RNA-seq study of longitudinal blood cell samples from children at risk of type 1 diabetes
The appearance of type 1 diabetes (T1D)-associated autoantibodies is the first and only measurable parameter to predict progression toward T1D in genetically susceptible individuals. However, autoantibodies indicate an active autoimmune reaction, wherein the immune tolerance is already broken. Therefore, there is a clear and urgent need for new biomarkers that predict the onset of the autoimmune reaction preceding auto-antibody positivity or reflect progressive b-cell destruction. Here we report the mRNA sequencing–based analysis of 306 samples including fractionated samples of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells as well as CD4, CD8 cell fractions and unfractionated PBMC samples longitudinally collected from seven children who developed beta-cell autoimmunity (Case subjects) at a young age and matched control subjects.
Study
EGAS00001004071
Whole-genome low pass sequencing of 3,514 Sardinian individuals
The dataset includes the VCF files with the list of variants, and their frequency, found in 3,514 Sardinian individuals recruited from the SardiNIA longitudinal study (N=2090) and from a case-control study of autoimmune diseases in Sardinia (N=1424).
Study
EGAS00001002212
Transcriptomic analysis of peripheral blood dendritic cells and monocytes from patients with familial chilblain lupus and hetereozygous mutations in TREX1
Study
EGAS00001006215
Single cell RNA sequencing of co-culture of human organoids with polarized pro-inflammatory (M1) or anti-inflammatory (M2) macrophages
Human intestinal organoids co-cultured with pro-inflammatory (M1) or anti-inflammatory (M2) human macrophages for 48 hours. 3 days after the co-culture alive cells were sorted and processed for single cell RNA sequencing
Study
EGAS50000000467
Modulation of macrophage inflammatory function through selective inhibition of the epigenetic reader protein SP140
SP140 is a bromodomain-containing protein expressed predominantly in immune cells. Genetic polymorphisms and epigenetic modifications in the SP140 locus have been linked to Crohn’s disease (CD), suggesting a role in inflammation. We report the development of the first small molecule SP140 inhibitor (GSK761) and utilize this to elucidate SP140 function in macrophages. We show that SP140 is highly expressed in CD68+ CD mucosal macrophages and in in vitro-generated inflammatory macrophages. SP140 inhibition through GSK761 reduced monocyte differentiation into inflammatory macrophages and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory activation. SP140 preferentially occupies transcriptional start sites (TSS) in inflammatory macrophages, with enrichment at gene loci encoding pro-inflammatory cytokines/chemokines and inflammatory pathways. GSK761 specifically reduced SP140 binding and thereby expression of SP140-bound genes. GSK761 inhibited the spontaneous expression of cytokines, including TNF, by CD14+ macrophages isolated from CD intestinal-mucosa. This study identifies SP140 as a druggable epigenetic therapeutic target for CD.
Study
EGAS00001004460
MeDALL epigenetics study
MeDALL- (Mechanisms of the Development of ALLergy) is a collaborative project supported by the European Union under the Health Cooperation Work Programme of the 7th Framework programme (grant agreement number 261357).MeDALL epigenetics study includes illumina 450k methylation measurements from 4 cohorts: Infancia y Medio Ambiente (INMA), Etudes des Déterminants pré et postnatals précoces du développement et de la santé de l’ENfant (EDEN), Children’s Allergy Environment Stockholm Epidemiology study(BAMSE), and Prevention and Incidence of Asthma and Mite Allergy (PIAMA)
Study
EGAS00001002169
ATAC sequencing of Treg cell subsets
Within the investigator-initiated clinical trial Charact-IL-2 (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03312335), we treated 12 female systemic lupus erythematosus patients with low-dose interleukin-2. From this study we identified four distinct interleukin-2-driven regulatory T (Treg) cell subsets. This study aimed at defining chromatin accessability and predict transcriptional regulation of HLA-DR– CD38– Treg cells, HLA-DR+ CD38– Treg cells, HLA-DR– CD38+ Treg cells, and HLA-DR+ CD38+ Treg cells. Treg cell subsets were isolated from 500ml blood pooled from four healthy donors by flow cytometry sorting.
Study
EGAS50000000457
Molecular EPISTOP: Comprehensive multi-omic analysis of blood from Tuberous Sclerosis Complex infants age birth to two years
Study
EGAS00001007264
The Sys4MS cohort: a prospective cohort of patients with Multiple Sclerosis and omics
Study
EGAS00001007145
Chromatin_accessability_in_cytokine_induced_immune_cell_states
We isolated T cells and monocotyes from healthy platelet donors and cultured them in resting and stimulated conditions with addition of a range of cytokines. We performed K27Ac ChM sequencing to assess the chromatin activity in different cytokines treated cells. These cellular profiles were used to map risk variants to the cytokine-induced cell states relevant for autoimmune diseases.
