Ikeda-Yorifuji, I;Tsujioka, H;Sakata, Y;Yamashita, T;
PMID: 35452717 | DOI: 10.1016/j.neures.2022.04.006
The adult mammalian central nervous system has limited regenerative ability, and spinal cord injury (SCI) often causes lifelong motor disability. While regeneration is limited in adults, injured spinal cord tissue can be regenerated and neural function can be almost completely restored in neonates. However, difference of cellular composition in lesion has not been well characterized. To gain insight into the age-dependent cellular reaction after SCI, we performed single-nucleus RNA sequencing, analyzing 4076 nuclei from sham and injured spinal cords from adult and neonatal mice. Clustering analysis identified 18 cell populations. We identified previously undescribed cells with ependymal cell-like gene expression profile, the number of which was increased in neonates after SCI. Histological analysis revealed that these cells line the central canal under physiological conditions in both adults and neonates. We confirmed that they were enriched in the lesion only in neonates. We further showed that these cells were positive for the cellular markers of ependymal cells, astrocytes and radial glial cells. This study provides a deeper understanding of neonate-specific cellular responses after SCI, which may determine regenerative capacity.
Yao, D;Lin, S;Chen, S;Wang, Z;
PMID: 35443871 | DOI: 10.1080/21655979.2022.2060776
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a type of important non-coding RNAs that widely involve in the physiological and pathophysiological process. Recent research has established a link between circHIPK3 and the malignant activity of cancer cells. However, circHIPK3' role in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) still needs more focus. To determine the prognostic value of circHIPK3 in patients with ESCC, the expression of circHIPK3 was quantified in 32 pairs of ESCC using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Then, the correlation between circHIPK3 expression and clinical characteristics of patients was also analyzed. The function of circHIPK3 in the development of ESCC was investigated using cell biology studies and bioinformatics. The results showed that the expression of circHIPK3 was considerably higher in tumor tissues from ESCC patients than that of adjacent tissues, which was associated with a poor prognosis. Additionally, silencing of circHIPK3 expression retarded esophageal cancer cell proliferation, migration and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in vitro, as well as the growth in vivo. Mechanistically, we discovered that circHIPK3 behaved like a sponge, absorbing microRNA-124 (miR-124) and promoting serine/threonine kinase 3 (AKT3) expression. Our findings indicate that circHIPK3 acts as an oncogene in ESCC and that the circHIPK3-AKT3 axis may be a therapeutic target for patients with ESCC.
Zhang, X;Xiong, H;Zhao, Y;Lin, S;Huang, X;Lin, C;Mao, S;Chen, D;
PMID: 35358000 | DOI: 10.1080/21655979.2022.2054753
Bladder cancer (BC) is the most frequent type of urinary tumor and a barely treatable disease. Although extensive efforts have been invested in the research of BC, the underlying etiology and pathophysiology remain unclear. CircLONP2 is a circular RNA implicated in the development of many cancers, and miR-584-5p and YAP1 have been reported to contribute to the progression of BC. In this research, we presented novel evidence supporting circLONP2/miR-584-5p/YAP1 axis as a novel regulatory module in the progression of BC. We analyzed the expression of circLONP2 between precancerous BC samples and normal tissues using a published RNA-seq dataset. The expression of circLONP2 was also validated in clinical samples and cell lines by quantitative RT-PCR. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) and miRNA inhibitor was utilized to modulate the expression of circLONP2 and miR-584-5p and investigate their functions on cell proliferation and invasion. Luciferase reporter assay and RNA pull-down were performed to confirm the functional interactions among circLONP2/miR-584-5p/YAP1. CircLONP2 was significantly upregulated in precancerous BC tissues and BC cells. CircLONP2 depletion inhibited cell viability, proliferation, and invasion of BC cell lines, which could be partially rescued by miR-584-5p inhibitor. Further experiments indicated that miR-584-5p regulates cell viability, proliferation, and invasion via directly targeting YAP1. In summary, our work indicates that circLONP2 plays an oncogenic function in BC by regulating miR-584-5p/YAP1 axis, and its interaction with miR-584-5p provides a potential strategy to target BC.
