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Rampersaud A, Connerney J, Waxman DJ. Plasma growth hormone pulses induce male-biased pulsatile chromatin opening and epigenetic regulation in adult mouse liver. eLife 2023; 12:RP91367. [PMID: 38091606 PMCID: PMC10721219 DOI: 10.7554/elife.91367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Sex differences in plasma growth hormone (GH) profiles, pulsatile in males and persistent in females, regulate sex differences in hepatic STAT5 activation linked to sex differences in gene expression and liver disease susceptibility, but little is understood about the fundamental underlying, GH pattern-dependent regulatory mechanisms. Here, DNase-I hypersensitivity site (DHS) analysis of liver chromatin accessibility in a cohort of 18 individual male mice established that the endogenous male rhythm of plasma GH pulse-stimulated liver STAT5 activation induces dynamic, repeated cycles of chromatin opening and closing at several thousand liver DHS and comprises a novel mechanism conferring male bias to liver chromatin accessibility. Strikingly, a single physiological replacement dose of GH given to hypophysectomized male mice restored, within 30 min, liver STAT5 activity and chromatin accessibility at 83% of the dynamic, pituitary hormone-dependent male-biased DHS. Sex-dependent transcription factor binding patterns and chromatin state analysis identified key genomic and epigenetic features distinguishing this dynamic, STAT5-driven mechanism of male-biased chromatin opening from a second GH-dependent mechanism operative at static male-biased DHS, which are constitutively open in male liver. Dynamic but not static male-biased DHS adopt a bivalent-like epigenetic state in female liver, as do static female-biased DHS in male liver, albeit using distinct repressive histone marks in each sex, namely, H3K9me3 at male-biased DHS in female liver and H3K27me3 at female-biased DHS in male liver. Moreover, sex-biased H3K36me3 marks are uniquely enriched at static sex-biased DHS, which may serve to keep these sex-dependent hepatocyte enhancers free of H3K27me3 repressive marks and thus constitutively open. Pulsatile chromatin opening stimulated by endogenous, physiological hormone pulses is thus one of two distinct GH-determined mechanisms for establishing widespread sex differences in hepatic chromatin accessibility and epigenetic regulation, both closely linked to sex-biased gene transcription and the sexual dimorphism of liver function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andy Rampersaud
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston UniversityBostonUnited States
| | - Jeannette Connerney
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston UniversityBostonUnited States
| | - David J Waxman
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston UniversityBostonUnited States
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2
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Rampersaud A, Connerney J, Waxman DJ. Plasma Growth Hormone Pulses Induce Male-biased Pulsatile Chromatin Opening and Epigenetic Regulation in Adult Mouse Liver. bioRxiv 2023:2023.08.21.554153. [PMID: 37662275 PMCID: PMC10473588 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.21.554153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
Sex-differences in plasma growth hormone (GH) profiles, pulsatile in males and persistent in females, regulate sex differences in hepatic STAT5 activation linked to sex differences in gene expression and liver disease susceptibility, but little is understood about the fundamental underlying, GH pattern-dependent regulatory mechanisms. Here, DNase hypersensitivity site (DHS) analysis of liver chromatin accessibility in a cohort of 18 individual male mice established that the endogenous male rhythm of plasma GH pulse-stimulated liver STAT5 activation induces dynamic, repeated cycles of chromatin opening and closing at several thousand liver DHS and comprises a novel mechanism conferring male bias to liver chromatin accessibility. Strikingly, a single physiological replacement dose of GH given to hypophysectomized male mice restored, within 30 min, liver STAT5 activity and chromatin accessibility at 83% of the pituitary hormone-dependent dynamic male-biased DHS. Sex-dependent transcription factor binding patterns and chromatin state analysis identified key genomic and epigenetic features distinguishing this dynamic, STAT5-driven mechanism of male-biased chromatin opening from a second GH-dependent mechanism operative at static male-biased DHS, which are constitutively open in male liver. Dynamic but not static male-biased DHS adopt a bivalent-like epigenetic state in female liver, as do static female-biased DHS in male liver, albeit using distinct repressive histone marks in each sex, namely, H3K27me3 at female-biased DHS in male liver, and H3K9me3 at male-biased DHS in female liver. Moreover, sex-biased H3K36me3 marks are uniquely enriched at static sex-biased DHS, which may serve to keep these sex-dependent hepatocyte enhancers free of H3K27me3 repressive marks and thus constitutively open. Pulsatile chromatin opening stimulated by endogenous, physiological hormone pulses is thus one of two distinct GH-determined mechanisms for establishing widespread sex differences in hepatic chromatin accessibility and epigenetic regulation, both closely linked to sex-biased gene transcription and the sexual dimorphism of liver function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andy Rampersaud
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215 USA
| | - Jeannette Connerney
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215 USA
| | - David J Waxman
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215 USA
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3
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Karri K, Waxman DJ. TCDD dysregulation of lncRNA expression, liver zonation and intercellular communication across the liver lobule. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 2023; 471:116550. [PMID: 37172768 PMCID: PMC10330769 DOI: 10.1016/j.taap.2023.116550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2023] [Revised: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
The persistent environmental aryl hydrocarbon receptor agonist and hepatotoxin TCDD (2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin) induces hepatic lipid accumulation (steatosis), inflammation (steatohepatitis) and fibrosis. Thousands of liver-expressed, nuclear-localized lncRNAs with regulatory potential have been identified; however, their roles in TCDD-induced hepatoxicity and liver disease are unknown. We analyzed single nucleus (sn)RNA-seq data from control and subchronic (4 wk) TCDD-exposed mouse liver to determine liver cell-type specificity, zonation and differential expression profiles for thousands of lncRNAs. TCDD dysregulated >4000 of these lncRNAs in one or more liver cell types, including 684 lncRNAs specifically dysregulated in liver non-parenchymal cells. Trajectory inference analysis revealed major disruption by TCDD of hepatocyte zonation, affecting >800 genes, including 121 lncRNAs, with strong enrichment for lipid metabolism genes. TCDD also dysregulated expression of >200 transcription factors, including 19 Nuclear Receptors, most notably in hepatocytes and Kupffer cells. TCDD-induced changes in cell-cell communication patterns included marked decreases in EGF signaling from hepatocytes to non-parenchymal cells and increases in extracellular matrix-receptor interactions central to liver fibrosis. Gene regulatory networks constructed from the snRNA-seq data identified TCDD-exposed liver network-essential lncRNA regulators linked to functions such as fatty acid metabolic process, peroxisome and xenobiotic metabolism. Networks were validated by the striking enrichments that predicted regulatory lncRNAs showed for specific biological pathways. These findings highlight the power of snRNA-seq to discover functional roles for many xenobiotic-responsive lncRNAs in both hepatocytes and liver non-parenchymal cells and to elucidate novel aspects of foreign chemical-induced hepatotoxicity and liver disease, including dysregulation of intercellular communication within the liver lobule.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kritika Karri
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - David J Waxman
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
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Vázquez-Borrego MC, Del Río-Moreno M, Pyatkov M, Sarmento-Cabral A, Mahmood M, Pelke N, Wnek M, Cordoba-Chacon J, Waxman DJ, Puchowicz MA, McGuinness OP, Kineman RD. Direct and systemic actions of growth hormone receptor (GHR)-signaling on hepatic glycolysis, de novo lipogenesis and insulin sensitivity, associated with steatosis. Metabolism 2023; 144:155589. [PMID: 37182789 PMCID: PMC10843389 DOI: 10.1016/j.metabol.2023.155589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Revised: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Evidence is accumulating that growth hormone (GH) protects against the development of steatosis and progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). GH may control steatosis indirectly by altering systemic insulin sensitivity and substrate delivery to the liver and/or by the direct actions of GH on hepatocyte function. APPROACH To better define the hepatocyte-specific role of GH receptor (GHR) signaling on regulating steatosis, we used a mouse model with adult-onset, hepatocyte-specific GHR knockdown (aHepGHRkd). To prevent the reduction in circulating insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) and the subsequent increase in GH observed after aHepGHRkd, subsets of aHepGHRkd mice were treated with adeno-associated viral vectors (AAV) driving hepatocyte-specific expression of IGF1 or a constitutively active form of STAT5b (STAT5bCA). The impact of hepatocyte-specific modulation of GHR, IGF1 and STAT5b on carbohydrate and lipid metabolism was studied across multiple nutritional states and in the context of hyperinsulinemic:euglycemic clamps. RESULTS Chow-fed male aHepGHRkd mice developed steatosis associated with an increase in hepatic glucokinase (GCK) and ketohexokinase (KHK) expression and de novo lipogenesis (DNL) rate, in the post-absorptive state and in response to refeeding after an overnight fast. The aHepGHRkd-associated increase in hepatic KHK, but not GCK and steatosis, was dependent on hepatocyte expression of carbohydrate response element binding protein (ChREBP), in re-fed mice. Interestingly, under clamp conditions, aHepGHRkd also increased the rate of DNL and expression of GCK and KHK, but impaired insulin-mediated suppression of hepatic glucose production, without altering plasma NEFA levels. These effects were normalized with AAV-mediated hepatocyte expression of IGF1 or STAT5bCA. Comparison of the impact of AAV-mediated hepatocyte IGF1 versus STAT5bCA in aHepGHRkd mice across multiple nutritional states, indicated the restorative actions of IGF1 are indirect, by improving systemic insulin sensitivity, independent of changes in the liver transcriptome. In contrast, the actions of STAT5b are due to the combined effects of raising IGF1 and direct alterations in the hepatocyte gene program that may involve suppression of BCL6 and FOXO1 activity. However, the direct and IGF1-dependent actions of STAT5b cannot fully account for enhanced GCK activity and lipogenic gene expression observed after aHepGHRkd, suggesting other GHR-mediated signals are involved. CONCLUSION These studies demonstrate hepatocyte GHR-signaling controls hepatic glycolysis, DNL, steatosis and hepatic insulin sensitivity indirectly (via IGF1) and directly (via STAT5b). The relative contribution of these indirect and direct actions of GH on hepatocytes is modified by insulin and nutrient availability. These results improve our understanding of the physiologic actions of GH on regulating adult metabolism to protect against NAFLD progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mari C Vázquez-Borrego
- Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States of America; Research and Development Division, Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Chicago, IL, United States of America
| | - Mercedes Del Río-Moreno
- Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States of America; Research and Development Division, Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Chicago, IL, United States of America
| | - Maxim Pyatkov
- Department of Biology & Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States of America
| | - André Sarmento-Cabral
- Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States of America; Research and Development Division, Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Chicago, IL, United States of America
| | - Mariyah Mahmood
- Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States of America; Research and Development Division, Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Chicago, IL, United States of America
| | - Natalie Pelke
- Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States of America; Research and Development Division, Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Chicago, IL, United States of America
| | - Magdalena Wnek
- Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States of America; Research and Development Division, Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Chicago, IL, United States of America
| | - Jose Cordoba-Chacon
- Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States of America; Research and Development Division, Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Chicago, IL, United States of America
| | - David J Waxman
- Department of Biology & Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States of America
| | - Michelle A Puchowicz
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, United States of America
| | - Owen P McGuinness
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States of America
| | - Rhonda D Kineman
- Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States of America; Research and Development Division, Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Chicago, IL, United States of America.
