Mitophagy protects beta cells from inflammatory damage in diabetes

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Abstract

Inflammatory damage contributes to β-cell failure in type 1 and 2 diabetes (T1D and T2D). Mitochondria are damaged by inflammatory signaling in β-cells, resulting in impaired bioenergetics and initiation of pro-apoptotic machinery. Hence, the identification of protective responses to inflammation could lead to new therapeutic targets. Here we report that mitophagy serves as a protective response to inflammatory stress in both human and rodent β-cells. Utilizing in vivo mitophagy reporters, we observed that diabetogenic pro-inflammatory cytokines induced mitophagy in response to nitrosative/oxidative mitochondrial damage. Mitophagy-deficient β-cells were sensitized to inflammatory stress, leading to the accumulation of fragmented dysfunctional mitochondria, increased β-cell death, and hyperglycemia. Overexpression of CLEC16A, a T1D gene and mitophagy regulator whose expression in islets is protective against T1D, ameliorated cytokine-induced human β-cell apoptosis. Thus, mitophagy promotes β-cell survival and prevents diabetes by countering inflammatory injury. Targeting this pathway has the potential to prevent β-cell failure in diabetes and may be beneficial in other inflammatory conditions.

Authors

Vaibhav Sidarala, Gemma L. Pearson, Vishal S. Parekh, Benjamin Thompson, Lisa Christen, Morgan A. Gingerich, Jie Zhu, Tracy Stromer, Jianhua Ren, Emma C. Reck, Biaoxin Chai, John A. Corbett, Thomas Mandrup-Poulsen, Leslie S. Satin, Scott A. Soleimanpour

Shear stress associated with cardiopulmonary bypass induces expression of inflammatory cytokines and necroptosis in monocytes

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Abstract

Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is required during most cardiac surgeries. CBP drives systemic inflammation and multi-organ dysfunction that is more severe in neonatal patients. Limited understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying CPB-associated inflammation presents a significant barrier to improving clinical outcomes. To better understand these clinical issues, we performed the first mRNA-sequencing on total circulating leukocytes from neonatal patients undergoing CPB. These data identified myeloid cells, particularly monocytes, as the major cell type driving transcriptional responses to CPB. Furthermore, Interleukin-8 (IL8) and Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNFα) were inflammatory cytokines robustly upregulated in leukocytes from both patients and piglets exposed to CPB. To delineate a molecular mechanism, we exposed THP-1 human monocytic cells to CPB-like conditions including artificial surfaces, high shear stress, and cooling/rewarming. Here, shear stress was found to drive cytokine upregulation via calcium-dependent signaling pathways. We also observed a subpopulation of THP-1 cells died via TNFα-mediated necroptosis in our model, which we hypothesize contributes to post-CPB inflammation. Together, our study identifies a shear-stress modulated molecular mechanism that drives systemic inflammation in pediatric CPB patients. These are also the first data to demonstrate that shear-stress causes necroptosis. Finally, we observe that calcium and TNFα signaling are novel targets to ameliorate post-CPB inflammation.

Authors

Lan N. Tu, Lance Hsieh, Masaki Kajimoto, Kevin Charette, Nataliya Kibiryeva, Adriana Forero, Sarah E. Hampson, Jennifer Marshall, James O’Brien, Marta Scatena, Michael A. Portman, Ram Savan, Christopher Benner, Alberto Aliseda, Muhammad Nuri, Douglas Bittel, Peter Pastuszko, Vishal Nigam

Fecal host biomarkers predicting severity of Clostridioides difficile infection

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Abstract

Background. Clostridioides difficile is a major cause of healthcare-associated diarrhea. Severity ranges from mild to life-threatening, but this variability remains poorly understood. Microbiological diagnosis of C. difficile infection (CDI) is straightforward, but offers little insight into the patient's prognosis, nor into pathophysiological determinants of clinical trajectory. The aim of this study was to discover host-derived, CDI-specific, fecal biomarkers involved in disease severity. Methods. Subjects without and with diarrhea were recruited. CDI was established by commercial, diagnostic real-time PCR assay of tcdB. CDI severity was based on IDSA/SHEA criteria. We developed a liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) approach to identify host-derived protein biomarkers from stool and applied it to diagnostic samples for cohort-wise comparison (CDI-negative vs. non-severe CDI vs. severe CDI). Selected biomarkers were orthogonally confirmed and subsequently verified in a CDI mouse model. Results. We identified a protein signature from stool, consisting of alpha-2-macroglobulin (A2M), matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP7) and alpha-1-antitrypsin (A1AT), that not only discriminates CDI-positive samples from non-CDI ones, but is potentially associated with disease severity. In the mouse model, this signature with the murine homologs of the corresponding proteins was also identified. Conclusions. A2M, MMP7 and A1AT serve as biomarkers in patients with CDI and define novel components of the host response that may determine disease severity.