Study
EGAS00001002749
Chromatin_accessability_in_cytokine_induced_immune_cell_states
We isolated T cells and monocotyes from healthy platelet donors and cultured them in resting and stimulated conditions with addition of a range of cytokines. We performed ATAC sequencing to assess the chromatin accessability in different cytokines treated cells. These cellular profiles were used to map risk variants to the cytokine-induced cell states relevant for autoimmune diseases.
Study
EGAS00001003501
Defective mitophagy and enhanced oxidative stress dictate regulatory T cell impairment in autoimmunity
Regulatory T cell (Treg) impairment is a common denominator of autoimmune pathologies. Despite the extensive characterization of Treg cell phenotype in autoimmunity, the molecular mechanisms underlying their deterioration remain ill defined. To investigate Treg dysfunction during autoimmunity we performed transcriptomic analysis of CD4+CD25highCD127- Treg cells from peripheral blood of patients with autoimmunity.
Study
EGAS00001004470
RNA sequencing in primary human macrophages overexpressing ETS2
We investigated an intergenic haplotype on chr21q22, linked to five different inflammatory diseases, and discovered a mechanism that orchestrates macrophage responses during chronic inflammation. We delineated how the risk haplotype increases expression of the causal gene, ETS2, and demonstrated that ETS2 is necessary for inflammatory macrophage effector functions. To establish whether ETS2 is sufficient to drive inflammatory responses, we overexpressed ETS2 in a dose-dependent manner and performed RNA-sequencing to characterise the transcriptional effects.
Study
EGAS00001007554
Oligodendroglia as functional effectors of Multiple Sclerosis risk variants (iPS derived hOPC scCRISPRi/a-seq)
Study of the regulatory effect of a selection Multiple Sclerosis (MS) associated SNPs applying high-throughput functional genomics in human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived oligodendroglia (iPS-derived hOPCs). Selected cis-regulatory elements were assesed with lentiviral-based pooled single cell (sc)CRISPR-seq screens. CRISPRi/a (dCas9-KRAB and dCas9-p300 respectively) was performed, in combination with direct-capture Perturb-sequencing single-guide RNA (sgRNA) and droplet-based single-cell RNA-seq, allowing high sgRNA capture efficiency and identification of possible transcriptional regulatory mechanisms at a single cell/sgRNA level.
Study
EGAS50000001417
Amplicon based NGS of human CD4 and CD8 T cells
Panel-based next-generation sequencing data of 211 human CD4 T cells, CD8 T cells and genomic DNA. The panel was designed to capture 260 SNVs in high linkage disequilibrium with multiple sclerosis susceptibility SNVs. NGS was carried out using PE300 reads on the Illumina MiSeq (Illumina Inc., San Diego, CA, United States).
Study
EGAS00001004139
miRNA regulation of monocyte expressed inflammatory genes in patients with inflammatory bowel disease
Study
EGAS00001006157
ScRNA-seq of human kidney immune cells of patients with ANCA-associated glomerulonephritis, Lupus Nephritis against a "healthy" nephrectomy control
ANCA-associated glomerulonephritis (AGN) associates with a high risk of end-stage kidney disease. The role of kidney immune cells in local inflammation remains unclear. Here, we investigate kidney immune cell diversity and function. Kidney tissue from AGN patients (n=5) and a lupus nephritis (LN) patient (n=1) were aquired during a biopsy procedure for a clinical indication. Needle-core biopsies were obtained for histopathological examination, and an additional pass was performed to retrieve kidney tissue for scRNA-seq. Healthy kidney tissue (n=1) was obtained from a kidney that was surgically removed do tue due to a (non-invasive) papillary urothelial carcinoma. Immediately after collection, kidney tissue was processed into a single-cell suspension and sorted using a 4-color flow cytometry panel to isolate living, CD45+ immune cells. To aid in the multi-omic characterization, surface markers and T and B cell repertoires were sequenced in 2 samples (1 AGN patient and the nephrectomy control). These samples were incubated with an oligo-antibody TotalSeq-C cocktail containing 130 unique cell surface antigens.
Study
EGAS50000000159
Summary statistics of meta-analysis using two genome-wide association study of inflammatory bowel disease in Koreans.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a chronic inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract, is thought to develop due to dysregulated mucosal immune responses to gut flora in genetically susceptible individuals. Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are the two major subtypes of IBD. To identify additional susceptibility loci for IBD in Asians, we performed meta-analyses using two genome-wide association studies.