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Karri K, Waxman DJ. Dysregulation of murine long noncoding single-cell transcriptome in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and liver fibrosis. RNA 2023; 29:977-1006. [PMID: 37015806 DOI: 10.1261/rna.079580.123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
LncRNAs comprise a heterogeneous class of RNA-encoding genes typified by low expression, nuclear enrichment, high tissue-specificity, and functional diversity, but the vast majority remain uncharacterized. Here, we assembled the mouse liver noncoding transcriptome from >2000 bulk RNA-seq samples and discovered 48,261 liver-expressed lncRNAs, a majority novel. Using these lncRNAs as a single-cell transcriptomic reference set, we elucidated lncRNA dysregulation in mouse models of high fat diet-induced nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and carbon tetrachloride-induced liver fibrosis. Trajectory inference analysis revealed lncRNA zonation patterns across the liver lobule in each major liver cell population. Perturbations in lncRNA expression and zonation were common in several disease-associated liver cell types, including nonalcoholic steatohepatitis-associated macrophages, a hallmark of fatty liver disease progression, and collagen-producing myofibroblasts, a central feature of liver fibrosis. Single-cell-based gene regulatory network analysis using bigSCale2 linked individual lncRNAs to specific biological pathways, and network-essential regulatory lncRNAs with disease-associated functions were identified by their high network centrality metrics. For a subset of these lncRNAs, promoter sequences of the network-defined lncRNA target genes were significantly enriched for lncRNA triplex formation, providing independent mechanistic support for the lncRNA-target gene linkages predicted by the gene regulatory networks. These findings elucidate liver lncRNA cell-type specificities, spatial zonation patterns, associated regulatory networks, and temporal patterns of dysregulation during hepatic disease progression. A subset of the liver disease-associated regulatory lncRNAs identified have human orthologs and are promising candidates for biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kritika Karri
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA
- Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA
| | - David J Waxman
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA
- Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA
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6
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Everton E, Del Rio-Moreno M, Villacorta-Martin C, Singh Bawa P, Lindstrom-Vautrin J, Muramatsu H, Rizvi F, Smith AR, Tam Y, Pardi N, Kineman R, Waxman DJ, Gouon-Evans V. Growth Hormone Accelerates Recovery From Acetaminophen-Induced Murine Liver Injury. bioRxiv 2023:2023.04.17.537197. [PMID: 37131727 PMCID: PMC10153200 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.17.537197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Background and Aims Acetaminophen (APAP) overdose is the leading cause of acute liver failure, with one available treatment, N-acetyl cysteine (NAC). Yet, NAC effectiveness diminishes about ten hours after APAP overdose, urging for therapeutic alternatives. This study addresses this need by deciphering a mechanism of sexual dimorphism in APAP-induced liver injury, and leveraging it to accelerate liver recovery via growth hormone (GH) treatment. GH secretory patterns, pulsatile in males and near-continuous in females, determine the sex bias in many liver metabolic functions. Here, we aim to establish GH as a novel therapy to treat APAP hepatotoxicity. Approach and Results Our results demonstrate sex-dependent APAP toxicity, with females showing reduced liver cell death and faster recovery than males. Single-cell RNA sequencing analyses reveal that female hepatocytes have significantly greater levels of GH receptor expression and GH pathway activation compared to males. In harnessing this female-specific advantage, we demonstrate that a single injection of recombinant human GH protein accelerates liver recovery, promotes survival in males following sub-lethal dose of APAP, and is superior to standard-of-care NAC. Alternatively, slow-release delivery of human GH via the safe nonintegrative lipid nanoparticle-encapsulated nucleoside-modified mRNA (mRNA-LNP), a technology validated by widely used COVID-19 vaccines, rescues males from APAP-induced death that otherwise occurred in control mRNA-LNP-treated mice. Conclusions Our study demonstrates a sexually dimorphic liver repair advantage in females following APAP overdose, leveraged by establishing GH as an alternative treatment, delivered either as recombinant protein or mRNA-LNP, to potentially prevent liver failure and liver transplant in APAP-overdosed patients.
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7
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Karri K, Waxman DJ. TCDD dysregulation of lncRNA expression, liver zonation and intercellular communication across the liver lobule. bioRxiv 2023:2023.01.07.523119. [PMID: 36711947 PMCID: PMC9881922 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.07.523119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The persistent environmental aryl hydrocarbon receptor agonist and hepatotoxin TCDD (2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo- p -dioxin) induces hepatic lipid accumulation (steatosis), inflammation (steatohepatitis) and fibrosis. Thousands of liver-expressed, nuclear-localized lncRNAs with regulatory potential have been identified; however, their roles in TCDD-induced hepatoxicity and liver disease are unknown. We analyzed single nucleus (sn)RNA-seq data from control and chronic TCDD-exposed mouse liver to determine liver cell-type specificity, zonation and differential expression profiles for thousands of IncRNAs. TCDD dysregulated >4,000 of these lncRNAs in one or more liver cell types, including 684 lncRNAs specifically dysregulated in liver non-parenchymal cells. Trajectory inference analysis revealed major disruption by TCDD of hepatocyte zonation, affecting >800 genes, including 121 IncRNAs, with strong enrichment for lipid metabolism genes. TCDD also dysregulated expression of >200 transcription factors, including 19 Nuclear Receptors, most notably in hepatocytes and Kupffer cells. TCDD-induced changes in cellâ€"cell communication patterns included marked decreases in EGF signaling from hepatocytes to non-parenchymal cells and increases in extracellular matrix-receptor interactions central to liver fibrosis. Gene regulatory networks constructed from the snRNA-seq data identified TCDD-exposed liver network-essential lncRNA regulators linked to functions such as fatty acid metabolic process, peroxisome and xenobiotic metabolic. Networks were validated by the striking enrichments that predicted regulatory IncRNAs showed for specific biological pathways. These findings highlight the power of snRNA-seq to discover functional roles for many xenobiotic-responsive lncRNAs in both hepatocytes and liver non-parenchymal cells and to elucidate novel aspects of foreign chemical-induced hepatotoxicity and liver disease, including dysregulation of intercellular communication within the liver lobule.
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8
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Kim D, Kim B, Brocker CN, Karri K, Waxman DJ, Gonzalez FJ. Long non-coding RNA G23Rik attenuates fasting-induced lipid accumulation in mouse liver. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2022; 557:111722. [PMID: 35917881 PMCID: PMC9561029 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2022.111722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2022] [Revised: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) is a key mediator of lipid metabolism and metabolic stress in the liver. A recent study revealed that PPARα-dependent long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play an important role in modulating metabolic stress and inflammation in the livers of fasted mice. Here hepatic lncRNA 3930402G23Rik (G23Rik) was found to have active peroxisome proliferator response elements (PPREs) within its promoter and is directly regulated by PPARα. Although G23Rik RNA was expressed to varying degrees in several tissues, the PPARα-dependent regulation of this lncRNA was only observed in the liver. Pharmacological activation of PPARα induced PPARα recruitment at the G23Rik promoter and a pronounced increase in hepatic G23Rik lncRNA expression. A G23Rik-null mouse line was developed to further characterize the function of this lncRNA in the liver. G23Rik-null mice were more susceptible to hepatic lipid accumulation in response to acute fasting. Histological analysis further revealed a pronounced buildup of lipid droplets and a significant increase in neutral triglycerides and lipids as indicated by enhanced oil red O staining of liver sections. Hepatic cholesterol, non-esterified fatty acid, and triglyceride levels were significantly elevated in G23Rik-null mice and associated with induction of the lipid-metabolism related gene Cd36. These findings provide evidence for a lncRNA dependent mechanism by which PPARα attenuates hepatic lipid accumulation in response to metabolic stress through lncRNA G23Rik induction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donghwan Kim
- Laboratory of Metabolism, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, 20892, Maryland, USA
| | - Bora Kim
- Laboratory of Metabolism, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, 20892, Maryland, USA
| | - Chad N Brocker
- Laboratory of Metabolism, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, 20892, Maryland, USA
| | - Kritika Karri
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Massachusetts, 02215, Boston, United States
| | - David J Waxman
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Massachusetts, 02215, Boston, United States
| | - Frank J Gonzalez
- Laboratory of Metabolism, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, 20892, Maryland, USA.
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Abstract
Growth hormone orchestrates a complex, sex-dependent balancing act.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J Waxman
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Rhonda D Kineman
- Department of Medicine, Section of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
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10
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Goldfarb CN, Karri K, Pyatkov M, Waxman DJ. Interplay Between GH-regulated, Sex-biased Liver Transcriptome and Hepatic Zonation Revealed by Single-Nucleus RNA Sequencing. Endocrinology 2022; 163:6580481. [PMID: 35512247 PMCID: PMC9154260 DOI: 10.1210/endocr/bqac059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The zonation of liver metabolic processes is well-characterized; however, little is known about the cell type-specificity and zonation of sexually dimorphic gene expression or its growth hormone (GH)-dependent transcriptional regulators. We address these issues using single-nucleus RNA-sequencing of 32 000 nuclei representing 9 major liver cell types. Nuclei were extracted from livers from adult male and female mice; from males infused with GH continuously, mimicking the female plasma GH pattern; and from mice exposed to TCPOBOP, a xenobiotic agonist ligand of the nuclear receptor CAR that perturbs sex-biased gene expression. Analysis of these rich transcriptomic datasets revealed the following: 1) expression of sex-biased genes and their GH-dependent transcriptional regulators is primarily restricted to hepatocytes and is not a feature of liver nonparenchymal cells; 2) many sex-biased transcripts show sex-dependent zonation within the liver lobule; 3) gene expression is substantially feminized both in periportal and pericentral hepatocytes when male mice are infused with GH continuously; 4) sequencing nuclei increases the sensitivity for detecting thousands of nuclear-enriched long-noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and enables determination of their liver cell type-specificity, sex-bias and hepatocyte zonation profiles; 5) the periportal to pericentral hepatocyte cell ratio is significantly higher in male than female liver; and 6) TCPOBOP exposure disrupts both sex-specific gene expression and hepatocyte zonation within the liver lobule. These findings highlight the complex interconnections between hepatic sexual dimorphism and zonation at the single-cell level and reveal how endogenous hormones and foreign chemical exposure can alter these interactions across the liver lobule with large effects both on protein-coding genes and lncRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine N Goldfarb
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA
- Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA
| | - Kritika Karri
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA
- Bioinformatics Program Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA
| | - Maxim Pyatkov
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA
| | - David J Waxman
- Correspondence: David J. Waxman, PhD, Department of Biology, Boston University, 5 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
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11
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Lau-Corona D, Ma H, Vergato C, Sarmento-Cabral A, del Rio-Moreno M, Kineman RD, Waxman DJ. Constitutively Active STAT5b Feminizes Mouse Liver Gene Expression. Endocrinology 2022; 163:bqac046. [PMID: 35396838 PMCID: PMC9070516 DOI: 10.1210/endocr/bqac046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
STAT5 is an essential transcriptional regulator of the sex-biased actions of GH in the liver. Delivery of constitutively active STAT5 (STAT5CA) to male mouse liver using an engineered adeno-associated virus with high tropism for the liver is shown to induce widespread feminization of the liver, with extensive induction of female-biased genes and repression of male-biased genes, largely mimicking results obtained when male mice are given GH as a continuous infusion. Many of the STAT5CA-responding genes were associated with nearby (< 50 kb) sites of STAT5 binding to liver chromatin, supporting the proposed direct role of persistently active STAT5 in continuous GH-induced liver feminization. The feminizing effects of STAT5CA were dose-dependent; moreover, at higher levels, STAT5CA overexpression resulted in some histopathology, including hepatocyte hyperplasia, and increased karyomegaly and multinuclear hepatocytes. These findings establish that the persistent activation of STAT5 by GH that characterizes female liver is by itself sufficient to account for the sex-dependent expression of a majority of hepatic sex-biased genes. Moreover, histological changes seen when STAT5CA is overexpressed highlight the importance of carefully evaluating such effects before considering STAT5 derivatives for therapeutic use in treating liver disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dana Lau-Corona
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Hong Ma
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Cameron Vergato
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Andre Sarmento-Cabral
- Department of Medicine, Section of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, University of Illinois at Chicago and Research and Development Division, Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Mercedes del Rio-Moreno
- Department of Medicine, Section of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, University of Illinois at Chicago and Research and Development Division, Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Rhonda D Kineman
- Department of Medicine, Section of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, University of Illinois at Chicago and Research and Development Division, Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - David J Waxman
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
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12
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Tank A, Vergato C, Waxman DJ, Roblyer D. Spatial frequency domain imaging for monitoring immune-mediated chemotherapy treatment response and resistance in a murine breast cancer model. Sci Rep 2022; 12:5864. [PMID: 35393476 PMCID: PMC8989878 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-09671-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Spatial Frequency Domain Imaging (SFDI) can provide longitudinal, label-free, and widefield hemodynamic and scattering measurements of murine tumors in vivo. Our previous work has shown that the reduced scattering coefficient (μ′s) at 800 nm, as well as the wavelength dependence of scattering, both have prognostic value in tracking apoptosis and proliferation during treatment with anti-cancer therapies. However, there is limited work in validating these optical biomarkers in clinically relevant tumor models that manifest specific treatment resistance mechanisms that mimic the clinical setting. It was recently demonstrated that metronomic dosing of cyclophosphamide induces a strong anti-tumor immune response and tumor volume reduction in the E0771 murine breast cancer model. This immune activation mechanism can be blocked with an IFNAR-1 antibody, leading to treatment resistance. Here we present a longitudinal study utilizing SFDI to monitor this paired responsive-resistant model for up to 30 days of drug treatment. Mice receiving the immune modulatory metronomic cyclophosphamide schedule had a significant increase in tumor optical scattering compared to mice receiving cyclophosphamide in combination with the IFNAR-1 antibody (9% increase vs 10% decrease on day 5 of treatment, p < 0.001). The magnitude of these differences increased throughout the duration of treatment. Additionally, scattering changes on day 4 of treatment could discriminate responsive versus resistant tumors with an accuracy of 78%, while tumor volume had an accuracy of only 52%. These results validate optical scattering as a promising prognostic biomarker that can discriminate between treatment responsive and resistant tumor models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anup Tank
- Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Cameron Vergato
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - David J Waxman
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Darren Roblyer
- Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.
