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Dias CM, Issac B, Sun L, Lukowicz A, Talukdar M, Akula SK, Miller MB, Walsh K, Rockowitz S, Walsh CA. Glial dysregulation in the human brain in fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2300052120. [PMID: 37252957 PMCID: PMC10265985 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2300052120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Short trinucleotide expansions at the FMR1 locus are associated with the late-onset condition fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS), which shows very different clinical and pathological features from fragile X syndrome (associated with longer expansions), with no clear molecular explanation for these marked differences. One prevailing theory posits that the shorter, premutation expansion uniquely causes extreme neurotoxic increases in FMR1 mRNA (i.e., four to eightfold increases), but evidence to support this hypothesis is largely derived from analysis of peripheral blood. We applied single-nucleus RNA sequencing to postmortem frontal cortex and cerebellum from 7 individuals with premutation and matched controls (n = 6) to assess cell type-specific molecular neuropathology. We found only modest upregulation (~1.3-fold) of FMR1 in some glial populations associated with premutation expansions. In premutation cases, we also identified decreased astrocyte proportions in the cortex. Differential expression and gene ontology analysis demonstrated altered neuroregulatory roles of glia. Using network analyses, we identified cell type-specific and region-specific patterns of FMR1 protein target gene dysregulation unique to premutation cases, with notable network dysregulation in the cortical oligodendrocyte lineage. We used pseudotime trajectory analysis to determine how oligodendrocyte development was altered and identified differences in early gene expression in oligodendrocyte trajectories in premutation cases specifically, implicating early cortical glial developmental perturbations. These findings challenge dogma regarding extremely elevated FMR1 increases in FXTAS and implicate glial dysregulation as a critical facet of premutation pathophysiology, representing potential unique therapeutic targets directly derived from the human condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline M. Dias
- Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA02115
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA02115
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
- Department of Pediatrics, Section of Developmental Pediatrics, Section of Genetics and Metabolism, and Denver Fragile X Clinic and Research Center, Children’s Hospital Colorado, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO80045
| | - Biju Issac
- Research Computing, Department of Information Technology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA02115
| | - Liang Sun
- Research Computing, Department of Information Technology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA02115
| | - Abigail Lukowicz
- Department of Pediatrics, Section of Developmental Pediatrics, Section of Genetics and Metabolism, and Denver Fragile X Clinic and Research Center, Children’s Hospital Colorado, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO80045
| | - Maya Talukdar
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA02115
- Harvard-Massachusetts Institute of Technology MD/PhD Program, Program in Bioinformatics & Integrative Genomics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
| | - Shyam K. Akula
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA02115
- Harvard-Massachusetts Institute of Technology MD/PhD Program, Program in Neuroscience, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
| | - Michael B. Miller
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA02115
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA02115
| | - Katherine Walsh
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA02115
| | - Shira Rockowitz
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA02115
- Research Computing, Department of Information Technology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA02115
| | - Christopher A. Walsh
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA02115
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
- HHMI, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA02115
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
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Zhang JQ, Pan JQ, Wei ZY, Ren CY, Ru FX, Xia SY, He YS, Lin K, Chen JH. Brain Epitranscriptomic Analysis Revealed Altered A-to-I RNA Editing in Septic Patients. Front Genet 2022; 13:887001. [PMID: 35559016 PMCID: PMC9086164 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.887001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent studies suggest that RNA editing is associated with impaired brain function and neurological and psychiatric disorders. However, the role of A-to-I RNA editing during sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE) remains unclear. In this study, we analyzed adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) RNA editing in postmortem brain tissues from septic patients and controls. A total of 3024 high-confidence A-to-I RNA editing sites were identified. In sepsis, there were fewer A-to-I RNA editing genes and editing sites than in controls. Among all A-to-I RNA editing sites, 42 genes showed significantly differential RNA editing, with 23 downregulated and 19 upregulated in sepsis compared to controls. Notably, more than 50% of these genes were highly expressed in the brain and potentially related to neurological diseases. Notably, cis-regulatory analysis showed that the level of RNA editing in six differentially edited genes was significantly correlated with the gene expression, including HAUS augmin-like complex subunit 2 (HAUS2), protein phosphatase 3 catalytic subunit beta (PPP3CB), hook microtubule tethering protein 3 (HOOK3), CUB and Sushi multiple domains 1 (CSMD1), methyltransferase-like 7A (METTL7A), and kinesin light chain 2 (KLC2). Furthermore, enrichment analysis showed that fewer gene functions and KEGG pathways were enriched by edited genes in sepsis compared to controls. These results revealed alteration of A-to-I RNA editing in the human brain associated with sepsis, thus providing an important basis for understanding its role in neuropathology in SAE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing-Qian Zhang