Study
EGAS00001005026
Circulating cell-free DNA methylation profiles as noninvasive multiple sclerosis biomarkers: A proof-of-concept study
In chronic neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), there is a critical unmet need for cost-effective non-invasive blood biomarkers to concurrently classify disease subtypes, monitor disability severity, and predict long-term progression. In this proof-of-concept study, we performed low-coverage whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) on 75 plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) samples collected from a well-characterized real-world prospective clinic cohort with longitudinal disability outcome measurements. We assessed the clinical utility of cfDNA methylation profile for differentiating MS patients from non-MS controls, classifying MS subtypes, estimating disability severity, and predicting disease trajectories.
Study
EGAS50000001277
Multiple esclerosis and mixed microbial infections
This Project deals with the sequencing of ITS1 region, which is highly variable both in length and in nucleotide sequence for different yeast using yeast-specific primers ITS1 and ITS2. A total of 19 samples involving different brain regions from patients with different conditions were analysed. Of these, 10 are controls-healthy patients and 9 multiple sclerosis (MS) patients.
Study
EGAS00001002957
Whole_exome_sequencing_of_inflammatory_bowel_disease_cases
Whole exome sequencing of around 700 inflammatory bowel disease cases.
Study
EGAS00001000530
Genomewide Association Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease
WTCCC genome-wide case-control association study for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) using the 1958 British Birth Cohort and the UK National Blood Service collections as controls.
Study
EGAS00000000006
WGS/RNA-seq pair of an inflammatory hepatocellular adenoma (IHCA)
A 49 years old female patient consulted for diarrhea, rectal bleeding and lower limbs edema and was diagnosed with systemic AA amyloidosis.
An inflammatory hepatocellular adenoma was further identified and resected, resulting in the improvement of amyloidosis-related symptoms. Molecular analyses of the tumor tissue revealed a somatic chromosome rearrangement responsible for interleukin-6 mRNA stabilization leading to an inflammatory acute response with serum amyloid A protein production by both neoplastic and normal hepatocytes.
Study
EGAS00001003025
Transcriptomics identifies blunted immunomodulatory effects of vitamin D in people with multiple sclerosis
Vitamin D deficiency is a risk factor for developing multiple sclerosis (MS). However, the immune effects of vitamin D in people with MS are not well understood. We analyzed transcriptomic datasets generated by RNA sequencing of immune cell subsets (CD4+, CD8+ T cells, B cells, monocytes) from 33 healthy controls and 33 untreated MS cases. We utilized a traditional bioinformatic pipeline and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to determine genes and pathways correlated with endogenous vitamin D. In controls, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells had 1079 and 1188 genes, respectively, whose expressions were correlated with plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D level (P<0.05). Functional enrichment analysis identified association with TNF-alpha and MAPK signaling. In CD4+ T cells of controls, vitamin D level was associated with expression levels of several genes proximal to multiple sclerosis risk loci (P=0.01). Genes differentially associated with endogenous vitamin D by case-control status were enriched in TNF-alpha signaling via NF-κB. WGCNA suggested a blunted response to vitamin D in cases relative to controls. Collectively, our findings provide further evidence for the immune effects of vitamin D, and demonstrate a differential immune response to vitamin D in cases relative to controls, highlighting a possible mechanism contributing to MS pathophysiology.
Study
EGAS00001007254
Discriminating Th17.1 cell driven sarcoidosis-like inflammation from relapse after anti-BCMA CAR T cells in multiple myeloma
We present a case study on sarcoidosis-like flare-up after Idecabtagen Vicleucel (Ide-cel), a BCMA targeting CAR T cell therapy, and identified a Th17.1 driven autoimmune mechanism as the biological underpinning of this phenomenon using single-cell RNA-seq analysis. Furthermore, single-cell RNA-seq allowed to discriminate between immune-mediated changes and true relapse after CAR T cell treatment.
Study
EGAS00001006133
PhIP-Seq data
Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), e.g. Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis
(UC), are chronic immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. A comprehensive
overview of an IBD-specific antibody epitope repertoire is, however, lacking. We
leveraged a high-throughput phage-displayed immunoprecipitation sequencing
(PhIP-seq) workflow to identify antibodies against 344,000 antimicrobial, immune and
food antigens in 497 IBD patients.
Study
EGAS00001007054
Single-cell RNA-sequencing of CSF cells and PBMCs from individuals with neurological disorders
We undertook single-cell RNA sequencing to establish gene expression and lymphocyte receptor sequences of CSF and peripheral blood leukocytes derived from patients with a variety of inflammatory, infectious and non-inflammatory neurological disorders. The aim of the study was the investigation of functional changes of the cells involved in neuroinflammatory responses.