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13
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Vergato C, Doshi KA, Roblyer D, Waxman DJ. Type-I interferon signaling is essential for robust metronomic chemo-immunogenic tumor regression in murine breast cancer. Cancer Res Commun 2022; 2:246-257. [PMID: 36187936 PMCID: PMC9524291 DOI: 10.1158/2767-9764.crc-21-0148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Many patients with breast cancer have a poor prognosis with limited therapeutic options. Here, we investigated the potential of chemo-immunogenic therapy as an avenue of treatment. We utilized two syngeneic mouse mammary tumor models, 4T1 and E0771, to examine the chemo-immunogenic potential of cyclophosphamide and the mechanistic contributions of cyclophosphamide-activated type-I interferon (IFN) signaling to therapeutic activity. Chemically-activated cyclophosphamide induced robust IFNα/β receptor-1-dependent signaling linked to hundreds of IFN-stimulated gene responses in both cell lines. Further, in 4T1 tumors, cyclophosphamide given on a medium-dose, 6-day intermittent metronomic schedule induced strong IFN signaling but comparatively weak immune cell infiltration associated with long-term tumor growth stasis. Induction of IFN signaling was somewhat weaker in E0771 tumors but was followed by widespread downstream gene responses, robust immune cell infiltration and extensive, prolonged tumor regression. The immune dependence of these effective anti-tumor responses was established by CD8 T-cell immunodepletion, which blocked cyclophosphamide-induced E0771 tumor regression and led to tumor stasis followed by regrowth. Strikingly, IFNα/β receptor-1 antibody blockade was even more effective in preventing E0771 immune cell infiltration and blocked the major tumor regression induced by cyclophosphamide treatment. Type-I IFN signaling is thus essential for the robust chemo-immunogenic response of these tumors to cyclophosphamide administered on a metronomic schedule.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cameron Vergato
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Kshama A. Doshi
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Darren Roblyer
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - David J. Waxman
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts
- Corresponding Author: David J. Waxman, Department of Biology, Boston University, 5 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA 02215. Phone: 617-353-7401; E-mail:
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14
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Shin A, Waxman DJ. Impact of neonatal activation of nuclear receptor CAR (Nr1i3) on Cyp2 gene expression in adult mouse liver. Toxicol Sci 2022; 187:298-310. [PMID: 35285501 DOI: 10.1093/toxsci/kfac032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Perinatal exposure to environmental chemicals is proposed to reprogram development and alter disease susceptibility later in life. Supporting this, neonatal activation of the nuclear receptor CAR (Nr1i3) by TCPOBOP induces persistent expression of mouse hepatic Cyp2 genes into adulthood, attributed to long-term epigenetic memory of the early life exposure [Hepatology (2012) 56:1499-1509]. Here, we confirm that the same high-dose (15x ED50) neonatal TCPOBOP exposure used in that work induces prolonged (12 weeks) increases in hepatic Cyp2 expression; however, we show that the persistence of expression can be fully explained by the persistence of residual TCPOBOP in liver tissue. When the long-term presence of TCPOBOP in tissue was eliminated by decreasing the neonatal TCPOBOP dose 22-fold (0.67x ED50), strong neonatal increases in hepatic Cyp2 expression were still obtained but did not persist into adulthood. Furthermore, the neonatal ED50-range TCPOBOP exposure did not sensitize mice to a subsequent, low-dose TCPOBOP treatment. In contrast, neonatal treatment with phenobarbital, a short half-life (t1/2=8 h) agonist of CAR and of PXR (Nr1i2), induced high-level neonatal activation of Cyp2 genes and also altered their responsiveness to low-dose phenobarbital exposure at adulthood by either increasing (Cyp2b10) or decreasing (Cyp2c55) expression. Thus, neonatal xenobiotic exposure can reprogram hepatic Cyp2 genes and alter their responsiveness to exposures later in life. These findings highlight the need to carefully consider xenobiotic dose, half-life and persistence in tissue when evaluating the long-term effects of early life environmental chemical exposures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aram Shin
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA
| | - David J Waxman
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA
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15
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Matthews BJ, Melia T, Waxman DJ. Harnessing natural variation to identify cis regulators of sex-biased gene expression in a multi-strain mouse liver model. PLoS Genet 2021; 17:e1009588. [PMID: 34752452 PMCID: PMC8664386 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1009588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Revised: 12/10/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Sex differences in gene expression are widespread in the liver, where many autosomal factors act in tandem with growth hormone signaling to regulate individual variability of sex differences in liver metabolism and disease. Here, we compare hepatic transcriptomic and epigenetic profiles of mouse strains C57BL/6J and CAST/EiJ, representing two subspecies separated by 0.5-1 million years of evolution, to elucidate the actions of genetic factors regulating liver sex differences. We identify 144 protein coding genes and 78 lncRNAs showing strain-conserved sex bias; many have gene ontologies relevant to liver function, are more highly liver-specific and show greater sex bias, and are more proximally regulated than genes whose sex bias is strain-dependent. The strain-conserved genes include key growth hormone-dependent transcriptional regulators of liver sex bias; however, three other transcription factors, Trim24, Tox, and Zfp809, lose their sex-biased expression in CAST/EiJ mouse liver. To elucidate the observed strain specificities in expression, we characterized the strain-dependence of sex-biased chromatin opening and enhancer marks at cis regulatory elements (CREs) within expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) regulating liver sex-biased genes. Strikingly, 208 of 286 eQTLs with strain-specific, sex-differential effects on expression were associated with a complete gain, loss, or reversal of the sex differences in expression between strains. Moreover, 166 of the 286 eQTLs were linked to the strain-dependent gain or loss of localized sex-biased CREs. Remarkably, a subset of these CREs apparently lacked strain-specific genetic variants yet showed coordinated, strain-dependent sex-biased epigenetic regulation. Thus, we directly link hundreds of strain-specific genetic variants to the high variability in CRE activity and expression of sex-biased genes and uncover underlying genetically-determined epigenetic states controlling liver sex bias in genetically diverse mouse populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bryan J. Matthews
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Tisha Melia
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - David J. Waxman
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
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16
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Goldfarb CN, Waxman DJ. Global analysis of expression, maturation and subcellular localization of mouse liver transcriptome identifies novel sex-biased and TCPOBOP-responsive long non-coding RNAs. BMC Genomics 2021; 22:212. [PMID: 33761883 PMCID: PMC7992343 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-021-07478-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND While nuclear transcription and RNA processing and localization are well established for protein coding genes (PCGs), these processes are poorly understood for long non-coding (lnc)RNAs. Here, we characterize global patterns of transcript expression, maturation and localization for mouse liver RNA, including more than 15,000 lncRNAs. PolyA-selected liver RNA was isolated and sequenced from four subcellular fractions (chromatin, nucleoplasm, total nucleus, and cytoplasm), and from the chromatin-bound fraction without polyA selection. RESULTS Transcript processing, determined from normalized intronic to exonic sequence read density ratios, progressively increased for PCG transcripts in going from the chromatin-bound fraction to the nucleoplasm and then on to the cytoplasm. Transcript maturation was similar for lncRNAs in the chromatin fraction, but was significantly lower in the nucleoplasm and cytoplasm. LncRNA transcripts were 11-fold more likely to be significantly enriched in the nucleus than cytoplasm, and 100-fold more likely to be significantly chromatin-bound than nucleoplasmic. Sequencing chromatin-bound RNA greatly increased the sensitivity for detecting lowly expressed lncRNAs and enabled us to discover and localize hundreds of novel regulated liver lncRNAs, including lncRNAs showing sex-biased expression or responsiveness to TCPOBOP a xenobiotic agonist ligand of constitutive androstane receptor (Nr1i3). CONCLUSIONS Integration of our findings with prior studies and lncRNA annotations identified candidate regulatory lncRNAs for a variety of hepatic functions based on gene co-localization within topologically associating domains or transcription divergent or antisense to PCGs associated with pathways linked to hepatic physiology and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine N Goldfarb
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, 5 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - David J Waxman
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, 5 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
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17
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Tabassum S, Tank A, Wang F, Karrobi K, Vergato C, Bigio IJ, Waxman DJ, Roblyer D. Optical scattering as an early marker of apoptosis during chemotherapy and antiangiogenic therapy in murine models of prostate and breast cancer. Neoplasia 2021; 23:294-303. [PMID: 33578267 PMCID: PMC7881266 DOI: 10.1016/j.neo.2021.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2020] [Revised: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Monitoring of the in vivo tumor state to track therapeutic response in real time may help to evaluate new drug candidates, maximize treatment efficacy, and reduce the burden of overtreatment. Current preclinical tumor imaging methods have largely focused on anatomic imaging (e.g., MRI, ultrasound), functional imaging (e.g., FDG-PET), and molecular imaging with exogenous contrast agents (e.g., fluorescence optical tomography). Here we utalize spatial frequency domain imaging (SFDI), a noninvasive, label-free optical technique, for the wide-field quantification of changes in tissue optical scattering in preclinical tumor models during treatment with chemotherapy and antiangiogenic agents. Optical scattering is particularly sensitive to tissue micro-architectural changes, including those that occur during apoptosis, an early indicator of response to cytotoxicity induced by chemotherapy, thermotherapy, cryotherapy, or radiation therapy. We utilized SFDI to monitor responses of PC3/2G7 prostate tumors and E0771 mammary tumors to treatment with cyclophosphamide or the antiangiogenic agent DC101 for up to 49 days. The SFDI-derived scattering amplitude was highly correlated with cleaved caspase-3, a marker of apoptosis (ρp = 0.75), while the exponent of the scattering wavelength-dependence correlated with the cell proliferation marker PCNA (ρp = 0.69). These optical parameters outperformed tumor volume and several functional parameters (e.g., oxygen saturation and hemoglobin concentration) as an early predictive biomarker of treatment response. Quantitative diffuse optical scattering is thus a promising new early marker of treatment response, which does not require radiation or exogenous contrast agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Syeda Tabassum
- Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Anup Tank
- Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Fay Wang
- Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kavon Karrobi
- Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Cameron Vergato
- Division of Cell and Molecular Biology, Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Irving J Bigio
- Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA; Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - David J Waxman
- Division of Cell and Molecular Biology, Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Darren Roblyer
- Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA; Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.
