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Wong GP, Hartmann S, Nonn O, Cannon P, Nguyen TV, Kandel M, de Alwis N, Murphy CN, Pritchard N, Dechend R, Hannan NJ, Tong S, Simmons DG, Kaitu'u-Lino TJ. Stem Cell Markers LGR5, LGR4 and Their Immediate Signalling Partners are Dysregulated in Preeclampsia. Stem Cell Rev Rep 2025; 21:872-896. [PMID: 39688759 DOI: 10.1007/s12015-024-10831-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/27/2024] [Indexed: 12/18/2024]
Abstract
Leucine-rich repeat-containing G protein-coupled receptors 5/4 (LGR5/LGR4) are critical stem cell markers in epithelial tissues including intestine. They agonise wingless-related integration site (WNT) signalling. Until now, LGR5/LGR4 were uncharacterised in placenta, where analogous functions may exist. We characterised LGR5/LGR4, their ligands/targets in human placenta, with further assessments on dysregulation in preeclampsia/fetal growth restriction (FGR). LGR5 mRNA was unaltered in first trimester (n = 11), preterm (n = 9) and term (n = 11) placental lysate. LGR5 was enriched in human trophoblast stem cells (hTSCs) and downregulated with differentiation to extravillous trophoblasts (p < 0.0215) and syncytiotrophoblasts (p < 0.0350). In situ hybridisation localised LGR5 to unique, proliferative MKI67 + mononuclear trophoblasts underlying syncytium which concurred with proposed progenitor identities in single-cell transcriptomics. LGR5 expression was significantly reduced in placentas from early-onset preeclampsia (p < 0.0001, n = 81 versus n = 19 controls), late-onset preeclampsia (p = 0.0046, n = 20 versus n = 33 controls) and FGR (p = 0.0031, n = 34 versus n = 17 controls). LGR4 was elevated in first trimester versus preterm and term placentas (p = 0.0412), in placentas with early-onset preeclampsia (p = 0.0148) and in FGR (p = 0.0417). Transcriptomic analysis and in vitro hTSC differentiation to both trophoblast lineages suggested LGR4 increases with differentiation. Single-nucleus RNA sequencing of placental villous samples supported LGR5 and LGR4 localisation findings. Hypoxia/proinflammatory cytokine treatment modelling elements experienced by the placenta in placental insufficiency pathogenesis did not significantly alter LGR5/LGR4. Ligands R-spondins 1/3/4, and neutralising targets ring finger protein 43 (RNF43) and zinc and ring finger 3 (ZNRF3) were also reduced in placentas from preeclamptic pregnancies. This study is the first to describe LGR5/LGR4 and their signalling partner expression in human placenta. Their dysregulations in the preeclamptic placenta allude to disruptions to integral trophoblast stem cell function/differentiation that may occur during placental development related to WNT signalling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgia P Wong
- The Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Newborn Health/Mercy Hospital for Women, University of Melbourne, 163 Studley Road, Heidelberg, Victoria, 3084, Australia.
