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Paquette A, Ahuna K, Hwang YM, Pearl J, Liao H, Shannon P, Kadam L, Lapehn S, Bucher M, Roper R, Funk C, MacDonald J, Bammler T, Baloni P, Brockway H, Mason WA, Bush N, Lewinn KZ, Karr CJ, Stamatoyannopoulos J, Muglia LJ, Jones H, Sadovsky Y, Myatt L, Sathyanarayana S, Price ND. A genome scale transcriptional regulatory model of the human placenta. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadf3411. [PMID: 38941464 PMCID: PMC11212735 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adf3411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/30/2024]
Abstract
Gene regulation is essential to placental function and fetal development. We built a genome-scale transcriptional regulatory network (TRN) of the human placenta using digital genomic footprinting and transcriptomic data. We integrated 475 transcriptomes and 12 DNase hypersensitivity datasets from placental samples to globally and quantitatively map transcription factor (TF)-target gene interactions. In an independent dataset, the TRN model predicted target gene expression with an out-of-sample R2 greater than 0.25 for 73% of target genes. We performed siRNA knockdowns of four TFs and achieved concordance between the predicted gene targets in our TRN and differences in expression of knockdowns with an accuracy of >0.7 for three of the four TFs. Our final model contained 113,158 interactions across 391 TFs and 7712 target genes and is publicly available. We identified 29 TFs which were significantly enriched as regulators for genes previously associated with preterm birth, and eight of these TFs were decreased in preterm placentas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison Paquette
- University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Kylia Ahuna
- Oregon Health and Sciences University, Portland, OR, USA
| | | | | | - Hanna Liao
- University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Leena Kadam
- Oregon Health and Sciences University, Portland, OR, USA
| | | | - Matthew Bucher
- Oregon Health and Sciences University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Ryan Roper
- Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Cory Funk
- Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Heather Brockway
- Department of Physiology and Aging, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - W. Alex Mason
- University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Nicole Bush
- University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Kaja Z. Lewinn
- University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Louis J. Muglia
- The Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
- Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | | | - Yoel Sadovsky
- Magee Womens Research Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Leslie Myatt
- Oregon Health and Sciences University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Sheela Sathyanarayana
- University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Nathan D. Price
- Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, WA, USA
- Thorne HealthTech, New York City, NY, USA
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2
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Jaremek A, Jeyarajah MJ, Jaju Bhattad G, Renaud SJ. Omics Approaches to Study Formation and Function of Human Placental Syncytiotrophoblast. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:674162. [PMID: 34211975 PMCID: PMC8240757 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.674162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Proper development of the placenta is vital for pregnancy success. The placenta regulates exchange of nutrients and gases between maternal and fetal blood and produces hormones essential to maintain pregnancy. The placental cell lineage primarily responsible for performing these functions is a multinucleated entity called syncytiotrophoblast. Syncytiotrophoblast is continuously replenished throughout pregnancy by fusion of underlying progenitor cells called cytotrophoblasts. Dysregulated syncytiotrophoblast formation disrupts the integrity of the placental exchange surface, which can be detrimental to maternal and fetal health. Moreover, various factors produced by syncytiotrophoblast enter into maternal circulation, where they profoundly impact maternal physiology and are promising diagnostic indicators of pregnancy health. Despite the multifunctional importance of syncytiotrophoblast for pregnancy success, there is still much to learn about how its formation is regulated in normal and diseased states. ‘Omics’ approaches are gaining traction in many fields to provide a more holistic perspective of cell, tissue, and organ function. Herein, we review human syncytiotrophoblast development and current model systems used for its study, discuss how ‘omics’ strategies have been used to provide multidimensional insights into its formation and function, and highlight limitations of current platforms as well as consider future avenues for exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Jaremek
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
| | - Mariyan J Jeyarajah
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
| | - Gargi Jaju Bhattad
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
| | - Stephen J Renaud
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.,Children's Health Research Institute, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, ON, Canada
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3
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Liu Y, Zhang Y, Li S, Cui J. Gene expression pattern of trophoblast-specific transcription factors in trophectoderm by analysis of single-cell RNA-seq data of human blastocyst. Funct Integr Genomics 2021; 21:205-214. [PMID: 33543402 DOI: 10.1007/s10142-021-00770-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2019] [Revised: 01/23/2021] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The dysfunction of placenta development is correlated to the defects of pregnancy and fetal growth. The detailed molecular mechanism of placenta development is not identified in humans due to the lack of material in vivo. Trophoblast (TB) lineage derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) induced by bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) has been applied as a model for studying TB lineage specification in vitro. With the development of single-cell sequencing technology, it became possible to detect the transcriptome of the post-implantation embryo at unprecedented precision. In this study, we reanalyzed single-cell RNA-seq of post-implantation embryos derived from two separate groups and identified different subtypes of trophoblast cells and their marker, respectively. At the same time, we focused on the gene expression patterns of trophoblast-specific transcription factors in different models. Our analysis sheds new light on the transcription regulation mechanism of trophoblast differentiation at the early stage of pregnancy establishment in human.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yajun Liu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Henan No. 2, Jingba Road, Zhengzhou, 450001, China. .,Academy of Medical Sciences of Zhengzhou University Translational Medicine Platform, Zhengzhou University, No.100 Science Avenue, Zhengzhou, 450001, China.
