. The novel molecular similarities identified between bovine paratuberculosis and human inflammatory bowel disease suggest potential for human therapeutic interventions to be translated to veterinary medicine and vice versa.

Genome-wide association study of myocardial infarction, atrial fibrillation, acute stroke, acute kidney injury and delirium after cardiac surgery - a sub-analysis of the RIPHeart-Study

Background

The aim of our study was the identification of genetic variants associated with postoperative complications after cardiac surgery.

Methods

We conducted a prospective, double-blind, multicenter, randomized trial (RIPHeart). We performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in 1170 patients of both genders (871 males, 299 females) from the RIPHeart-Study cohort. Patients undergoing non-emergent cardiac surgery were included. Primary endpoint comprises a binary composite complication rate covering atrial fibrillation, delirium, non-fatal myocardial infarction, acute renal failure and/or any new stroke until hospital discharge with a maximum of fourteen days after surgery.

Results

A total of 547,644 genotyped markers were available for analysis. Following quality control and adjustment for clinical covariate, one SNP reached genome-wide significance (PHLPP2, rs78064607, p = 3.77 × 10^− 8) and 139 (adjusted for all other outcomes) SNPs showed promising association with p < 1 × 10^− 5 from the GWAS.

Conclusions

We identified several potential loci, in particular PHLPP2, BBS9, RyR2, DUSP4 and HSPA8, associated with new-onset of atrial fibrillation, delirium, myocardial infarction, acute kidney injury and stroke after cardiac surgery.

Trial registration

The study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01067703, prospectively registered on 11 Feb 2010.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12872-019-1002-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

An Atlas of Genetic Variation Linking Pathogen-Induced Cellular Traits to Human Disease

Pathogens have been a strong driving force for natural selection. Therefore, understanding how human genetic differences impact infection-related cellular traits can mechanistically link genetic variation to disease susceptibility. Here we report the Hi-HOST Phenome Project (H2P2): a catalog of cellular genome-wide association studies (GWAS) comprising 79 infection-related phenotypes in response to 8 pathogens in 528 lymphoblastoid cell lines. Seventeen loci surpass genome-wide significance for infection-associated phenotypes ranging from pathogen replication to cytokine production. We combined H2P2 with clinical association data from patients to identify a SNP near CXCL10 as a risk factor for inflammatory bowel disease. A SNP in the transcriptional repressor ZBTB20 demonstrated pleiotropy, likely through suppression of multiple target genes, and was associated with viral hepatitis. These data are available on a web portal to facilitate interpreting human genome variation through the lens of cell biology and should serve as a rich resource for the research community.

ZBTB20 regulates EGFR expression and hepatocyte proliferation in mouse liver regeneration

Liver has a unique regenerative capacity, however, its regulatory mechanism is not fully defined. We have established the zinc-finger protein ZBTB20 as a key transcriptional repressor for alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) gene in liver. As a marker of hepatic differentiation, AFP expression is closely associated with hepatocyte proliferation. Unexpectedly, here we showed that ZBTB20 acts as a positive regulator of hepatic replication and is required for efficient liver regeneration. The mice specifically lacking ZBTB20 in hepatocytes exhibited a remarkable defect in liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy, which was characterized by impaired hepatocyte proliferation along with delayed cyclin D1 induction and diminished AKT activation. Furthermore, we found that epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression was dramatically reduced in the liver in the absence of ZBTB20, thereby substantially attenuating the activation of EGFR signaling pathway in regenerating liver. Adenovirus-mediated EGFR overexpression in ZBTB20-deficient hepatocytes could largely restore AKT activation in response to EGFR ligands in vitro, as well as hepatocyte replication in liver regeneration. Furthermore, ZBTB20 overexpression could significantly restore hepatic EGFR expression and cell proliferation after hepatectomy in ZBTB20-deficient liver. Taken together, our data point to ZBTB20 as a critical regulator of EGFR expression and hepatocyte proliferation in mouse liver regeneration, and may serve as a potential therapeutic target in clinical settings of liver regeneration.

Genetic Mechanisms of Immune Evasion in Colorectal Cancer

To understand the genetic drivers of immune recognition and evasion in colorectal cancer, we analyzed 1,211 colorectal cancer primary tumor samples, including 179 classified as microsatellite instability-high (MSI-high). This set includes The Cancer Genome Atlas colorectal cancer cohort of 592 samples, completed and analyzed here. MSI-high, a hypermutated, immunogenic subtype of colorectal cancer, had a high rate of significantly mutated genes in important immune-modulating pathways and in the antigen presentation machinery, including biallelic losses of B2M and HLA genes due to copy-number alterations and copy-neutral loss of heterozygosity. WNT/β-catenin signaling genes were significantly mutated in all colorectal cancer subtypes, and activated WNT/β-catenin signaling was correlated with the absence of T-cell infiltration. This large-scale genomic analysis of colorectal cancer demonstrates that MSI-high cases frequently undergo an immunoediting process that provides them with genetic events allowing immune escape despite high mutational load and frequent lymphocytic infiltration and, furthermore, that colorectal cancer tumors have genetic and methylation events associated with activated WNT signaling and T-cell exclusion.Significance: This multi-omic analysis of 1,211 colorectal cancer primary tumors reveals that it should be possible to better monitor resistance in the 15% of cases that respond to immune blockade therapy and also to use WNT signaling inhibitors to reverse immune exclusion in the 85% of cases that currently do not. Cancer Discov; 8(6); 730-49. ©2018 AACR.This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 663.