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18
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Melia T, Waxman DJ. Genetic factors contributing to extensive variability of sex-specific hepatic gene expression in Diversity Outbred mice. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0242665. [PMID: 33264334 PMCID: PMC7710091 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0242665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2020] [Accepted: 11/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Sex-specific transcription characterizes hundreds of genes in mouse liver, many implicated in sex-differential drug and lipid metabolism and disease susceptibility. While the regulation of liver sex differences by growth hormone-activated STAT5 is well established, little is known about autosomal genetic factors regulating the sex-specific liver transcriptome. Here we show, using genotyping and expression data from a large population of Diversity Outbred mice, that genetic factors work in tandem with growth hormone to control the individual variability of hundreds of sex-biased genes, including many long non-coding RNA genes. Significant associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms and sex-specific gene expression were identified as expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs), many of which showed strong sex-dependent associations. Remarkably, autosomal genetic modifiers of sex-specific genes were found to account for more than 200 instances of gain or loss of sex-specificity across eight Diversity Outbred mouse founder strains. Sex-biased STAT5 binding sites and open chromatin regions with strain-specific variants were significantly enriched at eQTL regions regulating correspondingly sex-specific genes, supporting the proposed functional regulatory nature of the eQTL regions identified. Binding of the male-biased, growth hormone-regulated repressor BCL6 was most highly enriched at trans-eQTL regions controlling female-specific genes. Co-regulated gene clusters defined by overlapping eQTLs included sets of highly correlated genes from different chromosomes, further supporting trans-eQTL action. These findings elucidate how an unexpectedly large number of autosomal factors work in tandem with growth hormone signaling pathways to regulate the individual variability associated with sex differences in liver metabolism and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tisha Melia
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - David J. Waxman
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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19
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Tu S, Li M, Chen H, Tan F, Xu J, Waxman DJ, Zhang Y, Shao Z. MAnorm2 for quantitatively comparing groups of ChIP-seq samples. Genome Res 2020; 31:131-145. [PMID: 33208455 PMCID: PMC7849384 DOI: 10.1101/gr.262675.120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2020] [Accepted: 11/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Eukaryotic gene transcription is regulated by a large cohort of chromatin-associated proteins, and inferring their differential binding sites between cellular contexts requires a rigorous comparison of the corresponding ChIP-seq data. We present MAnorm2, a new computational tool for quantitatively comparing groups of ChIP-seq samples. MAnorm2 uses a hierarchical strategy for normalization of ChIP-seq data and assesses within-group variability of ChIP-seq signals based on an empirical Bayes framework. In this framework, MAnorm2 allows for abundant differential ChIP-seq signals between groups of samples as well as very different global within-group variability between groups. Using a number of real ChIP-seq data sets, we observed that MAnorm2 clearly outperformed existing tools for differential ChIP-seq analysis, especially when the groups of samples being compared had distinct global within-group variability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiqi Tu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, CAS-MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Mushan Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, CAS-MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Haojie Chen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, CAS-MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Fengxiang Tan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, CAS-MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Jian Xu
- Children's Medical Center Research Institute, Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390, USA
| | - David J Waxman
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA
| | - Yijing Zhang
- National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Zhen Shao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, CAS-MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
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20
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Matthews BJ, Waxman DJ. Impact of 3D genome organization, guided by cohesin and CTCF looping, on sex-biased chromatin interactions and gene expression in mouse liver. Epigenetics Chromatin 2020; 13:30. [PMID: 32680543 PMCID: PMC7368777 DOI: 10.1186/s13072-020-00350-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2020] [Accepted: 07/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Several thousand sex-differential distal enhancers have been identified in mouse liver; however, their links to sex-biased genes and the impact of any sex-differences in nuclear organization and chromatin interactions are unknown. To address these issues, we first characterized 1847 mouse liver genomic regions showing significant sex differential occupancy by cohesin and CTCF, two key 3D nuclear organizing factors. These sex-differential binding sites were primarily distal to sex-biased genes but rarely generated sex-differential TAD (topologically associating domain) or intra-TAD loop anchors, and were sometimes found in TADs without sex-biased genes. A substantial subset of sex-biased cohesin-non-CTCF binding sites, but not sex-biased cohesin-and-CTCF binding sites, overlapped sex-biased enhancers. Cohesin depletion reduced the expression of male-biased genes with distal, but not proximal, sex-biased enhancers by >10-fold, implicating cohesin in long-range enhancer interactions regulating sex-biased genes. Using circularized chromosome conformation capture-based sequencing (4C-seq), we showed that sex differences in distal sex-biased enhancer-promoter interactions are common. Intra-TAD loops with sex-independent cohesin-and-CTCF anchors conferred sex specificity to chromatin interactions indirectly, by insulating sex-biased enhancer-promoter contacts and by bringing sex-biased genes into closer proximity to sex-biased enhancers. Furthermore, sex-differential chromatin interactions involving sex-biased gene promoters, enhancers, and lncRNAs were associated with sex-biased binding of cohesin and/or CTCF. These studies elucidate how 3D genome organization impacts sex-biased gene expression in a non-reproductive tissue through both direct and indirect effects of cohesin and CTCF looping on distal enhancer interactions with sex-differentially expressed genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bryan J Matthews
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, 5 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - David J Waxman
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, 5 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
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21
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Tran AP, Ali Al-Radhawi M, Kareva I, Wu J, Waxman DJ, Sontag ED. Delicate Balances in Cancer Chemotherapy: Modeling Immune Recruitment and Emergence of Systemic Drug Resistance. Front Immunol 2020; 11:1376. [PMID: 32695118 PMCID: PMC7338613 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.01376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2020] [Accepted: 05/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Metronomic chemotherapy can drastically enhance immunogenic tumor cell death. However, the mechanisms responsible are still incompletely understood. Here, we develop a mathematical model to elucidate the underlying complex interactions between tumor growth, immune system activation, and therapy-mediated immunogenic cell death. Our model is conceptually simple, yet it provides a surprisingly excellent fit to empirical data obtained from a GL261 SCID mouse glioma model treated with cyclophosphamide on a metronomic schedule. The model includes terms representing immune recruitment as well as the emergence of drug resistance during prolonged metronomic treatments. Strikingly, a single fixed set of parameters, adjusted neither for individuals nor for drug schedule, recapitulates experimental data across various drug regimens remarkably well, including treatments administered at intervals ranging from 6 to 12 days. Additionally, the model predicts peak immune activation times, rediscovering experimental data that had not been used in parameter fitting or in model construction. Notably, the validated model suggests that immunostimulatory and immunosuppressive intermediates are responsible for the observed phenomena of resistance and immune cell recruitment, and thus for variation of responses with respect to different schedules of drug administration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anh Phong Tran
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - M Ali Al-Radhawi
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Irina Kareva
- Mathematical and Computational Sciences Center, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
| | - Junjie Wu
- Clinical Research Institute, Key Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Diagnosis and Individualized Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
| | - David J Waxman
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Eduardo D Sontag
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Bioengineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States
- Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Program in Therapeutic Science, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
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22
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Lau-Corona D, Bae WK, Hennighausen L, Waxman DJ. Sex-biased genetic programs in liver metabolism and liver fibrosis are controlled by EZH1 and EZH2. PLoS Genet 2020; 16:e1008796. [PMID: 32428001 PMCID: PMC7263639 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2019] [Revised: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 04/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Sex differences in the incidence and progression of many liver diseases, including liver fibrosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, are associated with sex-biased hepatic expression of hundreds of genes. This sexual dimorphism is largely determined by the sex-specific pattern of pituitary growth hormone secretion, which controls a transcriptional regulatory network operative in the context of sex-biased and growth hormone-regulated chromatin states. Histone H3K27-trimethylation yields a major sex-biased repressive chromatin mark deposited at many strongly female-biased genes in male mouse liver, but not at male-biased genes in female liver, and is catalyzed by polycomb repressive complex-2 through its homologous catalytic subunits, Ezh1 and Ezh2. Here, we used Ezh1-knockout mice with a hepatocyte-specific knockout of Ezh2 to investigate the sex bias of liver H3K27-trimethylation and its functional role in regulating sex-differences in the liver. Combined hepatic Ezh1/Ezh2 deficiency led to a significant loss of sex-biased gene expression, particularly in male liver, where many female-biased genes were increased in expression while male-biased genes showed decreased expression. The associated loss of H3K27me3 marks, and increases in the active enhancer marks H3K27ac and H3K4me1, were also more pronounced in male liver. Further, Ezh1/Ezh2 deficiency in male liver, and to a lesser extent in female liver, led to up regulation of many genes linked to liver fibrosis and liver cancer, which may contribute to the observed liver pathologies and the increased sensitivity of these mice to hepatotoxin exposure. Thus, Ezh1/Ezh2-catalyzed H3K27-trimethyation regulates sex-dependent genetic programs in liver metabolism and liver fibrosis through its sex-dependent effects on the epigenome, and may thereby determine the sex-bias in liver disease susceptibility. Sex-differences in the expression of genes in liver have a direct impact on liver diseases whose incidence and severity is sex-biased, and is controlled by hormones that regulate chemical alterations to histone proteins used to package chromosomal DNA. However, a direct demonstration of the functional importance of such sex differences in histone protein modifications has been elusive. Here, we address this question using a mouse model deficient in two enzymes, Ezh1/Ezh2, which generate the histone repressive mark H3K27me3. Remarkably, although H3K27me3 marks are formed by Ezh1/Ezh2 throughout the genome, loss of liver Ezh1/Ezh2 preferentially disrupts the control of sex-biased genes, with expression increasing in male mouse liver for many female-biased genes and decreasing for many male-biased genes. Sex-biased H3K27me3 repressive marks were abolished, and there was a gain of active histone marks at gene enhancers. We also found increased expression of many genes associated with liver fibrosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, which may help explain the increased sensitivity of Ezh1/Ezh2-deficient livers to hepatotoxic chemicals whose exposure may lead to sex differences in liver disease incidence and susceptibility. Thus, our findings highlight the potential role of sex differences in histone modifications catalyzed by Ezh1/Ezh2 in widespread sex differences in liver diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dana Lau-Corona
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Woo Kyun Bae
- Laboratory of Genetics and Physiology, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
- Department of Internal Medicine, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju, Korea
| | - Lothar Hennighausen
- Laboratory of Genetics and Physiology, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - David J. Waxman
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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23
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Karri K, Waxman DJ. Widespread Dysregulation of Long Noncoding Genes Associated With Fatty Acid Metabolism, Cell Division, and Immune Response Gene Networks in Xenobiotic-exposed Rat Liver. Toxicol Sci 2020; 174:291-310. [PMID: 31926019 PMCID: PMC7098378 DOI: 10.1093/toxsci/kfaa001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Xenobiotic exposure dysregulates hundreds of protein-coding genes in mammalian liver, impacting many physiological processes and inducing diverse toxicological responses. Little is known about xenobiotic effects on long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), many of which have important regulatory functions. Here, we present a computational framework to discover liver-expressed, xenobiotic-responsive lncRNAs (xeno-lncs) with strong functional, gene regulatory potential and elucidate the impact of xenobiotic exposure on their gene regulatory networks. We assembled the long noncoding transcriptome of xenobiotic-exposed rat liver using RNA-seq datasets from male rats treated with 27 individual chemicals, representing 7 mechanisms of action (MOAs). Ortholog analysis was combined with coexpression data and causal inference methods to infer lncRNA function and deduce gene regulatory networks, including causal effects of lncRNAs on protein-coding gene expression and biological pathways. We discovered > 1400 liver-expressed xeno-lncs, many with human and/or mouse orthologs. Xenobiotics representing different MOAs often regulated common xeno-lnc targets: 123 xeno-lncs were dysregulated by ≥ 10 chemicals, and 5 xeno-lncs responded to ≥ 20 of the 27 chemicals investigated; 81 other xeno-lncs served as MOA-selective markers of xenobiotic exposure. Xeno-lnc-protein-coding gene coexpression regulatory network analysis identified xeno-lncs closely associated with exposure-induced perturbations of hepatic fatty acid metabolism, cell division, or immune response pathways, and with apoptosis or cirrhosis. We also identified hub and bottleneck lncRNAs, which are expected to be key regulators of gene expression. This work elucidates extensive networks of xeno-lnc-protein-coding gene interactions and provides a framework for understanding the widespread transcriptome-altering actions of foreign chemicals in a key-responsive mammalian tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kritika Karri
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - David J Waxman
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts
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24
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Du B, Waxman DJ. Medium dose intermittent cyclophosphamide induces immunogenic cell death and cancer cell autonomous type I interferon production in glioma models. Cancer Lett 2019; 470:170-180. [PMID: 31765733 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2019.11.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2019] [Revised: 11/05/2019] [Accepted: 11/18/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Cyclophosphamide treatment on a medium-dose, intermittent chemotherapy (MEDIC) schedule activates both innate and adaptive immunity leading to major regression of implanted gliomas. Here, we show that this MEDIC treatment regimen induces tumor cell autonomous type-I interferon signaling, followed by release of soluble factors that activate interferon-stimulated genes in both tumor cells and tumor-infiltrating immune cells. In cultured GL261 and CT-2A glioma cells, activated cyclophosphamide stimulated production and release of type-I interferons, leading to robust activation of downstream gene targets. Antibody against the type-I interferon receptor IFNAR1 blocked the cyclophosphamide-stimulated induction of these genes in both cultured glioma cells and implanted gliomas. Furthermore, IFNAR1 antibody strongly inhibited the MEDIC cyclophosphamide-stimulated increases in tumor cell infiltration of macrophages, dendritic cells, B-cells, as well as natural killer cells and cytotoxic T-cells and their cytotoxic effectors. Finally, cyclophosphamide-treated dying glioma cells producing type-I interferons were an effective vaccine against drug-naïve glioma cells implanted in vivo. Thus, cyclophosphamide induces local, tumor cell-centric increases in type-I interferon signaling, which activates immunogenic cell death and is essential for the striking antitumor immune responses that MEDIC cyclophosphamide treatment elicits in these glioma models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Du
