The gut microbiome exhibits extreme compositional variation between hominid hosts. However, it is unclear how this variation impacts host physiology across species and whether this effect can be mediated through microbial regulation of host gene expression in interacting epithelial cells. Here, we characterize the transcriptional response of human colonic epithelial cells in vitro to live microbial communities extracted from humans, chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans. We find that most host genes exhibit a conserved response, whereby they respond similarly to the four hominid microbiomes. However, hundreds of host genes exhibit a divergent response, whereby they respond only to microbiomes from specific host species. Such genes are associated with intestinal diseases in humans, including inflammatory bowel disease and Crohn's disease. Last, we find that inflammation-associated microbial species regulate the expression of host genes previously associated with inflammatory bowel disease, suggesting health-related consequences for species-specific host-microbiome interactions across hominids.
- MeSH
- Bacteria genetika MeSH
- druhová specificita MeSH
- epitelové buňky metabolismus MeSH
- exprese genu genetika MeSH
- feces mikrobiologie MeSH
- fylogeneze MeSH
- Gorilla gorilla mikrobiologie MeSH
- Hominidae genetika mikrobiologie MeSH
- idiopatické střevní záněty genetika MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mikrobiota genetika MeSH
- Pan troglodytes mikrobiologie MeSH
- Pongo mikrobiologie MeSH
- regulace genové exprese genetika MeSH
- RNA ribozomální 16S genetika MeSH
- střevní mikroflóra genetika MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural MeSH
Tick saliva is a rich source of antihemostatic, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory molecules that actively help the tick to finish its blood meal. Moreover, these molecules facilitate the transmission of tick-borne pathogens. Here we present the functional and structural characterization of Iripin-8, a salivary serpin from the tick Ixodes ricinus, a European vector of tick-borne encephalitis and Lyme disease. Iripin-8 displayed blood-meal-induced mRNA expression that peaked in nymphs and the salivary glands of adult females. Iripin-8 inhibited multiple proteases involved in blood coagulation and blocked the intrinsic and common pathways of the coagulation cascade in vitro. Moreover, Iripin-8 inhibited erythrocyte lysis by complement, and Iripin-8 knockdown by RNA interference in tick nymphs delayed the feeding time. Finally, we resolved the crystal structure of Iripin-8 at 1.89 Å resolution to reveal an unusually long and rigid reactive center loop that is conserved in several tick species. The P1 Arg residue is held in place distant from the serpin body by a conserved poly-Pro element on the P' side. Several PEG molecules bind to Iripin-8, including one in a deep cavity, perhaps indicating the presence of a small-molecule binding site. This is the first crystal structure of a tick serpin in the native state, and Iripin-8 is a tick serpin with a conserved reactive center loop that possesses antihemostatic activity that may mediate interference with host innate immunity.
- MeSH
- aktivace komplementu účinky léků imunologie fyziologie MeSH
- erytrocyty metabolismus MeSH
- exprese genu genetika MeSH
- hemokoagulace účinky léků fyziologie MeSH
- klíště enzymologie genetika metabolismus MeSH
- komplement metabolismus MeSH
- lymeská nemoc MeSH
- nymfa MeSH
- proteiny členovců metabolismus MeSH
- regulace genové exprese genetika MeSH
- serpiny metabolismus ultrastruktura MeSH
- slinné žlázy metabolismus MeSH
- sliny chemie MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a devastating condition shortening the lifespan of young men. DMD patients suffer from age-related dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) that leads to heart failure. Several molecular mechanisms leading to cardiomyocyte death in DMD have been described. However, the pathological progression of DMD-associated DCM remains unclear. In skeletal muscle, a dramatic decrease in stem cells, so-called satellite cells, has been shown in DMD patients. Whether similar dysfunction occurs with cardiac muscle cardiovascular progenitor cells (CVPCs) in DMD remains to be explored. We hypothesized that the number of CVPCs decreases in the dystrophin-deficient heart with age and disease state, contributing to DCM progression. We used the dystrophin-deficient mouse model (mdx) to investigate age-dependent CVPC properties. Using quantitative PCR, flow cytometry, speckle tracking echocardiography, and immunofluorescence, we revealed that young mdx mice exhibit elevated CVPCs. We observed a rapid age-related CVPC depletion, coinciding with the progressive onset of cardiac dysfunction. Moreover, mdx CVPCs displayed increased DNA damage, suggesting impaired cardiac muscle homeostasis. Overall, our results identify the early recruitment of CVPCs in dystrophic hearts and their fast depletion with ageing. This latter depletion may participate in the fibrosis development and the acceleration onset of the cardiomyopathy.