| | - Yi Zhang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Henan No. 2, Jingba Road, Zhengzhou, 450001, China.,Academy of Medical Sciences of Zhengzhou University Translational Medicine Platform, Zhengzhou University, No.100 Science Avenue, Zhengzhou, 450001, China
| | - Shiwen Li
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Henan No. 2, Jingba Road, Zhengzhou, 450001, China
| | - Jinquan Cui
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Henan No. 2, Jingba Road, Zhengzhou, 450001, China. .,Academy of Medical Sciences of Zhengzhou University Translational Medicine Platform, Zhengzhou University, No.100 Science Avenue, Zhengzhou, 450001, China.
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4
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Liu Y, Zhang Y, Cui J. Recognized trophoblast-like cells conversion from human embryonic stem cells by BMP4 based on convolutional neural network. Reprod Toxicol 2020; 99:39-47. [PMID: 33249234 DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2020.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Revised: 11/10/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
The use of models of stem cell differentiation to trophoblastic cells provides an effective perspective for understanding the early molecular events in the establishment and maintenance of human pregnancy. In combination with the newly developed deep learning technology, the automated identification of this process can greatly accelerate the contribution to relevant knowledge. Based on the transfer learning technique, we used a convolutional neural network to distinguish the microscopic images of Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) from differentiated trophoblast -like cells (TBL). To tackle the problem of insufficient training data, the strategies of data augmentation were used. The results showed that the convolutional neural network could successfully recognize trophoblast cells and stem cells automatically, but could not distinguish TBL from the immortalized trophoblast cell lines in vitro (JEG-3 and HTR8-SVneo). We compare the recognition effect of the commonly used convolutional neural network, including DenseNet, VGG16, VGG19, InceptionV3, and Xception. This study extends the deep learning technique to trophoblast cell phenotype classification and paves the way for automatic bright-field microscopic image analysis of trophoblast cells in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yajun Liu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China; Henan Key Laboratory for Gynecological Oncology Medicine, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China; Academy of Medical Sciences of Zhengzhou University Translational Medicine Platform, Zhengzhou University, China.
| | - Yi Zhang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China; Academy of Medical Sciences of Zhengzhou University Translational Medicine Platform, Zhengzhou University, China
| | - Jinquan Cui
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China; Henan Key Laboratory for Gynecological Oncology Medicine, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China; Academy of Medical Sciences of Zhengzhou University Translational Medicine Platform, Zhengzhou University, China.
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Li HT, Liu Y, Liu H, Sun X. Effect for Human Genomic Variation During the BMP4-Induced Conversion From Pluripotent Stem Cells to Trophoblast. Front Genet 2020; 11:230. [PMID: 32318089 PMCID: PMC7154154 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2020.00230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2019] [Accepted: 02/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The role of genomic variation in differentiation is currently not well understood. Here, the genomic variations were determined with the whole-genome sequencing for three pairs of pluripotent stem cell lines and their corresponding BMP4-induced trophoblast cell lines. We identified ∼3,500 single nucleotide variations and ∼4,500 indels by comparing the genome sequenced data between the stem cell lines and the matched BMP4-induced trophoblast cell lines and annotated them by integrating the epigenomic and transcriptomic datasets. Relatively, introns enrich more variations. We found ∼45% (42 genes) of the differentially expressed genes in trophoblasts that associate genomic variations. Six variations, located at transcription factor binding sites where H3K4me3 and H3K27ac are enriched in both H1 and H1_BMP4, were identified. The epigenetic status around the genomic variations in H1 was similar to that in H1_BMP4. This means that the variation-associated gene’s expression change can not be attributed to epigenetic alteration. The genes associated with the six variations were upregulated in differentiation. We inferred that during the differentiation, an increased in the expression level of the MEF2C gene is due to a genomic variation in chromosomes 5: 88179358 A > G, which is at a binding site of TFs KLF16, NR2C2, and ZNF740 to MEF2C. Allele G shows a higher affinity to the TFs in the induced cells. The increased expression of MEF2C leads to an increased expression of TF MEF2C’s target genes, subsequently affecting the differentiation. Although genomic variation should not be a dominant factor in differentiation, we believe that genomic variation could indeed play a role in the differentiation from stem cells into trophoblast.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hai-Tao Li
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yajun Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China.,The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.,Academy of Medical Sciences of Zhengzhou University Translational Medicine Platform, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Hongde Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xiao Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
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6
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Chen Y, Chen A. Unveiling the gene regulatory landscape in diseases through the identification of DNase I-hypersensitive sites. Biomed Rep 2019; 11:87-97. [PMID: 31423302 PMCID: PMC6684942 DOI: 10.3892/br.2019.1233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2018] [Accepted: 07/03/2019] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