Genomic data integration in chronic lymphocytic leukemia

BACKGROUND

B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a heterogeneous disease and the most common adult leukemia in western countries. IgVH mutational status distinguishes two major types of CLL, each associated with a different prognosis and survival. Sequencing identified NOTCH1 and SF3B1 as the two main recurrent mutations. We described a novel method to clarify how these mutations affect gene expression by finding small-scale signatures that predict the IgVH, NOTCH1 and SF3B1 mutations. We subsequently defined the biological pathways and correlation networks involved in disease development, with the potential goal of identifying new drugable targets.

METHODS

We modeled a microarray dataset consisting of 48807 probes derived from 163 samples. The use of Fisher's ratio and fold change combined with feature elimination allowed us to identify the minimum number of genes with the highest predictive mutation power and, subsequently, we applied network and pathway analyses of these genes to identify their biological roles.

RESULTS

The mutational status of the patients was accurately predicted (94-99%) using small-scale gene signatures: 13 genes for IgVH, 60 for NOTCH1 and 22 for SF3B1. LPL plays an important role in the case of the IgVH mutation, whereas MSI2, LTK, TFEC and CNTAP2 are involved in the NOTCH1 mutation, and RPL32 and PLAGL1 are involved in the SF3B1 mutation. Four high discriminatory genes (IGHG1, MYBL1, NRIP1 and RGS1) are common to these three mutations. The IL-4-mediated signaling events pathway appears to be involved as a common mechanism and suggests an important role of the immune response mechanisms and antigen presentation.

CONCLUSIONS

This retrospective analysis served to provide a deeper understanding of the effects of the different mutations in CLL disease progression, with the expectation that these findings will be clinically applied in the near future to the development of new drugs.

Regulation of hepatic lipogenesis by the zinc finger protein Zbtb20

Hepatic de novo lipogenesis (DNL) converts carbohydrates into triglycerides and is known to influence systemic lipid homoeostasis. Here, we demonstrate that the zinc finger protein Zbtb20 is required for DNL. Mice lacking Zbtb20 in the liver exhibit hypolipidemia and reduced levels of liver triglycerides, along with impaired hepatic lipogenesis. The expression of genes involved in glycolysis and DNL, including that of two ChREBP isoforms, is decreased in livers of knockout mice. Zbtb20 binds to and enhances the activity of the ChREBP-α promoter, suggesting that altered metabolic gene expression is mainly driven by ChREBP. In addition, ChREBP-β overexpression largely restores hepatic expression of genes involved in glucose and lipid metabolism, and increases plasma and liver triglyceride levels in knockout mice. Finally, we show that Zbtb20 ablation protects from diet-induced liver steatosis and improves hepatic insulin resistance. We suggest ZBTB20 is an essential regulator of hepatic lipogenesis and may be a therapeutic target for the treatment of fatty liver disease.

De novo lipogenesis is tightly controlled by hormonal and nutritional signals and plays an important role in energy homoeostasis. Here, Liu et al. show that zinc finger protein ZBTB20 regulates the expression of key glycolytic and lipogenic genes by modulating ChREBP expression and transcriptional activity.

Copy number variation in archival melanoma biopsies versus benign melanocytic lesions

BACKGROUND

Skin melanocytes can give rise to benign and malignant neoplasms. Discrimination of an early melanoma from an unusual/atypical benign nevus can represent a significant challenge. However, previous studies have shown that in contrast to benign nevi, melanoma demonstrates pervasive chromosomal aberrations.

OBJECTIVE

This substantial difference between melanoma and benign nevi can be exploited to discriminate between melanoma and benign nevi.

METHODS

Array-comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) is an approach that can be used on DNA extracted from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues to assess the entire genome for the presence of changes in DNA copy number. In this study, high resolution, genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays were utilized to perform comprehensive and detailed analyses of recurrent copy number aberrations in 41 melanoma samples in comparison with 21 benign nevi.

RESULTS

We found statistically significant copy number gains and losses within melanoma samples. Some of the identified aberrations are previously implicated in melanoma. Moreover, novel regions of copy number alterations were identified, revealing new candidate genes potentially involved in melanoma pathogenesis.

CONCLUSIONS

Taken together, these findings can help improve melanoma diagnosis and introduce novel melanoma therapeutic targets.

