技术资料

Alongside their well-established role in hemostasis,platelets are key modulators of immune cell function. This is particularly the case for macrophages,as platelets can either promote or dampen macrophage activation in a context-specific manner. Whilst the role of platelets in modulating classical (M1) macrophage activation following bacterial challenge is relatively well understood,whether platelets control other macrophage responses is less clear. We investigated the role of platelets in type 2 inflammation using a mouse model of chronic schistosomiasis. Schistosome infection caused thrombocytopenia which was not fully reversed after drug-induced parasite death. Reduced platelet levels in infection were coincident with lower levels of systemic TPO and extensive liver damage caused by parasite eggs. Infection also reduced the ploidy and size (but not number) of bone marrow megakaryocytes,which was associated with reduced platelet output. We show schistosome infection accelerated platelet clearance and promoted the formation of platelet-leukocyte aggregates. This was particularly the case for liver macrophages and monocytes. Phenotypic analysis shows that platelet-associated liver macrophages had a distinct activation phenotype that included elevated expression of the alternative (M2) activation marker RELMα. Despite this,in vitro studies indicated that platelets do not directly promote macrophage alternative activation. Similarly,whilst in vivo pharmacological treatment with a TPO mimetic enhanced platelet numbers and platelet-leukocyte aggregates,this did not alter macrophage phenotype. Conversely,antibody-mediated depletion of platelets or use of platelet-deficient mice both led to extensive bleeding following infection which impacted host survival. Together,these data indicate that whilst platelets are essential to prevent excessive disease pathology in schistosomiasis,they have a more nuanced role in myeloid cell activation and type 2 immune responses. Author summaryPlatelets are the second most abundant blood cell and are best known for their role in stopping bleeding after blood vessel damage. More recent studies have revealed another important function of platelets is their ability to control immune cell activation. Here,we investigate the role of platelets in immune responses to schistosomes,parasitic worms that cause the disease schistosomiasis that affects hundreds of millions worldwide. Schistosome worms live in our blood vessels and release large numbers of eggs that must exit the blood and move through our tissues to exit the body for onward transmission. However,a large number of eggs become trapped in different organs causing inflammation and disease pathology. We find that schistosome infection reduces the numbers of platelets in the blood of laboratory mice. Platelets are taken up by liver macrophages,and whilst these macrophages have a distinct activation profile compared to other cells,platelets themselves do not cause these changes. However,platelets are essential to survive schistosomiasis due to excessive bleeding in their absence. Together,this work shows that platelets are key to surviving schistosome infection but this reflects more their role in preventing bleeding rather than controlling immune cell function. View Publication

Discovering new and viable therapies for genetic diseases is a time-consuming and cost-intensive process,especially for rare disorders. In this study,we highlight how a high-throughput drug discovery platform was utilized to uncover drugs at scale that normalized the signature for a rare neurological neurodevelopmental disease,19q12 autism spectrum disorder (ASD) associated with deficiencies in ZNF536 and TSHZ3. We first identified the transcriptomic fingerprint of the disease in an in vitro disease model in the form of dysregulated pathways. Subsequently,we measured the biological impact of small molecule drugs in a relevant wild-type cell line and uncovered an approved drug Entrectinib that induced the opposite effect to that in the disease fingerprint,demonstrating the capability to normalize the disease fingerprint. Entrectinib was further prescribed off-label to the identified patient with 19q12 and drug effect was characterized both from blood collection and neuropsychological assessments. Biomarkers from blood recapitulated Entrectinib’s pharmacodynamic effect and normalized the disease signature. We show how generation of transferrable transcriptomics-derived disease signatures allows for measuring drug effects on a signature in related wild-type cell lines,making the screen universally applicable and reducing the need for expensive screens in disease models. View Publication

Endometrial receptivity is a critical determinant of embryo implantation and early pregnancy success; however,current methods for assessing endometrial receptivity remain poorly validated and insufficiently reliable for clinical application. Here,we establish a patient-derived vascularised endometrium-on-a-chip (EoC),successfully replicating the dynamic microenvironment and both temporal and spatial architecture of native endometrial tissue. Using our EoC,we develop a clinically relevant endometrial receptivity scoring system,ERS2,which integrates molecular profiling of established receptivity markers with quantitative analyses of angiogenesis. The ERS2 enables personalised assessment of endometrial health and implantation potential,addressing inter-patient variability often overlooked by conventional techniques. By leveraging our EoC to therapeutic monitoring,we observe progressive restoration of the endometrial microenvironment following platelet-rich-plasma treatments,highlighting the translational utility of our model. This study represents the innovative application of a patient-derived EoC and scoring system to assess receptivity,offering personalised infertility management and advancing targeted therapies in reproductive medicine. Accurate assessment of endometrial receptivity remains a challenge in infertility care. Here,authors present a patient-derived vascularised endometrium-on-a-chip and a scoring system for receptivity evaluation. View Publication

