技术资料

Recurrent oncogenic mutations of MyD88 have been identified in a variety of lymphoid malignancies. Gain-of-function mutations of MyD88 constitutively activate downstream NF-$\kappa$B signaling pathways,resulting in increased cellular proliferation and survival. However,whether MyD88 activity can be aberrantly regulated in MyD88-wild-type lymphoid malignancies remains poorly understood. SPOP is an adaptor protein of CUL3-based E3 ubiquitin ligase complex and frequently mutated genes in prostate and endometrial cancers. In this study,we reveal that SPOP binds to and induces the nondegradative ubiquitination of MyD88 by recognizing an atypical SPOP-binding motif in MyD88. This modification blocks Myddosome assembly and downstream NF-$\kappa$B activation. SPOP is mutated in a subset of lymphoid malignancies,including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Lymphoid malignancies-associated SPOP mutants exhibited impaired binding to MyD88 and suppression of NF-$\kappa$B activation. The DLBCL-associated,SPOP-binding defective mutants of MyD88 escaped from SPOP-mediated ubiquitination,and their effect on NF-$\kappa$B activation is stronger than that of wild-type MyD88. Moreover,SPOP suppresses DLBCL cell growth in vitro and tumor xenograft in vivo by inhibiting the MyD88/NF-$\kappa$B signaling. Therefore,SPOP acts as a tumor suppressor in DLBCL. Mutations in the SPOP-MyD88 binding interface may disrupt the SPOP-MyD88 regulatory axis and promote aberrant MyD88/NF-$\kappa$B activation and cell growth in DLCBL. View Publication

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a devastating neonatal disease characterized by acute intestinal injury. Intestinal stem cell (ISC) renewal is required for gut regeneration in response to acute injury. The Wnt/$\beta$-catenin pathway is essential for intestinal renewal and ISC maintenance. We found that ISC expression,Wnt activity and intestinal regeneration were all decreased in both mice with experimental NEC and in infants with acute active NEC. Moreover,intestinal organoids derived from NEC-injured intestine of both mice and humans failed to maintain proliferation and presented more differentiation. Administration of Wnt7b reversed these changes and promoted growth of intestinal organoids. Additionally,administration of exogenous Wnt7b rescued intestinal injury,restored ISC,and reestablished intestinal epithelial homeostasis in mice with NEC. Our findings demonstrate that during NEC,Wnt/$\beta$-catenin signaling is decreased,ISC activity is impaired,and intestinal regeneration is defective. Administration of Wnt resulted in the maintenance of intestinal epithelial homeostasis and avoidance of NEC intestinal injury. View Publication

The intestine is a highly radiosensitive tissue that is susceptible to structural and functional damage due to systemic as well as localized radiation exposure. Unfortunately,no effective prophylactic or therapeutic agents are available at present to manage radiation-induced intestinal injuries. We observed that the vanillin derivative VND3207 improved the survival of lethally irradiated mice by promoting intestinal regeneration and increasing the number of surviving crypts. Pre-treatment with VND3207 significantly increased the number of Lgr5+ intestinal stem cells (ISCs) and their daughter cells,the transient Ki67+ proliferating cells. Mechanistically,VND3207 decreased oxidative DNA damage and lipid peroxidation and maintained endogenous antioxidant status by increasing the level of superoxide dismutase and total antioxidant capacity. In addition,VND3207 maintained appropriate levels of activated p53 that triggered cell cycle arrest but were not sufficient to induce NOXA-mediated apoptosis,thus ensuring DNA damage repair in the irradiated small intestinal crypt cells. Furthermore,VND3207 treatment restores the intestinal bacterial flora structures altered by TBI exposure. In conclusion,VND3207 promoted intestinal repair following radiation injury by reducing reactive oxygen species-induced DNA damage and modulating appropriate levels of activated p53 in intestinal epithelial cells. View Publication

Rapidly evolving RNA viruses,such as the GII.4 strain of human norovirus (HuNoV),and their vaccines elicit complex serological responses associated with previous exposure. Specific correlates of protection,moreover,remain poorly understood. Here,we report the GII.4-serological antibody repertoire-pre- and post-vaccination-and select several antibody clonotypes for epitope and structural analysis. The humoral response was dominated by GII.4-specific antibodies that blocked ancestral strains or by antibodies that bound to divergent genotypes and did not block viral-entry-ligand interactions. However,one antibody,A1431,showed broad blockade toward tested GII.4 strains and neutralized the pandemic GII.P16-GII.4 Sydney strain. Structural mapping revealed conserved epitopes,which were occluded on the virion or partially exposed,allowing for broad blockade with neutralizing activity. Overall,our results provide high-resolution molecular information on humoral immune responses after HuNoV vaccination and demonstrate that infection-derived and vaccine-elicited antibodies can exhibit broad blockade and neutralization against this prevalent human pathogen. View Publication