Innate recognition of microbial-derived signals in immunity and inflammation

Microbes generate a vast array of different types of conserved structural components called pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), which can be recognized by cells of the innate immune system. This recognition of "nonself" signatures occurs through host pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), suggesting that microbial-derived signals are good targets for innate immunity to discriminate between self- and nonself. Such PAMP-PRR interactions trigger multiple but distinct downstream signaling cascades, subsequently leading to production of proinflammatory cytokines and interferons that tailor immune responses to particular microbes. Aberrant PRR signals have been associated with various inflammatory diseases and fine regulation of PRR signaling is essential for avoiding excessive inflammatory immune responses and maintaining immune homeostasis. In this review we summarize the ligands and signal transduction pathways of PRRs and highlight recent progress of the mechanisms involved in microbe-specific innate immune recognition during immune responses and inflammation, which may provide new targets for therapeutic intervention to the inflammatory disorders.

Loss of ZBTB20 impairs circadian output and leads to unimodal behavioral rhythms

Many animals display morning and evening bimodal activities in the day/night cycle. However, little is known regarding the potential components involved in the regulation of bimodal behavioral rhythms in mammals. Here, we identified that the zinc finger protein gene Zbtb20 plays a crucial role in the regulation of bimodal activities in mice. Depletion of Zbtb20 in nerve system resulted in the loss of early evening activity, but the increase of morning activity. We found that Zbtb20-deficient mice exhibited a pronounced decrease in the expression of Prokr2 and resembled phenotypes of Prok2 and Prokr2-knockout mice. Injection of adeno-associated virus-double-floxed Prokr2 in suprachiasmatic nucleus could partly restore evening activity in Nestin-Cre; Zbtb20fl/fl (NS-ZB20KO) mice. Furthermore, loss of Zbtb20 in Foxg1 loci, but intact in the suprachiasmatic nucleus, was not responsible for the unimodal activity of NS-ZB20KO mice. Our study provides evidence that ZBTB20-mediated PROKR2 signaling is critical for the evening behavioral rhythms.

Regulation of hematopoietic development by ZBTB transcription factors

Hematopoietic development is governed by the coordinated expression of lineage- and differentiation stage-specific genes. Transcription factors play major roles in this process and their perturbation may underlie hematologic and immunologic disorders. Nearly 1900 transcription factors are encoded in the human genome: of these, 49 BTB (for broad-complex, tram-track and bric à brac)-zinc finger transcription factors referred to as ZBTB or POK proteins have been identified. ZBTB proteins, including BCL6, PLZF, ThPOK and LRF, exhibit a broad spectrum of functions in normal and malignant hematopoiesis. This review summarizes developmental and molecular functions of ZBTB proteins relevant to hematology.

ZBTB20 is required for anterior pituitary development and lactotrope specification

The anterior pituitary harbours five distinct hormone-producing cell types, and their cellular differentiation is a highly regulated and coordinated process. Here we show that ZBTB20 is essential for anterior pituitary development and lactotrope specification in mice. In anterior pituitary, ZBTB20 is highly expressed by all the mature endocrine cell types, and to some less extent by somatolactotropes, the precursors of prolactin (PRL)-producing lactotropes. Disruption of Zbtb20 leads to anterior pituitary hypoplasia, hypopituitary dwarfism and a complete loss of mature lactotropes. In ZBTB20-null mice, although lactotrope lineage commitment is normally initiated, somatolactotropes exhibit profound defects in lineage specification and expansion. Furthermore, endogenous ZBTB20 protein binds to Prl promoter, and its knockdown decreases PRL expression and secretion in a lactotrope cell line MMQ. In addition, ZBTB20 overexpression enhances the transcriptional activity of Prl promoter in vitro. In conclusion, our findings point to ZBTB20 as a critical regulator of anterior pituitary development and lactotrope specification.

Detection of zinc finger protein (EGR1) based on electrogenerated chemiluminescence from singlet oxygen produced in a nanoclay-supported porphyrin environment

Early growth response protein 1 (EGR1), as a characteristic example of zinc finger proteins, acts as a transcription factor in eukaryotic cells, mediating protein-protein interactions. Here, a novel electrochemiluminescence (ECL)-based protocol for EGR1 assay was developed with a new eco-friendly emitter: singlet oxygen produced in the vicinity of nanoclay-supported zinc proto-porphyrin IX (ZnPPIX). Its electrochemical reduction stimulates an intense monochromic CL irradiation at 644 nm from the dissolved oxygen as endogenous coreactant in the aqueous solution. This ECL derivation was rationalized via hyphenated spectroscopy and theoretical calculation. To promote hydrophilicity and solid-state immobilization of porphyrins, the lamellar artificial laponite was employed as a nanocarrier owning to its large specific area without the blackbody effect. The facile exfoliation of laponite produced quality monolayered nanosheets and facilitated the adsorption and flattening of PPIX upon the surface, resulting in a highly efficient ECL emission. Based on the release of Zn(2+) in zinc finger domains of EGR1 upon contact with the ECL-inactive PPIX, which was monitored by circular dichroism and UV-absorption, a sensitive Zn(2+)-selective electrode for the "signal-on" detection of EGR1 was prepared with a detection limit down to 0.48 pg mL(-1) and a linearity over 6 orders of magnitude. The proposed porphyrin-based ECL system thus infused fresh blood into the traditional ECL family, showing great promise in bioassays of structural Zn(II) proteins and zinc finger-binding nucleotides.