- Laboratory of Genomic and Precision Medicine, Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.,Joint Primate Research Center for Chronic Diseases, Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University and Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.,Jiangnan University Brain Institute, Wuxi, China
| | - Jia-Qi Pan
- Laboratory of Genomic and Precision Medicine, Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.,Joint Primate Research Center for Chronic Diseases, Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University and Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.,Jiangnan University Brain Institute, Wuxi, China
| | - Zhi-Yuan Wei
- Laboratory of Genomic and Precision Medicine, Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.,Joint Primate Research Center for Chronic Diseases, Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University and Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.,Jiangnan University Brain Institute, Wuxi, China
| | - Chun-Yan Ren
- Laboratory of Genomic and Precision Medicine, Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.,Joint Primate Research Center for Chronic Diseases, Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University and Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.,Jiangnan University Brain Institute, Wuxi, China
| | - Fu-Xia Ru
- Laboratory of Genomic and Precision Medicine, Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.,Joint Primate Research Center for Chronic Diseases, Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University and Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.,Jiangnan University Brain Institute, Wuxi, China.,Jieyang People's Hospital, Jieyang, China
| | - Shou-Yue Xia
- Laboratory of Genomic and Precision Medicine, Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.,Joint Primate Research Center for Chronic Diseases, Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University and Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.,Jiangnan University Brain Institute, Wuxi, China
| | - Yu-Shan He
- Laboratory of Genomic and Precision Medicine, Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.,Joint Primate Research Center for Chronic Diseases, Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University and Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.,Jiangnan University Brain Institute, Wuxi, China
| | | | - Jian-Huan Chen
- Laboratory of Genomic and Precision Medicine, Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.,Joint Primate Research Center for Chronic Diseases, Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University and Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.,Jiangnan University Brain Institute, Wuxi, China
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Opening up new horizons for psychiatric genetics in the Russian Federation: moving toward a national consortium. Mol Psychiatry 2019; 24:1099-1111. [PMID: 30664668 PMCID: PMC6756082 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-019-0354-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2018] [Revised: 12/27/2018] [Accepted: 12/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
We provide an overview of the recent achievements in psychiatric genetics research in the Russian Federation and present genotype-phenotype, population, epigenetic, cytogenetic, functional, ENIGMA, and pharmacogenetic studies, with an emphasis on genome-wide association studies. The genetic backgrounds of mental illnesses in the polyethnic and multicultural population of the Russian Federation are still understudied. Furthermore, genetic, genomic, and pharmacogenetic data from the Russian Federation are not adequately represented in the international scientific literature, are currently not available for meta-analyses and have never been compared with data from other populations. Most of these problems cannot be solved by individual centers working in isolation but warrant a truly collaborative effort that brings together all the major psychiatric genetic research centers in the Russian Federation in a national consortium. For this reason, we have established the Russian National Consortium for Psychiatric Genetics (RNCPG) with the aim to strengthen the power and rigor of psychiatric genetics research in the Russian Federation and enhance the international compatibility of this research.The consortium is set up as an open organization that will facilitate collaborations on complex biomedical research projects in human mental health in the Russian Federation and abroad. These projects will include genotyping, sequencing, transcriptome and epigenome analysis, metabolomics, and a wide array of other state-of-the-art analyses. Here, we discuss the challenges we face and the approaches we will take to unlock the huge potential that the Russian Federation holds for the worldwide psychiatric genetics community.
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