技术资料

BackgroundThe causal relationship between the activation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) and the preservation of SERCA2a function in mitigating myocardial ischemia–reperfusion (mI/R) injury,along with the associated regulatory mechanisms,remains incompletely understood. This study aims to unravel how NRF2 directly or indirectly influences SERCA2a function and its regulators,phospholamban (PLN) and Dwarf Open Reading Frame (DWORF),by testing the pharmacological repositioning of AEOL-10150 (AEOL) in the context of mI/R injury.MethodsC57BL6/J,Nrf2 knockout (Nrf2?/?),and wild-type (Nrf2+/+) mice,as well as human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSCMs) were subjected to I/R injury. Gain/loss of function techniques,RT-qPCR,western blotting,LC/MS/MS,and fluorescence spectroscopy were utilized. Cardiac dimensions and function were assessed by echocardiography.ResultsIn the early stages of mI/R injury,AEOL administration reduced mitochondrial ROS production,decreased myocardial infarct size,and improved cardiac function. These effects were due to NRF2 activation,leading to the overexpression of the micro-peptide DWORF,consequently enhancing SERCA2a activity. The cardioprotective effect induced by AEOL was diminished in Nrf2?/? mice and in Nrf2/Dworf knockdown models in hiPSCMs subjected to simulated I/R injury. Our data show that AEOL-induced NRF2-mediated upregulation of DWORF disrupts the phospholamban-SERCA2a interaction,leading to enhanced SERCA2a activation and improved cardiac function.ConclusionsTaken together,our study reveals that AEOL-induced NRF2-mediated overexpression of DWORF enhances myocardial function through the activation of the SERCA2a offering promising therapeutic avenues for mI/R injury.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s10020-025-01242-1. Highlights• Novel AEOL-10150 therapeutic potential. AEOL-10150 demonstrates promise in activating NRF2 and mitigating myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury.• DWORF overexpression breakthrough. Overexpression of DWORF significantly contributes to preserving cardiac function and reducing myocardial injury through the NRF2-DWORF pathway.• Enhanced cardiac protection mechanisms. The study highlights the dual role of AEOL-10150 and DWORF in enhancing cardiac protection and preventing heart failure.• Future research directions. Additional studies are required to validate the long-term efficacy of AEOL-10150 and the regulatory effects of NRF2-DWORF axis in clinical applications.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s10020-025-01242-1. View Publication

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) and their differentiated derivatives represent valuable tools for studying development,modeling diseases,and advancing cell therapy. Recent improvements in genome engineering allow for precise modifications of hPSCs,further enhancing their utility in basic and translational research. Here we describe a Recombinase-Mediated Cassette Exchange (RMCE) platform in hPSCs that allows for the highly efficient,rapid,and specific integration of transgenes. The RCME-mediated DNA integration process is nearly 100% efficient,without negatively affecting the pluripotency or karyotypic stability of hPSCs. Taking advantage of this convenient system,we first established a dual inducible expression system based on the Tet-On and Cumate-On systems,allowing for the inducible expression of two transgenes independently. Secondly,we incorporated a Tet-on inducible system,driving the expression of three genes simultaneously. However,two genes also contain independent degron sequences,allowing for precise control over the expression of each gene individually. We demonstrated the utility of these systems in hPSCs,as well as their functionality after differentiation into cells that were representative of the three germ layers. Lastly,we used the triple inducible system to investigate the lineage commitment induced by the pancreatic transcription factors NKX6.1 and PDX1. We found that controlled dual expression,but not individual expression,biases hPSC embryoid body differentiation towards the pancreatic lineage by inducing the expression of the NeuroD program. In sum,we describe a novel genetic engineering platform that allows for the efficient and fast integration of any desired transgene(s) in hPSCs using RMCE. We anticipate that the ability to modulate the expression of three transgenes simultaneously will further accelerate discoveries using stem cell technology. View Publication