- Mercy Perinatal, Mercy Hospital for Women, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Sunhild Hartmann
- The Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Newborn Health/Mercy Hospital for Women, University of Melbourne, 163 Studley Road, Heidelberg, Victoria, 3084, Australia
- Mercy Perinatal, Mercy Hospital for Women, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
- Charité- Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität, Berlin, Germany
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center (ECRC), a cooperation between the Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association and Charitè Campus Buch, Berlin, Germany
- Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Berlin, Germany
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), partner site, Berlin, Germany
| | - Olivia Nonn
- Charité- Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität, Berlin, Germany
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center (ECRC), a cooperation between the Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association and Charitè Campus Buch, Berlin, Germany
- Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Berlin, Germany
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), partner site, Berlin, Germany
- Division of Cell Biology, Histology and Embryology, Gottfried Schatz Research Center, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Ping Cannon
- The Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Newborn Health/Mercy Hospital for Women, University of Melbourne, 163 Studley Road, Heidelberg, Victoria, 3084, Australia
- Mercy Perinatal, Mercy Hospital for Women, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
| | - Tuong-Vi Nguyen
- The Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Newborn Health/Mercy Hospital for Women, University of Melbourne, 163 Studley Road, Heidelberg, Victoria, 3084, Australia
- Mercy Perinatal, Mercy Hospital for Women, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
| | - Manju Kandel
- The Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Newborn Health/Mercy Hospital for Women, University of Melbourne, 163 Studley Road, Heidelberg, Victoria, 3084, Australia
- Mercy Perinatal, Mercy Hospital for Women, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
| | - Natasha de Alwis
- The Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Newborn Health/Mercy Hospital for Women, University of Melbourne, 163 Studley Road, Heidelberg, Victoria, 3084, Australia
- Mercy Perinatal, Mercy Hospital for Women, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
| | - Ciara N Murphy
- The Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Newborn Health/Mercy Hospital for Women, University of Melbourne, 163 Studley Road, Heidelberg, Victoria, 3084, Australia
- Mercy Perinatal, Mercy Hospital for Women, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
| | - Natasha Pritchard
- The Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Newborn Health/Mercy Hospital for Women, University of Melbourne, 163 Studley Road, Heidelberg, Victoria, 3084, Australia
- Mercy Perinatal, Mercy Hospital for Women, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
| | - Ralf Dechend
- Charité- Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität, Berlin, Germany
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center (ECRC), a cooperation between the Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association and Charitè Campus Buch, Berlin, Germany
- Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Berlin, Germany
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), partner site, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Cardiology and Nephrology, HELIOS Klinikum, Berlin Buch, Germany
| | - Natalie J Hannan
- The Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Newborn Health/Mercy Hospital for Women, University of Melbourne, 163 Studley Road, Heidelberg, Victoria, 3084, Australia
- Mercy Perinatal, Mercy Hospital for Women, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
| | - Stephen Tong
- The Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Newborn Health/Mercy Hospital for Women, University of Melbourne, 163 Studley Road, Heidelberg, Victoria, 3084, Australia
- Mercy Perinatal, Mercy Hospital for Women, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
| | - David G Simmons
- School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Tu'uhevaha J Kaitu'u-Lino
- The Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Newborn Health/Mercy Hospital for Women, University of Melbourne, 163 Studley Road, Heidelberg, Victoria, 3084, Australia
- Mercy Perinatal, Mercy Hospital for Women, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
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Miao J, Wu Y, Sun Z, Miao X, Lu T, Zhao J, Lu Q. Valid inference for machine learning-assisted genome-wide association studies. Nat Genet 2024; 56:2361-2369. [PMID: 39349818 PMCID: PMC11972620 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-024-01934-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2024] [Accepted: 08/29/2024] [Indexed: 11/10/2024]
Abstract