Our previous studies have demonstrated that a previously unrecognized role of CFTR in hematopoiesis and acute leukemia. Here,we show that CFTR inhibitor CFTR-inh172 possesses ability to inhibit human T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells. In detail,CFTR-inh172 inhibited cell proliferation,promoted apoptosis and arrested the cell cycle in human T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia cell CCRF-CEM,JURKAT and MOLT-4. Furthermore,transcriptome analysis reveals that CFTR-inh172 induces significant alteration of gene expression related to apoptosis and proliferation. These findings demonstrate the potential of CFTR inhibitor CFTR-inh172 in human T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia treatment. View Publication

When transmitted through the oral route,Toxoplasma gondii first interacts with its host at the small intestinal epithelium. This interaction is crucial to controlling initial invasion and replication,as well as shaping the quality of the systemic immune response. It is therefore an attractive target for the design of novel vaccines and adjuvants. However,due to a lack of tractable infection models,we understand surprisingly little about the molecular pathways that govern this interaction. The in vitro culture of small intestinal epithelium as 3D enteroids shows great promise for modeling the epithelial response to infection. However,the enclosed luminal space makes the application of infectious agents to the apical epithelial surface challenging. Here,we have developed three novel enteroid-based techniques for modeling T. gondii infection. In particular,we have adapted enteroid culture protocols to generate collagen-supported epithelial sheets with an exposed apical surface. These cultures retain epithelial polarization,and the presence of fully differentiated epithelial cell populations. They are susceptible to infection with,and support replication of,T. gondii. Using quantitative label-free mass spectrometry,we show that T. gondii infection of the enteroid epithelium is associated with up-regulation of proteins associated with cholesterol metabolism,extracellular exosomes,intermicrovillar adhesion,and cell junctions. Inhibition of host cholesterol and isoprenoid biosynthesis with Atorvastatin resulted in a reduction in parasite load only at higher doses,indicating that de novo synthesis may support,but is not required for,parasite replication. These novel models therefore offer tractable tools for investigating how interactions between T. gondii and the host intestinal epithelium influence the course of infection. View Publication

Despite the key role that antibodies play in protection,the cellular processes mediating the acquisition of humoral immunity against malaria are not fully understood. Using an infection model of severe malaria,we find that germinal center (GC) B cells upregulate the transcription factor T-bet during infection. Molecular and cellular analyses reveal that T-bet in B cells is required not only for IgG2c switching but also favors commitment of B cells to the dark zone of the GC. T-bet was found to regulate the expression of Rgs13 and CXCR3,both of which contribute to the impaired GC polarization observed in the absence of T-bet,resulting in reduced IghV gene mutations and lower antibody avidity. These results demonstrate that T-bet modulates GC dynamics,thereby promoting the differentiation of B cells with increased affinity for antigen. View Publication

Dysplasia is considered a key transition state between pre-cancer and cancer in gastric carcinogenesis. However,the cellular or phenotypic heterogeneity and mechanisms of dysplasia progression have not been elucidated. We have established metaplastic and dysplastic organoid lines,derived from Mist1-Kras(G12D) mouse stomach corpus and studied distinct cellular behaviors and characteristics of metaplastic and dysplastic organoids. We also examined functional roles for Kras activation in dysplasia progression using Selumetinib,a MEK inhibitor,which is a downstream mediator of Kras signaling. Here,we report that dysplastic organoids die or show altered cellular behaviors and diminished aggressive behavior in response to MEK inhibition. However,the organoids surviving after MEK inhibition maintain cellular heterogeneity. Two dysplastic stem cell (DSC) populations are also identified in dysplastic cells,which exhibited different clonogenic potentials. Therefore,Kras activation controls cellular dynamics and progression to dysplasia,and DSCs might contribute to cellular heterogeneity in dysplastic cell lineages. View Publication