Study
EGAS00001007954
Multiple Sclerosis risk variants regulate gene expression in innate and adaptive immune cells
Each of at least 200 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been confirmed to be associated with individually small increases in the risk of Multiple Sclerosis (MS). A key function that could mediate SNP encoded MS risk is their regulatory effects on gene expression or splicing.
Transcriptomic profiling was performed using Affymetrix gene-expression microarrays, using RNA extracted from purified human peripheral blood monocytes, CD4 and CD8 positive lymphocyte cells, B-lymphocyte cells and Natural Killer cells from 73 untreated MS cases and 97 healthy controls. Cis expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) mapping studies were performed in each cell type separately to characterize MS risk loci associated with gene expression change.
Study
EGAS00001004087
Total RNAseq in the sporadic ALS and healthy control motor cortex
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by the degeneration of upper and lower motor neurons leading to progressive muscle weakness, wasting and paralysis that result in death within a few years from disease onset.
In order to characterize RNA alterations in ALS, total RNAseq was performed in the ALS motor cortex, which is an early and vulnerable region in ALS.
Study
EGAS00001004286
H3K27ac ChIP-seq in primary inflammatory (TPP) macrophages
We investigated an intergenic haplotype on chr21q22, linked to five different inflammatory diseases, and identified the molecular mechanism by which the risk haplotype increases expression of the causal gene, ETS2. This mechanism was predicted to alter enhancer activity at the disease-associated locus. We therefore performed H3K27ac ChIP-seq in inflammatory macrophages from minor and major allele homozygotes at the causal allele and investigated the effect on enhancer activity. In doing so, we mechanistically delineated how the risk haplotype increases expression of ETS2.
Study
EGAS00001007562
High titers and low fucosylation of early phase anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG promote hyper-inflammation by alveolar macrophages
We show that early phase anti-Spike IgG in serum of critically ill COVID-19 patients induces hyper-inflammatory responses by human alveolar macrophages. We identified that this excessive inflammatory response is dependent on two antibody features that are specific for severe COVID-19. First, inflammation is driven by high titers of anti-Spike IgG, a hallmark of severe disease. Second, we found that anti-Spike IgG from severely ill patients is intrinsically more pro-inflammatory because of different glycosylation of the Fc tail, particularly by low fucosylation.
This dataset is linked with the following ArrayExpress Experiment: E-MTAB-10431 - 2020_COVID19_FCGR_MIL10_IgGfucosylation
Study
EGAS00001005206
SNP genotyping of multiplex autoimmune Addison's families from the UK and Norway
Multiplex AAD families from the UK and Norway, genotyped on the Affymetrix SNP 6 array
Study
EGAS00001001237
Paediatric IBD Mosaicism
This is a DNA sequencing study investigating genetic mechanisms underpinning childhood inflammatory bowel disease.
Study
EGAS00001002489
Genomewide Association Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease - Combined Controls
WTCCC genome-wide case-control association study for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) using six disease collections together with the 1958 British Birth Cohort and the UK National Blood Service collections as controls.
Study
EGAS00000000007
Single-cell RNA-sequencing of CD34+ bone marrow cells from patients with SLE, healthy individuals and umbilical cord blood samples
All immune cells that contribute to the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) derive from adult haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) within the bone marrow (BM). We reasoned that the fundamental abnormalities in the disease can be traced back to HSPCs. The aim of this study was to delineate human haematopoietic CD34+ progenitor subpopulations and to identify deregulated pathways in each subpopulation in SLE as compared to healthy controls and umbilical cord blood samples. This study revealed both quantitative-as evidenced by decreased numbers of non-proliferating early progenitors and qualitative differences- characterized by an IFN signature, which is known to drive loss of function and depletion of HSPCs.
