Integrative analysis of transcriptome dynamics during human craniofacial development identifies candidate disease genes.

Craniofacial disorders arise in early pregnancy and are one of the most common congenital defects. To fully understand how craniofacial disorders arise, it is essential to characterize gene expression during the patterning of the craniofacial region. To address this, we performed bulk and single-cell RNA-seq on human craniofacial tissue from 4-8 weeks post conception.

PHF20 is crucial for epigenetic control of starvation-induced autophagy through enhancer activation.

Autophagy is a catabolic pathway that maintains cellular homeostasis under various stress conditions, including conditions of nutrient deprivation. To elevate autophagic flux to a sufficient level under stress conditions, transcriptional activation of autophagy genes occurs to replenish autophagy components. Thus, the transcriptional and epigenetic control of the genes regulating autophagy is essential for cellular homeostasis.

Estrogen exposure causes the progressive growth of SK-Hep1-derived tumor in ovariectomized mice.

Liver cancer, one of the leading death causes, has different incidence and mortality rates in men and women. The influencing factor is considered to estrogen. However, the role of estrogen in liver cancer remains controversial.

Advanced Xenograft Model with Cotransplantation of Patient-Derived Organoids and Endothelial Colony-Forming Cells for Precision Medicine.

Preclinical evaluation models have been developed for precision medicine, with patient-derived xenograft models (PDXs) and patient-derived organoids (PDOs) attracting increasing attention. However, each of these models has application limitations. In this study, an advanced xenograft model was established and used for drug screening.

Sex-dependent liver cancer xenograft models for predicting clinical data in the evaluation of anticancer drugs.

Background: The incidence and mortality of liver cancer show a great difference between the sexes. We established sex-dependent liver cancer xenograft models and investigated whether such sex-dependent models could be used to simultaneously evaluate the therapeutic and adverse effects of anticancer drugs for drug screening.

Results: In the in-vitro test, the cytotoxicity of anticancer drugs (cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil, and doxorubicin) was compared between male- and female-derived liver cancer cell lines.

The chromatin-binding protein PHF6 functions as an E3 ubiquitin ligase of H2BK120 via H2BK12Ac recognition for activation of trophectodermal genes.

Epigenetic regulation is important for establishing lineage-specific gene expression during early development. Although signaling pathways have been well-studied for regulation of trophectoderm reprogramming, epigenetic regulation of trophectodermal genes with histone modification dynamics have been poorly understood. Here, we identify that plant homeodomain finger protein 6 (PHF6) is a key epigenetic regulator for activation of trophectodermal genes using RNA-sequencing and ChIP assays.

Sex-dependent effects of estrogen pellets in human liver cancer xenograft models.

Liver cancer shows noticeable differences in the incidence rate and mortality between genders. To investigate the estrogen effect on tumor progression in liver cancer, we developed a xenograft model using estrogen pellets. SK-Hep1 cells (human male liver carcinoma) were inoculated into male or female nude mice.

Sex-Dependent Adverse Drug Reactions to 5-Fluorouracil in Colorectal Cancer.

Sex-related incidence and outcomes were reported in various cancers, including colorectal cancer. 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is widely used as an essential chemotherapeutic agent for colorectal cancer. However, sex-based differences in 5-FU toxicity have yet to be reported in human cancer cell lines and xenograft mouse models to date.

AMPK-SKP2-CARM1 signalling cascade in transcriptional regulation of autophagy.

Autophagy is a highly conserved self-digestion process, which is essential for maintaining homeostasis and viability in response to nutrient starvation. Although the components of autophagy in the cytoplasm have been well studied, the molecular basis for the transcriptional and epigenetic regulation of autophagy is poorly understood. Here we identify co-activator-associated arginine methyltransferase 1 (CARM1) as a crucial component of autophagy in mammals.