- MeSH
- dilatační kardiomyopatie genetika metabolismus patologie MeSH
- Duchennova muskulární dystrofie genetika metabolismus patologie MeSH
- dystrofin nedostatek genetika MeSH
- kardiomyocyty metabolismus patologie MeSH
- kardiovaskulární systém metabolismus patologie MeSH
- kmenové buňky metabolismus patologie MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- modely nemocí na zvířatech MeSH
- myokard metabolismus patologie MeSH
- myši inbrední mdx genetika MeSH
- myši MeSH
- poškození DNA genetika MeSH
- protoonkogenní proteiny c-kit genetika MeSH
- regulace genové exprese genetika MeSH
- stárnutí genetika patologie MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- myši MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
The genetic landscape of diseases associated with changes in bone mineral density (BMD), such as osteoporosis, is only partially understood. Here, we explored data from 3,823 mutant mouse strains for BMD, a measure that is frequently altered in a range of bone pathologies, including osteoporosis. A total of 200 genes were found to significantly affect BMD. This pool of BMD genes comprised 141 genes with previously unknown functions in bone biology and was complementary to pools derived from recent human studies. Nineteen of the 141 genes also caused skeletal abnormalities. Examination of the BMD genes in osteoclasts and osteoblasts underscored BMD pathways, including vesicle transport, in these cells and together with in silico bone turnover studies resulted in the prioritization of candidate genes for further investigation. Overall, the results add novel pathophysiological and molecular insight into bone health and disease.
- MeSH
- celogenomová asociační studie MeSH
- fenotyp MeSH
- genetická pleiotropie MeSH
- genotyp MeSH
- genová ontologie MeSH
- kostní denzita genetika MeSH
- mapy interakcí proteinů MeSH
- mutace MeSH
- myši transgenní MeSH
- myši MeSH
- osteoblasty metabolismus patologie MeSH
- osteoklasty metabolismus patologie MeSH
- osteoporóza genetika metabolismus MeSH
- pohlavní dimorfismus MeSH
- promotorové oblasti (genetika) MeSH
- regulace genové exprese genetika MeSH
- transkriptom MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- myši MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural MeSH
BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is a pathological condition characterized by immune system dysfunction and inflammation. Patients with psoriasis are more likely to develop a wide range of disorders associated with inflammation. Serum levels of various substances and their combinations have been associated with the presence of the disease (psoriasis) and have shown the potential to reflect its activity. The aim of the present study is to contribute to the elucidation of pathophysiological links between psoriasis, its pro-inflammatory comorbidity metabolic syndrome (MetS), and the expression of clusterin and elafin, which are reflected in the pathophysiological "portfolio" of both diseases. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Clinical examinations (PASI score), ELISA (clusterin, elafin), and biochemical analyses (parameters of MetS) were performed. RESULTS: We found that patients with psoriasis were more often afflicted by MetS, compared to the healthy controls. Clusterin and elafin levels were higher in the patients than in the controls but did not correlate to the severity of psoriasis. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that patients with psoriasis are more susceptible to developing other systemic inflammatory diseases, such as MetS. The levels of clusterin and elafin, which are tightly linked to inflammation, were significantly increased in the patients, compared to the controls, but the presence of MetS in patients did not further increase these levels.
- MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- elafin genetika MeSH
- index tělesné hmotnosti MeSH
- klusterin genetika MeSH
- komorbidita MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- metabolický syndrom komplikace genetika metabolismus patologie MeSH
- psoriáza komplikace genetika metabolismus patologie MeSH
- regulace genové exprese genetika MeSH
- studie případů a kontrol MeSH
- stupeň závažnosti nemoci MeSH
- zánět genetika metabolismus patologie MeSH
- Check Tag
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
NKAP is a ubiquitously expressed nucleoplasmic protein that is currently known as a transcriptional regulatory molecule via its interaction with HDAC3 and spliceosomal proteins. Here, we report a disorder of transcriptional regulation due to missense mutations in the X chromosome gene, NKAP. These mutations are clustered in the C-terminal region of NKAP where NKAP interacts with HDAC3 and post-catalytic spliceosomal complex proteins. Consistent with a role for the C-terminal region of NKAP in embryogenesis, nkap mutant zebrafish with a C-terminally truncated NKAP demonstrate severe developmental defects. The clinical features of affected individuals are highly conserved and include developmental delay, hypotonia, joint contractures, behavioral abnormalities, Marfanoid habitus, and scoliosis. In affected cases, transcriptome analysis revealed the presence of a unique transcriptome signature, which is characterized by the downregulation of long genes with higher exon numbers. These observations indicate the critical role of NKAP in transcriptional regulation and demonstrate that perturbations of the C-terminal region lead to developmental defects in both humans and zebrafish.
