1
|
Hu Z, Przytycki PF, Pollard KS. CellWalker2: multi-omic discovery of hierarchical cell type relationships and their associations with genomic annotations. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.17.594770. [PMID: 38798605 PMCID: PMC11118555 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.17.594770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
CellWalker2 is a graph diffusion-based method for single-cell genomics data integration. It extends the CellWalker model by incorporating hierarchical relationships between cell types, providing estimates of statistical significance, and adding data structures for analyzing multi-omics data so that gene expression and open chromatin can be jointly modeled. Our open-source software enables users to annotate cells using existing ontologies and to probabilistically match cell types between two or more contexts, including across species. CellWalker2 can also map genomic regions to cell ontologies, enabling precise annotation of elements derived from bulk data, such as enhancers, genetic variants, and sequence motifs. Through simulation studies, we show that CellWalker2 performs better than existing methods in cell type annotation and mapping. We then use data from the brain and immune system to demonstrate CellWalker2's ability to discover cell type-specific regulatory programs and both conserved and divergent cell type relationships in complex tissues.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhirui Hu
- Gladstone Institute of Data Science & Biotechnology, 1650 Owens Street, San Francisco, 94158, CA, USA
| | - Pawel F Przytycki
- Gladstone Institute of Data Science & Biotechnology, 1650 Owens Street, San Francisco, 94158, CA, USA
- Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences, Boston University, 665 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, 02215, MA, USA
| | - Katherine S Pollard
- Gladstone Institute of Data Science & Biotechnology, 1650 Owens Street, San Francisco, 94158, CA, USA
- Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, University of California, 1650 Owens Street, San Francisco, 94158, CA, USA
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub SF, 499 Illinois Street, San Francisco, 94158, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Gaynor-Gillett SC, Cheng L, Shi M, Liu J, Wang G, Spector M, Flaherty M, Wall M, Hwang A, Gu M, Chen Z, Chen Y, Consortium P, Moran JR, Zhang J, Lee D, Gerstein M, Geschwind D, White KP. Validation of Enhancer Regions in Primary Human Neural Progenitor Cells using Capture STARR-seq. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.14.585066. [PMID: 38562832 PMCID: PMC10983874 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.14.585066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and expression analyses implicate noncoding regulatory regions as harboring risk factors for psychiatric disease, but functional characterization of these regions remains limited. We performed capture STARR-sequencing of over 78,000 candidate regions to identify active enhancers in primary human neural progenitor cells (phNPCs). We selected candidate regions by integrating data from NPCs, prefrontal cortex, developmental timepoints, and GWAS. Over 8,000 regions demonstrated enhancer activity in the phNPCs, and we linked these regions to over 2,200 predicted target genes. These genes are involved in neuronal and psychiatric disease-associated pathways, including dopaminergic synapse, axon guidance, and schizophrenia. We functionally validated a subset of these enhancers using mutation STARR-sequencing and CRISPR deletions, demonstrating the effects of genetic variation on enhancer activity and enhancer deletion on gene expression. Overall, we identified thousands of highly active enhancers and functionally validated a subset of these enhancers, improving our understanding of regulatory networks underlying brain function and disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sophia C. Gaynor-Gillett
- Tempus Labs, Inc.; Chicago, IL, 60654, USA
- Department of Biology, Cornell College; Mount Vernon, IA, 52314, USA
| | | | - Manman Shi
- Tempus Labs, Inc.; Chicago, IL, 60654, USA
| | - Jason Liu
- Computational Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Yale University; New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - Gaoyuan Wang
- Computational Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Yale University; New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | | | | | | | - Ahyeon Hwang
- Department of Computer Science, University of California Irvine; Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Mengting Gu
- Computational Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Yale University; New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - Zhanlin Chen
- Computational Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Yale University; New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - Yuhang Chen
- Computational Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Yale University; New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | | | | | - Jing Zhang
- Department of Computer Science, University of California Irvine; Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Donghoon Lee
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Mark Gerstein
- Computational Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Yale University; New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
- Department of Statistics and Data Science, Yale University; New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University; New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
- Department of Computer Science, Yale University; New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - Daniel Geschwind
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles; Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Semel Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles; Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
- Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles; Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Kevin P. White
- Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore; Singapore, 117597