53BP1 is a well-established DNA damage repair factor that has recently emerged to critically regulate gene expression for tumor suppression and neural development. However,its precise function and regulatory mechanisms remain unclear. Here,we showed that phosphorylation of 53BP1 at serine 25 by ATM is required for neural progenitor cell proliferation and neuronal differentiation in cortical brain organoids. Dynamic phosphorylation of 53BP1-serine 25 controls 53BP1 target genes governing neuronal differentiation and function,cellular response to stress,and apoptosis. Mechanistically,ATM and RNF168 govern 53BP1’s binding to gene loci to directly affect gene regulation,especially at genes for neuronal differentiation and maturation. 53BP1 serine 25 phosphorylation effectively impedes its binding to bivalent or H3K27me3-occupied promoters,especially at genes regulating H3K4 methylation,neuronal functions,and cell proliferation. Beyond 53BP1,ATM-dependent phosphorylation displays wide-ranging effects,regulating factors in neuronal differentiation,cytoskeleton,p53 regulation,as well as key signaling pathways such as ATM,BDNF,and WNT during cortical organoid differentiation. Together,our data suggest that the interplay between 53BP1 and ATM orchestrates essential genetic programs for cell morphogenesis,tissue organization,and developmental pathways crucial for human cortical development. 53BP1 is a DNA damage repair factor that regulates gene expression for tumor suppression and neural development,but its precise regulatory mechanisms are unclear. This study shows that phosphorylation of 53BP1 by ATM kinase is crucial for modulating genetic programs in neural progenitors and cortical organoids. View Publication

Dysregulation of mitochondrial function has been implicated in Parkinson’s disease (PD),but the role of mitochondrial metabolism in disease pathogenesis remains to be elucidated. Using an unbiased metabolomic analysis of purified mitochondria,we identified alterations in ?-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase (KGDH) pathway upon loss of PD-linked CHCHD2 protein. KGDH,a rate-limiting enzyme complex in the tricarboxylic acid cycle,was decreased in CHCHD2-deficient male mouse brains and human dopaminergic neurons. This deficiency of KGDH led to elevated ?-ketoglutarate and increased lipid peroxidation. Treatment of CHCHD2-deficient dopaminergic neurons with lipoic acid,a KGDH cofactor and antioxidant agent,resulted in decreased levels of lipid peroxidation and phosphorylated ?-synuclein. CHCHD10,a close homolog of CHCHD2 that is primarily linked to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/frontotemporal dementia,did not affect the KGDH pathway or lipid peroxidation. Together,these results identify KGDH metabolic pathway as a targetable mitochondrial mechanism for correction of increased lipid peroxidation and ?-synuclein in Parkinson’s disease. An unbiased metabolomic analysis identifies ?-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase metabolic pathway as a targetable mitochondrial mechanism for correction of increased lipid peroxidation in CHCHD2-linked Parkinson’s disease models. View Publication

Vascular dementia is the second most common form of dementia. Yet,the mechanisms by which cerebrovascular damage progresses are insufficiently understood. Here,we create bilateral common carotid artery stenosis in mice,which effectively impairs blood flow to the brain,a major cause of the disease. Through imaging and single-cell transcriptomics of the mouse cortex,we uncover that blood vessel venous cells undergo maladaptive structural changes associated with increased Epas1 expression and activation of developmental angiogenic pathways. In a human cell model comparing arterial and venous cells,we observe that low-oxygen condition leads to sustained EPAS1 signaling specifically in venous cells. EPAS1 inhibition reduces cerebrovascular abnormalities,microglial activation,and improves markers of cerebral perfusion in vivo. In human subjects,levels of damaged endothelial cells from venous vessels are correlated with white matter injury in the brain and poorer cognitive functions. Together,these findings indicate EPAS1 as a potential therapeutic target to restore cerebrovascular integrity and mitigate neuroinflammation. How changes in brain blood vessels lead to a chronic reduction in blood flow and,consequently,to vascular dementia is poorly understood. Here,the authors show that venous endothelial dysfunction driven by EPAS1 promotes abnormal vascular remodeling and contributes to cognitive decline. View Publication

Viral vector delivery of gene therapy represents a promising approach for the treatment of numerous retinal diseases. Adeno-associated viral vectors (AAV) constitute the primary gene delivery platform; however,their limited cargo capacity restricts the delivery of several clinically relevant retinal genes. In this study,we explore the feasibility of employing high-capacity adenoviral vectors (HC-AdVs) as alternative delivery vehicles,which,with a capacity of up to 36 kb,can potentially accommodate all known retinal gene coding sequences. We utilized HC-AdVs based on the classical adenoviral type 5 (AdV5) and on a fiber-modified AdV5.F50 version,both engineered to deliver a 29.6 kb vector genome encoding a fluorescent reporter construct. The tropism of these HC-AdVs was evaluated in an induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived human retinal organoid model. Both vector types demonstrated robust transduction efficiency,with sustained transgene expression observed for up to 110 days post-transduction. Moreover,we found efficient transduction of photoreceptors and Müller glial cells,without evidence of reactive gliosis or loss of photoreceptor cell nuclei. However,an increase in the thickness of the photoreceptor outer nuclear layer was observed at 110 days post-transduction,suggesting potential unfavorable effects on Müller glial or photoreceptor cells associated with HC-AdV transduction and/or long-term reporter overexpression. These findings suggest that while HC-AdVs show promise for large retinal gene delivery,further investigations are required to assess their long-term safety and efficacy. View Publication