Authors

Makan Golizeh, Kaitlin Winter, Lucie Roussel, Marija Landekic, Melanie Langelier, Vivian G. Loo, Momar Ndao, Donald C. Vinh

Phenotypes of CF rabbits generated by CRISPR/Cas9-mediated disruption of the CFTR gene

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Abstract

Existing animal models of cystic fibrosis (CF) have provided key insights into CF pathogenesis but have been limited by short life spans, absence of key phenotypes, and/or high maintenance costs. Here, we report the CRISPR/Cas9-mediated generation of CF rabbits, a model with a relatively long lifespan and affordable maintenance and care costs. CF rabbits supplemented solely with oral osmotic laxative had a median survival of ~ 40 days and died of gastrointestinal disease, but therapeutic regimens aimed at restoring gastrointestinal transit extended median survival to ~ 80 days. Surrogate markers of exocrine pancreas disorders were found in CF rabbits with declining health. CFTR expression pattern in WT rabbit airways mimicked humans, with widespread distribution in nasal respiratory and olfactory epithelia, as well as proximal and distal lower airways. CF rabbits exhibited human CF-like abnormalities in the bioelectric properties of the upper and lower airways. No spontaneous respiratory disease was detected in young CF rabbits. However, abnormal phenotypes were observed in surviving 1 year-old CF rabbits as compared to WT littermates, which were especially evident in the nasal respiratory and olfactory epithelium. The CF rabbit model may serve as a useful tool for understanding gut and lung CF pathogenesis and for the practical development of CF therapeutics.

Authors

Jie Xu, Alessandra Livraghi-Butrico, Xia Hou, Carthic Rajagopalan, Jifeng Zhang, Jun Song, Hong Jiang, Hong-guang Wei, Hui Wang, Mohamad Bouhamdan, Jinxue Ruan, Dongshan Yang, Yining Qiu, Xie Youming, Ronald P. Barrett, Sharon A. McClellan, Hongmei Mou, Qingtian Wu, Xuequn Chen, Troy D. Rogers, Kristen J. Wilkinson, Rodney C. Gilmore, Charles R. Esther Jr., Khalequz Zaman, Xiubin Liang, Michael Sobolic, Linda Hazlett, Kezhong Zhang, Raymond A. Frizzell, Martina Gentzsch, Wanda K. O'Neal, Barbara R. Grubb, Y Eugene Chen, Richard C. Boucher, Fei Sun

An immune-based biomarker signature is associated with mortality in COVID-19 patients

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Abstract

Immune and inflammatory responses to SARS-CoV-2 contribute to disease severity of COVID-19. However, the utility of specific immune-based biomarkers to predict clinical outcome remains elusive. Here, we analyzed levels of 66 soluble biomarkers in 175 Italian patients with COVID-19 ranging from mild/moderate to critical severity, and assessed type-I IFN-, type-II IFN-, and NF-κB-dependent whole blood transcriptional signatures. A broad inflammatory signature was observed, implicating activation of various immune and non-hematopoietic cell subsets. Discordance between IFN-α2a protein and IFNA2 transcript levels in blood suggests that type-I IFNs during COVID-19 may be primarily produced by tissue-resident cells. Multivariable analysis of patients’ first samples revealed 12 biomarkers (CCL2, IL-15, sST2, NGAL, sTNFRSF1A, ferritin, IL-6, S100A9, MMP-9, IL-2, sVEGFR1, IL-10) that when increased were independently associated with mortality. Multivariate analyses of longitudinal biomarker trajectories identified 8 of the aforementioned biomarkers (IL-15, IL-2, NGAL, CCL2, MMP-9, sTNFRSF1A, sST2, IL-10) and two additional biomarkers (lactoferrin, CXCL9) that were significantly associated with mortality when increased, while IL-1α was associated with mortality when decreased. Among these, sST2, sTNFRSF1A, IL-10, and IL-15 were consistently higher throughout the hospitalization in patients who died versus those who recovered, suggesting that these biomarkers may provide an early warning of eventual disease outcome.

