Mazloum et al. report that polycystin-1 and the primary cilium govern the composition, mechanics, and shape of the tubular basement membrane, and that remodeling of this matrix initiates tubule dilation in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease. The cover image is a false-colored transmission electron micrograph of the thinned tubular basement membrane separating two polycystin-1–deficient tubular cells.
Oil-producing sebaceous glands (SGs), attached to the upper/ middle portion of hair follicles, are indispensable for maintaining skin hydration, and their dysfunction leads to dry skin. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying regulation of SG stem cells remain largely unknown. We identified transcription factor KROX20 as a marker of SG stem cells that sustains their stemness throughout SG morphogenesis and homeostasis. We developed an inducible mouse model in which ablation of KROX20-positive cells causes SG loss and rapidly and robustly induces dry, flaky, alopecia symptoms following induction. This model, termed Xeroflacia (Xero = xerosis, fla = flaky, cia = alopecia), provides a tool for studying the biology of dry skin. Furthermore, we found that KROX20 directly regulates Notch1 transcription to orchestrate the balance between SG stem cell self-renewal and differentiation. Small molecule drug modulation of Notch1 signaling to activate or inhibit the pathway enabled us to regulate SG differentiation to maintain skin oil levels, providing a proof-of-principle that other signaling pathways downstream of Krox20 could be potential therapeutic targets for sebaceous gland-related diseases.
Yumeng Zhang, Pernelle Pulh, Michelle F. Pan, Yi He, Juanzhu Yan, Annie Li, Renée M. McKay, Lu Q. Le
Chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection is a central driver of bronchiectasis and contributes to progressive lung decline in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), even in the era of CFTR modulators. A major limitation in the field is that conventional mouse models fail to develop persistent, biofilm-associated lung infection, restricting mechanistic studies and preclinical evaluation. Here, we establish clinically relevant infection models by combining CF-like mouse strains (βENaC-overexpressing and CFTR-deficient mice) with agarose bead–embedded P. aeruginosa that forms persistent, tobramycin-refractory biofilms. Using intravital lung microscopy, we show that alveolar macrophages initially respond by surrounding biofilms but progressively dissociate from the biofilms during persistent infection. Neutrophils are also recruited but fail to clear bacteria. Administration of gremubamab (MEDI3902), a bispecific antibody targeting the virulence factors Psl and PcrV, preserves alveolar macrophages in persistent biofilm infection, restores bacterial sensing and phagocytosis, limits excessive neutrophilic inflammation, and significantly improves bacterial clearance and survival. Together, these findings establish a clinically relevant persistent P. aeruginosa infection model and highlight gremubamab as a promising virulence-targeted therapy to potentially overcome bacterial immune evasion while restoring host defense in mouse models of bronchiectasis and CF.
Wanhai Qin, Wayne Brailsford, Stacey M. Cromer Berman, Christina S Thornton, Antonio DiGiandomenico, Paul Kubes
Background. Improved understanding of the cellular mechanisms of organ transplant rejection is needed for developing targeted therapies to improve outcomes. We used digital cytometry to estimate the digital leukocyte entities (DLE) shared by rejection in biopsies of kidney, heart, lung, and liver organ transplants. Methods. We used CIBERSORTx with the LM22 leukocyte reference to estimate associations between 22 DLEs with rejection in 8422 transplant biopsies - 4898 kidney, 2361 heart, 652 lung, and 538 liver. Results. In all organs, rejection correlated with an increase in DLEs designated as classically activated macrophages and a decrease in DLEs designated regulatory T cells. T cell-mediated rejection (TCMR) was associated with a massive increase in otherwise rare T cell DLEs designated memory-activated CD4 and Tγδ, as well as follicular-helper CD4 and CD8. TCMR also had increased DLE designated plasma cells, compatible with a role for the B cell lineage in antigen presentation in TCMR. Antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR) in kidney and heart transplant biopsies correlated with increased DLEs representing activated mast cells, activated NK cells, and monocytes. Some findings were validated by single-cell/nucleus RNAseq data from kidney and liver biopsies. Conclusion. The shared correlations of DLEs with rejection in all organs - e.g. CD4ma with TCMR and activated mast cells with ABMR - suggest novel aspects of rejection. These findings can guide the search for the in vivo leukocytes that correspond with the digital entities, with potential clinical applications. Trial registration. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01299168, NCT02670408, NCT02812290, NCT03193151. Funding. Genome Canada and a grant from Natera, Inc.