A distinctive feature of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes is the waning of insulin-secreting beta cells in the pancreas. New methods for direct and specific targeting of the beta cells could provide platforms for delivery of pharmaceutical reagents. Imaging techniques such as Positron Emission Tomography (PET) rely on the efficient and specific delivery of imaging reagents,and could greatly improve our understanding of diabetes etiology as well as providing biomarkers for viable beta-cell mass in tissue,in both pancreas and in islet grafts.The DiGeorge Syndrome Critical Region Gene 2 (DGCR2) protein has been suggested as a beta-cell specific protein in the pancreas,but so far there has been a lack of available high-affinity binders suitable for targeted drug delivery or molecular imaging. Affibody molecules belong to a class of small affinity proteins with excellent properties for molecular imaging. Here,we further validate the presence of DGCR2 in pancreatic and stem cell (SC)-derived beta cells,and then describe the generation and selection of several Affibody molecules candidates that target human DGCR2. Using an in-house developed directed evolution method,new DGCR2-binding Affibody molecules were generated and evaluated for thermal stability and affinity. The Affibody molecules variants were further developed as targeting agents for delivering imaging reagents to beta cell. The Affibody molecule ZDGCR2:AM106 displayed nanomolar affinity,suitable stability and biodistribution,with negligible toxicity to islets,qualifying it as a suitable lead candidate for further development as a tool for specific delivery of drugs and imaging reagents to beta cells.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-024-84574-y. View Publication

Fellows et al. report that individual dynein motors can move the entire axon length during retrograde transport. They find factors LIS1 and NDEL1,needed for transport initiation,also move with cargos. In the anterograde direction,dynein and its cofactor dynactin are transported separately,keeping them apart until required. Axonal transport is essential for neuronal survival. This is driven by microtubule motors including dynein,which transports cargo from the axon tip back to the cell body. This function requires its cofactor dynactin and regulators LIS1 and NDEL1. Due to difficulties imaging dynein at a single-molecule level,it is unclear how this motor and its regulators coordinate transport along the length of the axon. Here,we use a neuron-inducible human stem cell line (NGN2-OPTi-OX) to endogenously tag dynein components and visualize them at a near-single molecule regime. In the retrograde direction,we find that dynein and dynactin can move the entire length of the axon (>500 µm). Furthermore,LIS1 and NDEL1 also undergo long-distance movement,despite being mainly implicated with the initiation of dynein transport. Intriguingly,in the anterograde direction,dynein/LIS1 moves faster than dynactin/NDEL1,consistent with transport on different cargos. Therefore,neurons ensure efficient transport by holding dynein/dynactin on cargos over long distances but keeping them separate until required. View Publication

AbstractThe generation of chimeric antigen receptor?modified natural killer (CAR?NK) cells using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) has emerged as one of the paradigms for manufacturing off?the?shelf universal immunotherapy. However,there are still some challenges in enhancing the potency,safety,and multiple actions of CAR?NK cells. Here,iPSCs were site?specifically integrated at the ribosomal DNA (rDNA) locus with interleukin 24 (IL24) and CD19?specific chimeric antigen receptor (CAR19),and successfully differentiated into iPSC?derived NK (iNK) cells,followed by expansion using magnetic beads in vitro. Compared with the CAR19?iNK cells,IL24 armored CAR19?iNK (CAR19?IL24?iNK) cells showed higher cytotoxic capacity and amplification ability in vitro and inhibited tumor progression more effectively with better survival in a B?cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (B?ALL) (Nalm?6 (Luc1))?bearing mouse model. Interestingly,RNA?sequencing analysis showed that IL24 may enhance iNK cell function through nuclear factor kappa B (NF?B) pathway?related genes while exerting a direct effect on tumor cells. This study proved the feasibility and potential of combining IL24 with CAR?iNK cell therapy,suggesting a novel and promising off?the?shelf immunotherapy strategy. Zhang et al. successfully regenerated iNK cells from human iPSCs with rDNA locus gene editing. IL24 enhances the antitumor activity and proliferation of armored CAR?iNK cells,which may be involved in cellular?positive upregulation and adhesion pathways. View Publication