Authors

Michael S. Abers, Ottavia M. Delmonte, Emily E. Ricotta, Jonathan Fintzi, Danielle Fink, Adriana A. de Jesus, Kol A. Zarember, Sara Alehashemi, Vasileios Oikonomou, Jigar V. Desai, Scott W. Canna, Bita Shakoory, Kerry Dobbs, Luisa Imberti, Alessandra Sottini, Eugenia Quiros-Roldan, Francesco Castelli, Camillo Rossi, Duilio Brugnoni, Andrea Biondi, Laura R. Bettini, Mariella D’Angio’, Paolo Bonfanti, Riccardo Castagnoli, Daniela Montagna, Amelia Licari, Gian Luigi Marseglia, Emily Gliniewicz, Elana R. Shaw, Dana Kahle, Andre T. Rastegar, Michael A Stack, Katherine Myint-Hpu, Susan L. Levinson, Mark J. DiNubile, Daniel W. Chertow, Peter Burbelo, Jeffrey I. Cohen, Katherine R. Calvo, John S. Tsang, Helen C. Su, John I. Gallin, Douglas B. Kuhns, Raphaela Goldbach-Mansky, Michail S Lionakis, Luigi D Notarangelo

Zika virus oncolytic activity requires CD8⁺ T cells and is boosted by immune checkpoint blockade

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Abstract

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a fatal human cancer in part because GBM stem cells are resistant to therapy and recurrence is inevitable. Previously, we demonstrated Zika virus (ZIKV) targets GBM stem cells and prevents death of mice with gliomas. Here, we evaluated the immunological basis of ZIKV-mediated protection against GBM. Introduction of ZIKV into the brain tumor increases recruitment of CD8+ T and myeloid cells to the tumor microenvironment. CD8+ T cells are required for ZIKV-dependent tumor clearance, as survival benefits are lost with CD8+ T cell depletion. Moreover, while anti-PD1 antibody therapy alone moderately improves tumor survival, when co-administered with ZIKV, survival increases. ZIKV-mediated tumor clearance also results in durable protection against syngeneic tumor re-challenge, which also depends on CD8+ T cells. To address safety concerns, we generated an immune-sensitized ZIKV strain, which is effective alone or in combination with immunotherapy. Thus, oncolytic ZIKV treatment can be leveraged by immunotherapies, which may prompt combination treatment paradigms for adult GBM patients.

Authors

Sharmila Nair, Luciano Mazzoccoli, Arijita Jash, Jennifer Govero, Sachendra S. Bais, Tong Hu, Camila R. Fontes-Garfias, Chao Shan, Hideho Okada, Sujan Shresta, Jeremy N. Rich, Pei-Yong Shi, Michael S. Diamond, Milan G. Chheda

Kcnj16 knockout produces audiogenic seizures in the Dahl salt-sensitive rat

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Abstract

Kir5.1 is an inwardly rectifying potassium (Kir) channel subunit abundantly expressed in the kidney and brain. We previously established the physiologic consequences of a Kcnj16 (gene encoding Kir5.1) knockout in the Dahl SS rat (SSKcnj16-/-), which caused electrolyte/pH dysregulation and high salt diet-induced mortality. Since Kir channel gene mutations may alter neuronal excitability and are linked to human seizure disorders, we hypothesized that SSKcnj16-/- rats would exhibit neurological phenotypes, including increased susceptibility to seizures. SSKcnj16-/- rats exhibited increased light sensitivity (fMRI) and reproducible sound-induced tonic-clonic audiogenic seizures confirmed by electroencephalography. Repeated seizure induction altered behavior, exacerbated hypokalemia, and led to approximately 38% mortality in male SSKcnj16-/- rats. Dietary potassium supplementation did not prevent audiogenic seizures but mitigated hypokalemia and prevented mortality induced by repeated seizures. These results reveal a distinct, non-redundant role for Kir5.1 channels in the brain, introduce a novel rat model of audiogenic seizures, and suggest yet to be identified mutations in Kcnj16 may cause or contribute to seizure disorders.

Authors

Anna D. Manis, Oleg Palygin, Elena Isaeva, Vladislav Levchenko, Peter S. LaViolette, Tengis S. Pavlov, Matthew R. Hodges, Alexander Staruschenko

Adipose ABHD6 regulates tolerance to cold and thermogenic programs

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Abstract

Enhanced energy expenditure in brown (BAT) and white (WAT) adipose tissues can be therapeutic against metabolic diseases. We examined the thermogenic role of adipose α/β-hydrolase domain-6 (ABHD6), which hydrolyzes monoacylglycerol (MAG), by employing adipose-specific ABHD6-KO mice. Control and KO mice show similar phenotype at room temperature and thermoneutral conditions. However, KO mice are resistant to hypothermia, which can be accounted for by the simultaneously increased lipolysis and lipogenesis of the thermogenic glycerolipid/free fatty acid (GL/FFA) cycle in visceral fat, despite unaltered UCP1 expression. Upon cold-stress, nuclear 2-MAG levels increase in visceral WAT of the KO mice. Evidence is provided that 2-MAG causes activation of PPARα in white adipocytes, leading to elevated expression and activity of GL/FFA cycle enzymes. In the ABHD6-ablated BAT, glucose and oxidative metabolism are elevated upon cold-induction, without changes in GL/FFA cycle and lipid turnover. Moreover, response to in vivo β3-adrenergic stimulation is comparable between KO and control mice. Our data reveal a MAG/PPARα/GL/FFA cycling metabolic signaling network in visceral adipose tissue, which contributes to cold-tolerance, and that adipose ABHD6 is a negative modulator of adaptive thermogenesis.