Study
EGAS00001007317
DNA methylomes of monozygotic twins clinically discordant for multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system. Although genetic susceptibility is important, a modest concordance rate for MS in monozygotic (MZ) twins suggests that interaction with other risk factors is required to develop clinical symptoms. In this study, we examined whether DNA methylation differences contribute to the discordant clinical manifestation of MS in MZ twins, and studied the impact of MS treatments on the DNA methylome. Genome-wide DNA methylation profiles of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of 45 MZ twins clinically discordant for MS were generated using the Illumina HumanMethylationEPIC array. Repetitive element methylation and selected differentially methylated positions (DMPs) were validated using targeted deep bisulfite sequencing (TDBS). In addition, we performed whole genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) to profile CD4+ memory T-cells of a subset of four MS discordant MZ twins. Our results show that interferon treatment causes robust DNA methylation changes and several epigenetic biomarkers for interferon treatment response were identified. However, overall the PBMC-based methylomes of the MS discordant MZ twins were highly similar, since large systematic methylation differences (>5%) were absent in the data. This suggests that previously reported large methylation changes are probably caused by genetic rather than epigenetic differences. In addition, our data does not support the hypothesis that the observed maternal parent-of-origin effect in MS is due to genomic imprinting errors, and no evidence was found that copy number variations explain the discordant phenotype in these MZ twins. Although not genome-wide significant, a couple of DMPs associated with the MS phenotype were identified and successfully technically replicated using TDBS, including a differentially methylated region (DMR) in the promoter of the transmembrane protein encoding gene TMEM232. Another MS-associated DMP, located in an enhancer in the gene body of the transcription factor ZBTB16, was also associated with medium-term glucocorticoid treatment history. WGBS analysis confirmed this DMP as a promising epigenetic biomarker for glucocorticoid treatment. In conclusion, this epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) in genetically identical twins identified a DMR in the TMEM232 promoter as a candidate loci associated with the clinical manifestation of MS. In addition, epigenetic biomarkers for MS treatments were identified, revealing that not only short-term, but also medium-term treatment effects are detectable in immune cells, which should be taken into account in future EWAS designs.
Study
EGAS00001003147
ALPI deficiency and inflammatory bowel disease
Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) are complex and severe disorders ascribed to alterations in the dialogue between the microbiota and the host immune system (Bouma & Strober, 2003; Maloy & Powrie, 2011). By using whole‐exome sequencing (WES), we report the identification of compound heterozygous ALPI mutations in two unrelated patients displaying severe intestinal inflammation and autoimmunity. ALPI encodes the Intestinal alkaline phosphatase, a brush border metalloenzyme that catalyses phosphate hydrolysis of the lipid moiety of LPS and thereby drastically reduces LPS pro‐inflammatory activity (Schromm et al, 1998; Goldberg et al, 2008).
Study
EGAS00001002847
Single cell transcriptome and TCR sequencing of EBNA1, ANO2 and CRYAB-reactive T cells in multiple sclerosis.
Molecular mimicry between Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and self antigens in the brain has been suggested as a mechanism for how adaptive immune responses to EBV may contribute to multiple sclerosis (MS) disease pathogenesis. Anoctamin-2 (ANO2) and ɑ-crystallin B (CRYAB) have been identified as having homologous peptide sequences with the EBV antigen EBNA1.
To explore T cell cross-reactivity, we stimulated PBMC from four natalizumab-treated persons with MS with full-length bead-coupled antigens and sorted proliferating CD4+ T cells by flow cytometry after 8 days. Single cell RNA sequencing was performed on T cells reacting to EBV EBNA1, ANO2, CRYAB, albumin binding domain (ABD, irrelevant protein control) and anti-CD3.
Study
EGAS50000001531
HCA_Immune_Adult_CIDP_RNA_Managed_Access
Leveraging single-cell sequencing technologies to shed light on the immune aetiology of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP)
Study
EGAS00001007419
ALPI deficiency causes refractory Inflammation Bowel Disease
Herein, we report the first identification of biallelic-inherited mutations in ALPI as a Mendelian cause of inflammatory bowel disease in two unrelated patients. ALPI encodes for intestinal phosphatase alkaline, a brush border metalloenzyme that hydrolyses phosphate from the lipid A moiety of lipopolysaccharides and thereby drastically reduces Toll-like receptor 4 agonist activity. Prediction tools and structural modelling indicate that all mutations affect critical residues or inter-subunit interactions, and heterologous expression in HEK293T cells demonstrated that all ALPI mutations were loss of function. ALPI mutations impaired either stability or catalytic activity of ALPI and rendered it unable to detoxify lipopolysaccharide-dependent signalling. Furthermore, ALPI expression was reduced in patients' biopsies, and ALPI activity was undetectable in ALPI-deficient patient's stool. Our findings highlight the crucial role of ALPI in regulating host-microbiota interactions and restraining host inflammatory responses. These results indicate that ALPI mutations should be included in screening for monogenic causes of inflammatory bowel diseases and lay the groundwork for ALPI-based treatments in intestinal inflammatory disorders.
Study
EGAS00001003350
CLUSTER Read-counts matrix of RNAseq Datasets of JIA in methotrexate cohort
CLUSTER aims to discover novel disease mechanisms and biomarkers in children suffering from Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Currently, little is known about the pathological disease mechanisms of JIA and there are no validated tools capable of predicting response or non-response to treatment. The study aims to identify biomarkers for treatment response using RNAseq technology.