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - David J Waxman
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
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25
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Rampersaud A, Lodato NJ, Shin A, Waxman DJ. Widespread epigenetic changes to the enhancer landscape of mouse liver induced by a specific xenobiotic agonist ligand of the nuclear receptor CAR. Toxicol Sci 2019; 171:315-338. [PMID: 31236583 PMCID: PMC6760311 DOI: 10.1093/toxsci/kfz148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2019] [Revised: 06/13/2019] [Accepted: 06/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
CAR (Nr1i3), a liver nuclear receptor and xenobiotic sensor, induces drug, steroid and lipid metabolism and dysregulates genes linked to hepatocellular carcinogenesis, but its impact on the liver epigenome is poorly understood. TCPOBOP, a halogenated xenochemical and highly specific CAR agonist ligand, induces localized chromatin opening or closing at several thousand mouse liver genomic regions, discovered as differential DNase-hypersensitive sites (ΔDHS). Active enhancer and promoter histone marks induced by TCPOBOP were enriched at opening DHS and TCPOBOP-inducible genes. Enrichment of CAR binding and CAR motifs was seen at opening DHS and their inducible drug/lipid metabolism gene targets, and at many constitutively open DHS located nearby. TCPOBOP-responsive cell cycle and DNA replication genes co-dependent on MET/EGFR signaling for induction were also enriched for CAR binding. A subset of opening DHS and many closing DHS mapping to TCPOBOP-responsive target genes did not bind CAR, indicating an indirect mechanism for their changes in chromatin accessibility. TCPOBOP-responsive DHS were also enriched for induced binding of RXRA, CEBPA and CEBPB, and for motifs for liver-enriched factors that may contribute to liver-specific transcriptional responses to TCPOBOP exposure. These studies elucidate the enhancer landscape of TCPOBOP-exposed liver and the widespread epigenetic changes that are induced by both direct and indirect mechanisms linked to CAR activation. The global maps of thousands of environmental chemical-induced epigenetic changes described here constitute a rich resource for further research on xenochemical effects on liver chromatin states and the epigenome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andy Rampersaud
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, MA USA
| | - Nicholas J Lodato
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, MA USA
| | - Aram Shin
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, MA USA
| | - David J Waxman
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, MA USA
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26
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Abstract
Activation of the nuclear receptor and transcription factor CAR (Nr1i3) by its specific agonist ligand TCPOBOP (1, 4-bis[2-(3, 5-dichloropyridyloxy)]benzene) dysregulates hundreds of genes in mouse liver and is linked to male-biased hepatocarcinogenesis. To elucidate the genomic organization of CAR-induced gene responses, we investigated the distribution of TCPOBOP-responsive RefSeq coding and long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) genes across the megabase-scale topologically associating domains (TADs) that segment the genome, and which provide a structural framework that functionally constrains enhancer-promoter interactions. We show that a subset of TCPOBOP-responsive genes cluster within TADs, and that TCPOBOP-induced genes and TCPOBOP-repressed genes are often found in different TADs. Further, using DNase-seq and DNase hypersensitivity site (DHS) analysis, we identified several thousand genomic regions (ΔDHS) where short-term exposure to TCPOBOP induces localized changes (increases or decreases) in mouse liver chromatin accessibility, many of which cluster in TADs together with TCPOBOP-responsive genes. Sites of chromatin opening were highly enriched nearby genes induced by TCPOBOP and chromatin closing was highly enriched nearby genes repressed by TCPOBOP, consistent with TCPOBOP-responsive ΔDHS serving as enhancers and promoters that positively regulate CAR-responsive genes. Gene expression changes lagged behind chromatin opening or closing for a subset of TCPOBOP-responsive ΔDHS. ΔDHS that were specifically responsive to TCPOBOP in male liver were significantly enriched for genomic regions with a basal male bias in chromatin accessibility; however, the male-biased response of hepatocellular carcinoma-related genes to TCPOBOP was not associated with a correspondingly male-biased ΔDHS response. These studies elucidate the genome-wide organization of CAR-responsive genes and of the thousands of associated genomic sites where TCPOBOP exposure induces both rapid and persistent changes in chromatin accessibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas J Lodato
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215
| | - Andy Rampersaud
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215
| | - David J Waxman
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215
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27
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Melia T, Waxman DJ. Sex-Biased lncRNAs Inversely Correlate With Sex-Opposite Gene Coexpression Networks in Diversity Outbred Mouse Liver. Endocrinology 2019; 160:989-1007. [PMID: 30840070 PMCID: PMC6449536 DOI: 10.1210/en.2018-00949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2018] [Accepted: 02/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Sex differences in liver gene expression are determined by pituitary growth hormone secretion patterns, which regulate sex-dependent liver transcription factors and establish sex-specific chromatin states. Hypophysectomy (hypox) identifies two major classes of liver sex-biased genes, defined by their sex-dependent positive or negative responses to pituitary hormone ablation. However, the mechanisms that underlie each hypox-response class are unknown. We sought to discover candidate, regulatory, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) controlling responsiveness to hypox. We characterized gene structures and expression patterns for 15,558 mouse liver-expressed lncRNAs, including many sex-specific lncRNAs regulated during postnatal development or subject to circadian regulation. Using the high natural allelic variance of Diversity Outbred (DO) mice, we discovered tightly coexpressed clusters of sex-specific protein-coding genes (gene modules) in male and female DO liver. Remarkably, many gene modules were strongly enriched for sex-specific genes within a single hypox-response class, indicating that the genetic heterogeneity of DO mice encompasses responsiveness to hypox. Moreover, several distant gene modules were enriched for gene subsets of the same hypox-response class, highlighting the complex regulation of hypox-responsiveness. Finally, we identified eight sex-specific lncRNAs with strong negative regulatory potential, as indicated by their strong negative correlation of expression across DO mouse livers with that of protein-coding gene modules enriched for genes of the opposite sex bias and inverse hypox-response class. These findings reveal an important role for genetic factors in regulating responsiveness to hypox, and present testable hypotheses for the roles of sex-biased liver lncRNAs in controlling the sex-bias of liver gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tisha Melia
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - David J Waxman
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts
- Correspondence: David J. Waxman, PhD, Department of Biology, Boston University, 5 Cummington Mall, Boston, Massachusetts 02215. E-mail:
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28
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Chhabra Y, Nelson CN, Plescher M, Barclay JL, Smith AG, Andrikopoulos S, Mangiafico S, Waxman DJ, Brooks AJ, Waters MJ. Loss of growth hormone-mediated signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5) signaling in mice results in insulin sensitivity with obesity. FASEB J 2019; 33:6412-6430. [PMID: 30779881 PMCID: PMC6463913 DOI: 10.1096/fj.201802328r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Growth hormone (GH) has an important function as an insulin antagonist with elevated insulin sensitivity evident in humans and mice lacking a functional GH receptor (GHR). We sought the molecular basis for this sensitivity by utilizing a panel of mice possessing specific deletions of GHR signaling pathways. Metabolic clamps and glucose homeostasis tests were undertaken in these obese adult C57BL/6 male mice, which indicated impaired hepatic gluconeogenesis. Insulin sensitivity and glucose disappearance rate were enhanced in muscle and adipose of mice lacking the ability to activate the signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)5 via the GHR (Ghr-391-/-) as for GHR-null (GHR-/-) mice. These changes were associated with a striking inhibition of hepatic glucose output associated with altered glycogen metabolism and elevated hepatic glycogen content during unfed state. The enhanced hepatic insulin sensitivity was associated with increased insulin receptor β and insulin receptor substrate 1 activation along with activated downstream protein kinase B signaling cascades. Although phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (Pck)-1 expression was unchanged, its inhibitory acetylation was elevated because of decreased sirtuin-2 expression, thereby promoting loss of PCK1. Loss of STAT5 signaling to defined chromatin immunoprecipitation targets would further increase lipogenesis, supporting hepatosteatosis while lowering glucose output. Finally, up-regulation of IL-15 expression in muscle, with increased secretion of adiponectin and fibroblast growth factor 1 from adipose tissue, is expected to promote insulin sensitivity.-Chhabra, Y., Nelson, C. N., Plescher, M., Barclay, J. L., Smith, A. G., Andrikopoulos, S., Mangiafico, S., Waxman, D. J., Brooks, A. J., Waters, M. J. Loss of growth hormone-mediated signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5) signaling in mice results in insulin sensitivity with obesity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yash Chhabra
- University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, The University of Queensland, Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.,Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Caroline N Nelson
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Monika Plescher
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.,Institute of Cellular Neurosciences, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Johanna L Barclay
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.,Mater Research Institute, The University of Queensland, Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Aaron G Smith
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, The University of Queensland, Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Sof Andrikopoulos
- Department of Medicine, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | | | - David J Waxman
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Andrew J Brooks
- University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, The University of Queensland, Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.,Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Michael J Waters
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
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29
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Wu J, Waxman DJ. Immunogenic chemotherapy: Dose and schedule dependence and combination with immunotherapy. Cancer Lett 2019; 419:210-221. [PMID: 29414305 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2018.01.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 208] [Impact Index Per Article: 41.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2017] [Revised: 01/11/2018] [Accepted: 01/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Conventional cytotoxic cancer chemotherapy is often immunosuppressive and associated with drug resistance and tumor regrowth after a short period of tumor shrinkage or growth stasis. However, certain cytotoxic cancer chemotherapeutic drugs, including doxorubicin, mitoxantrone, and cyclophosphamide, can kill tumor cells by an immunogenic cell death pathway, which activates robust innate and adaptive anti-tumor immune responses and has the potential to greatly increase the efficacy of chemotherapy. Here, we review studies on chemotherapeutic drug-induced immunogenic cell death, focusing on how the choice of a conventional cytotoxic agent and its dose and schedule impact anti-tumor immune responses. We propose a strategy for effective immunogenic chemotherapy that employs a modified metronomic schedule for drug delivery, which we term medium-dose intermittent chemotherapy (MEDIC). Striking responses have been seen in preclinical cancer models using MEDIC, where an immunogenic cancer chemotherapeutic agent is administered intermittently and at an intermediate dose, designed to impart strong and repeated cytotoxic damage to tumors, and on a schedule compatible with activation of a sustained anti-tumor immune response, thereby maximizing anti-cancer activity. We also discuss strategies for combination chemo-immunotherapy, and we outline approaches to identify new immunogenic chemotherapeutic agents for drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junjie Wu
- Department of Biology, Division of Cell and Molecular Biology, Boston University, 5 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - David J Waxman
- Department of Biology, Division of Cell and Molecular Biology, Boston University, 5 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
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30
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Lodato NJ, Melia T, Rampersaud A, Waxman DJ. Sex-Differential Responses of Tumor Promotion-Associated Genes and Dysregulation of Novel Long Noncoding RNAs in Constitutive Androstane Receptor-Activated Mouse Liver. Toxicol Sci 2018; 159:25-41. [PMID: 28903501 DOI: 10.1093/toxsci/kfx114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Xenobiotic agonists of constitutive androstane receptor (CAR) induce many hepatic drug metabolizing enzymes, but following prolonged exposure, promote hepatocellular carcinoma, most notably in male mouse liver. Here, we used nuclear RNA-seq to characterize global changes in the mouse liver transcriptome following exposure to the CAR-specific agonist ligand 1,4-bis-[2-(3,5-dichloropyridyloxy)]benzene (TCPOBOP), including changes in novel long noncoding RNAs that may contribute to xenobiotic-induced pathophysiology. Protein-coding genes dysregulated by 3 h TCPOBOP exposure were strongly enriched in KEGG pathways of xenobiotic and drug metabolism, with stronger and more extensive gene responses observed in female than male liver. After 27 h TCPOBOP exposure, the number of responsive genes increased >8-fold in males, where the top enriched pathways and their upstream regulators expanded to include factors implicated in cell cycle dysregulation and hepatocellular carcinoma progression (cyclin-D1, oncogenes E2f, Yap, Rb, Myc, and proto-oncogenes β-catenin, FoxM1, FoxO1, all predicted to be activated by TCPOBOP in male but not female liver; and tumor suppressors p21 and p53, both predicted to be inhibited). Upstream regulators uniquely associated with 3 h TCPOBOP-exposed females include TNF/NFkB pathway members, which negatively regulate CAR-dependent proliferative responses and may contribute to the relative resistance of female liver to TCPOBOP-induced tumor promotion. These responses may be modified by the many long noncoding liver RNAs we show are dysregulated by TCPOBOP or pregnane-X-receptor agonist exposure, including lncRNAs proximal to CAR target genes Cyp2b10, Por, and Alas1. These data provide a comprehensive view of the CAR-regulated transcriptome and give insight into the mechanism of sex-biased susceptibility to CAR-dependent mouse liver tumorigenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas J Lodato
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215
| | - Tisha Melia
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215
| | - Andy Rampersaud
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215
| | - David J Waxman
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215
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31
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Sulheim E, Kim J, van Wamel A, Kim E, Snipstad S, Vidic I, Grimstad IH, Widerøe M, Torp SH, Lundgren S, Waxman DJ, de Lange Davies C. Multi-modal characterization of vasculature and nanoparticle accumulation in five tumor xenograft models. J Control Release 2018; 279:292-305. [PMID: 29684498 PMCID: PMC5972071 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2018.04.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2017] [Revised: 04/11/2018] [Accepted: 04/13/2018] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
Preclinical research has demonstrated that nanoparticles and macromolecules can accumulate in solid tumors due to the enhanced permeability and retention effect. However, drug loaded nanoparticles often fail to show increased efficacy in clinical trials. A better understanding of how tumor heterogeneity affects nanoparticle accumulation could help elucidate this discrepancy and help in patient selection for nanomedicine therapy. Here we studied five human tumor models with varying morphology and evaluated the accumulation of 100 nm polystyrene nanoparticles. Each tumor model was characterized in vivo using micro-computed tomography, contrast-enhanced ultrasound and diffusion-weighted and dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging. Ex vivo, the tumors were sectioned for both fluorescence microscopy and histology. Nanoparticle uptake and distribution in the tumors were generally heterogeneous. Density of functional blood vessels measured by fluorescence microscopy correlated significantly (p = 0.0056) with nanoparticle accumulation and interestingly, inflow of microbubbles measured with ultrasound also showed a moderate but significant (p = 0.041) correlation with nanoparticle accumulation indicating that both amount of vessels and vessel morphology and perfusion predict nanoparticle accumulation. This indicates that blood vessel characterization using contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging or other methods could be valuable for patient stratification for treatment with nanomedicines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Einar Sulheim
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway; Department of Biotechnology and Nanomedicine, SINTEF, Trondheim, Norway.