Atovaquone,an FDA-approved oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) inhibitor,has shown promise in the treatment of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC),the deadliest gynecologic malignancy. However,the precise mechanisms underlying its antitumorigenic effects remain unclear. We employed a longitudinal transcriptomic approach to characterize the molecular effects of atovaquone on EOC cells. Our findings demonstrate that atovaquone disrupts cellular homeostasis and metabolism,activates stress responses,and primes immune recognition. We observed temporal downregulation of genes and pathways involved in key cellular processes,such as the cell cycle and DNA replication,which correlated with reduced proliferative capacity. Atovaquone also downregulated both OXPHOS and glycolysis while upregulating the pentose phosphate pathway,suggesting a metabolic shift toward redox homeostasis restoration in response to severe oxidative stress. Consistent with oxidative stress,we found that atovaquone activated endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress,which is linked to immunogenic cell death. During ER stress,calreticulin,a damage-associated molecular pattern (DAMP),translocates to the plasma membrane,where it promotes immune recognition. We observed that calreticulin was upregulated on the plasma membrane of atovaquone-treated EOC cells. Additionally,we detected increased levels of other DAMPs,such as high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) and mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM),in the supernatants of atovaquone-treated cells,indicating the release of immunogenic molecules. Moreover,increased expression of ligands for activating receptors of NK cells was observed,and coculture experiments revealed enhanced NK cell activity toward atovaquone-treated cells. These results highlight atovaquone’s potential to activate immune responses,offering a new avenue for combination therapies in EOC treatment. View Publication

Influenza infection predisposes individuals to secondary pneumonia caused by a range of pathogens,including both bacterial and fungal organisms. Neutrophils are critical effector cells during infection. In this study,we analyzed the transcriptional pathways of lung neutrophils isolated from mouse models of influenza-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (IAPA) and post-influenza methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) pneumonia to examine the immunopathological mechanisms underlying post-influenza super-infection. Pathways associated with neutrophil chemotaxis and degranulation were inhibited in IAPA compared to singular A. fumigatus infection and pathways associated with neutrophil recruitment and phagocytosis were inhibited in IAPA compared to singular influenza infection. Pathways associated with neutrophil recruitment and degranulation were inhibited in post-influenza MRSA pneumonia compared to singular MRSA infection and pathways associated with cytokine signaling were inhibited in post-influenza MRSA pneumonia compared to singular influenza infection. When the 2 types of super-infection were directly compared,pathways related to cytokine induction and neutrophil function were inhibited in IAPA neutrophils compared to post-influenza MRSA pneumonia. These data demonstrate that influenza causes neutrophil dysfunction,predisposing to secondary fungal and bacterial infections. View Publication

Gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction,characterized by severe diarrhea and dehydration,is a central contributor to morbidity and mortality in filovirus disease in patients,yet the role of the epithelium in this clinical outcome remains poorly defined. Here,we employ induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived human intestinal (HIOs) and colonic organoids (HCOs) to model Ebola virus (EBOV) and Marburg virus (MARV) infection. These organoids are permissive to filovirus infection and support viral replication. Bulk RNA sequencing revealed distinct intestinal and colonic epithelial responses,including apical and junctional disruption and a delayed virus-specific induction of interferon-stimulated genes. Moreover,infection impaired adenylate cyclase signaling and CFTR-mediated ion transport,providing mechanistic insight into virus-induced secretory diarrhea. This platform recapitulates key features of human GI pathology in filoviral disease and serves as a powerful system to dissect host-pathogen interactions and identify therapeutic targets. Author summaryEbola virus (EBOV) and Marburg virus (MARV) are among the most lethal viruses known. Infection with these viruses leads to severe disease and death. One of their most harmful effects is damage to the gastrointestinal tract,causing intense diarrhea and life-threatening dehydration. Yet,how these viruses affect the gut remains poorly understood. In this study,we used human mini-guts—small,three-dimensional tissues grown from stem cells that mimic the human intestinal and colonic epithelium—to investigate how these viruses interact with gut epithelial cells. We found that both EBOV and MARV infect and replicate in these tissues,disrupt key barrier structures,and interfere with the cells’ ability to regulate fluid secretion. These effects mirror the severe symptoms seen in patients. Our study provides new insight into how EBOV and MARV damage the gut and identifies specific cellular pathways that may be targeted for treatment. This research not only improves our understanding of EBOV and MARV infections but also offers new infection platforms for testing therapies aimed at protecting the gastrointestinal system during filovirus outbreaks. View Publication