Patrick T. Gauthier, Louisa M.S. Gerhardt, Lorenz Jahn, Christian Hinze, Philip F. Halloran
STXBP1 variants are a frequent cause of early-onset developmental and epileptic encephalopathies and related neurodevelopmental disorders, but the clinical interpretation of these variants remains a major challenge. Most reported STXBP1 missense variants are classified as variants of uncertain significance (VUS), complicating diagnosis, counseling, and patient eligibility for precision therapies. Here, we developed EpiPred, a gene-specific machine learning classifier that predicts the pathogenicity of STXBP1 missense variants and tests these predictions using empirical evidence from well-established cellular assays. Trained on a curated set of pathogenic and benign variants, EpiPred outperformed global prediction tools in accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity. We validated the model’s predictions using variant effect assays that measure protein abundance, solubility, stability, and interaction with the SNARE complex partner syntaxin 1. These biochemical readouts aligned closely with model outputs and enabled reclassification of several possibly misdiagnosed variants, which warrant further validation and clinical reevaluation. We deployed EpiPred in an interactive web application that allows clinicians, researchers, and patients to explore predictions for all possible STXBP1 missense variants. By identifying likely pathogenic STXBP1 variants, including those that may respond to emerging therapies such as protein stabilizers. By coupling gene-calibrated machine learning with orthogonal variant-effect assays and public deployment, EpiPred provides a transferable framework for VUS resolution, trial enrichment, and precision diagnosis across clinically actionable Mendelian disease genes.
Jeffrey D. Calhoun, Chengbing Wang, Carina G. Biar, Jonathan R. Gunti, John S. Lee, Aaron M. Geller, Jung H. Hong, Santiago Schnell, Louis T. Dang, Yu Wang, Jack M. Parent, Lori L. Isom, Michael D. Uhler, Heather C. Mefford, M. Elizabeth Ross, Vanessa Aguiar-Pulido, Gemma L. Carvill
Advanced prostate cancer has increasingly developed a lethal neuroendocrine form, small cell/neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC), as a consequence of the widespread use of highly potent androgen receptor signaling inhibitors in castration-resistant disease. The molecular mechanisms remain unclear and no effective therapies currently exist. We report that tryptophan hydroxylase 1 (TPH1), the enzyme responsible for peripheral serotonin biosynthesis — a neurotransmitter enriched in neuroendocrine tumors and a classical neuroendocrine biomarker — was upregulated in both de novo and therapy-induced human NEPC. TPH1 upregulation was necessary and sufficient for neuroendocrine differentiation and the NEPC phenotype through its enzymatic activity. Silencing TPH1 suppressed neuroendocrine plasticity and various aggressive behaviors of NEPC cells, including proliferation, invasion, sphere formation, and NEPC tumor xenograft growth. Mechanistically, TPH1 activated mTOR via intracellular serotonin-dependent serotonylation of mTOR at glutamine 2453, which triggered the induction of FOXM1 and E2F1 to drive NEPC differentiation and growth. Importantly, pharmacological inhibition of TPH1 using the clinically available inhibitor LX1606 effectively restricted growth and neuroendocrine marker expression in multiple NEPC cell lines and patient-derived xenografts. Collectively, these findings characterize TPH1’s contribution to NEPC and suggest TPH1 as a potential therapeutic target.
Jing Wei, Jing Wang, Jingrui Chen, Michelle Zhang, Chia-Hui Chen, Tianjie Pu, Alivia O'Brien, Sephtis Hargrove, Eva Corey, Tzu-Ping Lin, Allen C. Gao, Boyang Jason Wu
The cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)–stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway is a key component of innate immunity, linking DNA detection to inflammatory and antiviral responses. Originally identified as a sensor for microbial DNA, cGAS is now understood to also respond to endogenous cytosolic DNA, and the pathway has been implicated in a wide range of physiological and pathological processes, including cancer, autoimmunity, neuroinflammation, and aging. This review series, organized by Dr. Alex Stegh, consolidates current knowledge and highlights emerging developments that may lead to therapeutic targeting of the cGAS-STING pathway across a range of disorders.
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