DNase I-hypersensitive sites (DHSs) serve key roles in the regulation of gene transcription as markers of cis-regulatory elements (CREs). Recent advances in next-generation sequencing have enabled the genome-wide location and annotation of DHSs in a variety of cells. Numerous studies have confirmed that DHSs are involved in several processes in cell fate decision and development. DHSs have also been indicated in cancer and inherited diseases as driver distal regulatory elements. Here, the definition of DHSs is reviewed, in addition to high-throughput methods of DHS identification. Furthermore, the function of DHSs in gene expression is probed. The roles of DHSs in disease occurrence are also reviewed and discussed. Concomitant advances in the identification of essential roles of DHSs will assist in disclosing the underlying molecular mechanisms, supplementing gene transcription and enlarging the molecular basis of DHS-related bioprocesses, phenotypes, distinct traits and diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Chen
- Central Laboratory, The Affiliated Wuxi Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214002, P.R. China
| | - Ailing Chen
- Central Laboratory, The Affiliated Wuxi Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214002, P.R. China
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Roberts RM, Ezashi T, Sheridan MA, Yang Y. Specification of trophoblast from embryonic stem cells exposed to BMP4. Biol Reprod 2019; 99:212-224. [PMID: 29579154 DOI: 10.1093/biolre/ioy070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2017] [Accepted: 03/21/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Trophoblast (TB) comprises the outer cell layers of the mammalian placenta that make direct contact with the maternal uterus and, in species with a highly invasive placenta, maternal blood. It has its origin as trophectoderm, a single epithelial layer of extra-embryonic ectoderm that surrounds the embryo proper at the blastocyst stage of development. Here, we briefly compare the features of TB specification and determination in the mouse and the human. We then review research on a model system that has been increasingly employed to study TB emergence, namely the BMP4 (bone morphogenetic protein-4)-directed differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (ESCd), and discuss why outcomes using it have proved so uneven. We also examine the controversial aspects of this model, particularly the issue of whether or not the ESCd represents TB at all. Our focus here has been to explore similarities and potential differences between the phenotypes of ESCd, trophectoderm, placental villous TB, and human TB stem cells. We then explore the role of BMP4 in the differentiation of human pluripotent cells to TB and suggest that it converts the ESC into a totipotent state that is primed for TB differentiation when self-renewal is blocked. Finally we speculate that the TB formed from ESC is homologous to the trophectoderm-derived, invasive TB that envelopes the implanting conceptus during the second week of pregnancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Michael Roberts
- Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA.,Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA.,Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA
| | - Toshihiko Ezashi
- Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA.,Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA
| | - Megan A Sheridan
- Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA.,Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA
| | - Ying Yang
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
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8
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Genome-wide identification of enhancer elements in the placenta. Placenta 2018; 79:72-77. [PMID: 30268337 DOI: 10.1016/j.placenta.2018.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2018] [Revised: 09/03/2018] [Accepted: 09/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Normal placental development is essential for a healthy pregnancy, and is contingent upon tight spatiotemporal regulation of gene expression. One level of transcriptional control is via enhancer elements in the genome. Enhancers are distal cis-regulatory elements that can impact gene expression regardless of their position or orientation. The study of enhancers in the placenta is usually focused on one or two at a time, and the simultaneous identification of all enhancers has been limited. However, such a holistic approach is necessary if we are to gain a systems-level understanding of gene expression regulation in the placenta. Here, we review current methods for genome-scale enhancer identification, as well as studies that have applied those techniques in the placenta, with the aim of guiding future research.
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9
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Jain A, Ezashi T, Roberts RM, Tuteja G. Deciphering transcriptional regulation in human embryonic stem cells specified towards a trophoblast fate. Sci Rep 2017; 7:17257. [PMID: 29222466 PMCID: PMC5722916 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-17614-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2017] [Accepted: 11/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Differentiated human embryonic stem cells (hESC) continue to provide a model for studying early trophoblast cells (TB), but many questions have been raised regarding their true identity. Therefore, we carried out a global and unbiased analysis on previously published transcriptomic profiles for hESC differentiated to TB by means of bone morphogenetic protein-4 and inhibitors of activin A and fibroblast growth factor-2 signaling (BAP treatment). Our results confirm that BAP treated hESC (ESCd) lack a mesoderm signature and are a subtype of placental cells unlike those present at term. ESCd display a high level of expression of genes implicated in migration and invasion compared to commonly used, immortalized TB cell lines and primary cells from term placenta. Co-expression network analysis also identified gene modules involved in cell migration and adhesion, processes that are likely critical during the beginning stages of placentation. Finally, protein-protein interaction analysis predicted several additional genes that may play important roles in early stages of placental development. Together, our analyses provide novel insights into the transcriptional programs that are active in ESCd.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashish Jain
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA.,Genetics, Development and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Toshihiko Ezashi
- Division of Animal Sciences, Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
| | - R Michael Roberts
- Division of Animal Sciences, Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA.,Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
| | - Geetu Tuteja
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA. .,Genetics, Development and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA.
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