Machine learning (ML) has become increasingly popular in almost all scientific disciplines, including human genetics. Owing to challenges related to sample collection and precise phenotyping, ML-assisted genome-wide association study (GWAS), which uses sophisticated ML techniques to impute phenotypes and then performs GWAS on the imputed outcomes, have become increasingly common in complex trait genetics research. However, the validity of ML-assisted GWAS associations has not been carefully evaluated. Here, we report pervasive risks for false-positive associations in ML-assisted GWAS and introduce Post-Prediction GWAS (POP-GWAS), a statistical framework that redesigns GWAS on ML-imputed outcomes. POP-GWAS ensures valid and powerful statistical inference irrespective of imputation quality and choice of algorithm, requiring only GWAS summary statistics as input. We employed POP-GWAS to perform a GWAS of bone mineral density derived from dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry imaging at 14 skeletal sites, identifying 89 new loci and revealing skeletal site-specific genetic architecture. Our framework offers a robust analytic solution for future ML-assisted GWAS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiacheng Miao
- Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Yixuan Wu
- Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Zhongxuan Sun
- Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Xinran Miao
- Department of Statistics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Tianyuan Lu
- Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jiwei Zhao
- Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
- Department of Statistics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Qiongshi Lu
- Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
- Department of Statistics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
- Center for Demography of Health and Aging, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
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Erdem M, Lee KH, Hardt M, Regan JL, Kobelt D, Walther W, Mokrizkij M, Regenbrecht C, Stein U. MACC1 Regulates LGR5 to Promote Cancer Stem Cell Properties in Colorectal Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:604. [PMID: 38339354 PMCID: PMC10854991 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16030604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2024] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 01/20/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. The high mortality is directly associated with metastatic disease, which is thought to be initiated by colon cancer stem cells, according to the cancer stem cell (CSC) model. Consequently, early identification of those patients who are at high risk for metastasis is crucial for improved treatment and patient outcomes. Metastasis-associated in colon cancer 1 (MACC1) is a novel prognostic biomarker for tumor progression and metastasis formation independent of tumor stage. We previously showed an involvement of MACC1 in cancer stemness in the mouse intestine of our MACC1 transgenic mouse models. However, the expression of MACC1 in human CSCs and possible implications remain elusive. Here, we explored the molecular mechanisms by which MACC1 regulates stemness and the CSC-associated invasive phenotype based on patient-derived tumor organoids (PDOs), patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) and human CRC cell lines. We showed that CD44-enriched CSCs from PDO models express significantly higher levels of MACC1 and LGR5 and display higher tumorigenicity in immunocompromised mice. Similarly, RNA sequencing performed on PDO and PDX models demonstrated significantly increased MACC1 expression in ALDH1(+) CSCs, highlighting its involvement in cancer stemness. We further showed the correlation of MACC1 with the CSC markers CD44, NANOG and LGR5 in PDO models as well as established cell lines. Additionally, MACC1 increased stem cell gene expression, clonogenicity and sphere formation. Strikingly, we showed that MACC1 binds as a transcription factor to the LGR5 gene promoter, uncovering the long-known CSC marker LGR5 as a novel essential signaling mediator employed by MACC1 to induce CSC-like properties in human CRC patients. Our in vitro findings were further substantiated by a significant positive correlation of MACC1 with LGR5 in CRC cell lines as well as CRC patient tumors. Taken together, this study indicates that the metastasis inducer MACC1 acts as a cancer stem cell-associated marker. Interventional approaches targeting MACC1 would potentially improve further targeted therapies for colorectal cancer patients to eradicate CSCs and prevent cancer recurrence and distant metastasis formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Müge Erdem
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine, Translational Oncology of Solid Tumors Research Group, 13125 Berlin, Germany (D.K.)
| | - Kyung Hwan Lee
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine, Translational Oncology of Solid Tumors Research Group, 13125 Berlin, Germany (D.K.)
| | - Markus Hardt
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine, Translational Oncology of Solid Tumors Research Group, 13125 Berlin, Germany (D.K.)
| | - Joseph L. Regan
- Bayer AG, Research and Development, Pharmaceuticals, 13342 Berlin, Germany
- JLR Life Sciences Ltd., A96 A8D5 Dublin, Ireland
| | - Dennis Kobelt
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine, Translational Oncology of Solid Tumors Research Group, 13125 Berlin, Germany (D.K.)
- German Cancer Consortium, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Walther
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine, Translational Oncology of Solid Tumors Research Group, 13125 Berlin, Germany (D.K.)
| | - Margarita Mokrizkij
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine, Translational Oncology of Solid Tumors Research Group, 13125 Berlin, Germany (D.K.)
| | | | - Ulrike Stein
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine, Translational Oncology of Solid Tumors Research Group, 13125 Berlin, Germany (D.K.)
- German Cancer Consortium, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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