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Cameron D, Vinh NN, Prapaiwongs P, Perry EA, Walters JTR, Li M, O’Donovan MC, Bray NJ. Genetic implication of prenatal GABAergic and cholinergic neuron development in susceptibility to schizophrenia. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.12.14.23299948. [PMID: 38168283 PMCID: PMC10760267 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.14.23299948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Background The ganglionic eminences are fetal-specific structures that give rise to gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)- and acetylcholine- releasing neurons of the forebrain. Given evidence for GABAergic and cholinergic disturbances in schizophrenia, as well as an early neurodevelopmental component to the disorder, we tested the potential involvement of developing cells of the ganglionic eminences in mediating genetic risk for the condition. Study Design We combined data from a recent large-scale genome-wide association study of schizophrenia with single cell RNA sequencing data from the human ganglionic eminences to test enrichment of schizophrenia risk variation in genes with high expression specificity for particular developing cell populations within these structures. We additionally performed the single nuclei Assay for Transposase-Accessible Chromatin with Sequencing (snATAC-Seq) to map potential regulatory genomic regions operating in individual cell populations of the human ganglionic eminences, using these to additionally test for enrichment of schizophrenia common genetic variant liability and to functionally annotate non-coding variants associated with the disorder. Study Results Schizophrenia common variant liability was enriched in genes with high expression specificity for developing neuron populations that are predicted to form dopamine D1 and D2 receptor expressing GABAergic medium spiny neurons of the striatum, cortical somatostatin-positive GABAergic interneurons, calretinin-positive GABAergic neurons and cholinergic neurons. Consistent with these findings, schizophrenia genetic risk was also concentrated in predicted regulatory genomic sequence mapped in developing neuronal populations of the ganglionic eminences. Conclusions Our study provides evidence for a role of prenatal GABAergic and cholinergic neuron development in later susceptibility to schizophrenia.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Darren Cameron
- Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics & Genomics, Division of Psychological Medicine & Clinical Neurosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Ngoc-Nga Vinh
- Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics & Genomics, Division of Psychological Medicine & Clinical Neurosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Parinda Prapaiwongs
- Neuroscience & Mental Health Innovation Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Elizabeth A. Perry
- Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics & Genomics, Division of Psychological Medicine & Clinical Neurosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - James T. R. Walters
- Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics & Genomics, Division of Psychological Medicine & Clinical Neurosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Meng Li
- Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics & Genomics, Division of Psychological Medicine & Clinical Neurosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
- Neuroscience & Mental Health Innovation Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Michael C. O’Donovan
- Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics & Genomics, Division of Psychological Medicine & Clinical Neurosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Nicholas J. Bray
- Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics & Genomics, Division of Psychological Medicine & Clinical Neurosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
- Neuroscience & Mental Health Innovation Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Aygün N, Krupa O, Mory J, Le B, Valone J, Liang D, Love MI, Stein JL. Genetics of cell-type-specific post-transcriptional gene regulation during human neurogenesis. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.30.555019. [PMID: 37693528 PMCID: PMC10491258 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.30.555019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
The function of some genetic variants associated with brain-relevant traits has been explained through colocalization with expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) conducted in bulk post-mortem adult brain tissue. However, many brain-trait associated loci have unknown cellular or molecular function. These genetic variants may exert context-specific function on different molecular phenotypes including post-transcriptional changes. Here, we identified genetic regulation of RNA-editing and alternative polyadenylation (APA), within a cell-type-specific population of human neural progenitors and neurons. More RNA-editing and isoforms utilizing longer polyadenylation sequences were observed in neurons, likely due to higher expression of genes encoding the proteins mediating these post-transcriptional events. We also detected hundreds of cell-type-specific editing quantitative trait loci (edQTLs) and alternative polyadenylation QTLs (apaQTLs). We found colocalizations of a neuron edQTL in CCDC88A with educational attainment and a progenitor apaQTL in EP300 with schizophrenia, suggesting genetically mediated post-transcriptional regulation during brain development lead to differences in brain function.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nil Aygün
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- UNC Neuroscience Center University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Oleh Krupa
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- UNC Neuroscience Center University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Jessica Mory
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- UNC Neuroscience Center University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Brandon Le
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- UNC Neuroscience Center University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Jordan Valone
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- UNC Neuroscience Center University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Dan Liang
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- UNC Neuroscience Center University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Michael I. Love
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Jason L. Stein
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- UNC Neuroscience Center University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Lead contact
| |
Collapse
|