The samples used in this study comes from blood samples that were collected prior to patients receiving methotrexate treatment (naive). These samples were then processed for PBMC isolation followed by sorting cells into 4 different immune cell types. All of these samples were then sequenced by NovaSeq6000.
Study
EGAS50000001501
Carboxylesterase 1 mediates a distinctive metabolic profile of dendritic cells to attain an inflammatory phenotype
The metabolic profile of dendritic cells (DCs) shapes their phenotype and functions. Carboxylestrase 1 (CES1) enzyme is highly expressed in mononuclear myeloid cells however its exact role in DCs is elusive. We used a CES1 inhibitor (WWL113) and genetic overexpression to explore the role of CES1 in DCs differentiation in inflammatory models.
CES1 expression was analyzed during CD14+ monocytes differentiation to DCs (MoDCs) using quantitative PCR. CES1 Inhibitor (WWL113) was applied during MoDCs differentiation. Surface markers, secreted cytokines, lactic acid production, phagocytic and T cell polarization capacity were analyzed. Transcriptomic and metabolic profile were assessed with RNA-sequencing and mass spectrometry. Cellular respiration was assessed with seahorse respirometry. Transgenic mice were used to assess CES1 overexpression in DCs in inflammatory models.
CES1 expression peaks early during MoDCs differentiation. Pharmacological inhibition of CES1 led to higher expression of CD209, CD86 and MHCII. WWL113 treated MoDCs secreted higher quantities of IL6, IL8, TNF and IL10 and demonstrated stronger phagocytic ability and higher capacity to polarize Th17 differentiation in autologous DCs-T cells co-culture model. Transcriptomic profiling revealed enrichment of multiple inflammatory and metabolic pathways. Functional metabolic analysis shows impaired maximal mitochondrial respiration capacity, increased lactate production and decreased intracellular amino acids and TCA intermediates. Transgenic human CES1 overexpression in murine DCs generated less inflammatory phenotype and increased resistance to T cell mediated colitis.
In conclusion, CES1 inhibition directs DCs differentiation towards more inflammatory phenotype, that shows stronger phagocytic capacity and supports Th17 skewing. This is associated with disrupted mitochondrial respiration and amino acids depletion.
Study
EGAS50000000230
Whole exome sequencing in patients with ALS and concomitant FTD lacking the C9orf72 repeat expansion
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) are part of a clinical, pathological and genetic continuum. The purpose of the present study was to assess the mutation burden that is present in ALS and/or FTD known disease-causing genes in 54 patients (16 with available postmortem neuropathological diagnosis) with concurrent ALS and FTD (ALS/FTD) not-carrying the C9orf72 hexanucleotide repeat expansion, the most important genetic cause in both diseases.
Study
EGAS00001002439
Cell type mapping of inflammatory muscle diseases highlights selective myofiber vulnerability in inclusion body myositis
Inclusion body myositis (IBM) is the most prevalent inflammatory muscle disease in older adults with no effective therapy available. In contrast to other inflammatory myopathies like subacute immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy (IMNM), IBM follows a chronic disease course with both inflammatory and degenerative features of pathology. Moreover, causal factors and molecular drivers of IBM progression are largely unknown. Therefore, we paired single-nucleus RNA sequencing with spatial transcriptomics from patient muscle biopsies to map cell type-specific drivers underlying IBM pathogenesis compared to IMNM muscles and non-inflammatory skeletal muscle samples. In IBM muscles, we observed a selective loss of type 2 myonuclei paralleled by increased levels of cytotoxic T and cDC1 cells. IBM myofibers were either characterized by upregulation of cell stress markers featuring GADD45A and NORAD, or protein degradation markers including RNF7 associated with p62 aggregates. GADD45A upregulation was preferentially seen in type 2A myofibers associated with severe tissue inflammation. We also noted IBM-specific upregulation of ACHE encoding acetylcholinesterase, which can be regulated by NORAD activity and result in functional denervation of myofibers. Our results provide promising insights into possible mechanisms of myofiber degeneration in IBM and suggest a selective type 2 fiber vulnerability linked to genomic stress and denervation pathways.