| | - Jana Kim
- Department of Circulation and Medical Imaging, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway; Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, St. Olav's University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Annemieke van Wamel
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
| | - Eugene Kim
- Department of Circulation and Medical Imaging, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Sofie Snipstad
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
| | - Igor Vidic
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
| | - Ingeborg Hovde Grimstad
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
| | - Marius Widerøe
- Department of Circulation and Medical Imaging, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Sverre H Torp
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Children's and Women's Health, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway; Department of Pathology, St. Olav's University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Steinar Lundgren
- Department of Oncology, St. Olav's University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway; Department of Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway
| | - David J Waxman
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Catharina de Lange Davies
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
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32
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Matthews BJ, Waxman DJ. Computational prediction of CTCF/cohesin-based intra-TAD loops that insulate chromatin contacts and gene expression in mouse liver. eLife 2018; 7:e34077. [PMID: 29757144 PMCID: PMC5986275 DOI: 10.7554/elife.34077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2017] [Accepted: 04/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
CTCF and cohesin are key drivers of 3D-nuclear organization, anchoring the megabase-scale Topologically Associating Domains (TADs) that segment the genome. Here, we present and validate a computational method to predict cohesin-and-CTCF binding sites that form intra-TAD DNA loops. The intra-TAD loop anchors identified are structurally indistinguishable from TAD anchors regarding binding partners, sequence conservation, and resistance to cohesin knockdown; further, the intra-TAD loops retain key functional features of TADs, including chromatin contact insulation, blockage of repressive histone mark spread, and ubiquity across tissues. We propose that intra-TAD loops form by the same loop extrusion mechanism as the larger TAD loops, and that their shorter length enables finer regulatory control in restricting enhancer-promoter interactions, which enables selective, high-level expression of gene targets of super-enhancers and genes located within repressive nuclear compartments. These findings elucidate the role of intra-TAD cohesin-and-CTCF binding in nuclear organization associated with widespread insulation of distal enhancer activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bryan J Matthews
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics ProgramBoston UniversityBostonUnited States
| | - David J Waxman
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics ProgramBoston UniversityBostonUnited States
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33
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Hao P, Waxman DJ. Functional Roles of Sex-Biased, Growth Hormone-Regulated MicroRNAs miR-1948 and miR-802 in Young Adult Mouse Liver. Endocrinology 2018; 159:1377-1392. [PMID: 29346554 PMCID: PMC5839735 DOI: 10.1210/en.2017-03109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2017] [Accepted: 01/10/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Sex-specific temporal patterns of pituitary growth hormone (GH) secretion determine the sex-biased transcription of hundreds of genes in the liver and impart important sex differences in liver physiology, metabolism, and disease. Sex differences in hepatic gene expression vary widely, ranging from less than twofold to >1000-fold in the mouse. Here, we use small RNA sequencing to discover 24 sex-biased mouse liver microRNAs (miRNAs), and then investigate the roles of two of these miRNAs in GH-regulated liver sex differences. Studies in prepubertal and young adult mice, and in mice in which pituitary hormones are ablated or where sex-specific hepatic GH signaling is dysregulated, demonstrated that the male-biased miR-1948 and the female-biased miR-802 are both regulated by sex-specific pituitary GH secretory patterns, acquire sex specificity at puberty, and are dependent on the GH-activated transcription factor STAT5 for their sex-specific expression. Both miRNAs are within genomic regions characterized by sex-biased chromatin accessibility. miR-1948, an uncharacterized miRNA, has essential features for correct Drosha/Dicer processing, generates a bona fide mature miRNA with strong strand bias for the 5p arm, and is bound by Argonaute in liver tissue, as is miR-802. In vivo studies using inhibitory locked nucleic acid sequences revealed that miR-1948-5p preferentially represses female-biased messenger RNAs (mRNAs) and induces male-biased mRNAs in male liver; conversely, miR-802-5p preferentially represses male-biased mRNAs and increases levels of female-biased mRNAs in female liver. Cytochrome P450 mRNAs were strongly enriched as targets of both miRNAs. Thus, miR-1948-5p and miR-802-5p are functional components of the GH regulatory network that shapes sex-differential gene expression in mouse liver.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengying Hao
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215
| | - David J. Waxman
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215
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34
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Connerney J, Lau-Corona D, Rampersaud A, Waxman DJ. Activation of Male Liver Chromatin Accessibility and STAT5-Dependent Gene Transcription by Plasma Growth Hormone Pulses. Endocrinology 2017; 158:1386-1405. [PMID: 28323953 PMCID: PMC6283433 DOI: 10.1210/en.2017-00060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2017] [Accepted: 02/10/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Sex differences in pituitary growth hormone (GH) secretion (pulsatile in males vs near continuous/persistent in females) impart sex-dependent expression to hundreds of genes in adult mouse liver. Signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) 5, a GH-activated transcription factor that is essential for liver sexual dimorphism, is dynamically activated in direct response to each male plasma GH pulse. However, the impact of GH-induced STAT5 pulses on liver chromatin accessibility and downstream transcriptional events is unknown. In this study, we investigated the impact of a single pulse of GH given to hypophysectomized mice on local liver chromatin accessibility (DNase hypersensitive site analysis), transcription rates (heterogeneous nuclear RNA analysis), and gene expression (quantitative polymerase chain reaction and RNA sequencing) determined 30, 90, or 240 minutes later. The STAT5-dependent but sex-independent early GH response genes Igf1 and Cish showed rapid, GH pulse-induced increases in chromatin accessibility and gene transcription, reversing the effects of hypophysectomy. Rapid increases in liver chromatin accessibility and transcriptional activity were also induced in hypophysectomized male mice for some (Ces2b, Ugt2b38) but not for other liver STAT5-dependent male-biased genes (Cyp7b1). Moreover, in pituitary-intact male mice, Igf1, Cish, Ces2b, and Ugt2b38 all showed remarkable cycles of chromatin opening and closing, as well as associated cycles of induced gene transcription, which closely followed each endogenous pulse of liver STAT5 activity. Thus, the endogenous rhythms of male plasma GH pulsation dynamically open and then close liver chromatin at discrete, localized regulatory sites in temporal association with transcriptional activation of Igf1, Cish, and a subset of STAT5-dependent male-biased genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeannette Connerney
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215
| | - Dana Lau-Corona
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215
| | - Andy Rampersaud
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215
| | - David J Waxman
- Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215
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Yu AM, Ingelman-Sundberg M, Cherrington NJ, Aleksunes LM, Zanger UM, Xie W, Jeong H, Morgan ET, Turnbaugh PJ, Klaassen CD, Bhatt AP, Redinbo MR, Hao P, Waxman DJ, Wang L, Zhong XB. Regulation of drug metabolism and toxicity by multiple factors of genetics, epigenetics, lncRNAs, gut microbiota, and diseases: a meeting report of the 21 st International Symposium on Microsomes and Drug Oxidations (MDO). Acta Pharm Sin B 2017; 7:241-248. [PMID: 28388695 PMCID: PMC5343155 DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2016.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2016] [Accepted: 11/30/2016] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Variations in drug metabolism may alter drug efficacy and cause toxicity; better understanding of the mechanisms and risks shall help to practice precision medicine. At the 21st International Symposium on Microsomes and Drug Oxidations held in Davis, California, USA, in October 2-6, 2016, a number of speakers reported some new findings and ongoing studies on the regulation mechanisms behind variable drug metabolism and toxicity, and discussed potential implications to personalized medications. A considerably insightful overview was provided on genetic and epigenetic regulation of gene expression involved in drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) and drug response. Altered drug metabolism and disposition as well as molecular mechanisms among diseased and special populations were presented. In addition, the roles of gut microbiota in drug metabolism and toxicology as well as long non-coding RNAs in liver functions and diseases were discussed. These findings may offer new insights into improved understanding of ADME regulatory mechanisms and advance drug metabolism research.
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Pantziarka P, Hutchinson L, André N, Benzekry S, Bertolini F, Bhattacharjee A, Chiplunkar S, Duda DG, Gota V, Gupta S, Joshi A, Kannan S, Kerbel R, Kieran M, Palazzo A, Parikh A, Pasquier E, Patil V, Prabhash K, Shaked Y, Sholler GS, Sterba J, Waxman DJ, Banavali S. Next generation metronomic chemotherapy-report from the Fifth Biennial International Metronomic and Anti-angiogenic Therapy Meeting, 6-8 May 2016, Mumbai. Ecancermedicalscience 2016; 10:689. [PMID: 27994645 PMCID: PMC5130328 DOI: 10.3332/ecancer.2016.689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The 5th Biennial Metronomic and Anti-angiogenic Therapy Meeting was held on 6th – 8th May in the Indian city of Mumbai. The meeting brought together a wide range of clinicians and researchers interested in metronomic chemotherapy, anti-angiogenics, drug repurposing and combinations thereof. Clinical experiences, including many from India, were reported and discussed in three symposia covering breast cancer, head and neck cancers and paediatrics. On the pre-clinical side research into putative mechanisms of action, and the interactions between low dose metronomic chemotherapy and angiogenesis and immune responses, were discussed in a number of presentations. Drug repurposing was discussed both in terms of clinical results, particularly with respect to angiosarcoma and high-risk neuroblastoma, and in pre-clinical settings, particularly the potential for peri-operative interventions. However, it was clear that there remain a number of key areas of challenge, particularly in terms of definitions, perceptions in the wider oncological community, mechanisms of action and predictive biomarkers. While the potential for metronomics and drug repurposing in low and middle income countries remains a key theme, it is clear that there is also considerable potential for clinically relevant improvements in patient outcomes even in high income economies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pan Pantziarka
- Anticancer Fund, Brussels, 1853 Strombeek-Bever, Belgium; The George Pantziarka TP53 Trust, London, UK
| | | | - Nicolas André
- Service d'hématologie et Oncologie Pédiatrique, Centre Hospitalo-Universitaire Timone Enfants, AP-HM, Aix-Marseille Université, INSERM, CRO2 UMR_S 911, Marseille, France; Metronomics Global Health Initiative, Marseille, France
| | - Sébastien Benzekry
- Inria team MONC and Institut de Mathématiques de Bordeaux, Talence, France
| | | | | | | | - Dan G Duda
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Vikram Gota
- ACTREC, Tata Memorial Centre, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai 410210, India
| | - Sudeep Gupta
- ACTREC, Tata Memorial Centre, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai 410210, India
| | | | - Sadhana Kannan
- ACTREC, Tata Memorial Centre, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai 410210, India
| | - Robert Kerbel
- Biological Sciences Platform, Sunnybrook Research Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Mark Kieran
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Antonella Palazzo
- Division of Medical Senology, European Institute of Oncology, Via Ripamonti 435, 20141, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Eddy Pasquier
- INSERM UMR 911, Centre de Recherche en Oncologie Biologique et Oncopharmacologie, Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, France; Metronomics Global Health Initiative, Marseille, France
| | | | | | - Yuval Shaked
- Department of Cell Biology and Cancer Science, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | | | - Jaroslav Sterba
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, University Hospital Brno and Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Cernopolni 9, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic; International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital and RECAMO, Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - David J Waxman
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Shripad Banavali
- Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, India; Metronomics Global Health Initiative, Marseille, France
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Tabassum S, Zhao Y, Istfan R, Wu J, Waxman DJ, Roblyer D. Feasibility of spatial frequency domain imaging (SFDI) for optically characterizing a preclinical oncology model. Biomed Opt Express 2016; 7:4154-4170. [PMID: 27867722 PMCID: PMC5102554 DOI: 10.1364/boe.7.004154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2016] [Revised: 09/08/2016] [Accepted: 09/09/2016] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Determination of chemotherapy efficacy early during treatment would provide more opportunities for physicians to alter and adapt treatment plans. Diffuse optical technologies may be ideally suited to track early biological events following chemotherapy administration due to low cost and high information content. We evaluated the use of spatial frequency domain imaging (SFDI) to characterize a small animal tumor model in order to move towards the goal of endogenous optical monitoring of cancer therapy in a controlled preclinical setting. The effects of key measurement parameters including the choice of imaging spatial frequency and the repeatability of measurements were evaluated. The precision of SFDI optical property extractions over repeat mouse measurements was determined to be within 3.52% for move and replace experiments. Baseline optical properties and chromophore values as well as intratumor heterogeneity were evaluated over 25 tumors. Additionally, tumor growth and chemotherapy response were monitored over a 45 day longitudinal study in a small number of mice to demonstrate the ability of SFDI to track treatment effects. Optical scattering and oxygen saturation increased as much as 70% and 25% respectively in treated tumors, suggesting SFDI may be useful for preclinical tracking of cancer therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Syeda Tabassum
- Electrical and Computer Engineering, Boston University, 8 Saint Mary’s Street, Boston, MA 02215,USA
| | - Yanyu Zhao
- Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, 44 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Raeef Istfan
- Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, 44 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Junjie Wu
- Division of Cell and Molecular Biology, Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, 5 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - David J. Waxman
- Division of Cell and Molecular Biology, Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, 5 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Darren Roblyer
- Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, 44 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA 02215, USA