- MeSH
- dánio pruhované genetika MeSH
- down regulace genetika MeSH
- exony genetika MeSH
- genetická transkripce genetika MeSH
- geny vázané na chromozom X genetika MeSH
- histondeacetylasy genetika MeSH
- kognitivní dysfunkce genetika MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- missense mutace genetika MeSH
- regulace genové exprese genetika MeSH
- represorové proteiny genetika MeSH
- sekvence aminokyselin MeSH
- sekvenční seřazení MeSH
- transkriptom genetika MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
In deep-water animals, the visual sensory system is often challenged by the dim-light environment. Here, we focus on the molecular mechanisms involved in rapid deep-water adaptations. We examined visual system evolution in a small-scale yet phenotypically and ecologically diverse adaptive radiation, the species flock of cichlid fishes in deep crater lake Barombi Mbo in Cameroon, West Africa. We show that rapid adaptations of the visual system to the novel deep-water habitat primarily occurred at the level of gene expression changes rather than through nucleotide mutations, which is compatible with the young age of the radiation. Based on retinal bulk RNA sequencing of all eleven species, we found that the opsin gene expression pattern was substantially different for the deep-water species. The nine shallow-water species feature an opsin palette dominated by the red-sensitive (LWS) opsin, whereas the two unrelated deep-water species lack expression of LWS and the violet-sensitive (SWS2B) opsin, thereby shifting the cone sensitivity to the centre of the light spectrum. Deep-water species further predominantly express the green-sensitive RH2Aα over RH2Aβ. We identified one amino acid substitution in the RH2Aα opsin specific to the deep-water species. We finally performed a comparative gene expression analysis in retinal tissue of deep- vs. shallow-water species. We thus identified 46 differentially expressed genes, many of which are associated with functions in vision, hypoxia management or circadian clock regulation, with some of them being associated with human eye diseases.
- MeSH
- cichlidy genetika fyziologie MeSH
- čípky retiny - opsiny genetika MeSH
- druhová specificita MeSH
- ekosystém MeSH
- fylogeneze MeSH
- jezera MeSH
- molekulární evoluce * MeSH
- regulace genové exprese genetika MeSH
- retina metabolismus fyziologie MeSH
- sekvenční analýza RNA MeSH
- světlo MeSH
- zrak genetika fyziologie MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Kamerun MeSH
Unicellular flagellates of the family Trypanosomatidae are obligatory parasites of invertebrates, vertebrates and plants. Dixenous species are aetiological agents of a number of diseases in humans, domestic animals and plants. Their monoxenous relatives are restricted to insects. Because of the high biological diversity, adaptability to dramatically different environmental conditions, and omnipresence, these protists have major impact on all biotic communities that still needs to be fully elucidated. In addition, as these organisms represent a highly divergent evolutionary lineage, they are strikingly different from the common 'model system' eukaryotes, such as some mammals, plants or fungi. A number of excellent reviews, published over the past decade, were dedicated to specialized topics from the areas of trypanosomatid molecular and cell biology, biochemistry, host-parasite relationships or other aspects of these fascinating organisms. However, there is a need for a more comprehensive review that summarizing recent advances in the studies of trypanosomatids in the last 30 years, a task, which we tried to accomplish with the current paper.
- MeSH
- biologická evoluce * MeSH
- fylogeneze * MeSH
- genom protozoální * MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- regulace genové exprese * genetika MeSH
- Trypanosomatina * klasifikace genetika metabolismus MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- přehledy MeSH
Mutations in MORC2 lead to an axonal form of Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) neuropathy type 2Z. To date, 31 families have been described with mutations in MORC2, indicating that this gene is frequently involved in axonal CMT cases. While the genetic data clearly establish the causative role of MORC2 in CMT2Z, the impact of its mutations on neuronal biology and their phenotypic consequences in patients remains to be clarified. We show that the full-length form of MORC2 is highly expressed in both embryonic and adult human neural tissues and that Morc2 expression is dynamically regulated in both the developing and the maturing murine nervous system. To determine the effect of the most common MORC2 mutations, p.S87L and p.R252W, we used several in vitro cell culture paradigms. Both mutations induced transcriptional changes in patient-derived fibroblasts and when expressed in rodent sensory neurons. These changes were more pronounced and accompanied by abnormal axonal morphology, in neurons expressing the MORC2 p.S87L mutation, which is associated with a more severe clinical phenotype. These data provide insight into the neuronal specificity of the mutated MORC2-mediated phenotype and highlight the importance of neuronal cell models to study the pathophysiology of CMT2Z.
- MeSH
- axony metabolismus patologie MeSH
- Charcotova-Marieova-Toothova nemoc genetika patologie MeSH
- embryonální kmenové buňky metabolismus MeSH
- fibroblasty metabolismus patologie MeSH
- krysa rodu rattus MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mutace genetika MeSH
- nervové kmenové buňky MeSH
- nervové receptory metabolismus patologie MeSH
- regulace genové exprese genetika MeSH
- transkripční faktory genetika MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- krysa rodu rattus MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