Study
EGAS50000000310
Biallelic mutations in the ubiquitin ligase RFWD3 cause Fanconi anemia
The WD40-containing E3 ubiquitin ligase RFWD3 has been recently linked to the repair of DNA damage by Homologous Recombination (HR). Here we show that an RFWD3 mutation within the WD40 domain is connected to the genetic disease Fanconi anemia (FA). An individual revealed congenital abnormalities characteristic for FA. Cells from the patient, carrying the compound heterozygous mutations c.205_206dupCC and c.1916T>A in RFWD3, show increased sensitivity to DNA interstrand cross-linking agents in terms of increased chromosomal breakage, reduced survival and cell cycle arrest in G2 phase. The cellular phenotype is mirrored in genetically engineered human and avian cells by inactivation of RFWD3 or by introduction of the patient-derived missense mutation, and is rescued by expression of wildtype RFWD3 protein. HR is disrupted in RFWD3 mutant cells, caused by impaired relocation of mutant RFWD3 to chromatin and defective physical interaction with RPA. Rfwd3 knockout mice exhibit increased embryonic lethality, are sub-fertile, show ovarian and testicular atrophy and have a reduced life span in which they resemble other FA mouse models. Although mutation was detected in a single child with FA yet, we propose RFWD3 as a novel FA gene, FANCW, supported by cellular paradigm systems and an animal model.
Study
EGAS00001002440
Low frequency and rare coding variation contributes to multiple sclerosis risk
Multiple sclerosis is a common, complex neurological disease, where almost 20% of risk heritability can be attributed to common genetic variants, including >230 identified by genome-wide association studies. Multiple strands of evidence suggest that the majority of the remaining heritability is also due to the additive effects of individual variants, rather than epistatic interactions between these variants, or mutations exclusive to individual families. Here, we show in 68,379 cases and controls that as much as 5% of this heritability is explained by low-frequency variation in gene coding sequence. We identify four novel genes driving MS risk independently of common variant signals, which highlight a key role for regulatory T cell homeostasis and regulation, IFNγ biology and NFκB signaling in MS pathogenesis.
Study
EGAS00001003195
Clinical Outcomes by Tumor Mutational Burden and Inflammatory Gene Expression With Combined Nivolumab and Ipilimumab or Monotherapy in Advanced Melanoma
Purpose
Exploratory analyses of CheckMate 066 and 067 trials were conducted to investigate associations of tumor mutational burden (TMB), a 4-gene inflammatory gene expression signature, and BRAF mutation status with tumor response, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) in patients with advanced melanoma.
Patients and Methods
Patients with known programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression and BRAF mutation status received nivolumab (NIVO) or dacarbazine in CheckMate 066 and either NIVO, ipilimumab (IPI), or NIVO+IPI in CheckMate 067. Whole exome sequencing and RNA sequencing were used to determine TMB and inflammatory gene expression signature scores, respectively. These biomarkers were evaluated in terms of their association with PFS and OS.
Results
In the NIVO, NIVO+IPI, and IPI arms of CheckMate 067, longer survival was associated with high (> median) versus low (≤ median) TMB with hazard ratios (HRs) (95% confidence interval [CI]) for PFS of 0.45 (0.30–0.65), 0.55 (0.38–0.81), and 0.60 (0.43–0.82), and for OS of 0.46 (0.30–0.71), 0.53 (0.34–0.82), and 0.52 (0.36–0.74), respectively. For NIVO-treated patients, these results were confirmed in CheckMate 066. A survival benefit was observed with high TMB and absence of BRAF mutation. Survival was associated with high versus low inflammatory signature scores with HRs (95% CI) for PFS of 0.56 (0.34–0.94), 0.40 (0.23–0.72), and 0.43 (0.27–0.70), and for OS of 0.37 (0.20–0.66), 0.38 (0.19–0.74), and 0.46 (0.27–0.79), in the NIVO, NIVO+IPI, and IPI arms, respectively. Weak correlations were observed between PD-L1, TMB, and the inflammatory signature.
Conclusions
Combined assessment of TMB, inflammatory gene expression signature, and BRAF mutation status may be predictive for response to immunotherapy in advanced melanoma.
Study
EGAS00001004564
Clinical Outcomes by Tumor Mutational Burden and Inflammatory Gene Expression With Combined Nivolumab and Ipilimumab or Monotherapy in Advanced Melanoma - CM066-WES
Purpose
Exploratory analyses of CheckMate 066 and 067 trials were conducted to investigate associations of tumor mutational burden (TMB), a 4-gene inflammatory gene expression signature, and BRAF mutation status with tumor response, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) in patients with advanced melanoma.
Patients and Methods
Patients with known programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression and BRAF mutation status received nivolumab (NIVO) or dacarbazine in CheckMate 066 and either NIVO, ipilimumab (IPI), or NIVO+IPI in CheckMate 067. Whole exome sequencing and RNA sequencing were used to determine TMB and inflammatory gene expression signature scores, respectively. These biomarkers were evaluated in terms of their association with PFS and OS.