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) residing in colorectal cancer tissues have tumorigenic capacity and contribute to chemotherapeutic resistance and disease relapse. It is well known that the survival of colorectal CSCs after 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-based therapy leads to cancer recurrence. Thus CSCs represent a promising drug target. Here,we designed and synthesized novel hybrid molecules linking 5-FU with the plant-derived compound thymoquinone (TQ) and tested the potential of individual compounds and their combination to eliminate colorectal CSCs. Both,Combi and SARB hybrid showed augmented cytotoxicity against colorectal cancer cells,but were non-toxic to organoids prepared from healthy murine small intestine. NanoString analysis revealed a unique signature of deregulated gene expression in response to the combination of TQ and 5-FU (Combi) and SARB treatment. Importantly,two principle stem cell regulatory pathways WNT/{\ss}-Catenin and PI3K/AKT were found to be downregulated after Combi and hybrid treatment. Furthermore,both treatments strikingly eliminated CD133+ CSC population,accompanying the depleted self-renewal capacity by eradicating long-term propagated 3D tumor cell spheres at sub-toxic doses. In vivo xenografts on chicken eggs of SARB-treated HCT116 cells showed a prominent nuclear {\ss}-Catenin and E-cadherin staining. This was in line with the reduced transcriptional activity of {\ss}-Catenin and diminished cell adhesion under SARB exposure. In contrast to 5-FU,both,Combi and SARB treatment effectively reduced the angiogenic capacity of the remaining resistant tumor cells. Taken together,combination or hybridization of single compounds target simultaneously a broader spectrum of oncogenic pathways leading to an effective eradication of colorectal cancer cells. View Publication

In a screen for human kinases that regulate Xenopus laevis embryogenesis,we identified Nagk and other components of the UDP-GlcNAc glycosylation salvage pathway as regulators of anteroposterior patterning and Wnt signaling. We find that the salvage pathway does not affect other major embryonic signaling pathways (Fgf,TGF$\beta$,Notch,or Shh),thereby demonstrating specificity for Wnt signaling. We show that the role of the salvage pathway in Wnt signaling is evolutionarily conserved in zebrafish and Drosophila. Finally,we show that GlcNAc is essential for the growth of intestinal enteroids,which are highly dependent on Wnt signaling for growth and maintenance. We propose that the Wnt pathway is sensitive to alterations in the glycosylation state of a cell and acts as a nutritional sensor in order to couple growth/proliferation with its metabolic status. We also propose that the clinical manifestations observed in congenital disorders of glycosylation (CDG) in humans may be due,in part,to their effects on Wnt signaling during development. View Publication

Latent proviruses persist in central (TCM),transitional (TTM),and effector (TEM) memory cells. We measured the levels of cellular factors involved in HIV gene expression in these subsets. The highest levels of acetylated H4,active nuclear factor $\kappa$B (NF-$\kappa$B),and active positive transcription elongation factor b (P-TEFb) were measured in TEM,TCM,and TTM cells,respectively. Vorinostat and romidepsin display opposite abilities to induce H4 acetylation across subsets. Protein kinase C (PKC) agonists are more efficient at inducing NF-$\kappa$B phosphorylation in TCM cells but more potent at activating PTEF-b in the TEM subset. We selected the most efficient latency-reversing agents (LRAs) and measured their ability to reverse latency in each subset. While ingenol alone has modest activities in the three subsets,its combination with a histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi) dramatically increases latency reversal in TCM cells. Altogether,these results indicate that cellular HIV reservoirs are differentially responsive to common LRAs and suggest that combination of compounds will be required to achieve latency reversal in all subsets. View Publication

Ex vivo retroviral gene transfer into CD34+ hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) has demonstrated remarkable clinical success in gene therapy for monogenic hematopoietic disorders. However,little attention has been paid to enhancement of culture and transduction conditions to achieve reliable effects across patient and disease contexts and to maximize potential vector usage and reduce treatment cost. We systematically tested three HSPC culture media manufactured to cGMP and eight previously described transduction enhancers (TEs) to develop a state-of-the-art clinically applicable protocol. Six TEs enhanced lentiviral (LV) and five TEs facilitated alpharetroviral (ARV) CD34+ HSPC transduction when used alone. Combinatorial TE application tested with LV vectors yielded more potent effects,with up to a 5.6-fold increase in total expression of a reporter gene and up to a 3.8-fold increase in VCN. Application of one of the most promising combinations,the poloxamer LentiBOOST and protamine sulfate,for GMP-compliant manufacturing of a clinical-grade advanced therapy medicinal product (ATMP) increased total VCN by over 6-fold,with no major changes in global gene expression profiles or inadvertent loss of CD34+CD90+ HSPC populations. Application of these defined culture and transduction conditions is likely to significantly improve ex vivo gene therapy manufacturing protocols for HSPCs and downstream clinical efficacy. View Publication