Nucleoli are fundamentally essential sites for ribosome biogenesis in cells and formed by liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) for a multilayer condensate structure. How the nucleoli integrity is maintained remains poorly understood. Here, we reveal that METTL3/METTL14, the typical methyltransferase complex catalyzing N6-methyladnosine (mA) on mRNAs maintain nucleoli integrity in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTET1-mediated active DNA demethylation is required for endogenous retrovirus (ERV) enhancer activation during human ES differentiation into definitive endoderm (DE) cells. Here we present a protocol for siRNA-mediated TET1 knockdown during this process to decipher TET1's role in ERV activation and DE differentiation. We describe steps for inducing ES into DE cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: The present investigation aimed to explore the neurodevelopmental trajectory of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by identifying the changes in brain function and gene expression associated with the disorder. Previous studies have indicated that ASD is a highly inherited neurodevelopmental disorder of the brain that displays symptom heterogeneity across different developmental periods. However, the transcriptomic changes underlying these developmental differences remain largely unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSingle-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) is a revolutionary tool to explore cells. With an increasing number of scRNA-seq data analysis tools that have been developed, it is challenging for users to choose and compare their performance. Here, we present an overview of the workflow for computational analysis of scRNA-seq data.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPulmonary fibrosis is a chronic and serious interstitial lung disease with little effective therapies currently. Our incomplete understanding of its pathogenesis remains obstacles in therapeutic developments. Sirtuin 6 (SIRT6) has been shown to mitigate multiple organic fibrosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDeficiency of the histone H3K9 methyltransferase SETDB1 induces RIPK3-dependent necroptosis in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs). However, how necroptosis pathway is activated in this process remains elusive. Here we report that the reactivation of transposable elements (TEs) upon SETDB1 knockout is responsible for the RIPK3 regulation through both cis and trans mechanisms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVitamin D-dependent rickets (VDDR) type 1A is a rare autosomal recessive disorder caused by cytochrome P450 family 27 subfamily B member 1 (CYP27B1) mutations and can lead to deficiencies in 1α-hydroxylase activity. The present study describes the case of a 39-year-old male patient who presented with rickets and deformities of limbs. Blood biochemical analysis revealed hypocalcemia and high serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTransposable elements (TEs) are the major sources of lineage-specific genomic innovation and comprise nearly half of the human genome, but most of their functions remain unclear. Here, we identify that a series of endogenous retroviruses (ERVs), a TE subclass, regulate the transcriptome at the definitive endoderm stage with in vitro differentiation model from human embryonic stem cell. Notably, these ERVs perform as enhancers containing binding sites for critical transcription factors for endoderm lineage specification.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEach vertebrate species appears to have a unique timing mechanism for forming somites along the vertebral column, and the process in human remains poorly understood at the molecular level due to technical and ethical limitations. Here, we report the reconstitution of human segmentation clock by direct reprogramming. We first reprogrammed human urine epithelial cells to a presomitic mesoderm (PSM) state capable of long-term self-renewal and formation of somitoids with an anterior-to-posterior axis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The exit from pluripotency or pluripotent-somatic transition (PST) landmarks an event of early mammalian embryonic development, representing a model for cell fate transition.
Results: In this study, using a robust JUN-induced PST within 8 h as a model, we investigate the chromatin accessibility dynamics (CAD) as well as the behaviors of corresponding chromatin remodeling complex SS18/BAFs, to probe the key events at the early stage of PST. Here, we report that, JUN triggers the open of 34661 chromatin sites within 4 h, accomplished with the activation of somatic genes, such as Anxa1, Fosl1.
Background: Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD) is a rare disease that affects multiple systems and is characterized by non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis. Classic clinical signs include long bone infiltration, central nervous system involvement, diabetes insipidus, and sheathing of the entire aorta. However, thrombosis is not recognized as a typical cardiac manifestation of ECD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMultiple pluripotent states have been described in mouse and human stem cells. Here, we apply single-cell RNA-seq to a newly established BMP4 induced mouse primed to naïve transition (BiPNT) system and show that the reset is not a direct reversal of cell fate but goes through a primordial germ cell-like cells (PGCLCs) state. We first show that epiblast stem cells bifurcate into c-Kit naïve and c-Kit trophoblast-like cells, among which, the naïve branch undergoes further transition through a PGCLCs intermediate capable of spermatogenesis in vivo.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To develop nomograms that combine clinical characteristics, computed tomographic (CT) features and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET (18F-FDG PET) metabolic parameters for individual prediction of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation status and exon 19 deletion mutation and exon 21 point mutation (21 L858R) subtypes in lung adenocarcinoma.
Methods: In total 124 lung adenocarcinoma patients who underwent EGFR mutation testing and whole-body 18F-FDG PET/CT were enrolled. Each patient's clinical characteristics (age, sex, smoking history, etc.
Transposable elements (TEs) are the most prevalent elements in mammalian genomes. Although potential risks for genome stability, they are a pool of potential regulatory sequences, chromatin control elements, protein-coding genes, and substrates for evolutionary processes. Consequently, a delicate balance is maintained between the potential benefits and deleterious aspects of TEs, and this balance is mediated by the epigenetic regulatory system.
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