Results
In the NIVO, NIVO+IPI, and IPI arms of CheckMate 067, longer survival was associated with high (> median) versus low (≤ median) TMB with hazard ratios (HRs) (95% confidence interval [CI]) for PFS of 0.45 (0.30–0.65), 0.55 (0.38–0.81), and 0.60 (0.43–0.82), and for OS of 0.46 (0.30–0.71), 0.53 (0.34–0.82), and 0.52 (0.36–0.74), respectively. For NIVO-treated patients, these results were confirmed in CheckMate 066. A survival benefit was observed with high TMB and absence of BRAF mutation. Survival was associated with high versus low inflammatory signature scores with HRs (95% CI) for PFS of 0.56 (0.34–0.94), 0.40 (0.23–0.72), and 0.43 (0.27–0.70), and for OS of 0.37 (0.20–0.66), 0.38 (0.19–0.74), and 0.46 (0.27–0.79), in the NIVO, NIVO+IPI, and IPI arms, respectively. Weak correlations were observed between PD-L1, TMB, and the inflammatory signature.
Conclusions
Combined assessment of TMB, inflammatory gene expression signature, and BRAF mutation status may be predictive for response to immunotherapy in advanced melanoma.
Study
EGAS00001004567
Clinical Outcomes by Tumor Mutational Burden and Inflammatory Gene Expression With Combined Nivolumab and Ipilimumab or Monotherapy in Advanced Melanoma - CM67 WES
Purpose
Exploratory analyses of CheckMate 066 and 067 trials were conducted to investigate associations of tumor mutational burden (TMB), a 4-gene inflammatory gene expression signature, and BRAF mutation status with tumor response, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) in patients with advanced melanoma.
Patients and Methods
Patients with known programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression and BRAF mutation status received nivolumab (NIVO) or dacarbazine in CheckMate 066 and either NIVO, ipilimumab (IPI), or NIVO+IPI in CheckMate 067. Whole exome sequencing and RNA sequencing were used to determine TMB and inflammatory gene expression signature scores, respectively. These biomarkers were evaluated in terms of their association with PFS and OS.
Results
In the NIVO, NIVO+IPI, and IPI arms of CheckMate 067, longer survival was associated with high (&amp;gt; median) versus low (≤ median) TMB with hazard ratios (HRs) (95% confidence interval [CI]) for PFS of 0.45 (0.30–0.65), 0.55 (0.38–0.81), and 0.60 (0.43–0.82), and for OS of 0.46 (0.30–0.71), 0.53 (0.34–0.82), and 0.52 (0.36–0.74), respectively. For NIVO-treated patients, these results were confirmed in CheckMate 066. A survival benefit was observed with high TMB and absence of BRAF mutation. Survival was associated with high versus low inflammatory signature scores with HRs (95% CI) for PFS of 0.56 (0.34–0.94), 0.40 (0.23–0.72), and 0.43 (0.27–0.70), and for OS of 0.37 (0.20–0.66), 0.38 (0.19–0.74), and 0.46 (0.27–0.79), in the NIVO, NIVO+IPI, and IPI arms, respectively. Weak correlations were observed between PD-L1, TMB, and the inflammatory signature.
Conclusions
Combined assessment of TMB, inflammatory gene expression signature, and BRAF mutation status may be predictive for response to immunotherapy in advanced melanoma.
Study
EGAS00001004555
Ischemia Reperfusion Responses in Human Lung Transplants at the Single Cell Resolution
Ischemia reperfusion is an unavoidable step of organ transplantation. Development of therapeutics for lung injury during transplantation has proved challenging; understanding lung injury from human data at the single cell resolution is required to accelerate the development of therapeutics. Donor lung biopsies from six human lung transplant cases were collected at the end of cold preservation and 2-hour reperfusion and underwent single cell RNA sequencing. Donor and recipient origin of cells from the reperfusion timepoint were deconvolved. Gene expression profiles were (1) compared between each donor cell type between timepoints and (2) compared between donor and recipient cells. Inflammatory responses from donor lung macrophages were found after reperfusion with upregulation of multiple cytokines and chemokines, especially IL-1 and IL-1. Significant inflammatory responses were found in alveolar epithelial cells (featured by CXCL8) and lung endothelial cells (featured by IL-6 upregulation). Different inflammatory responses were noted between donor and recipient monocytes and CD8+ T cells. The inflammatory signals and differences between donor and recipient cells observed provide insight into the cellular and molecular mechanisms of ischemia reperfusion induced lung injury. Further investigations may lead to the development of novel targeted therapeutics.
Study
EGAS50000000490