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Li Z, Liu G, Yang X, Shu M, Jin W, Tong Y, Liu X, Wang Y, Yuan J, Yang Y. An atlas of cell-type-specific interactome networks across 44 human tumor types. Genome Med 2024; 16:30. [PMID: 38347596 PMCID: PMC10860273 DOI: 10.1186/s13073-024-01303-w] [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] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/15/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Biological processes are controlled by groups of genes acting in concert. Investigating gene-gene interactions within different cell types can help researchers understand the regulatory mechanisms behind human complex diseases, such as tumors. METHODS We collected extensive single-cell RNA-seq data from tumors, involving 563 patients with 44 different tumor types. Through our analysis, we identified various cell types in tumors and created an atlas of different immune cell subsets across different tumor types. Using the SCINET method, we reconstructed interactome networks specific to different cell types. Diverse functional data was then integrated to gain biological insights into the networks, including somatic mutation patterns and gene functional annotation. Additionally, genes with prognostic relevance within the networks were also identified. We also examined cell-cell communications to investigate how gene interactions modulate cell-cell interactions. RESULTS We developed a data portal called CellNetdb for researchers to study cell-type-specific interactome networks. Our findings indicate that these networks can be used to identify genes with topological specificity in different cell types. We also found that prognostic genes can deconvolved into cell types through analyzing network connectivity. Additionally, we identified commonalities and differences in cell-type-specific networks across different tumor types. Our results suggest that these networks can be used to prioritize risk genes. CONCLUSIONS This study presented CellNetdb, a comprehensive repository featuring an atlas of cell-type-specific interactome networks across 44 human tumor types. The findings underscore the utility of these networks in delineating the intricacies of tumor microenvironments and advancing the understanding of molecular mechanisms underpinning human tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zekun Li
- Department of Bioinformatics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, The Province and Ministry Co-Sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Center for Reproductive Medicine, The Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Inflammatory Biology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, China
| | - Gerui Liu
- Department of Bioinformatics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, The Province and Ministry Co-Sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Center for Reproductive Medicine, The Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Inflammatory Biology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, China
| | - Xiaoxiao Yang
- Department of Bioinformatics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, The Province and Ministry Co-Sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Center for Reproductive Medicine, The Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Inflammatory Biology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, China
| | - Meng Shu
- Department of Bioinformatics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, The Province and Ministry Co-Sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Center for Reproductive Medicine, The Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Inflammatory Biology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, China
| | - Wen Jin
- Department of Bioinformatics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, The Province and Ministry Co-Sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Center for Reproductive Medicine, The Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Inflammatory Biology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, China
| | - Yang Tong
- Department of Bioinformatics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, The Province and Ministry Co-Sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Center for Reproductive Medicine, The Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Inflammatory Biology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, China
| | - Xiaochuan Liu
- Department of Bioinformatics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, The Province and Ministry Co-Sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Center for Reproductive Medicine, The Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Inflammatory Biology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, China
| | - Yuting Wang
- Department of Bioinformatics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, The Province and Ministry Co-Sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Center for Reproductive Medicine, The Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Inflammatory Biology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, China
| | - Jiapei Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, National Clinical Research Center for Blood Diseases, Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Institute of Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, 300020, China.
- Tianjin Institutes of Health Science, Tianjin, 301600, China.
| | - Yang Yang
- Department of Bioinformatics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, The Province and Ministry Co-Sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Center for Reproductive Medicine, The Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Inflammatory Biology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, China.
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, China.
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Zhang J, Zhao H. eQTL studies: from bulk tissues to single cells. J Genet Genomics 2023; 50:925-933. [PMID: 37207929 PMCID: PMC10656365 DOI: 10.1016/j.jgg.2023.05.003] [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: 02/21/2023] [Revised: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
An expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) is a chromosomal region where genetic variants are associated with the expression levels of specific genes that can be both nearby or distant. The identifications of eQTLs for different tissues, cell types, and contexts have led to a better understanding of the dynamic regulations of gene expressions and implications of functional genes and variants for complex traits and diseases. Although most eQTL studies have been performed on data collected from bulk tissues, recent studies have demonstrated the importance of cell-type-specific and context-dependent gene regulations in biological processes and disease mechanisms. In this review, we discuss statistical methods that have been developed to enable the detection of cell-type-specific and context-dependent eQTLs from bulk tissues, purified cell types, and single cells. We also discuss the limitations of the current methods and future research opportunities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingfei Zhang
- Information Systems and Operations Management, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Hongyu Zhao
- Department of Biostatistics, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT 208034, USA.
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Palovaara J, Weijers D. Adapting INTACT to analyse cell-type-specific transcriptomes and nucleocytoplasmic mRNA dynamics in the Arabidopsis embryo. Plant Reprod 2019; 32:113-121. [PMID: 30430248 DOI: 10.1007/s00497-018-0347-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2018] [Accepted: 10/31/2018] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
In the early embryo of vascular plants, the different cell types and stem cells of the seedling are specified as the embryo develops from a zygote towards maturity. How the key steps in cell and tissue specification are instructed by genome-wide transcriptional activity is poorly understood. Progress in defining transcriptional regulation at the genome-wide level in plant embryos has been hampered by difficulties associated with capturing cell-type-specific transcriptomes in this small and inaccessible structure. We recently adapted a two-component genetic nucleus labelling system called INTACT to isolate nuclei from distinct cell types at different stages of Arabidopsis thaliana embryogenesis. We have used these to generate a transcriptomic atlas of embryo development following microarray-based expression profiling. Here, we present a general description of the adapted INTACT procedure, including the two-component labelling system, seed isolation, nuclei preparation and purification, as well as transcriptomic profiling. We also compare nuclear and cellular transcriptomes from the early Arabidopsis embryo to assess nucleocytoplasmic differences and discuss how these differences can be used to infer regulation of gene activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joakim Palovaara
- Laboratory of Biochemistry, Wageningen University, 6708 WE, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Molecular Genetics, University of Bremen, 28359, Bremen, Germany
| | - Dolf Weijers
- Laboratory of Biochemistry, Wageningen University, 6708 WE, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
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