Pathology, research and practice
Momeni-Boroujeni, A;Yousefi, E;Gupta, S;Benayed, R;Berger, MF;Ladanyi, M;Monroe, R;Kim, J;Jungbluth, A;Weigelt, B;Park, KJ;
PMID: 35439652 | DOI: 10.1016/j.prp.2022.153892
Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) activation has been shown to be an important cancer hallmark; the activation and expression of TERT has been documented in >90% of tumors and TERT activation has been touted as a prognostic marker in many cancers. However, there is currently no simple testing modality to detect TERT mRNA expression in surgical pathology specimens. In this study we aim to evaluate and validate the utility and reliability of the TERT RNAscope in-situ hybridization (ISH) assay for the detection of TERT mRNA expression in formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded tissue.RNAscope detection for TERT was performed on a Leica Biosystems BOND III research staining robot using the Hs-TERT-O1 (ACD, 481968) probe. Twenty three samples containing 48 tissue types were assessed. TERT genomic alterations were determined by targeted next generation sequencing (NGS), while TERT mRNA expression was determined by both targeted RNA-sequencing and TERT RNAscope and the results compared. Manual vs automated TERT expression quantification methodologies were evaluated for the ISH assay. The expression levels in normal vs. neoplastic tissues were also compared.The RNAscope assay showed high TERT expression in neoplastic tissues, while most normal tissues have no or very low expression levels (p-value= 0.0001, AUC: 0.99). In addition, there was good correlation of TERT expression between the RNAscope assay and RNA-sequencing. For RNAscope quantification, manual calculation of TERT signal/cell ratio based on a count of 100 cells was superior compared to automated signal detection.TERT RNAscope assay is a simple and reliable tool for the evaluation of TERT mRNA expression. TERT signal/cell ratio based on a count of 100 cells is a reproducible and accurate interpretation approach for evaluation of TERT expression.
Wymore Brand, M;Proctor, AL;Hostetter, JM;Zhou, N;Friedberg, I;Jergens, AE;Phillips, GJ;Wannemuehler, MJ;
PMID: 35381031 | DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266005
The gastrointestinal microbiota begins to be acquired at birth and continually matures through early adolescence. Despite the relevance for gut health, few studies have evaluated the impact of pathobiont colonization of neonates on the severity of colitis later in life. LF82 is an adherent invasive E. coli strain associated with ileal Crohn's disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the severity of dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis in mice following E. coli LF82 colonization. Gnotobiotic mice harboring the altered Schaedler flora (ASF) were used as the model. While E. coli LF82 is neither adherent nor invasive, it was been demonstrated that adult ASF mice colonized with E. coli LF82 develop more severe DSS-induced colitis compared to control ASF mice treated with DSS. Therefore, we hypothesized that E. coli LF82 colonization of neonatal ASF mice would reduce the severity of DSS-induced inflammation compared to adult ASF mice colonized with E. coli LF82. To test this hypothesis, adult ASF mice were colonized with E. coli LF82 and bred to produce offspring (LF82N) that were vertically colonized with LF82. LF82N and adult-colonized (LF82A) mice were given 2.0% DSS in drinking water for seven days to trigger colitis. More severe inflammatory lesions were observed in the LF82N + DSS mice when compared to LF82A + DSS mice, and were characterized as transmural in most of the LF82N + DSS mice. Colitis was accompanied by secretion of proinflammatory cytokines (IFNγ, IL-17) and specific mRNA transcripts within the colonic mucosa. Using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, LF82 colonization did not induce significant changes in the ASF community; however, minimal changes in spatial redistribution by fluorescent in situ hybridization were observed. These results suggest that the age at which mice were colonized with E. coli LF82 pathobiont differentially impacted severity of subsequent colitic events.
Herrero, A;Palenzuela, O;Rodger, H;Matthews, C;Marcos-López, M;Bron, JE;Dagleish, MP;Thompson, KD;
PMID: 35352838 | DOI: 10.1111/jfd.13612
The microsporidian Desmozoon lepeophtherii Freeman and Sommerville, 2009 is considered significant in the pathogenesis of gill disease in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar Linnaeus, 1758). Due to the difficulty in detecting D. lepeophtherii in tissue sections, infections are normally diagnosed by molecular methods, routine haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stained gill tissue sections and the use of other histochemical stains and labels to confirm the presence of spores. An in situ hybridization (ISH) protocol specific for D. lepeophtherii was developed using DIG-labelled oligonucleotide probes. Diseased Atlantic salmon gills were analysed by ISH, calcofluor white (CW) and H&E. All methods showed high levels of specificity (100%) in their ability to detect D. lepeophtherii, but the sensitivity was higher with ISH (92%), compared with CW (64%) and the presence of microvesicles on H&E stained sections (52%). High levels of D. lepeophtherii spores were significantly associated (p < .05) with the development of D. lepeophtherii-associated pathology in the gills, with Ct values below 19 and over 100 microsporidia/10 mm2 of gill tissue (from the ISH counts) seemingly necessary for the development of microvesicles. The ISH method has the advantage over other histological techniques in that it allows all life stages of the microsporidian to be detected in infected salmon gill tissue sections.
Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM
Han, R;Sun, Y;Ma, R;Wang, D;Sun, J;Zhao, S;Zhang, H;
PMID: 35392643 | DOI: 10.1155/2022/5092742
Ferula akitschkensis volatile oil (FAVO) has a good inhibitory activity on gastric cancer cell proliferation, but the mechanism of action is not yet clear. In this study, we tested the antigastric cancer efficacy and mechanism of FAVO using both in vivo and in vitro models. The results showed that FAVO effectively inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of human gastric cancer SGC-7901 cells, the formation of small tubules of human umbilical vein endothelial cells as well as zebrafish intersegmental vessel and intestinal vein angiogenesis. In vivo experiments showed that FAVO significantly delayed the growth of SGC-7901 tumor-bearing nude mice and induced higher serum IL-2 and IFN-γ and reduced serum IL-6. Western blot results showed that FAVO reduced the expression of HIF-2α, VEGF, VEGFR2, P-VEGFR2, Akt, and P-Akt in SGC-7901 cells with CoCl2 induced hypoxia. We further clarified the main chemical components of FAVO through GC-MS analysis. In summary, FAVO may inhibit tumor growth and angiogenesis via inhibiting the HIF-2α/VEGF signaling pathway.
Veterinary medicine and science
Engelien, JL;Lejeune, AT;Dark, MJ;Milner, RJ;Shiomitsu, K;
PMID: 35339118 | DOI: 10.1002/vms3.795
Canine histiocytic sarcoma (HS) is an aggressive cancer with morphologically variable features; therefore, obtaining a definitive diagnosis can be challenging. Two proteins, IBA-1, ionised calcium-binding adapter molecule 1, and CD204, a macrophage scavenger receptor, have been shown to be specific immunohistochemical markers helpful in distinguishing HS from other tumour types with similar morphological features.This study was performed to demonstrate the use of RNA in situ hybridisation (ISH) technology allowing single-molecule RNA visualisation in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues as a molecular tool for the diagnosis of canine HS.Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and western blot analysis for IBA-1 and CD204 were performed to correlate gene expression and protein expression of these two markers in the histiocytic sarcoma DH82 cell line. RNA-ISH for IBA-1 and CD204 was performed on the DH82 cell line to validate the RNA-ISH probes. RNA-ISH and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were performed in clinical HS FFPE samples to demonstrate mRNA and protein expression of IBA-1 and CD204. FFPE archived samples of canine round cell tumours, melanoma and anaplastic sarcoma were used as negative controls.RNA-ISH and IHC showed moderate to strong expression for IBA-1 and CD204 in the neoplastic cells in both the canine DH82 cell line and the archived canine HS samples. RNA-ISH and IHC showed scattered positive staining in the control tumours samples, consistent with macrophagic infiltration.RNA-ISH for CD204 and IBA-1 appeared to have a high specificity and sensitivity in our samples and may be an additional valuable diagnostic technique in identifying HS.
International journal of experimental pathology
Wu, L;Fiet, MD;Raaijmakers, DR;Woudstra, L;van Rossum, AC;Niessen, HWM;Krijnen, PAJ;
PMID: 35363404 | DOI: 10.1111/iep.12438
Atrial dysfunction is a relatively common complication of acute myocarditis, although its pathophysiology is unclear. There is limited information on myocarditis-associated histological changes in the atria and how they develop in time. The aim of this study therefore was to investigate inflammation, fibrosis and viral genome in the atria in time after mild CVB3-induced viral myocarditis (VM) in mice. C3H mice (n = 68) were infected with 105 PFU of Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) and were compared with uninfected mice (n = 10). Atrial tissue was obtained at days 4, 7, 10, 21, 35 or 49 post-infection. Cellular infiltration of CD45+ lymphocytes, MAC3+ macrophages, Ly6G+ neutrophils and mast cells was quantified by (immuno)histochemical staining. The CVB3 RNA was determined by in situ hybridization, and fibrosis was evaluated by elastic van Gieson (EvG) staining. In the atria of VM mice, the numbers of lymphocytes on days 4 and 7 (p < .05) and days 10 (p < .01); macrophages on days 7 (p < .01) and 10 (p < .05); neutrophils on days 4 (p < .05); and mast cells on days 4 and 7 (p < .05) increased significantly compared with control mice and decreased thereafter to basal levels. No cardiomyocyte death was observed, and the CVB3 genome was detected in only one infected mouse on Day 4 post-infection. No significant changes in the amount of atrial fibrosis were found between VM and control mice. A temporary increase in inflammation is induced in the atria in the acute phase of CVB3-induced mild VM, which may facilitate the development of atrial arrhythmia and contractile dysfunction.
Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc
Sturos, MJ;Murray, D;Johnson, L;Preis, G;Corzo, CA;Rossow, S;Vannucci, FA;
PMID: 35354385 | DOI: 10.1177/10406387221084054
Senecavirus A (SVA) infection in pigs causes vesicular disease and results in a short viremia and transient shedding of the virus, mainly in oral fluids and feces. Here we describe the consistent prolonged shedding of SVA in the semen of 2 boars, and persistence of SVA within the tonsils and testes of 3 adult boars. Two SVA-infected boars that were identified on a Minnesota sow farm in 2017 shed SVA RNA in semen for >3 mo after an outbreak of vesicular disease had occurred on the farm. SVA was isolated from 1 semen sample collected 9 d after clinical disease began on the farm. The third SVA-infected boar was identified on an Indiana sow farm in 2020. All boars had SVA RNA detected in the testes and tonsils by RT-rtPCR, with lower Ct values obtained for the testes than from the tonsils. All boars had multifocal lymphocytic orchitis with segmental degeneration and atrophy of the germinal epithelium within the seminiferous tubules. One boar also had areas of seminiferous tubule collapse and interstitial fibrosis within the testes. In all boars, in situ hybridization demonstrated the presence of SVA mRNA within cells located basally in the seminiferous tubules of the testes, and within the basal surface epithelial cells, crypt epithelial cells, and subepithelial and parafollicular lymphocytes and histiocytes of the tonsil.
Wu, Y;Xu, W;Ma, L;Yu, Z;Wang, Y;Yu, CR;
PMID: 35497500 | DOI: 10.1016/j.crmeth.2022.100201
We describe a cost-effective, highly sensitive, and quantitative method for in situ detection of RNA molecules in tissue sections. This method, dubbed Yn-situ, standing for Y-branched probe in situ hybridization, uses a single-strand DNA preamplifier with multiple initiation sites that trigger a hybridization chain reaction (HCR) to detect polynucleotides. By characterizing the performance of this method, we show that the Yn-situ method, in conjunction with an improved fixation step, is sensitive enough to allow detection of RNA molecules using fewer probes targeting short nucleotide sequences than existing methods. A set of five probes can produce quantitative results with smaller puncta and higher signal-to-noise ratio than the 20-probe sets commonly required for HCR and RNAscope. We show that the high sensitivity and wide dynamic range allow quantification of genes expressed at different levels in the olfactory sensory neurons. We describe key steps of this method to enable broad utility by individual laboratories.
Vanderdonckt, P;Aloisi, F;Comi, G;de Bruyn, A;Hartung, HP;Huitinga, I;Kuhlmann, T;Lucchinetti, CF;Metz, I;Reynolds, R;Lassmann, H;
PMID: 35480225 | DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcac094
Although major progress in multiple sclerosis research has been made during the last decades, key questions related to the cause and the mechanisms of brain and spinal cord pathology remain unresolved. These cover a broad range of topics, including disease aetiology, antigenic triggers of the immune response inside and/or outside the CNS and mechanisms of inflammation, demyelination neurodegeneration and tissue repair. Most of these questions can be addressed with novel molecular technologies in the injured CNS. Access to brain and spinal cord tissue from multiple sclerosis patients is, therefore, of critical importance. High-quality tissue is provided in part by the existing brain banks. However, material from early and highly active disease stages is limited. An initiative, realized under the patronage of the European Charcot Foundation, gathered together experts from different disciplines to analyse the current state of multiple sclerosis tissues collected post-mortem or as biopsies. Here, we present an account of what material is currently available and where it can be accessed. We also provide recommendations on how tissue donation from patients in early disease stages could be potentially increased and for procedures of tissue sampling and preservation. We also suggest to create a registry of the available tissues that, depending on the source (autopsy versus biopsy), could be made accessible to clinicians and researchers.