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Oshida K, Waxman DJ, Corton JC. Correction: Chemical and Hormonal Effects on STAT5b- Dependent Sexual Dimorphism of the Liver Transcriptome. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0161519. [PMID: 27529843 PMCID: PMC4987134 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0161519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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Haery L, Mussakhan S, Waxman DJ, Gilmore TD. Evidence for an oncogenic modifier role for mutant histone acetyltransferases in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Leuk Lymphoma 2016; 57:2661-71. [PMID: 27003102 DOI: 10.3109/10428194.2016.1160083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Mutations in histone acetyltransferases (HATs) are among the most common mutations in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). We previously showed that two human DLBCL cell lines, RC-K8 and SUDHL2, express C-terminally truncated, HAT domain-deficient p300 proteins (p300ΔC) that are required for optimal cell proliferation. Microarray analysis of mRNA expression in RC-K8 cells following p300ΔC knockdown shows upregulation of NF-κB and p53 gene expression programs and downregulation of a MYC gene expression program. Experiments indicate that these gene expression changes are due to inhibitory effects of p300ΔC on NF-κB activity and on p53 protein levels and stimulatory effects on MYC protein levels, suggesting that p300ΔC mutants enhance the proliferation of DLBCL cells by adjusting the transcriptional output of cell-specific oncoproteins. We propose that p300/CBP gene truncation represents a new class of oncogenic mutation that optimizes the activity of context-specific oncogenic transcription factors. We propose 'oncogenic modifier' to describe such mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leila Haery
- a Department of Biology , Boston University , Boston , MA , USA
| | | | - David J Waxman
- a Department of Biology , Boston University , Boston , MA , USA
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Oshida K, Vasani N, Waxman DJ, Corton JC. Disruption of STAT5b-Regulated Sexual Dimorphism of the Liver Transcriptome by Diverse Factors Is a Common Event. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0148308. [PMID: 26959975 PMCID: PMC4784905 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0148308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2015] [Accepted: 01/15/2016] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Signal transducer and activator of transcription 5b (STAT5b) is a growth hormone (GH)-activated transcription factor and a master regulator of sexually dimorphic gene expression in the liver. Disruption of the GH hypothalamo-pituitary-liver axis controlling STAT5b activation can lead to metabolic dysregulation, steatosis, and liver cancer. Computational approaches were developed to identify factors that disrupt STAT5b function in a mouse liver gene expression compendium. A biomarker comprised of 144 STAT5b-dependent genes was derived using comparisons between wild-type male and wild-type female mice and between STAT5b-null and wild-type mice. Correlations between the STAT5b biomarker gene set and a test set comprised of expression datasets (biosets) with known effects on STAT5b function were evaluated using a rank-based test (the Running Fisher algorithm). Using a similarity p-value ≤ 10−4, the test achieved a balanced accuracy of 99% and 97% for detection of STAT5b activation or STAT5b suppression, respectively. The STAT5b biomarker gene set was then used to identify factors that activate (masculinize) or suppress (feminize) STAT5b function in an annotated mouse liver and primary hepatocyte gene expression compendium of ~1,850 datasets. Disruption of GH-regulated STAT5b is a common phenomenon in liver in vivo, with 5% and 29% of the male datasets, and 11% and 13% of the female datasets, associated with masculinization or feminization, respectively. As expected, liver STAT5b activation/masculinization occurred at puberty and suppression/feminization occurred during aging and in mutant mice with defects in GH signaling. A total of 70 genes were identified that have effects on STAT5b activation in genetic models in which the gene was inactivated or overexpressed. Other factors that affected liver STAT5b function were shown to include fasting, caloric restriction and infections. Together, these findings identify diverse factors that perturb the hypothalamo-pituitary-liver GH axis and disrupt GH-dependent STAT5b activation in mouse liver.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keiyu Oshida
- Integrated Systems Toxicology Division, NHEERL/ORD, US-EPA, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, United States of America
| | - Naresh Vasani
- Integrated Systems Toxicology Division, NHEERL/ORD, US-EPA, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, United States of America
| | - David J. Waxman
- Division of Cell and Molecular Biology, Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, United States of America
| | - J. Christopher Corton
- Integrated Systems Toxicology Division, NHEERL/ORD, US-EPA, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Jordan M, Waxman DJ. Abstract B121: Low dose, metronomic cyclophosphamide therapy sensitizes tumors to CpG-1826 immunotherapy in a preclinical glioma model. Cancer Immunol Res 2016. [DOI: 10.1158/2326-6074.cricimteatiaacr15-b121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Metronomic chemotherapy, in which cytotoxic drugs are delivered at low doses at regular, intermittent intervals, has shown promising clinical results in several cancers and offers the benefit of reduced patient toxicity compared to conventional maximum tolerated dose chemotherapy. We previously showed that cyclophosphamide (CPA) treatment on a 6-day repeating metronomic schedule regresses implanted gliomas by an immune-mediated mechanism. Here, we examine whether this immune-stimulatory metronomic chemotherapy can be enhanced by combination with TLR9-stimulating CpG-1826 immunotherapy in GL261 gliomas implanted in immunocompetent BL6 mice. CpG-1826 treatment activated an anti-tumor immune response in ~50% of mice, associated with a strong increase in tumor-associated macrophages. CpG-1826 was ineffective against GL261 tumors implanted in T cell- and B cell-deficient scid mice, suggesting that adaptive immunity is essential. Combination of CpG-1826 with metronomic CPA sensitized GL261 gliomas in both CpG-1826-responsive and CpG-1826-non-responsive mice, increasing infiltration of tumor-associated macrophages, dendritic cells, and T cells and increasing anti-tumor activity. Further, the combination treatment elicited long-term regression and immune memory in a subset of glioma-bearing mice. To identify potential mechanisms for this enhanced response to the combination therapy, we assayed a number of immune-related genes in the treated tumors, including feedback inhibitory immunosuppressive T cell factors that are induced by metronomic CPA treatment. Combination of CpG-1826 with metronomic CPA failed to induce several of these factors, suggesting that TLR9-based immunotherapy can enhance the anti-tumor activity of metronomic CPA by interdicting feedback immune inhibition mechanisms. Grant support: CA49248 (to DJW).
Citation Format: Marie Jordan, David J. Waxman. Low dose, metronomic cyclophosphamide therapy sensitizes tumors to CpG-1826 immunotherapy in a preclinical glioma model. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the CRI-CIMT-EATI-AACR Inaugural International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference: Translating Science into Survival; September 16-19, 2015; New York, NY. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2016;4(1 Suppl):Abstract nr B121.
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Jordan M, Waxman DJ. CpG-1826 immunotherapy potentiates chemotherapeutic and anti-tumor immune responses to metronomic cyclophosphamide in a preclinical glioma model. Cancer Lett 2015; 373:88-96. [PMID: 26655275 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2015.11.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2015] [Revised: 11/26/2015] [Accepted: 11/27/2015] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Cyclophosphamide administered on an intermittent metronomic schedule induces strong immune-dependent regression in several glioma models. Here we investigate whether this immunogenic chemotherapy can be potentiated by combination with the immune stimulatory TLR9 agonist CpG-1826. CpG-1826 treatment of GL261 gliomas implanted in immune competent mice induced tumor growth delay associated with increased tumor recruitment of macrophages and B cells. Anti-tumor responses varied between individuals, with CpG-1826 inducing robust tumor growth delay in ~50% of treated mice. Both high and low CpG-1826-responsive mice showed striking improvements when CpG-1826 was combined with cyclophosphamide treatment. Tumor-associated macrophages, B cells, dendritic cells, and cytotoxic T cells were increased, T regulatory cells were not induced, and long-term GL261 glioma regression with immune memory was achieved when CpG-1826 was combined with either single cyclophosphamide dosing (90 mg/kg) or metronomic cyclophosphamide treatment (two cycles at 45 mg/kg, spaced 12-days apart). B16F10 melanoma, a low immunogenic tumor model, also showed enhanced immune and anti-tumor responses to cyclophosphamide/CpG-1826 chemoimmunotherapy, but unlike GL261 tumors, did not regress. TLR9-based immunotherapy can thus be effectively combined with immunogenic cyclophosphamide treatment to enhance immune-based anti-tumor responses, even in poorly immunogenic cancer models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Jordan
- Division of Cell and Molecular Biology, Department of Biology, Boston University, 5 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - David J Waxman
- Division of Cell and Molecular Biology, Department of Biology, Boston University, 5 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
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Suvorov A, Waxman DJ. Early programing of uterine tissue by bisphenol A: Critical evaluation of evidence from animal exposure studies. Reprod Toxicol 2015; 57:59-72. [PMID: 26028543 PMCID: PMC4550532 DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2015.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2015] [Revised: 05/12/2015] [Accepted: 05/15/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Exposure to Bisphenol A (BPA) during the critical window of uterine development has been proposed to program the uterus for increased disease susceptibility based on well-documented effects of the potent xenoestrogen diethylstilbestrol. To investigate this proposal, we reviewed 37 studies of prenatal and/or perinatal BPA exposure in animal models and evaluated evidence for: molecular signatures of early BPA exposure; the development of adverse uterine health effects; and epigenetic changes linked to long-term dysregulation of uterine gene expression and health effects. We found substantial evidence for adult uterine effects of early BPA exposure. In contrast, experimental support for epigenetic actions of early BPA exposure is very limited, and largely consists of effects on Hoxa gene DNA methylation. Critical knowledge gaps were identified, including the need to fully characterize short-term and long-term uterine gene responses, interactions with estrogens and other endogenous hormones, and any long-lasting epigenetic signatures that impact adult disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Suvorov
- Division of Cell and Molecular Biology, Department of Biology, Boston University, 5 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, 686-North Pleasant Str., Amherst, MA 01003-9303, USA
| | - David J Waxman
- Division of Cell and Molecular Biology, Department of Biology, Boston University, 5 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
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Abstract
Hepatocyte-enriched nuclear factor (HNF)6 and CUX2 are GH and STAT5-regulated homeobox transcription factors. CUX2 shows female-specific expression and contributes to liver sex differences by repressing many male-biased genes and inducing many female-biased genes, whereas HNF6 is expressed at similar levels in male and female liver. In cell-based transfection studies, CUX2 inhibited HNF6 transcriptional regulation of the sex-specific gene promoters CYP2C11 and CYP2C12, blocking HNF6 repression of CYP2C11 and HNF6 activation of CYP2C12. These inhibitory actions of CUX2 can be explained by competition for HNF6 DNA binding, as demonstrated by in vitro EMSA analysis and validated in vivo by global analysis of the HNF6 cistrome. Approximately 40 000 HNF6-binding sites were identified in mouse liver chromatin, including several thousand sites showing significant sex differences in HNF6 binding. These sex-biased HNF6-binding sites showed strong enrichment for correspondingly sex-biased DNase hypersensitive sites and for proximity to genes showing local sex-biased chromatin marks and a corresponding sex-biased expression. Further, approximately 90% of the genome-wide binding sites for CUX2 were also bound by HNF6. These HNF6/CUX2 common binding sites were enriched for genomic regions more accessible in male than in female mouse liver chromatin and showed strongest enrichment for male-biased genes, suggesting CUX2 displacement of HNF6 as a mechanism to explain the observed CUX2 repression of male-biased genes in female liver. HNF6 binding was sex independent at a majority of its binding sites, and HNF6 peaks were frequently associated with cobinding by multiple other liver transcription factors, consistent with HNF6 playing a global regulatory role in both male and female liver.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tara L Conforto
- Division of Cell and Molecular Biology, Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215
| | - George F Steinhardt
- Division of Cell and Molecular Biology, Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215
| | - David J Waxman
- Division of Cell and Molecular Biology, Department of Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215
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Doloff JC, Waxman DJ. Transcriptional profiling provides insights into metronomic cyclophosphamide-activated, innate immune-dependent regression of brain tumor xenografts. BMC Cancer 2015; 15:375. [PMID: 25952672 PMCID: PMC4523019 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-015-1358-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2014] [Accepted: 04/23/2015] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Cyclophosphamide treatment on a six-day repeating metronomic schedule induces a dramatic, innate immune cell-dependent regression of implanted gliomas. However, little is known about the underlying mechanisms whereby metronomic cyclophosphamide induces innate immune cell mobilization and recruitment, or about the role of DNA damage and cell stress response pathways in eliciting the immune responses linked to tumor regression. Methods Untreated and metronomic cyclophosphamide-treated human U251 glioblastoma xenografts were analyzed on human microarrays at two treatment time points to identify responsive tumor cell-specific factors and their upstream regulators. Mouse microarray analysis across two glioma models (human U251, rat 9L) was used to identify host factors and gene networks that contribute to the observed immune and tumor regression responses. Results Metronomic cyclophosphamide increased expression of tumor cell-derived DNA damage, cell stress, and cell death genes, which may facilitate innate immune activation. Increased expression of many host (mouse) immune networks was also seen in both tumor models, including complement components, toll-like receptors, interferons, and cytolysis pathways. Key upstream regulators activated by metronomic cyclophosphamide include members of the interferon, toll-like receptor, inflammatory response, and PPAR signaling pathways, whose activation may contribute to anti-tumor immunity. Many upstream regulators inhibited by metronomic cyclophosphamide, including hypoxia-inducible factors and MAP kinases, have glioma-promoting activity; their inhibition may contribute to the therapeutic effectiveness of the six-day repeating metronomic cyclophosphamide schedule. Conclusions Large numbers of responsive cytokines, chemokines and immune regulatory genes linked to innate immune cell recruitment and tumor regression were identified, as were several immunosuppressive factors that may contribute to the observed escape of some tumors from metronomic CPA-induced, immune-based regression. These factors may include useful biomarkers that facilitate discovery of clinically effective immunogenic metronomic drugs and treatment schedules, and the selection of patients most likely to be responsive to immunogenic drug scheduling. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12885-015-1358-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua C Doloff
- Department of Biology, Division of Cell and Molecular Biology, Boston University, Boston, USA.