Simple SummaryHuman induced pluripotent stem cells hold great promise for treating neurological diseases. One of the biggest challenges,however,is the immune system: if transplanted cells are not a perfect match,the body may reject them. To overcome this,we aimed to create “off-the-shelf”,universal cells that could be safely used in anyone,without needing a matched donor. Using CRISPR-mediated gene editing tool,we deleted two key genes,B2M and CIITA,that are responsible for making proteins recognized by the immune system. Additionally,we engineered the cells to produce MIF,which helps protect against natural killer cell attacks. Overall,our study shows that combining MIF overexpression with the removal of B2M and CIITA can produce universal cells that avoid rejection by the immune system. This approach could help make stem cell therapies more widely available and effective for spinal cord injuries and other diseases. AbstractHuman induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) offer immense potential as a source for cell therapy in spinal cord injury (SCI) and other diseases. The development of hypoimmunogenic,universal cells that could be transplanted to any recipient without requiring a matching donor could significantly enhance their therapeutic potential and accelerate clinical translation. To create off-the-shelf hypoimmunogenic cells,we used CRISPR-Cas9 to delete B2M (HLA class I) and CIITA (master regulator of HLA class II). Double-knockout (DKO) iPSC-derived neural progenitor cells (NPCs) evaded T-cell-mediated immune rejection in vitro and after grafting into the injured spinal cord of athymic rats and humanized mice. However,loss of HLA class I heightened susceptibility to host natural killer (NK) cell attack,limiting graft survival. To counter this negative effect,we engineered DKO NPCs to overexpress macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF),an NK cell checkpoint ligand. MIF expression markedly reduced NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity and improved long-term engraftment and integration of NPCs in the animal models for spinal cord injury. These findings demonstrate that MIF overexpression,combined with concurrent B2M and CIITA deletion,generates hiPSC neural derivatives that escape both T- and NK-cell surveillance. This strategy provides a scalable route to universal donor cells for regenerative therapies in SCI and potentially other disorders. View Publication

The advancement of Long-Read Sequencing (LRS) techniques has significantly increased the length of sequencing to several kilobases,thereby facilitating the identification of alternative splicing events and isoform expressions. Recently,numerous computational tools for isoform detection using long-read sequencing data have been developed. Nevertheless,there remains a deficiency in comparative studies that systemically evaluate the performance of these tools,which are implemented with different algorithms,under various simulations that encompass potential influencing factors. In this study,we conducted a benchmark analysis of thirteen methods implemented in nine tools capable of identifying isoform structures from long-read RNA-seq data. We evaluated their performances using simulated data,which represented diverse sequencing platforms generated by an in-house simulator,RNA sequins (sequencing spike-ins) data,as well as experimental data. Our findings demonstrate IsoQuant as a highly effective tool for isoform detection with LRS,with Bambu and StringTie2 also exhibiting strong performance. These results offer valuable guidance for future research on alternative splicing analysis and the ongoing improvement of tools for isoform detection using LRS data. Recently,various computational tools have emerged for detecting mRNA isoforms using long-read sequencing data. Here,the authors systemically evaluate and compare the performance of these tools. View Publication

Oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) in the mitochondrial inner membrane is a therapeutic target in many diseases. Neural stem cells (NSCs) show progress in improving mitochondrial dysfunction in the central nervous system (CNS). However,translating neural stem cell-based therapies to the clinic is challenged by uncontrollable biological variability or heterogeneity,hindering uniform clinical safety and efficacy evaluations. We propose a systematic top-down design based on membrane self-assembly to develop neural stem cell-derived oxidative phosphorylating artificial organelles (SAOs) for targeting the central nervous system as an alternative to NSCs. We construct human conditionally immortal clone neural stem cells (iNSCs) as parent cells and use a streamlined closed operation system to prepare neural stem cell-derived highly homogenous oxidative phosphorylating artificial organelles. These artificial organelles act as biomimetic organelles to mimic respiration chain function and perform oxidative phosphorylation,thus improving ATP synthesis deficiency and rectifying excessive mitochondrial reactive oxygen species production. Conclusively,we provide a framework for a generalizable manufacturing procedure that opens promising prospects for disease treatment. Regulating oxidative phosphorylation and restoring redox homeostasis are crucial in neurological disorders. Here,the authors develop a top-down membrane self-assembly strategy to develop stem cell-derived artificial organelles (SAOs) that mimic mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation without the risks associated with stem cell therapy. View Publication