Authors

Pegah Poursharifi, Camille Attané, Yves Mugabo, Anfal Al-Mass, Anindya Ghosh, Clémence Schmitt, Shangang Zhao, Julian Guida, Roxane Lussier, Heidi Erb, Isabelle Chenier, Marie-Line Peyot, Erik Joly, Christophe Noll, André C. Carpentier, S.R. Murthy Madiraju, Marc Prentki

Cardiac fibroblast proliferation rates and collagen expression mature early and are unaltered with advancing age

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Abstract

Cardiac fibrosis is a pathophysiologic hallmark of the aging heart. In the uninjured heart, cardiac fibroblasts exist in the quiescent state, but little is known about how proliferation rates and fibroblast transcriptional programs change throughout the lifespan of the organism from the immediate postnatal period to adult life and old age. Using EdU pulse labeling, we demonstrate that more than 50% of cardiac fibroblasts are actively proliferating in the first day of post-natal life. However, within 4 weeks of birth in the juvenile animal, only 10% of cardiac fibroblasts are proliferating. By early adulthood, the fraction of proliferating cardiac fibroblasts further decreases to approximately 2%, where it so remains throughout the rest of the organism’s life span. Examination of absolute cardiac fibroblast numbers demonstrated concordance with age related changes in fibroblast proliferation with no significant differences in absolute cardiac fibroblast numbers between animals 14 weeks and 1.5 years of age. We demonstrate that the maximal changes in cardiac fibroblast transcriptional programs and in particular collagen expression occur within the first weeks of life from the immediate postnatal to the juvenile period. We show that even though the aging heart exhibits an increase in the total amount of accumulated collagen, transcription of various collagens and ECM genes both in the heart and cardiac fibroblast is maximal in the newly born and juvenile animal and decreases with organismal aging. Examination of DNA methylation changes both in the heart and in cardiac fibroblasts did not demonstrate significant changes in differentially methylated regions between young and old mice. Our observations demonstrate that cardiac fibroblasts attain a stable proliferation rate and transcriptional program early in the life span of the organism and suggest a model of cardiac aging where phenotypic changes in the aging heart are not directly attributable to changes in proliferation rate or altered collagen expression in cardiac fibroblasts.

Authors

Rimao Wu, Feiyang Ma, Anela Tosevska, Colin Farrell, Matteo Pellegrini, Arjun Deb

Evolution of ocular defects in infant macaques following in utero zika virus infection

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Abstract

Congenital Zika syndrome (CZS) is associated with microcephaly and various neurological, musculoskeletal, and ocular abnormalities, but the long-term pathogenesis and postnatal progression of ocular defects in infants are not well characterized. Rhesus macaques are superior to rodents as models of CZS because they are natural hosts of the virus and share similar immune and ocular characteristics, including blood-retinal barrier characteristics and the unique presence of a macula. Using a previously-described model of CZS by infecting pregnant rhesus macaques with Zika virus (ZIKV) during the late first trimester, we characterized postnatal ocular development and evolution of ocular defects in 2 infant macaques over 2 years. We found that one of these animals exhibited colobomatous chorioretinal atrophic lesions with macular and vascular dragging, as well as retinal thinning caused by loss of retinal ganglion neuron and photoreceptor layers. Despite these congenital ocular malformations, axial elongation and retinal development in these infants progressed at normal rates compared to healthy animals. The ZIKV-exposed infants displayed a rapid loss of ZIKV-specific antibodies, suggesting the absence of viral replication after birth, and did not show any behavioral or neurological defects postnatally. Our findings suggest that ZIKV infection during early pregnancy can impact fetal retinal development and cause congenital ocular anomalies, but does not appear to affect postnatal ocular growth.

Authors

Glenn Yiu, Sara M. Thomasy, M. Isabel Casanova, Alexander M. Rusakevich, Rebekah I. Keesler, Jennifer Watanabe, Jodie Usachenko, Anil Singapuri, Erin E. Ball, Eliza Bliss-Moreau, Wendi Guo, Helen Webster, Tulika Singh, Sallie R. Permar, Amir Ardeshir, Lark L. Coffey, Koen K.A. Van Rompay