| | - David J Waxman
- Department of Biology, Division of Cell and Molecular Biology, Boston University, Boston, USA.
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Wu J, Waxman DJ. Metronomic cyclophosphamide eradicates large implanted GL261 gliomas by activating antitumor Cd8 + T-cell responses and immune memory. Oncoimmunology 2015; 4:e1005521. [PMID: 26137402 PMCID: PMC4485826 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2015.1005521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2014] [Revised: 01/02/2015] [Accepted: 01/06/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer chemotherapy using cytotoxic drugs can induce immunogenic tumor cell death; however, dosing regimens and schedules that enable single-agent chemotherapy to induce adaptive immune-dependent ablation of large, established tumors with activation of long-term immune memory have not been identified. Here, we investigate this issue in a syngeneic, implanted GL261 glioma model in immune-competent mice given cyclophosphamide on a 6-day repeating metronomic schedule. Two cycles of metronomic cyclophosphamide treatment induced sustained upregulation of tumor-associated CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) cells, natural killer (NK) cells, macrophages, and other immune cells. Expression of CTL- and NK–cell-shared effectors peaked on Day 6, and then declined by Day 9 after the second cyclophosphamide injection and correlated inversely with the expression of the regulatory T cell (Treg) marker Foxp3. Sustained tumor regression leading to tumor ablation was achieved after several cyclophosphamide treatment cycles. Tumor ablation required CD8+ T cells, as shown by immunodepletion studies, and was associated with immunity to re-challenge with GL261 glioma cells, but not B16-F10 melanoma or Lewis lung carcinoma cells. Rejection of GL261 tumor re-challenge was associated with elevated CTLs in blood and increased CTL infiltration in tumors, consistent with the induction of long-term, specific CD8+ T-cell anti-GL261 tumor memory. Co-depletion of CD8+ T cells and NK cells did not inhibit tumor regression beyond CD8+ T-cell depletion alone, suggesting that the metronomic cyclophosphamide-activated NK cells function via CD8a+ T cells. Taken together, these findings provide proof-of-concept that single-agent chemotherapy delivered on an optimized metronomic schedule can eradicate large, established tumors and induce long-term immune memory.
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Key Words
- B6, C57BL/6 mouse strain
- CD8+ T cells
- CPA, cyclophosphamide
- CPA-90 and CPA-140, metronomic CPA scheduling at 90 and 140 mg CPA/kg body weight, respectively, repeated every 6 days
- CTL, cytotoxic T lymphocyte
- FACS, fluorescence-activated cell sorting
- GL261 glioma
- LLC, Lewis lung carcinoma
- MDSC, myeloid-derived suppressor cells
- MTD, maximum-tolerated dose
- NK cell, natural killer cell
- NK cells
- PEB, phosphate-EDTA buffer
- chemoimmunotherapy
- chemotherapy
- cyclophosphamide
- drug scheduling
- glioblastoma
- immune memory
- metronomic chemotherapy
- qPCR, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction
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Affiliation(s)
- Junjie Wu
- Division of Cell and Molecular Biology; Department of Biology and Graduate Program in Molecular and Translational Medicine; Boston University ; Boston, MA USA
| | - David J Waxman
- Division of Cell and Molecular Biology; Department of Biology and Graduate Program in Molecular and Translational Medicine; Boston University ; Boston, MA USA
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47
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Kareva I, Waxman DJ, Lakka Klement G. Metronomic chemotherapy: an attractive alternative to maximum tolerated dose therapy that can activate anti-tumor immunity and minimize therapeutic resistance. Cancer Lett 2014; 358:100-106. [PMID: 25541061 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2014.12.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 154] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2014] [Revised: 12/12/2014] [Accepted: 12/15/2014] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The administration of chemotherapy at reduced doses given at regular, frequent time intervals, termed 'metronomic' chemotherapy, presents an alternative to standard maximal tolerated dose (MTD) chemotherapy. The primary target of metronomic chemotherapy was originally identified as endothelial cells supporting the tumor vasculature, and not the tumor cells themselves, consistent with the emerging concept of cancer as a systemic disease involving both tumor cells and their microenvironment. While anti-angiogenesis is an important mechanism of action of metronomic chemotherapy, other mechanisms, including activation of anti-tumor immunity and a decrease in acquired therapeutic resistance, have also been identified. Here we present evidence supporting a mechanistic explanation for the improved activity of cancer chemotherapy when administered on a metronomic, rather than an MTD schedule and discuss the implications of these findings for further translation into the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina Kareva
- Newman Lakka Institute, Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA 02111; Mathematical, Computational and Modeling Sciences Center, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287
| | - David J Waxman
- Division of Cell and Molecular Biology, Department of Biology, Boston University Boston, MA 02215
| | - Giannoula Lakka Klement
- Newman Lakka Institute, Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA 02111.
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Doloff JC, Waxman DJ. Adenoviral vectors for prodrug activation-based gene therapy for cancer. Anticancer Agents Med Chem 2014; 14:115-26. [PMID: 23869779 DOI: 10.2174/18715206113139990309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2012] [Revised: 01/09/2013] [Accepted: 04/10/2013] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Cancer cell heterogeneity is a common feature - both between patients diagnosed with the same cancer and within an individual patient's tumor - and leads to widely different response rates to cancer therapies and the potential for the emergence of drug resistance. Diverse therapeutic approaches have been developed to combat the complexity of cancer, including individual treatment modalities designed to target tumor heterogeneity. This review discusses adenoviral vectors and how they can be modified to replicate in a cancer-specific manner and deliver therapeutic genes under multi-tiered regulation to target tumor heterogeneity, including heterogeneity associated with cancer stem cell-like subpopulations. Strategies that allow for combination of prodrug-activation gene therapy with a novel replication-conditional, heterogeneous tumor-targeting adenovirus are discussed, as are the benefits of using adenoviral vectors as tumor-targeting oncolytic vectors. While the anticancer activity of many adenoviral vectors has been well established in preclinical studies, only limited successes have been achieved in the clinic, indicating a need for further improvements in activity, specificity, tumor cell delivery and avoidance of immunogenicity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - David J Waxman
- Department of Cell and Molecular, Biology, Boston University, 5 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
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Wu J, Waxman DJ. Metronomic cyclophosphamide schedule-dependence of innate immune cell recruitment and tumor regression in an implanted glioma model. Cancer Lett 2014; 353:272-80. [PMID: 25069038 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2014.07.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2014] [Revised: 07/17/2014] [Accepted: 07/19/2014] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Metronomic cyclophosphamide (CPA) treatment activates robust innate anti-tumor immunity and induces major regression of large, implanted brain tumor xenografts when administered on an intermittent, every 6-day schedule, but not on a daily low-dose or a maximum-tolerated dose CPA schedule. Here, we used an implanted GL261 glioma model to compare five intermittent metronomic CPA schedules to elucidate the kinetics and schedule dependence of innate immune cell recruitment and tumor regression. Tumor-recruited natural killer cells induced by two every 6-day treatment cycles were significantly ablated 1 day after a third CPA treatment, but largely recovered several days later. Natural killer and other tumor-infiltrating innate immune cells peaked 12 days after the last CPA treatment on the every 6-day schedule, suggesting that drug-free intervals longer than 6 days may show increased efficacy. Metronomic CPA treatments spaced 9 or 12 days apart, or on an alternating 6 and 9 day schedule, induced extensive tumor regression, similar to the 6-day schedule; however, the tumor-infiltrating natural killer cell responses were not sustained, leading to rapid resumption of tumor growth after day 24, despite ongoing metronomic CPA treatment. Increasing the CPA dose prolonged the period of tumor regression on the every 9-day schedule, but natural killer cell activation was markedly decreased. Thus, while several intermittent metronomic CPA treatment schedules can activate innate immune cell recruitment leading to major tumor regression, sustained immune and anti-tumor responses are only achieved on the 6-day schedule. However, even with this schedule, some tumors eventually relapse, indicating a need for further improvements in this immunogenic metronomic therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junjie Wu
- Division of Cell and Molecular Biology, Department of Biology, Boston University, 5 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - David J Waxman
- Division of Cell and Molecular Biology, Department of Biology, Boston University, 5 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
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Doloff JC, Chen CS, Waxman DJ. Anti-tumor innate immunity activated by intermittent metronomic cyclophosphamide treatment of 9L brain tumor xenografts is preserved by anti-angiogenic drugs that spare VEGF receptor 2. Mol Cancer 2014; 13:158. [PMID: 24965046 PMCID: PMC4083145 DOI: 10.1186/1476-4598-13-158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2014] [Accepted: 06/16/2014] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Metronomic cyclophosphamide given on an intermittent, 6-day repeating schedule, but not on an exposure dose-equivalent daily schedule, activates an anti-tumor innate immune response that leads to major regression of large implanted gliomas, without anti-angiogenesis. Methods and approach Mice bearing implanted 9L gliomas were used to investigate the effects of this 6-day repeating, immunogenic cyclophosphamide schedule on myeloid-derived suppressor cells, which are pro-angiogenic and can inhibit anti-tumor immunity, and to elucidate the mechanism whereby the innate immune cell-dependent tumor regression response to metronomic cyclophosphamide treatment is blocked by several anti-angiogenic receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Results Intermittent metronomic cyclophosphamide scheduling strongly increased glioma-associated CD11b+ immune cells but not CD11b+Gr1+ myeloid-derived suppressor cells, while bone marrow and spleen reservoirs of the suppressor cells were decreased. The inhibition of immune cell recruitment and tumor regression by anti-angiogenic receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors, previously observed in several brain tumor models, was recapitulated in the 9L tumor model with the VEGFR2-specific inhibitory monoclonal antibody DC101 (p < 0.01), implicating VEGFR2 signaling as an essential step in metronomic cyclophosphamide-stimulated immune cell recruitment. In contrast, sorafenib, a multi-receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor with comparatively weak VEGF receptor phosphorylation inhibitory activity, was strongly anti-angiogenic but did not block metronomic cyclophosphamide-induced innate immunity or tumor regression (p > 0.05). Conclusions The interference by receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors in the immunogenic actions of intermittent metronomic chemotherapy is not a consequence of anti-angiogenesis per se, as demonstrated in an implanted 9L tumor model. Furthermore, this undesirable interaction with tyrosine kinase inhibitors can be avoided by using anti-angiogenic drugs that spare the VEGFR2 pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - David J Waxman
- Division of Cell and Molecular Biology, Department of Biology, Boston University, 5 Cummington Street, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
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